GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Rollergirls' Ivana Bruiser didn't pick her roller derby name, but she has given and received tons of bruises in the seven years she has been on the team.

"My best friend picked my name for me, but I've always played sports and am very competitive," said Bruiser, who is Holly Bridwell of Ocean Springs.

Bridwell started playing roller derby in 2006 when Mississippi Rollergirls originated.

Bridwell said she thought she might be pretty good at it because she worked as a carhop at a drive-in restaurant.

Now, Bridwell will represent the Rollergirls as captain for the 2014 season.

In their last game of the 2013 season in October, the Rollergirls defeated the Mobile Derby Darlings 254-96, bringing their season record to 13 wins and two losses.

"The game was pretty successful all around," said Melissa Reineke, public relations manager for the Mississippi Rollergirls.

Reineke, who goes by Marquee de Squad in the rink, says that roller derby is a passion for her and the rest of the women on the team.

"We are not just girls on skates," she said. "We are women. We are passionate about this highly competitive contact sport."

Mississippi Rollergirls was founded by Victoria "Vikki Six" Conway in 2006 and was the first flat track derby league in the state.

Reineke said the Rollergirls are part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.

"The WFTDA sets standards for rules, seasons and safety," Reineke said. "They determine guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues."

Of 212 WFTDA leagues around the world, Mississippi Rollergirls ranks 126th. In the Derby South rankings of teams throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, parts of Florida and parts of Texas, Rollergirls are ranked 2nd.

Flat Track Roller Derby originated in 2001. Rather than having a raised track, roller derby teams skate on a flat track with clearly marked boundaries.

Reineke said the first roller derby teams who competed on flat tracks gave themselves nicknames, and the tradition stuck.

Reineke also likes the anonymity of having roller derby nicknames.

"I like that I'm someone else when I'm here," she said.

Reineke said Marquee de Squad is a literary pun that she created as her nickname.

Other nicknames that fill the roster on the Rollergirls team include Illuminaughty, Kat Von Destruction, Princess Smashly, Rest N Pieces and Punky Brewsher.

Although the roller derby season ends in mid- to late-October, the Mississippi Rollergirls don't have too much time off. Practices will resume at the Harrison County Skate Park in Gulfport in January.

"We will take a small break," said Rollergirls Head Coach J.V. Brahm. "There's no real off season though. The girls have to give their bodies a break from the beating they take."

Reineke said during the 2013 season, the team practices three hours on Sunday nights and two hours on Thursday nights.

During practice, Brahm said the women do various exercises, drills and practice rounds on the rink.

Brahm said the practices are intense, but the girls work hard.

"We start with a warm-up and endurance training," Brahm said. "Then, we move on to springs with exercises incorporated, followed by drill work."

Bridwell said practices also include practicing formations and plays that block jammers from passing blockers to score points.

In roller derby, there are only two positions: blocker or jammer.

Because of the rough nature of roller derby, players are required to wear knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads, a mouth guard and a helmet.

Dues for teammates are $30 per month, and it costs $50 per hour to practice and play at the Harrison County Skate Park, Reineke said.

In roller derby, the goal is to outscore the opposing team.

There are five members from each team on the track during each two-minute race. Four blockers from each team try to block the opposing team's jammer from passing them. For each blocker a jammer passes, a point is gained for that team.

If a jammer is the leading scorer, she has the option to stop the race at any time to prevent the other team from scoring any more points. At the end of two 30-minute rounds, the team with the most points wins.

"We play offense and defense simultaneously," Reineke said.

If players receive penalties for improper play or blocking, they can be penalized and forced to sit in the penalty box.

"If someone is penalized, we have to play one short," Brahm said.

Reineke said the Mississippi Rollergirls is like a family.

"It's the best thing I've ever done," she said.

Are abs worth it?

Here I go again talking about abs. There are a lot of folks who spend a huge amount of time working those ab muscles in an effort to define the Rectus Abdominis. For most of us, all that work creates a strong core but no muscle definition. The interesting thing about six pack abs is you cannot get there through exercise. It all comes down to diet and I truly beat this issue to death when people ask me for the best method to achieve that sculpted core we seem to find so attractive.

Now you may be thinking "What do you mean you can't get six-pack abs through exercise?" You can have a super strong core and build a great set of Rectus Abdominis muscles, but as long as you have a layer of belly fat, abdominal definition just will not happen.

