A&E

Rollin' with the hometeam

by Anna Purdy

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo by watching our Acadiana Roller Girls square off - or circle off, in this case - against the Magnolia Roller Vixens out of Mississippi Saturday night.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo by watching our Acadiana Roller Girls square off - or circle off, in this case - against the Magnolia Roller Vixens out of Mississippi Saturday night.

While a lot of people will celebrate Cinco by ordering Taco Bell you can celebrate it by going to Top Shelf Sports in Youngsville, the rink where our home team competes against fellow roller derby chicks from around the region. If you've never been to a roller derby match it's certainly something to see at least once because after that you'll come back again and again.

Imagine the Olivia Newton-John movie, Xanadu, except instead of dainty demi-goddesses rollerskating around to Electric Light Orchestra it's a team of local women ranging in age and backgrounds with one thing in common in an occasionally brutal sport with metal music often playing in the background. You don't need to read up on the sport to pick it up very quickly and it's a whole mess of fun.

Top Shelf serves beer and "rink food" like nachos and hot dogs. Tailgating starts at 4 p.m. if you prefer to grill your own. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the bout starting an hour later.

Kids under 12 get in free and $12 tickets for everyone else. This is the third bout of the Acadiana Roller Girls third season with plenty more to come.