Roller Girls: Photography By Susan Moss

It all started back in the 1930s, when the world realized what we now hold as a universal truth: marathon skating is cool, sure, but pushing and shoving is what really gets us –- as well it should, when it involves hot chicks in short skirts!

This book is a trackside take on the rough and tumble world of roller derby, as its rockin’ revival gets up to speed across the continent. Chronicling the newest generation of beautiful bruisers, the original photos within capture the thrills, chills and spills of the modern bout, along with the inside scoop on roller lingo, roller rules and roller history.

The first roller derbies were designed as endurance races, with coed couples trying to skate the distance between New York and Los Angeles. By the 1960s, it was more aggressive you couldn’t turn on a television set in North America without hearing the announcer exclaiming, “Whoaah, Nelly!” The gals were the ones in the spotlight, of course, from legends like Skinnie Minnie Miller to Midge Toughie Brasuhn to Ann Calvello, queen of the penalty box.

Roller Derby’s fortunes have taken some hard knocks over the years, and most of the bold banked tracks of the 1970s are long gone. But kick-ass girls are finally getting their kicks on quads again. They’re ready to rumble, and Roller Girls has all the flashes of fishnets, colorful crotches and full-contact mishaps to prove it.

Susan Moss is a Montreal-based action photographer par excellence. Whether it’s bands or bathroom stalls, portraits or puddles, she wades right in to get the shot – and manages to make everyone look hot in the process.

www.susanmossphotography.com