Lehigh Valley Rollergirls : Who is Click Dastardly?

Nothing captures the intensity of a roller derby bout quite like seeing it caught on film. A snap shot of every game tells a story, a story of dedication, fight and the willingness to survive. Behind those great photos for the Lehigh Valley Rollergirls (LVRG) and for many other leagues is photographer Jim Rhoades, otherwise known by his derby name, Click Dastardly.

Jim is easily spotted on the sidelines on game day with his photo bag and camera, ready to freeze the action on film. Jim started shooting roller derby sports photography in 2007 for the Dutchland Derby Rollers in Lancaster, PA and soon after, he started shooting photos for LVRG. Believe it or not, Jim doesn’t just shoot pictures of roller derby, he also shoots for weddings, and takes senior pictures. The only place any of his derby photos are available for sale right now is at As the Bearing Turns in Greencastle, PA. Most of his recent derby photos can be found on Flickr.com at http://www.flickr.com/photos/clickdastardly/sets/.

We asked Jim about his thoughts on what it is like to shoot roller derby photography. He stated, “It's challenging. I meet lots of wonderful people. And there are always the "oh, wow!" moments when I first see a shot I was able to get that I really like! And yes, I have been blocked while taking pictures. It happens. I always protect my camera first for two reasons. First, I don't want the skater to hurt themselves hitting the camera. And second, I don't want the skater to hurt my camera and lens. I worry about my own well being last! Check this out. This is my daughter taking a video while sitting right beside me. It's one of our favorite derby memories!! From May 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Synos69sbE.”

Jim added a few extra comments by stating, “I would like to thank everyone in the derby community for making me feel welcome! I've met some truly wonderful people, seen some awesome derby action, and bettered myself as a photographer. There weren't many photographers around when I first started, but as the sport grew and more people found out about derby, it gets more coverage now. I still like to sit at ECDX in the challenge rink and take photos at the challenge bouts. I prefer that over the crowds at the bigger ECDX bouts. I think it's great that there are new photographers out there covering the action!”

The next bout we hope to see Jim at is our LVRG season opener on February 16^th. This is an Intra-League bout between the Pink and Black teams. Each team will be battling to see which team’s skill and strategy will take the advantage and win this sure to be action packed bout. Tickets are on sale now.