A New Game in Town

It looks like Olympic speed skating, feels like hockey and sounds like a NASCAR race. Two teams of five women each working there way around a 236 foot track on quad roller skates. They us hockey checks and agility to help one of there team mates work around the track and score points while keeping the other team at bay. This is the new Roller Derby. In the late 1800’s a multiple day individual roller skating race would pit women against each other; eventually it became a team sport and in the 1970’s it became a wild televised event with crazy names, wild stunts, and interesting costumes. Then it faded away, until 2001 when the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) was formed and leagues all over the world started forming. The WFTDA kept the names and the interesting costumes but replaced the stunts with honest hard hitting athleticism.
January 2010 a group of motivated women formed High Desert Derby here in San Juan County. With the only restriction to join being age and gender, any women over the age of 18 can join. Currently HDD has over 20 members and with over four practices a week they are hopeful to have their first game early next year against other leagues in the south west.
Look around when you’re in town, these girls are all local and look forward to meeting you.