All-girl roller derby is experiencing a sudden and widespread resurgence across the US. As of this writing there are more than 80 amateur leagues around the nation with more coming on line every month. At the very epicenter of the phenomenon is Austin Texas’ TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls League. Founded in 2001, the league consists of five hard-hitting teams of independent and talented athletes who have leveraged their punk-inspired DIY ethic to become local, and now national, celebrities thanks to A&E’s docu-reality program Rollergirls. The face of A&E’s publicity campaign for the show is Sarah Rodgers, better known to fans as Miss Conduct. Her image is splashed across billboards, Web sites, DVDs and even the sides of city busses. Anyone who’s familiar with the show is sure to recognize her striking features, blazing red hair and slight but powerful frame.

was fortunate to have the opportunity to talk with Miss Conduct about the ins and outs, and ups and downs of modern roller derby. Don’t let her hardcore image fool you: Miss Conduct is an articulate, intelligent and expressive advocate of the sport, a gifted athlete and an individual with many and varied interests outside of the rink too. But don’t take our word for it; see for youself:

: How did you get into roller derby?

Miss Conduct: A former roommate of mine in 2001 told me about the girls’ meeting at a local skating rink that wanted to get something called roller derby going in Austin. Neither of us knew anything about the sport at that time. The founders of Roller Derby in Austin were looking to recruit enough women that were willing to put the time into a vision that was at ground level and be willing to accept the risks that came along with playing a game that we didn’t fully understand. It was months after we began practice that I saw my first video of roller derby, featuring a bout that took place in the 60s. It was so exciting!

: Why do you think Austin is where derby has been reborn?

Miss Conduct: Austin is made up of a number of performers, musicians, radicals of all sorts. The kind of people who live here are into supporting that. It’s a part of our culture here. We were nowhere near the skill level that we are now back in 2001, but we came out of nowhere with our costumes and girls… girls that the town had never seen skate before were out there turning laps and blowing punk rockers away! We had two live bands and beer - these things go hand and hand in Austin - and people just ate it up from very beginning!

: Did Rollergirls do a good job of showing what it's really like to be in TXRD?

Miss Conduct: I think they did a great job at capturing as much as they could. There’s no way you can really experience something this big over the course of 40 minutes through your television screen, but I think they gave a lot of people a good taste of what it might be like to be one of us.

: You're all over the Rollergirls publicity - did you know they were going to make you the poster girl of the show? How did that affect you?

Miss Conduct: No, I had no idea at all! People like to ask me this question. I don’t really think it’s affected my life so much as it has affected how some others may look at me.

: We saw some references to "your recovery" on your MySpace page. What kind of injury did you sustain and how are you doing now?

Miss Conduct: I tore my cartilage during an exposition bout last October. I had Arthroscopic surgery in November and began the first of many rehabilitation visits so I could get full function of my knee back, return to work, and then get back into the game. I would have been back in my skates weeks after surgery if I hadn’t have been so determined or thick headed enough to keep skating after I tore it the first time. I managed somehow to downplay the pain in the first quarter and complete four full jams, each time tearing it a little more. I’m back on the track practicing with my team, The Holy Rollers, once again. My knee isn’t ready to resist any hard blows yet, but I’m fully committed to coming back strong when the 2007 season begins.

: It seems like a lot of the girls put on a persona when they skate that doesn’t match their off-rink image, whereas you live your look. Can you comment on that?

Miss Conduct: We all have the right to be whomever we want, whether we play roller derby or not. We have the right to be someone one day, and another the next. We’re all fortunate to have that freedom. I’m sure there are a lot of freaks out there trapped in business suits that may never seize the opportunity to be who they were meant to be. These girls are lucky to be accepted in their path to self-discovery. More power to them! As far as the sport goes, there is no such thing as a poseur out there on that track. Our girls have to try out first. After that they go through extensive training, then try out again. By the time they are placed on a team, they have earned everything that comes with being a rollergirl.

: Were you athletic or into any sports before you got into roller derby?

Miss Conduct: I played soccer for one year, when I was a kid. I tried out for volleyball in Jr. High School but didn’t make it. My favorite sports were always played after school, like tackle football with the neighborhood boys who played all through elementary school. A lot of the kids were much bigger than me and I loved colliding with them. I’d forget about football being the point sometimes and would turn a tackle into a full on wrestling match! I supposed that aspect of me hasn’t changed much.

: When you’re on the track, you’re very aggressive and intimidating. Were those qualities you had before joining the derby or did you cultivate them after the fact?

