West St. Paulite featured in new roller derby documentary

Tim Spitzack
Editor

The name Lisa Eng-Sarne will be familiar to anyone who follows West St. Paul city affairs. Since 2019 she has been the Ward 3 city council representative. What some may not know is that she once had an alter ego that was on full display across the globe before she began tackling weighty issues at city hall.

Eng-Sarne is a retired member of Minnesota Roller Derby, a team that plays in the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association. Their home track is at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul and Eng-Sarne skated with the team for 12 years under the moniker “Diamond Rough.” It’s customary for team members to choose their own nickname and she selected hers because it aptly describes her personality.

“It takes a little shining and polishing before it shows its brilliance,” she said.
Eng-Sarne is one of six team members featured in the sports documentary “Minnesota Mean.” Released in July, the film takes viewers into the rough and tumble world of roller derby and reveals the grit and determination players need to navigate the sport while following their personal dreams. It follows the lives of six team members during the 2017 season as they chased the ultimate prize, the Hydra trophy. That was Eng-Sarne’s last season playing competitive roller derby, a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by teams of five skaters.

She might never have played the sport if she hadn’t heard it mentioned on Minnesota Public Radio. Intrigued, she and some friends attended a game and she was immediately hooked.

“It was a natural progression for me,” she said. “I played hockey in North St. Paul [high school] and rugby at St. Benedict’s [college].”

Eng-Sarne graduated in 2006 with a degree in communications and peace studies, which is ironic because, as she admits, roller derby is a sport of “consensual violence.” She joined Minnesota Roller Derby in 2008 and played as a blocker, one of the most offensively physical positions in the sport.

When asked if she broke any bones, she quipped, “None that were mine.” Turns out, she broke bones of three players on opposing teams.
Earning a spot on the team requires a significant time commitment. All league members are volunteers and wear many hats. They skate, officiate, train new skaters, and assist in the administrative tasks required to run and market the team. It also takes its toll on the body.

“At the end, my back hurt all the time,” she said. “We would practice three nights a week and travel once a month on the weekends.”

Eng-Sarne said the documentary is a wonderful representation of the sport and its players, many of whom become like family to each other. She also said the sport has changed significantly over the years from “fishnets and fighting” to demonstrating far more athleticism.

Speaking of family, her husband Chad Eng is also featured in the film. He was a super fan who attended games shirtless and in face paint.

“Minnesota Mean” can be streamed on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and other digital HD internet, cable and satellite platforms, or purchased on DVD.

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