A Roller Derby dame in training

Deputy public defender Tamra Bowman is proud of her reputation as a scrapper in the courtroom.

It’s the same in the roller rink.

The self-admitted “skater, dater and litigator” is one of the newest members of the Pikes Peak Derby Dames, a Colorado Springs roller derby league that started in 2005. The popularity of the league continues to grow — it now has three teams and more than 30 women participating.

The league’s season-opening bout is tonight at the City Auditorium.

Though she declined to reveal her age, Bowman, a Colorado Springs native who graduated from Mitchell High School, belies her status as the oldest dame on the squad with the stamina and spunk of a 20-something.

“I didn’t really want to get hurt, I just wanted to wear the outfits,” Bowman said. “I’m a good skater, but I’m still learning a lot about derby.”

Those outfits can include fishnet stockings, miniskirts, piercings, tattoos, colored hair and visible doses of rock ’n’ rolling attitude. Their rink names — monikers every derby competitor picks — include “Slugs and Kisses,” “Jill the Ripper” and “Count Smackula.”

While it might seem a little racy, Bowman enjoys the contrast between her day job and her night hobby.

“It’s a cool subculture,” said Bowman. “A lot of the girls like goth music and punk. Some dress very ’50s in black leather. They portray themselves as tough chicks.

“It’s a good way of letting out my pent-up energy. You have to be so prim and proper in the courtroom, wearing suits and all.”

Bowman has been a roller skater most of her life. She was in a competitive dance skating club during high school and skated every weekend at Venice Beach while living in California doing civil litigation. She returned to Colorado Springs last year, took a job with the Public Defender’s Office and had been looking for a skating outlet.

While at Skate City one Sunday night, she ran into some Derby Dames, and her curiosity was piqued.

“I questioned whether or not I had it in me,” she said. “To do something a lot of these girls in their 20s are doing.”

But after she cleared it with her boss — Carrie Thompson, head of the 4th Judicial District’s Public Defender’s Office — and picked her derby name, she was in.

Bowman chose a variation of her former favorite place to skate for her dame name — Venice Beach, but with a different “b” word.

She just passed a skills test and is waiting to be put on one of three teams: the Candy Snipers, the Danger Dolls or the traveling Slamazons.

It didn’t take long for Bowman to confront her initial fear of getting hurt. In one scrimmage, she was blindsided and knocked to the floor. She blacked out for a couple of seconds.

Bowman saw the much larger woman who checked her at a later practice. The woman half-apologized but warned Bowman that she should have been looking. The imposing dame then proceeded to show Bowman how to check someone effectively, but legally.

“I figured if I could survive getting knocked down by Annie Fister, I could survive getting knocked down by anyone,” she said.

Bowman has also witnessed Tammy “Peaches and Scream” Gillette recovering from a shattered collarbone suffered during a January bout in Dallas. Gillette, undeterred, is anxious to get back in the rink.

“I love to hit,” Gillette said.

When Bowman recently showed up in court with a bruised arm from skating into a wall, a deputy district attorney who specializes in domestic violence asked if she was OK.

“I told her it was a derby bruise, and she just laughed,” Bowman said.

Thompson, who went to law school with Bowman and worked with her previously at the Denver Public Defender’s Office, said she isn’t worried about Bowman somehow tarnishing the image of public defenders.

“Back then she was riding motorcycles,” Thompson said. “She is who she is.”

Thompson said for some reason, public defenders offices seem to attract risk-takers: mountain climbers, motorcyclists, bungee jumpers.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to limit someone’s ability to enjoy life for the few hours they get away from this work,” Thompson said. “When Tamra is in court, she’s professional, compassionate and loves her clients. She’s always been a terrific lawyer.”

At least one of Bowman’s new teammates thinks she’s going to be a terrific dame, too.

“She’s really dedicated,” said Donna “Karma Getch YA” Cole. “She’s going to be a good player — you can see it in her eyes.”

The eyes of a scrapper.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0110 or dennis.huspeni@gazette.com

A PRIMER ON ROLLER DERBY

WHAT IS IT?

Roller derby is an American contact sport and a form of sports entertainment based on formation roller skating around a track, according to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

HOW IS IT PLAYED?

Two teams put five skaters each in the rink. A group of skaters from each team, called “blockers,” try to prevent a single skater from the opposing team, called a “jammer,” from skating through and past them. The blockers also help their own jammer through the pack. A team scores points based on the number of times its jammer can get through the opposing team’s blockers. Shoulder checks, without elbows, are permissible.

LOCALLY:

The Colorado Springs league is called the Pikes Peak Derby Dames (www.pikespeak derbydames.com). There’s also a league in Denver called the Denver Roller Dolls (www.denverroller dolls.com).

WANT TO JOIN?:

The Dames host a recruitment night several times a year. The next one is scheduled for Sept. 10 at Skate City, 1920 N. Academy Blvd. You must be a woman over the age of 18 in fairly good shape.

WANT MORE INFORMATION?:

One of the largest associations in America is the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (www.wftda. com) with 38 all-female leagues. Its Web site has more information on the rules and history of roller derby.

ROLLER DERBY HISTORY

The American sport was invented in the 1930s by promoter Leo Seltzer. It was televised weekly during the early 1950s. As gas prices increased in the 1970s and teams were less able to travel, its popularity died out. Derby has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, mainly among grassroots all-female leagues. In 1972, Raquel Welch starred in “Kansas City Bomber,” a fictional film about a female roller derby player who learns to take control of her life both on and off the track.

PIKES PEAK DERBY DAMES SEASON OPENER

WHEN: Doors open at 6 p.m. today, bout starts at 7 p.m. A concert by The Mansfields to follow.

TICKETS: $12 at the door.

WHERE: City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.

INFORMATION: www.pikespeakderbydames.com