Airman becomes 'Tiki Bomber' on roller rink Published May 18, 2011 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- She's an Airman 24/7, but at least three days a week she straps on roller skates and becomes a "Mississippi Rollergirl." Lindsey Waller, a nutrition care specialist with the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron Nutritional Medicine Flight, started skating with Mississippi's first women's flat track derby league in November 2010. In her Rollergirl persona, AirmanWaller is known as "Tiki Bomber." The Oxford, Miss., native has been in the Air Force since January 2010 and at Keesler since August. She became involved in the sport after a roller derby referee tried to recruit her as an official. "'Jonesie' (Kendell Jones, an assistant supervisor with the CSC team at the 81st Medical Group Hospital) referees bouts," Waller said. "He wanted me to learn to be a referee but I decided I liked skating more," she said. Waller, who turns 21 in June, has been skating since she was 5. "We practice three times a week -- Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday -- at the Harrison County Skate Park (on Debuys Road, the boundary between Biloxi and Gulfport north of U.S. Highway 90)," she said. "That's also where we have our bouts. Right now, I'm a 'rookie' skater. I'll have to meet certain standards and minimal skating skills set forth by WFTDA(Women's Flat Track Derby Association) before being allowed to 'bout.'" She added, "I really enjoy skating very much. The team is a big derby family and flattrack derby is a major stress reliever." Jones, known as "HIM-roid" on the track, has been associated with the Mississippi Roller Girls since October. He explained there are approximately 15 flat-track derby teams in an area ranging from Panama City, Fla., to Baton Rouge, La., as well as Hattiesburg and Jackson, Miss. Currently there are more than 500 Roller Derby Leagues in eight different countries. "The Rollergirls hope to receive WFTDA apprenticeship status by July. This is 'Apprenticeship 101,' a stepping stone to full WFTDA certification," Jones said. He pointed out the women on the Mississippi Rollergirls are all volunteers who have to pay membership fees and dues and buy their uniforms and gear. Skates can cost anywhere from $150-$1000. "There are 25-35 girls on the roster with 22 who are 'boutable'--they have passed the minimum skills to participate in the bouts. There is a 14-women roster for each bout. Bouts consist of "Jams" which have two, five-woman teams, each with one jammer who scores points and four blockers who assist their jammer to score while attempting to stop the other team's jammer from scoring." Waller noted that the Mississippi Rollergirls field two home teams, the "Skateful Dead" and "Hot Rollers," for local games to allow the skaters more playing time. Jones added there also is an "all-star" traveling team. According to their website, Mississippi Rollergirls was founded in 2006 and is Mississippi's first women's flattrack derby league. "We are a volunteer organization for women--owned and operated by our skaters. Our goal is to promote healthy, competitive athleticism among our peers, to foster the development of flat-track derby on a local and regional level, and to serve our community through volunteerism. The women in this organization benefit from what we do and so, by extension, do the people in their lives. Our league enables women to be a part of something revolutionary -- to take pride in an organization that they nurture and steer themselves by creating an opportunity for them to utilize their unique skills and talents." Play uses WFTDA rules and regulations. Women interested in Roller Derby may find information on the website at www.mississippirollergirls.com.