I've never been to summer camp, but I have watched the Parent Trap (1990's Lohan edition) enough times to know that it can be some seriously life-changing shit. Though I was participating in RollerCon only as a spectator this year, it was still amazing to experience.
In an amazing show of strength, it was the Philly Roller Girls (ranked second in the East) that swept the track with the dust of so many teams’ wheels. After killing two bouts in a row against Rocky Mountain and Rose City, respectively, Philly faced off against the Minnesota RollerGirls.
Three days into RollerCon and everything starts to blur together in a Hunter S. Thompson sort of haze, technicolored neon lights and heat waves a given. Everyone in their basic black scrimmage shirt, names and numbers printed on the back in all similar fonts and sizes, the difference between one derby diva and another is diminished, and we blend into a sea of sweating faces and leg tattoos.
Any time leagues from all over the world come together, new strategies explode across the map, gaining prevalence until one movement comes up and defines the year. Last year, it was the no-start. This year, it's the no-block.
Every year since 2004, RollerCon has been the destination for skaters all across America. Comparable to Comic Con but with 200-percent more drunken hookups, the four-day convention is packed with events from 9 a.m. to midnight, not including the late-night karaoke and nonstop party throughout the halls of the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.
