Sydney Roller Derby League and Kingsford Chinese, Kingsford

Have you watched the film Whip It? Until I did, I had no idea that roller derby existed.

A chance conversation with hazchem alerted me to the fact that roller derby is alive and kicking in Sydney - the Sydney Roller Derby League has been going stong for three years. Roller derby has its roots in Chicago in 1935, sweeping across the USA before experiencing a decline in popularity in the 1970s. In 2001 it was revived by a grassroots league in Austin, Texas, and today it is played in 16 countries around the world.

Skaters warming up

It didn't take long to round up some willing companions for the season final last weekend at the Hordern Pavilion. We arrived extra early to make sure we could secure the "suicide seats" - unlike the movie Whip It, the track here is not enclosed but simply marked out with tape on the arena floor. Those willing to brave the cold concrete can sit cross-legged for front row viewing access, only one track away from the skating mayhem. Otherwise tiered seating affords a more comfortable, but distant, view.

The jammers on the start line

Roller derby is a full contact sport played on four-wheel roller skates. These days it is predominantly played by women. Two teams of five race against each other on an oval track in two-minute rounds known as "jams". Each team has a "jammer" (wearing a star on their helmet) who is the nominated point scorer - their goal is to lap the opposing team as many times they can. The opposing team use their bodies to block the jammer from getting through the pack. Referees (both male and female) keep track of players' penalties, with the potential to send players off for one-minute on the bench.

It's all a bit bewildering at first, and it's hard to know where to look at first, but we get the hang of it after a while. The pace is fast and furious between the two teams tonight - The D'viants and the Screamin' Assault Sirens. Flexibility and athleticism are essential, especially by the jammers who have to accelerate, duck and weave their way through a determined tangle of arms, legs and roller skates.

It's a fierce display of girl power, although the skaters aren't afraid to play up to the crowd either, stirring up the audience when scoring a point, or hamming it up to the opposing team or the referees with good humour.

The players' names are the highlight, the G-rated versions including BritKnee Tears, Sweet n Savage and Chilli Con Carnage.

The track is slippery and one particular corner is the site of countless spills, the skaters barely avoiding crashing into spectators. The commentators reassure us that competing skaters must train for at least eight months before they are allowed to compete, learning how to compete and how to fall safely to minimise injury.

It's a great night of entertainment with a well-behaved capacity crowd including plenty of young pre-teen female fans too.

The Screamin' Assault Sirens on their victory lap

Kingsford Chinese Restaurant

Peking spare ribs $8.80

The game finishes at 10pm and we're starving. We escape the impending traffic jam of exiting cars and head down the road to Kingsford Chinese Restaurant, convincing the G-man to meet us there after seeking his advice on which dishes to order.

We make it inside dining room door at 10.30pm and are immediately told the kitchen will be closing in five minutes. Known for its phenomenally cheap prices, Kingsford Chinese is always busy and popular with budget-conscious university students. You don't go here for service or ambience, you come here for cheap food and lots of it.

Deep fried calamari with pepper and salt $9.80

Our food arrives alarmingly fast, it seems like three minutes before the first dish arrives. The rest follow in quick succession.

The Peking ribs are just what our ravenous stomachs require, deep-fried battered pork rib pieces coated in a thick glossy sweet and sour sauce. The G-man adores the deep fried calamari here, but I'm not a huge fan, finding the calamari a little too chewy, the batter thick, and the tumble of fried red shallots too overpowering.

Stir-fried Shanghai noodle $6.80

Stir-fried Shanghai noodles come with only a smattering of beef but plenty of Chinese cabbage. The thick gravy is comforting on a cold wintry night.

Sampan congee $6.20

Billy has a craving for congee, and there's some debate over which one to choose. We settle for the sampan congee, although when it arrives it's mainly pork mince at the bottom of the bowl. The rice porridge is the perfect excuse to order a plate of Chinese donuts or you tiao, deep-fried crullers which we dip into the gruel.

Chinese donut $1.80

Shantung chicken $11.00

Shantung chicken is our final dish, a combination of succulent flesh and crispy skin doused in a vinegar sauce that is deadly with garlic, shallots and chilli. There are plenty of crispy bits to be found here, and I scavenge greedily for the bones with charred skin and bits of cartilage.

The bill arrives and dinner works out to be $12 each. We pay the bill and after receiving the change, we're told in no uncertain terms "We're closing now". As we're still saying goodbye to each other on the pavement, the staff have already closed the restaurant behind us, escaping wordlessly into the night.

Twenty dollars for roller derby and twelve dollars for dinner. You couldn't find a cheaper and better value Saturday night out.

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Kingsford Chinese Restaurant

426 Anzac Parade, Kingsford, Sydney

Tel: +61 (02) 9663 1728

Opening hours:

Open 7 days 11am-11pm

The Sydney Roller Derby League (SRDL) season for 2010 is over, however inter-league bouts at the Hordern Pavilion will take place on:

11 September 2010 - SRDL v Wollongong

09 October 2010 - SRDL v Canberra

20 November 2010 - SRDL v Newcastle

Tickets on sale from Ticketek

Click here to find out how to become a roller girl or a roller ref (men included).

FREEBIE FRIDAY WINNER

Congratulations to Anjana who is the winner of two tickets to the Efendy Celebration dinner.

Missed out this time? Don't forget to enter the other Grab Your Fork competitions still open:

> Win a Rochester Ginger drink double gift packs - three to win

(entries close Sunday 22 August 2010)

> Win ten packs of Waterthins Chocolate Selections - three to win

(entries close Sunday 29 August 2010)