ROLLER DERBY REDUX L.A. THUNDERBIRDS AIMING FOR FAME OF YESTERYEAR.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

PANORAMA CITY - During roller derby's glory days of the 1970s and '80s, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds' blend of aggressive skating stunts and Farrah Fawcett hairdos won the hearts of millions.

Sports arenas across the country routinely sold out for T-Birds games as tens of thousands of eager fans snapped up tickets to watch the flamboyant roller derby team in action.

Now, former T-Birds members are joining forces with up-and-coming skaters and preparing for a comeback this spring, hoping to rekindle some of the roller derby magic of years past.

But this time, the skaters say, guts will matter more than glamour.

``We're really focusing on developing the talents of the skaters so people will really get into the roughness of the game,'' said Lyle Morse of Sherman Oaks, a costumer in the film industry who first joined the T-Birds in 1980, when she was just 25.

Morse recalled the excitement of past T-Birds games, which were frequently interrupted by fistfights between rival players. When the female players came to blows, Morse said, the crowd went wild.

Like pro wrestlers, roller derby players say they learn to roll and tumble without getting seriously injured, though bumps and bruises are part of the game and bones are occasionally broken.

Playing the sport without injury requires speed, agility - and luck, the players say.

``These games get the adrenalin going,'' Morse said. ``The stunts are wild, and then the fights break out and the crowd really gets into it.''

Comeback time

As they roar around a roller derby track during a recent practice at the Ice Chalet in Panorama City, these 40- and 50-something skaters move with the same speed and grace as their younger teammates.

Many of the veteran team members recalled admiring the T-Birds as children, and say they are still surprised that their childhood dream has become a reality.

``First I was watching the T-Birds on TV and then I was playing with them, so my head just grew,'' said Gwen Miller, a Pacoima native who joined the team in 1969 when she was a teen-ager. ``But I miss the crowds and I miss my friends. With the right backing and the right personnel, we're going to be ready for a comeback.''

Long considered one of the best in the business, Miller is now training the team for a new season while brushing up on her own skills to prepare for the competition.

``I believe it's going to be more aggressive and more of a sport, so we have to be in shape,'' said the sinewy mother of two, who balances family, skating and a government job.

Though they haven't competed as a team since 1993, many of the team members have been practicing together for years, waiting for the day they could revive their roller derby careers.

The players say their passion for the sport is so intense that they are driven to skate whether they make money or not. Most work full-time jobs and spend virtually every evening in grueling practice sessions.

``Everything we do is for the love of the game,'' said Stacey Blitsch, 26, of Woodland Hills, the youngest member on the team and an athletic trainer at Malibu High School. ``Once it's in your blood, it's there for life.''

With her long blond hair and flashy style, Darlene Langlois De La Chappelle was one of the most popular T-Birds stars of the 1980s, dividing her time between skating and pursuing an acting career.

Today the Santa Monica woman is back in training and no less flashy, with her silver-studded fingernails and long mane of gold-and-red woven hair.

But a bright purple bruise on her thigh belies her glamorous image.

``It's the adrenalin and violence of it more than the speed,'' said Langlois De La Chappelle, who once broke her collar bone and arm during a game. ``But a lot of it looks more violent than it is. I could flip right over the rail and not get hurt.''

Universal appeal

Because roller derby combines players of all ages and genders - each team is composed of five men and five women who rotate time on the track - team members said they believe the game has universal appeal.

And with Friday's release of the movie ``Rollerball,'' starring Chris Klein and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, team members say the time is ripe for a roller derby revival.

The Raquel Welch 1972 classic ``Kansas City Bomber'' has been credited with launching roller derby's heyday in the '70s and '80s.

ESPN has also helped build interest in the sport by airing old roller derby games on its classic sports channel.

``The thing that made roller derby great was that the women were out there kickin' butt just like the men,'' said Blitsch. ``Roller sports are coming back and it's going to be good for female athletes.''

The men on the team say they too enjoy competing with women, particularly members of an internationally known team like the Thunderbirds. However, some say they wish the team could recruit younger members.

``There's a 10-year difference between me and the next-youngest member on the team,'' said Shawn Nier, 27, of Studio City, an ice hockey player from New York who moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business. ``But I still love it. I remember watching all the good-looking women on the T-Birds when I was little and thinking it was kind of like every guys' dream.''

Name squabble 

As team members hone their skating skills, a squabble over ownership of the team is brewing behind the scenes.

Valley resident Bill Griffiths purchased the team in 1969 and maintained ownership until the T-Birds' last game in 1993. As the team prepares for a comeback, Griffiths is still claiming rights to the T-Birds' name.

But former roller derby skater Luis Sanchez of Sylmar has registered the Thunderbirds' name as an entertainment service mark with the state secretary of state, giving him the right to use the team name, according to state records.

But specific plans for the upcoming season remain unclear. Sanchez said he is negotiating with sports promoters in Mexico, Canada and the United States and hopes to organize the team's first game this spring.

He added that he has enough players to form up to four teams, and may form a rival team to play the T-Birds - just to get the season going.

There are several in-line roller derby teams that have been competing in recent years, including the Bay City Bombers in San Francisco and the Devils in New York City, though it's not clear whether these teams would play to new T-Birds.

Promoters typically charge $10,000 to organize a sporting event, Sanchez said, adding that remaining proceeds from ticket sales will be divided equally among the skaters.

``These skaters will skate for nothing just to get this thing going again,'' he said.

With the recent closing of the Ice Chalet, Sanchez said he is also searching for a new location to set up the team's practice track.

``We're getting so close to a comeback and really trying hard to make sure it packs some entertainment value,'' Sanchez said. ``It's going to be good-looking women, but they've got to be able to skate, too.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Shawn Wier of Studio City delivers an elbow to Tim Blatt of Hollywood during roller derby practice. Skaters say they would like to see more younger players join the team.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Skaters hoping for membership on the L.A. T-Birds roll their way around a rink in Panorama City. Andrew Taylor, right, takes a break during a recent L.A. T-Birds workout.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer