I'm pretty sure if you told Christina Blanchard that roller skates belonged on waitresses; she'd probably toss you 15 feet, curse your name and pick you up to toss you again, all while on roller skates.

Remember roller skating?

Middle school field trips are the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of roller skating. Then you grew up and got roller blades. It was as if roller skates became obsolete, a memory, a faded photograph which you would remember as "those things that waitresses wore in the '50s."

Boy, are you are in for a surprise.

I'm pretty sure if you told Christina Blanchard that roller skates belonged on waitresses, she'd probably toss you 15 feet, curse your name and pick you up to toss you again, all while on roller skates.

"Between the track and the audience is a five-foot safety zone and as a blocker I'm going to knock you into the third row," Blanchard said.

Christina Blanchard is 29 years old and plays roller derby for the Crazy Eights in the Brew City Bruisers league. As a blocker, she is tasked with stopping the jammer from getting around the track to score points.

But wait, what is roller derby, you ask? I asked the same question.

Roller derby dates back to the 1940s when it was more of a theatrical event than a sport. The track was tilted so it was hard to build, maintain and store. The sport faded because it was very expensive. Roller derby has since made a few minor comebacks here and there but now it has more steam than ever.

The game is simple enough; each bout has two teams who have a set of blockers and jammers and one pivot. The pivot sets the pace for the pack while jammers must get past the opposing teams blockers and vice versa. Once they do that they must essentially lap the blockers of the other team. Each blocker lapped is worth one point. Scores usually range into basketball-type scoring, sometimes into the hundreds.

"Blockers must assist their jammers while preventing the other team's jammers from scoring," Christina says.

Games are played for three 20 minute periods and blockers are not allowed 10 feet ahead or behind the pack of blockers. That“s called chasing and lagging, respectively.

The Bruisers play flat track roller derby. This type of roller derby has made such a big impression in the past four years that four Milwaukee teams have created a league in good ol' Mil-Ville.

"Over the past few years it has grown from four leagues to 10 to 30 leagues," Christina says. "Now it's over 100 leagues across the nation, and there is one in almost every major city."

The league in Milwaukee comprises of four teams: the Crazy 8's, Maiden Milwaukee, the Rushin' Roulettes and the Shevil Knievels. Each player has a nickname which she plays by, a persona if you will. For example, Milwaukee's Breast or Ivana Smackdavitch are some of the ones to remember.

Penalties are included in the game as well. You can't throw elbows, push, use knees or forearms. You get four penalties until you go to the penalty box.

"A lot of skaters do it, but not intentionally," says Christina. "A good team will use their penalties strategically."

Injuries are common as well. A torn PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) in the knee is the most reported in the nation for roller derby, but broken ankles and stitches make their way into the sport as well. Don't forget bruises and scratches, as those come by a dime a dozen.

"Girls wear their bruises with pride because they know they got it during roller derby," said Blanchard.

The Bruisers have made a huge leap this year in establishing a traveling team as well. It's sort of an all-star team comprised from the four other teams, but that's not always the case.

These women who play are people who have kids, jobs and other commitments beyond the sport, so sometimes it's the heavily committed that travel. Their first traveling bout is in Las Vegas.

From here, the Bruisers hope to compete in the national tournament next year. The league is still young and the traveling team is even younger, so they want to continue to train the new girls. The Bruisers always give back to the community and charities and support women of all types and sizes who want to play roller derby "who are over 21. There is a lot of partying that goes along with being a Bruiser," described Blanchard.

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