Finn Gallagher | Hawaii 24/7 Student Reporter
and Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

The Spring Fling-Her roller derby kicked off on the east side of the Big Island at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Hilo Civic Auditorium. This was the third event since November and drew another loud and proud crowd.

Before the women took to the track, many people were gathered in the parking lot, eating and visiting ahead of the main event.

Devany Vickery-Davidson, a freelance writer and roller derby fan, said she was pleased the women athletes gaining such a following.

“More and more people come each event and we will be happy to see more people in the next event,” she said.

The final score of the night was tragic because the Maui Roller Girls crushed the Paradise Girls by a score of 148-82.

The total atmosphere in the auditorium was very energetic, with several side shows of dancing, a super fan costume contest and a donation to a domestic violence shelter. They had various booths of merchandise and food, and the crowd was really pumped for the
bout.

The hometown heroes put up a tough fight in the first half and kept the score close, but in the second half, Maui’s experience showed through and the visitors built a commanding lead.

Irish-I-Was-Bashin-Ya, the PRG’s coach, said the bout was a great learning experience and she could see some improvements since the last bout.

“Maui has this tendency to slaughter people, so we did quite well. The reality is they were frustrated by us,” Irish said. “And that’s awesome. I’m pretty impressed with us. I’m super happy with the result, because we learned so much from this. But there’s lots for us to improve on.”

The coach said she hoped the Maui team would remember its visit to Hilo.

“They taught us a little bit of a lesson,” Irish said, “But they’re going to go home with that bruise on their side and say, ‘you know what? A PRG gave that to me!'”

PRG captain Anita Whiskey said she was pleased with the team’s performance and the crowd support.

“Although the scoreboard is not reading what we’d like it to, I’m certainly not disappointed with the effort the girls are putting out,” Whiskey said. “It’s a great pleasure to have all these people come out and cheer us on like family. Not very many people get to perform in front of a crowd that’s as fantastic as we have in Hilo.”

PRG’s next contest is a double-header Aug. 13 in Hilo.

One of the best things about roller derby is the awesome names of the athletes. Check it out:

— Paradise Roller Girls

Captain: Anita Whiskey – #90proof
Co captain: D’evil’D Meggs – #88
AvaTart – #411
BitchBeGone – #410
Chola Roll-Ya – #808
Elechick Killjoy – #235
Firefly Fatale – #777
Kourtney KarBASH-U-IN – #14
Megative – #13
Passer Aggressor – #211
SheBang SheBang – #911
Smash You Face Stace – #111
Sadie Mae Gutz – #5150
Southern Un-Comfort – #1976
The Marinator – #7
Tsunamea – #25
Von Schlappenbitch – #8
Coach: Irish-I-Was-Bashin-Ya

— Maui Roller Girls

Captain: G.I. Jersey – #4
Co captain: Go! Shi Shi – #544
Banana Slamcakes – #182
Gunner’s Daughter – #AK47
Hori Lori – #18
Jack Up You Box – #H20H
Jess Da Tip – #99 bottles
Lil’ Bo Beat Down – #2EZ
Lizzy Scissor-Skates – #217
Miss Maul Practice – #10 2 Life
Sarassassin – #50cal
Sugarpop – #23
Wits & Ass – #77
Yo Mama Bin Laden – #911
Coaches: Noa Fantastica & Daff O’Drill