This is a sport on wheels that is establishing itself
as a force to be reckoned with here in France.
Roller derby.
Known for its intensity and heavy hit,
modern roller derby wasn't established
until the early 2000s.
Since then, roller derby has awoken fiercely passionate
fan base here in France.
Today I've journeyed to Paris to explore
the passion that is driving these women to the ring.
(OLYMPIC OUTPOSTS. PRESENTED BY BRIDGESTONE)
My name is Michelle Steilen,
or better known as my roller derby name, Estrojen.
I played in coach for almost 10 years
and started two leagues in Los Angeles.
And I'm feeling more than ready to strap on my skates,
put on a helmet, and see just how these French roller girls
are realising their dreams.
We're here at the 20th arrondissement,
where La Boucherie de Paris is practising roller derby.
And I can't wait to get into there and meet those girls!
What is it about this sport that you love so much?
It's a sport that if you are different,
no discrimination, no thing in the roller derby.
That's very cool.
We love everybody.
This game is about momentum and timing.
So you want to match the speed of the opponents
that you're blocking.
It takes a lot of practice and finesse
to be able to block people.
What is your roller derby name?
It's called Chaque Grin.
And what does that mean?
Like I'm a bit grumpy all the time.
- Oh, are you? - Yes.
And how long have you been playing roller derby?
Just four years.
What was it about it that got you into it?
I used to play rugby in Barcelona.
Because I was really bad and I was bad at team work.
And when I came back to France, I was looking for a team
to play a new sport.
So I wanted to try it.
Now, it's like most of my friends,
except for my co-workers, are girls from this team.
It's my second family here in Paris.
So a scrum starts when it's a giant wall.
Your team's trying to split it for you,
and the opposing blockers are trying to knock you down.
And then you're just like, trying to get around
all these blockers.
It's really fun.
As the game's evolved, it was harder to slow down the jammer.
The sport is much more strategic.
The rules require more impactful hits.
Pump it!
We are here with Stelina and Delphine.
Stelina's a jammer.
And Delphine is a blocker.
Can you tell us a little bit about what
the differences are in those?
Basically, the jammer is the one who is supposed to
score the points by passing all the blockers.
And the blocker is, as the name indicates, the one who's
supposed to block the jammer.
When you're jamming, what is it that you're looking at?
What are you thinking of?
I'm not really thinking of anything,
I just go where I see an opening.
As soon as I see that I can, I just go for it.
You can be as slow as that, like, yeah, she
can pass like that.
Tell me, what is the most difficult part
about being a roller derby referee?
The main one is the complaining about players.
- Who's complaining? - Everyone.
I think it's something you will see
in all the Latin parts of Europe - France, Spain, Italy.
They like to complain.
Roller derby has a very soft place in my heart.
And I just had a blast out there
doing drills with these girls.
Training with the team was a lot of fun.
But now they're getting ready to travel
200 miles across France to Metz for a tournament.
I'm here with the La Boucherie travel team.
And we're all packed up, ready to go to Metz.
We've got 2½ hours?
Three.
Is there like a team cheer or a song?
You said no.
But I have a feeling that
you're not telling me the truth.
Visualise your win.
It's roller derby, roller derby, all weekend.
That's what you're looking forward to.
Yeah. We're out, also, we're in the same hotel.
So it's always fun to go back in the hotel,
eat together, and eat...
So I've made it to Metz and the teams have arrived.
And I can't wait to get in there and see
what the energy is like.
Let's check out roller derby in France.
How do you prepare a team for a tournament like this?
The most important thing is practice.
The players practice twice a week.
And for everything related to strategy,
I would say we watch a lot of games.
We look at what is going on to try to understand how
the game is going to evolve.
Would you agree that the game in Europe
is a little bit of a faster pace than you
see in the United States?
Defence in the United States is a lot stronger.
I think it slows down the game and that's
what may make it seem like the game is slower
than it is in Europe.
Sometimes here, when the game gets fast,
it is because our defence provokes the game,
the jammers are able to get through
a little more so we have to reposition
and that accelerates the game.
So what do you think that roller derby
needs to do to improve the sport here in France?
I would say a junior league.
In terms of skating, we still have a lot of work to do.
Well, there's already a good level in France,
but I think we could do better, a lot better,
with a junior league
I wish you the best of luck in your continued success.
- Thank you. - Give me a high-five.
All right, so we are here in the stands.
I sat down next to a person with a big drum.
Can you introduce yourself?
Yeah. I'm Stefan.
I'm here with my elite Europa Roller Girls.
It's amazing.
So are these all from all over Europe?
All over Europe.
That's Dutch, Netherlands, and here, Belgium, Portugal,
German stickers.
All right, well, we better wrap it up
- cos the game's starting. - Yeah.
All right, we have Paris up against Metz right now.
All right, it's the second match of the day
for La Boucherie.
Let's see how they do playing against the home team
from Metz.
Their jammers are amazing skaters.
They're jumping the apex, they're spinning out of walls,
they're dodging blocks.
France is very history rich
when it comes to roller skating.
It was very popular here in the '80s.
Because of their skating skills, the game
is a bit faster here in Europe.
I just love that.
La Boucherie's only 30 points ahead,
it's anyone's game right now.
La Boucherie is just giving it to them!
I had an incredible time immersing myself
in the culture of roller derby here in France.
I saw some fierce competition, and I
met some of the most inspirational women who
are the next generation of roller derby here in France.
At practice, they were practising their strategies.
But here at the game, it was awesome to see it all
come together.
They had really high-level skating skills
coupled with the strategies.
And they won the games because of it.
I'm not quitting roller skating any time soon.
And I can't wait to come back to France
and see how they're doing in the future.