Miss Conduct: Unfortunately, yes, those aggressive “qualities,” if you choose to call them that, are a part of who I am. I am the first to walk away or break up a fight now, but from the fifth grade (when I delivered my first direct punch to the face) up until I was 19, that was not the case. I have been kicked out of or “asked” to leave nearly every school I went to because of that attitude. In most of these situations I was not an instigator however. It was hard for me to find the “off” switch once someone really pushed my buttons. No matter if they out weighed me or out numbered me, I always gave it my all. I love bringing that little monster out when I put on my skates!

: Has roller derby made you even more aggressive and if so, how is that a negative or a positive in your life?

Miss Conduct: I don’t think that roller derby has made me more aggressive. Off of the track I become more and more passive as I get older and roller derby acts as an outlet for me. It keeps that younger, fearless scrapper in me alive! In roller derby that aggressive nature CAN BE considered a positive quality. It feels like something I was born to do.

: What's the worst derby injury you've gotten -- and what's the worst you've given someone else?

Miss Conduct: Although over the past six years, I’ve had a tooth knocked loose, teeth chipped, dislocated shoulders, and suffered nerve damage for roughly three months, I’d have to say my knee injury was the worst because it’s been an eight-month recovery process, and put me on the bench for an entire season.

: Are there derby groupies? Do you get a lot of attention around town, and is it mostly positive? I'm curious about the perv/sleaze factor -- any creepy fans or stalkers that you have to deal with?

Miss Conduct: The attention comes in waves. At least a couple times a day, if I’m out running errands someone will approach me and ask the question “are you Miss Conduct?” More often folks will shout something funny at me, give me the middle finger, or buy me a shot of Jager to show some love. I’d hate to call them groupies. They’re our supporters; some of whom I think are like our extended family. They help us keep what we love alive. Yeah there are some pervs, but wherever there are hot chicks there’s bound to be few of those. Most of our fans respect the hell out us and what we do. I know for a fact some most of our die-hard fans would intervene in some way if they ever noticed someone acting creepy or inappropriate with one of us.

: Some of the boyfriends featured on the show came off as kind of… well… lame. Is that a fair assessment?

Miss Conduct: Wow, that’s sort of a funny question… Those two boyfriends you’re probably referring to are some of the most multi-talented and dedicated people. You don’t get to choose how the show is going to portray you. You could easily be made to look lame or even look much cooler than you actually are. Maybe some of their scenes weren’t as exciting as watching the girls skate or smear each other, but in real life those two are amazing people! To date a girl who is dedicated to a sport that consumes so much of her time takes one hell of a dedicated man. The two featured on the show have taken on a rollergirl as a girlfriend and held their own jobs, and dedicated a lot of time to the league, as well as participating in the TV series.

: In the show there seems to be a struggle between those who want TXRD to become more formal and professional and those who want it to stay true to its DIY punk roots. Is that struggle a reality and if so, can the league strike a balance?

Miss Conduct: I don’t think that I heard anyone express that they want TXRD to become “formal.” That’s really not us. For some of the skaters, on top of their skating commitment, being a part of TXRD is like having another full time job (that doesn’t pay). We will always continue to improve upon TXRD as a business, what that means only time will tell. We have been DIY for so long now think that you would have to beat it out of us.

: Do you think derby will go national? What are some of the barriers to that happening?

Miss Conduct: Although Austin Texas gave birth to a new generation of roller derby, there have been leagues popping up all over the U.S and even in Germany. There are going to be obvious barriers any place there is a large number of women trying to get something off of the ground. The flip side to that is when you get a large number of women together who set their sights toward a common goal those barriers can be overcome.

: Now that Rollergirls is canceled, where can your fans see you?

Miss Conduct: Well, of course you can see me and the rest of TXRD on the Rollergirls DVD box set. Otherwise I keep in contact with fans from all over through MySpace, and I just launched www.killmissconduct.com on the 13th of June. Fans can reach me there as well.

: What's your theme song (i.e., the music that plays in your head when you're skating)?

Miss Conduct: “You’ve made my SH*T LIST”, by L7 would be one of them.

: Who are your heroes?

Miss Conduct: I have a new hero every week for a different reason. Last week my hero was Chingona of the Putas Del Fuego. She was blocked over the rail backwards! She hit her head on the concrete and looked down for the count. Her legs were twitching and her body was trembling. It was so frightening. That woman got right back in the game; finished the job, and her team won the championship this year, Go Chingona!

: What advice would you give a woman who’s considering joining her own local league?

Miss Conduct: If you are considering trying out for roller derby, then you should! It’s a chance of a lifetime to try something challenging that you have never done before… even if you don’t get past the try-outs. It takes a lot of courage to get out there and try. To even get that far in the game deserves respect, and you have mine. So here’s to all girls out there kicking ass and taking names!