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Adrienne van der Valk seems to be keeping an eye out for marauding competitors as she flies around the floor.

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Aches, pains, and "gnarly bruises" are definitely a part of the mix, van der Valk says.

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Modern roller derby athletes include "teachers, welders, landscapers, attorneys, therapists, bartenders, and students," van der Valk says. About half of these women are mothers — and very tough mothers, indeed.

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Van der Valk says she was lured into roller derby by the "excitement and the girl-power" but she stayed for the sport.

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Scary makeup and a toy weapon add to the fun. And yes, that is Adrienne.

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Roller derby has changed since the days of Kansas City Bomber, says Adrienne van der Valk. For one thing, she competes in a flat-track league, rather than the banked track leagues of the past. And fighting is not allowed.

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Van der Valk’s league, the Emerald City Roller Girls, is a nonprofit, skater-run affairs, unlike "professional" clubs of the past,

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Adrienne van der Valk says she plans to compete until she is broken — "And I hope I skate until I die," she adds.

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