Of Skates and Scars

The TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls will be unpacking their banked Roller Derby track this weekend, and seven year veteran Honey Homcide will roll with the All-Scar Army for Sunday's 2011 season kick-off. "It's going to be a great show," she said, "I'm so excited, I can't even handle it."

Austin Chronicle: So modern Roller Derby is heading towards its decade anniversary very soon.

Honey Homicide: A lot of people never thought we'd ever get this thing off the ground, but it's become a world-wide thing and we're really happy to be a part of the start of that. It's a very exciting time for us and we're really proud to be here.

AC: This will be your second season at the Palmer Events Center. How did the move work for you, and how was last year for the league?

HH: Our average crowd last season was probably around 1,500. It was a good year for us. We had a lot of attention in the media, especially with the Whip-It movie. That really helped boost our ticket sales. It's really funny that you mentioned venues, because when I started we were in this piece-of-crap warehouse out on Decker Lane. It didn't have any seats and there were no stands. People were just standing around and bringing lawn chairs and stuff. There was a visceral quality to the old days but we're really successful now.

AC: Derby is a really physical game. How are you holding up?

HH: I've haven't had any serious injuries yet, just some sprained ankles and I separated my shoulder one time. There aren't as many serious injuries as you'd think. I mean, it's meant to be fixed, so it's really stupid that we play it in the first place. But as we grow and we our training gets better and we train harder and we know more of what we're doing, our injuries go down immensely.

AC: Normally the TXRD season kick-off is the reigning champs against the all-star All-Scar Army: This time it's the All-Scars against the United Skates Navy. Why the break with tradition?

HH: We wanted to do something special. This bout really is dedicated to all the women who came before us, and the women who were there when we started. What we're going to do is, we're going to have two all-star teams and we're going to show them what we did with the resources that they gave us.

AC: How do all-star games compare to regular bouts?

HH: [Derby] is an instantaneous reaction game. You have to be able to make really important decisions in a quarter of a second. Being able to make those decisions, it's a matter of time. There are girls, it takes them years to gel. But once you do, and you're able to understand the flow of the game and you're working with people who you can read very well, then it's great. [United Skates Navy captain] Rocky Casbah, I've always been the last blocker for her. She can read me really well, and I know how she skates. I'm looking forward to playing against her, because I'm sure she'll really appreciate what I do for her when I knock her down.

TXRD Lonestar Roller­girls season opener: Sun., Jan. 30, 7pm (doors 6pm). Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd. $15 www.txrd.com.