Glitter and grit
Farragut residents thrive in Hard Knox Roller Derby
The year was 2009, and Durst was in her third season with a Hard Knox Roller Derby team, which was still in its infancy.
Her own knowledge of the sport remained limited at that point. During bouts, opponents and teammates flew by — nothing more than a blur of helmets, knee pads, glitter and black lipstick.
Then, in the snap of a finger, everything clicked.
“It was like someone flipped a switch,” Durst recalled 17 years later, “and everything slowed down to a normal pace. It all made sense, and I could see and understand what was happening.”
Fast-forward almost two decades, and Durst — a Farragut resident since 2019 — has become a crucial piece of the Hard Knox league in a sport still relatively new to the region.
“I am an OG [Original Gangster], yes,” joked Durst, who works as a guest experience coordinator for BlackBerry Farm during the week.
But once Durst clocks out of her daily job and straps on her multicolored helmet, she transforms into her alter-ego, “Bushwacker.”
“Roller derby is basically my second job,” she said during a bout on Saturday, April 4. “I’m head of training and a coach and captain of the All-Stars. So it’s my second, non-paying job.”
Durst was one of several people to join the first-ever Hard Knox team, as roller derby took hold across the country after the airing of the 2007 documentary, “Hell on Wheels: The Birth of All-Girl Roller Derby.”
Her involvement came via MySpace invite. After digging into the sport, which involves two teams of five trying to lap each other for points, she was hooked.
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to do that,’” Durst recalled. “I had watched a form of it in the ’90’s and thought it was the coolest thing. So I knew it was something I should do with loving sports and being aggressive. It’s like football meets hockey on roller skates.”
As the sport has evolved, so, too, has the Hard Knox organization. What began as a group of four people has grown to two different teams that skate across the floor of the Knoxville Convention Center once a month with tickets available at hardknoxrollerderby.com.
“There was a huge transition with the pandemic when we couldn’t practice, and rebuilding the team gave us a chance to create the culture we wanted,” Durst said. “So starting from the ground and building it up again was really fun to watch.”
Throw in some fishnet stockings and nicknames such as “Honey Punch,” and you have
the perfect blend of grunge and athleticism in a family-friendly environment.
“I always say it’s where the band geeks, drama kids, art kids and all the people who felt like weirdos and outcasts found each other,” Durst said. “We’re the island of misfits, but we all make sense together. It’s where people who feel like they don’t have a place fit in.
“If people want to dress crazy or wear makeup, they can. We do have some parameters because it’s family-friendly, but beyond that, come up with a creative name and find your identity.”
Charlyn Shelton, another Farragut resident who goes by “November Pain,” followed that exact instruction when she joined the program three years ago.
Much like Durst in 2009, she still does not know all the rules.
But she has appreciated the welcoming nature of her teammates, who range from brand-new skaters to veterans like Durst.
“At this point, I might be Bushwacker and Kisha is my alter ego,” Durst said, smiling through her mouthpiece. “It’s a great place to portray who you want to be to the world, and it’s accepted.”
