Local fans are getting a new reason to get riled up.

After starting in 2005, the Arch Rival Roller Girls, St. Louis’ all-female roller derby league, has been thrilling fans of all ages.

“We have fans that were into roller derby in the ’70s. It’s interesting for them to see how much things have changed,” said Mindy Jahn, known by the moniker Trixie Gnosis in the league. “Kids are really into it, too. Kids 10 and under get in free.”

The league is currently in its fourth season.

For the uninformed, roller derby is a full-contact sport involving two teams roller skating around an oval track. Each team sends five members onto the track-two blockers, one pivot and one jammer. The blockers and pivot defend their team’s jammer who attempts to lap the rest of the pack for points. The Arch Rival Roller Girls league is comprised of three teams-the M-80s, the Smashinistas and the Stunt Devils. Jahn is a player for the M-80s. The league also has an all-star team that travels to bouts around the country.

Due to the physicality of the sport, roller girls, as players are sometimes called, train to stand up to the rigorous demand of roller derby on their bodies.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Jahn said. “You’re required to go to at least seven practices a month. We do a lot of strength and endurance training.”

Nevertheless, Jahn says that injuries are not uncommon.

“We had a girl who broke her arm last year in a bout,” she said. “This was a really athletic girl.”

Jahn first became aware of the Arch Rival Roller Girls when her husband’s played at an event to raise money for the league. Her job at the time didn’t allow her enough time to fully dedicate herself to the league. When she switched jobs and found she had more time to work with, Jahn decided that she had to sign up.

That was just the beginning, however. Depending on the athleticism and experience of the women who sign up, it can be up to a year of training before she is drafted onto one of the teams.

Jahn’s first bout was this February.

“I was a little nervous because there was a lot of people there, but I got over it,” she said. “I can’t wait for the next one.” Jahn was a fan of the sport before she got involved and thinks fans enjoy the high energy atmosphere and meeting other fans of the sport.

“It is just action packed. We’ve been getting 600 to 1,000 fans at each bout,” she said. “We have cheerleaders that do a halftime show. We’ve got a permanent tailgate that always sets up across the street before a bout. People can go over and get a hot dog or something before it starts.”

Players in the league come from a variety of fields and backgrounds. Jahn is grateful for the interesting mix of women she gets to interact and work with through her work with the Arch Rival Roller Girls.

“You meet a lot of really cool people,” she said. “We have a pair of girls who are lawyers. One girl is a chemist. One girl is a tattoo artist. There’s just girls from all different types of fields and professions.”

As the majority of players in the league are working in other jobs, it can be a challenge to balance responsibilities outside of the league with commitments to playing in and maintaining the league.

“We inspire each other to do that,” Jahn said. “It’s hard. It really is. I’m really inspired by a lot of women I skate with in the league.”

Jahn personally finds it a challenge to balance her home and work lives with the demands of the league.

She has a husband and two children at home, is a chef by trade and currently works at Whole Foods Market.

“It kind of takes over your life. It’s almost like a cult or something,” she said. “I have a lot of responsibilities at home, and I have a lot of responsibilities at the roller derby. Sometimes I have to sacrifice practice because I need to be home with my family.”

In addition to all of that, she serves as the league’s sponsorship chair. The league is completely operated and funded through the efforts of its members, all the way from securing sponsors to setting up at events.

“We basically are the money generators. We seek out sponsorships from local businesses . . . businesses that would like to help the league.”

Even with all that, Jahn wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve always been a busy person,” she said. “I would be bored if I wasn’t.”

In addition to the group’s efforts to entertain local and national fans, the Arch Rival Roller Girls are dedicated to giving back to the St. Louis community. Last year, they raised over $3,000 for charity organization Safe Connections and over $500 for charity organizations Mutts and Stuff.

They also co-sponsor blood drives and make appearances at cancer benefits.

The Arch Rival Roller Girls’ next bout is on Saturday, March 28, at the All American Sports Mall located at 11133 Lindbergh Business Ct. beginning at 8 p.m.

For more information about the league and to purchase tickets to an event, visit its website at www.archrivalrollergirls.com.

You can also visit its MySpace at www.myspace.com/archrivalrollergirls.