GRAND RAPIDS -- Grand Raggidy Roller Girls fans will see a few familiar faces in new roller-derby movie "Whip It."
But none are as prominent as Jackie Daniels. The Grand Rapids derby girl gets significant face time in the film, skating around the track with Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, Eve, Zoe Bell and Drew Barrymore, who also directed the film. And lest she speed by too fast, Jimmy Fallon, playing derby-bout announcer "Hot Tub" Johnny Rocket, bellows her name at least a half-dozen times.
Needless to say, Daniels -- real name: Rachel Bockheim -- was thrilled to see the result of her 21 days spent on the Detroit movie set last year.
"I honestly didn't know what to expect, so I expected nothing," Bockheim, 30, said. "You wonder if you'll end up in the movie or not, and it's all everybody talked about for a year. This is really awesome."
The film stars Page as a derby newbie, a member of the Hurl Scouts, whose rivals are the Holy Rollers, led by Lewis' Iron Maven. Bockheim doesn't have any lines, but takes part in several action sequences as one of the Holies -- and even has a scene where she and her bully teammates toss a fully-clothed Page into a pool.
In addition to Bockheim's status as one of the Raggidy league's organizers, her exemplary skating landed her a spot on Team Awesome, a national pick-up team consisting of the best skaters in the U.S. Without her knowing, Page and Lewis saw her skate in Los Angeles for a Team Awesome gig in April of 2008; when Bockheim's friends in the L.A. league heard the film needed Michigan skaters, they gave producers her number.
Bockheim left an impression on Page -- the actress approached her during filming to compliment her on her skating -- as well as director Barrymore, who met her during an audition in June of '08.
"I love Jackie. She is awesome, has great style, and is a cool, cool, cool chick," Barrymore said. "I remember meeting her for the first time, and really loving her jeans, that she made into chaps, and she had these great lace stockings underneath. She had fantastic style.
"She's an amazing skater. There's one really awesome shot in the movie where she wins a jam, and takes off out of the pack, and you can see how fast she really is."
Other current and former Grand Raggidy girls with roles as extras in the film are Shawn Varner (derby name: Dot Matrix, now with Muskegon's Skee Town Skirtz), Vicky Lenox (Tamara Hurtsworse, also with the Skirtz) and Press photographer Katy Batdorff (Shutter Speed). Like Daniels, their alter-ego skate monikers are kept intact in the movie.
Grand Raggidy and other derby organizations nationwide are enjoying their sport's boost in profile thanks to "Whip It."
"A lot of leagues are ramping up their marketing and recruiting," Bockheim said. "We're hoping to get ticket sales up, expand our fanbase and get more skaters eager to play.
"It's great timing, too -- the movie's being released just in time for the Grand Raggidy season and the WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) tournament season."
For some moviegoers, "Whip It" could potentially serve as an introduction to the sport. That's why Barrymore went out of her way to include a sequence explaining the rules.
"It's not like football or basketball where you know exactly when a certain score or goal is completed," she said. "We do a mini fun tutorial at the beginning, rather than just a stuffy explanation, or just assume people get it."
Notably, "Whip It" differs in two ways from how Grand Raggidy girls compete: One, they compete on a flat track, where the movie takes place in a bank-track league a la Team Awesome. Two, the Hurl Scouts and Holy Rollers use strategic maneuvers that rarely, if ever, occur on derby rinks in reality. Consider them amplified and Hollywood-ized for entertainment purposes.
"Those moves would get you ejected or sent to the penalty box," Bockheim said with a laugh. "Some of that blocking isn't legal by the rules in our league."
The film's realism lies in the comraderie of the derby girls, which Barrymore took pains to emphasize. She said she admires derby's girl-power elements, its inclusivity and how many women balance careers and/or motherhood with their passion for the sport.
"I'm turned off by that feminist (ideal), 'Rah-rah, we hate men, we're so girl-power, we've alienated the other sex,'" Barrymore said. "Derby doesn't do that, it rides that balance beautifully. The women are really empowered, really strong. They compete, but they're not necessarily competitive. They're not backstabbing each other; they've got each other's back."
"The movie absolutely captures (the spirit of derby)," Bockheim said. "We make a lot of sacrfices to play. We have jobs or families or go to college, and we all chip in to finance it.
"There's a scene in the movie where Ellen Page's character says how much she loves derby, and that's exactly how roller girls feel."
IF YOU GO
'Whip It' with the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls
What: Meet-and-greet with members of Grand Rapids' roller-derby league and a screening of "Whip It"
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Celebration Cinema North, 2121 Celebration Drive NE
Tickets: $9.25
More info: 530-7469, celebrationcinema.com
See them in action:
Oct. 24 -- Grand Raggidy All-Stars vs. Dallas Derby Devils and G-Rap Attack! vs. Mid-Michigan Derby Girls
Nov. 21 -- Attack! and All-Stars vs. Ohio Roller Girls
Dec. 12 -- Mixed GRRG teams fundraiser
Where: Rivertown Sports, 2605 Sanford Ave. SW, Grandville
Tickets: $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com, $15 at the door
Connect: grandraggidyrollergirls.com
E-mail John Serba: jserba@grpress.com