Chris Wage Photography 

Lady Fury of the Nashville Rollergirls.

Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN. May 11, 2013.

A referee looks on as the Nashville Roller Girls scrimmage with the new rules for the year. January 16, 2013.

#39, Goblynn, of the Hard Knox Roller Girls. June 12, 2010.

One of my favorite shots from the Honky Tonk Stomp in 2012 of one of my favorite skaters, Goblynn, who retired earlier this year.

Lady Fury of the Nashville Roller Girls. Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN. September 15, 2012.

Photographing roller derby has given me an opportunity to learn and perfect pan shots — a skill that has been surprisingly useful elsewhere! I was pretty proud of a couple of shots from their most recent bout last weekend, this one included.

An R2 unit at the Chattanooga Convention Center. May 12, 2012.

Ah, levitation — the force is strong with this one. I had just about the same reaction, but I managed to take this picture nonetheless.

Nashville Roller Girls Scrimmage, May 2012.

Municipal Auditorium, March 24, 2012.

A few veterans of the Nashville Rollergirls look on before the season opener bout.

Fans at the Nashville Roller Girls’ pre-season bout. February 4, 2012.

Never a shortage of colorful characters. I can only assume the guy on the right is distant progeny of this guy.

Miss Murder, Hard Knox Roller Girls.

One of my favorite portraits from the Honky Tonk Stomp last year.

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!