Chris Wage Photography 

This year, I had the honor of photographing the Nashville Roller Girls through their 2010 season. I skulked around in the background through practices, scrimmages, bouts, and, begrudgingly, afterparties, where I was forced, against my will, to cavort and socialize with all of my subjects. It was hard work, but in the interest of journalistic integrity, I felt it was necessary, to give you, dear readers, the real deal. Seriously, though: I met a lot of truly, truly amazing people, and made lots of great friends. I also, surprisingly, found myself the fan of a sport. No, really! I know the rules and everything! I’ve even found myself yelling alongside other belligerent individuals at other sporting events. Roller derby is apparently the true gateway drug.

I witnessed a team of young, raw recruits training their asses off, while a tireless group of individuals worked behind the scenes to keep things running. I witnessed that team face the uncertainty of their entire league’s future, with their former home at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds uncertain. I saw the team bent low by injury and relocation, but not broken. I watched the same team rise to the challenge and emerge victorious — eventually heading to the national championships. A true accomplishment. I understand Atlanta wanted to be there, but they couldn’t make it.

So, I’ll probably be featuring a lot of the 8 brazillion photos I’ve taken over the last year on this blog, but I have actually made an effort to edit all those photos into a coherent set, which you can find here. See you all at the next bout!