Skating the metaphorical edge: an ethnographic examination of female roller derby athletes
Date
2010
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This thesis examines how and why women challenge traditional gendered norms through their participation in roller derby and sports in general. This study attempts to further the scholarship on sports through an examination of how female athletes work to create alternative means of expressing their femininity. This thesis examines two research questions: (1) Do the women participating in roller derby come from a wide range of income and education levels, ages, professions, marital statuses and world views, as is the image put forth in the media and by the roller derby community? And (2) what are the reasons these women choose to participate in roller derby, particularly as opposed to other activities? Ethnographic research methods, both participant observation and in-depth interviews, were used in this thesis to answer the research questions. The participants for this study were the members of Diamond State Roller Girls (formerly Wilmington City Ruff Rollers). This thesis draw heavily on the concepts of edgework (Lyng 1990) and doing gender (West and Zimmerman 1987) to examine how these women find pleasures in the athleticism of the sport, use the activity to escape the constraints of their daily lives, and find rewards in challenging traditional gender boundaries. This thesis found that women participated in roller derby for at least one of eight different reasons: outlet for aggression, escape from daily constraints, comradery, exercise, empowering women, self-fulfillment, the culture, and love of the sport. The findings of this study also showed strong support for the gendered edgework framework.