Roller Derby!

Roller derby is an American original. People skate around an oval track, trying to pass and block one another. It gets rough. Roller derby was popular in the 50s and 60s, The sport faded but came back strong in recent years. When I was a kid there were separate competitions for men and women. Now it's women only and they are tough.

Our city's funky Soulard neighborhood has its own little Oktoberfest going this weekend. One of Friday night's features was an exhibition by our home town heroines, the St. Louis Arch Rivals. The fast action was hard to shoot outdoors after sunset but it was a great show. Gotta get to one of their regular games. Also had a long talk with Dan here on the right, who describes himself as the team mascot. Really interesting guy. And who wouldn't want such fine mistresses?

By the way, I'm going to dump the daily poll but not do away with the idea altogether. It's a tough job to come up with something clever every day - there's only so much water in that well - and it clutters up the sidebar, too. I think I'll do one a week. Comments welcome.

TOMORROW: Marathon Man