The rule of thumb for defined abdominals is based on 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise. The only way to get that great six-pack look is with the absence of body fat. Specifically you need to reduce belly fat and there are two types of fat that form in your core area. The first type of fat is subcutaneous fat, which resides between your skin and abdominal wall. Then you have visceral fat, which is deeper under the muscles and surrounds your abdominal organs.

The primary reason most people struggle with defined abdominals is this layer of subcutaneous fat. So why does subcutaneous fat collect so easily between the skin and the muscle of your core area? In a word, survival. Evolving in a feast or famine world has over time given us this great storage area around our bellies. The adipose or fatty tissue lying directly under our skin acts as a cushion to protect the body against

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trauma, and becomes a source of stored energy for intense workouts or to simply provide fuel to your body when you have an extended period of low caloric intake.

I think it is important to note that not all subcutaneous fat is bad, nor should it be consider unhealthy. This brings up a pretty important point to consider: Do most of us need to worry about having a little belly fat? Lowering your body fat levels to a point where you can have six pack abs may in fact be unhealthy for some. Low body fat especially in women can create a number of adverse health conditions. So touching base with your doctor before you go into a deep dive on losing body fat is always a good idea.

I think it is a great idea for all of us to have a strong core. Building your core is very achievable for anyone. All you need to do is work your core through a series of balance, stabilization and resistance workout regimens. These exercises include a pretty wide range of activities to choose from. First, let's review what makes up your core. Your core includes many different muscles that make up your trunk or torso:

Rectus Abdominis: Yup, these are the ones that are often called six- packs. They are located along the front of the abdomen. The truth about Rectus Abdominis is we all have eight of them (there are two smaller ones that form the top directly under the pectorals). We all know exercises for your abdomen like sit ups, crunches etc ...

Erector Spinae: This group of muscles runs along your neck to your lower back. Often forgotten, rarely are they properly worked into most exercise routines. Some great exercises for the Erector Spinae are isometric exercises like back extensions where you hold and squeeze.

Multifidus: Located under the erector spinaealong the vertebral column, these muscles extend and rotate the spine. These deep core muscles are best worked with isometric types of exercises like planks.

External Obliques: Located on the side and front of the abdomen. These puppies are also frequently under developed due to poor exercise techniques. Some great options for working these muscles are planks, reverse crunches and knee raises.

Internal Obliques: Located under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction. Again, best worked with isometric types of exercises.

Transverse Abdominis: Located under the obliques, it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles. This muscle gives you stability and is best developed through isometric and balance exercises.

Hip Flexors: Another group of core muscles that give you balance and stability. They are located in front of the pelvis and upper thigh and are made up of: psoas major, illiacus, rectus femoris, pectineus, sartorius. Working your hip flexors can be done with isometric, balance, weight training and plyometric exercises.

Working with a good set of exercises and a consistent daily or weekly workout schedule, you can have a very strong core. But achieving defined six-pack abs is all about the food you eat, the beverages you drink and the lifestyle you live.

There are no quick ways to six-pack abs. You see advertising that states get six pack abs in 15 easy steps or in 30 days etc. This unfortunately is all very misleading. I have been working my core for more than four years and I can tell you it came down to a handful of very important points. Eating lean, eating less, fasting and eating select organic whole fresh foods. Once my body fat had dropped to around 10 percent I added additional hours each week in the gym working one or more aspects of the many core muscle groups. After all that work it still took months to get a defined six-pack.

Now does this apply to everyone? No, we all know people who do not workout and are very thin and have six-pack abs and they can thank genetics for that. But for the vast majority of us, we have to either be happy with a strong core well hidden by a layer of subcutaneous fat and eat what we want, or completely change our eating and drinking habits.

Simply put a strong core is will worth the work, but if you truly want six-pack abs you must be willing to completely change your nutritional intake and hold to it as a lifestyle change. Once you slide back to old eating habits your subcutaneous fat layer will also slide back into place and cover those hard-earned abs.

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.

Run A Mile In Their Shoes: 10 a.m., a 5K and 10K walk/run to benefit the veterans programs at St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho. Race starts behind O'Shays Pub, 313 E. Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive, Coeur d'Alene. Register at www.stvincentdepaulcda.org, 416-4716 or visit the HELP center, 201 E. Harrison Ave., Coeur d'Alene.

To have an event placed in the FIT calendar, email info to [email protected].