A whistle sounds, and off skates a team of fiery-eyed women donning short skirts, fishnets and punk rock T-shirts.

 The Rolling Hills Derby Dames will turn circles on Beasley Coliseum’s concrete floor Oct. 19 for their final bout of the season.

 “When the crowd roars, you feel like a rock star,” Derby Dames President Stacy Pettitte said. Pettitte, nicknamed BettyRumble, is a mother of two.

  In their fourth event at Beasley, the Derby Dames will skate a double header against the Yakima Wine Country Crushers at 5 p.m. and the Missoula Hell Gate Rollergirls at 7 p.m.

 “It’s one of the most exhilarating sports to watch,” Derby Dames Captain Sarah Jacobs said.

 The Derby Dames refer to Jacobs as CurlsGoneWild.

 Most first-time attendees instantly become fans of the sport despite initial misgivings, Jacobs said.

 Complete with blaring rock music, shrieks and shoves, Derby Dames is a women-only, full-contact sport group. Pettitte said bouts involve two teams of five, and despite preconceived notions, roller derby requires both skill and athletic ability.

“It’s really a game about strategy and being a strong athlete and woman,” Pettitte said. “It’s not about the show anymore.”

 While scantily clad in what the derby world calls a “boutfit,” these women are serious competitors who dedicate hours per week to improve their endurance, strength and mental focus.

“I want people to have respect for the sport,” Jacobs said. “I don’t want people to overlook the fact that we are all strong, competitive women who have worked our butts off for this.”

 For almost six years the Rolling Hills Derby Dames have skated as the only year-round, flat-track, full-contact women’s roller derby league in the Palouse. The league is comprised of about 30 women, from stay-at-home moms to college students.

 By the end of every practice and every bout, the derby girls are drenched in sweat – but not without a sense of satisfaction. For each athlete, derby gives back something invaluable.

 Derby enabled Chloe Rambo, also known as DixieDerailer, to overcome life challenges.

  “Derby empowers you to push yourself beyond any boundaries you have,” Rambo said. “The derby spirit changes skaters’ lives.”

  The ability to say goodbye to the stress of earning her PhD is why Jacobs, a student at the University of Idaho, said she continues to skate.

“Derby has been a refuge from my daily life,” Jacobs said. “Any anxiety I have is gone when I hit the track, the focus is only on the bout.”

 However, the Dames do not skate solely for themselves. For every Beasley bout, the Dames have donated money to charities including Humane Society of the Palouse, Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse and local food banks, Pettitte said.

 Proceeds from this Saturday’s bout will be donated to the Gladish Community Center for a floor renovation, where the Dames hold weekly practices, she said.

 All pushes and shoves aside, the Rolling Hills Derby Dames share a sisterhood which has forever impacted each and every player, Pettitte said.

“We are all a big family and a team with so much love,” she said.