Roller Derby Skater "Manassacre" Hopes to Bring Second Battle to the Rink

By day she's a working mother known as Janet Chada, but after the sun goes down and the skates come on, you can call her by her roller derby name—Manassacre. 

Chada, a Manassas resident, skates with an all-female group in the NOVA Roller Derby League called the Backwoods Rollers, a named selected because many of the team members live in more rural areas outside the Capital Beltway.

Chada's roller derby alias—something every good derby skater has—is geographical, too. But most people who aren't from the area don't get the pun and end up mispronouncing it, she said. 

"It's really hard to come up with a name because you have to be able to back it up," Chada said. "Someone actually picked it for me. It's actually, 'Manasscre 1862' because I'm from Manassas and because of the (1862) Second Battle of Manassas—it was bigger and bloodier."
The Backwoods Rollers team also includes,"Jenneral Torment," "Buckingslam Malice," "Steel-town She Ra" and "Oh Miso Moni." 

Doing derby is not for the weak or faint of heart, she said. 
"There's concussions, torn ligaments ... it's a hard, tough game but it's a lot of fun," she said. "You have to be really aggressive to be good at roller derby. We have skaters who have torn ACLs, but you get it fixed and if you have the heart, you can come back."
Chada has broken the top of her tibia and injured her MCL or,Medial Collateral Ligament, the wide band of tissue that runs through the center of the knee.  But still, the 40-year-old has found herself back on the track.  
She learned to skate as a child on the streets of Springfield, but took up roller derby after her brother urged her to try it. 
Her adult son tagged along and soon started roller derby, Chada said. 

 The derby season is usually from March to November, but typically the rollers skate more than that, taking only July and December off, she said. 
This season the league met once a week to practice with the teams practicing more. 
Chada and the Backwoods Rollers are hoping all that practice pays off; the team is competiting against the Vineyard Vixens, an undefeated roller derby team, on Saturday at Dulles Sportsplex in Sterling.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m.  the fun begins at 5:30 p.m. Spectators should bring their own chairs. 

Are you a roller derby fan? Tell us about your experiences in the commenting section. 
   



 








Roller skating in the streets of Springfield as a child has blossomed into something more of a passion for Manassas resident 


Janet