Columbia only has one premier Women's Roller derby team. But don't let their names fool you, Ninja Skwidd, Slamrock, and Sake it Tumi are anything but dainty girls. This is exactly what draws some women in.

Roller derby gives athletes like Kat Haefling a way to be aggressive, "I like aggressive sports and I couldn't play football, so this is the next step up for me."

Haefling doesn't have her derby name yet, because she hasn't passed her test to become a Derby Dame. The Dames hold a beginners class once a week to teach girls who want to learn the sport.

"We started the beginner's skate class so those who need to brush up on their skills or aren't quite comfortable yet, and most people don't have experience with derby and there's a lot to learn," said head instructor Ninja Skwidd.

Haefling joined the class a month ago at the urging of a friend, "It was more like, you'd be awesome for this, you should try it. And I was kinda hesitant at first, but then I figured it would be really fun and said ok."

So what draws these women in to a sport most people have never heard of? The dames start out like any team, by stretching. Once they're nice and limber, it's time to get their gear.

"Improving on skates just takes time. The more you skate, the more you're gonna learn and the faster you're gonna catch on," said Skwidd.

Skwidd teaches the basics of the derby, skating, stopping, blocking, and whipping. Whipping is where the goal is to shoot a teammate around the track faster. Falling is pretty mild compared to what can happen in derby.

Skwidd remembers one of her experiences in the rink, "I got blocked into a wall and I got cut down my leg, and so I have a big honking scar from it. I did get a concussion once."

In other sports, the spoils go to whoever is bigger and tougher, but in derby, everyone has a place.

"Sometimes people are more intimidating because they're bigger than me and she pretty much told me that size doesn't matter, smaller people can do it just as good as bigger people," said Haefling.

The Dames offer a beginner's class every Thursday at 5:30, and they are always looking for more girls.