MARQUETTE -- It's 'Fresh Meat' training, and it has nothing to do with the butcher shop or your meat counter. Rather, it's the Dead River Derby...roller derby training.

Some 20 women came together Sunday in Marquette for a look at what roller derby is all about.

Roller derby is a full contact sport, requiring a 12-week training period. It cost each person $100 for the training, plus they must pass a written and skating test before they're allowed on the track for competition.

Jessica Shull, a Dead River Derby Board of Directors member says, "It's open to anyone; it doesn't matter if you are big or small, short or tall, if you're a professional or a student. It doesn't matter." Shull adds, "All that matters is that you want to come and have a good time and be a part of something with some amazing women."

Roller derby started in the 1930s but hit its peak in the late '60s and early '70s. It's resurging now, with 1,500 leagues worldwide.

The Dead River Derby will have a fundraiser in the next couple of weeks to help defray costs, like renting their practice facility. Other costs include each team member buying their own equipment, from the helmet to pads to skates, which are not cheap. They range from $100 to $500 and higher.

And those names the skaters have are unique. The names are registered worldwide, so no two woman can have the same name. On the Dead River Derby, there's Durty Girl, Miss Adventure and Star Stealer to name a few.

The Dead River Derby started in July in Marquette. Houghton now has a team that started this month. Both join the established U.P. clubs from Kingsford and Escanaba.

Though roller derby is just starting in the U.P., it's big downstate where there are more than two dozen teams. It's also taken off in Wisconsin.

The U.P. roller derby season gets underway after the first of the year.