Members of Gorge Roller Derby try to hold off the opposite’s team jammer. The jammer, whose helmet is always marked with a star, tries to get through the opposite team’s defense so they can score.
WHITE SALMON — Gorge Roller Derby hosted its first home bout in three years on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Columbia High School in White Salmon.
The “Save Our Schools” fundraiser was a huge success with enough viewers in attendance to fill the stands. Volunteers explained that 75% of ticket sales and 100% of raffle sales were donated to White Salmon Valley Education Foundation.
“I’m still reeling from the feeling of being back on our home turf and having our community back together, both on the track and in the stands,” said team member Pickle, who is also president of the Gorge Roller Derby League.
There were two bouts, each of which consisted of two 30-minute halves. The first bout began around 6 p.m. between the GRD All Stars and the Rest of the Pacific Northwest. The Rest of the PNW was a team formed specifically for this fundraiser event, assembling their roster within one month of the event. The second bout started around 8 p.m. between the GRD River Reapers and Lava City. Skaters were intense and focused, with the GRD All Stars winning the first bout and Lava City winning the second.
Each jam was exciting, though some were closer than others, and the competitors didn’t hold back when it came to the full contact nature of the sport.
The atmosphere was friendly and high-energy, with some skaters traveling more than five hours to compete. General rules and gameplay were explained prior to the first bout for new onlookers, and volunteers were readily available among the crowd to answer questions and explain plays.
“It’s been quite a while since we’ve skated with our home crowd, and it always brings a little bit more excitement,” said Lethally Blonde, a skater on both Gorge Roller Derby (GRD) teams and co-captain of the River Reapers.
Going by her roller derby name, Lethally Blonde joined GRD in March 2019 and is happy to be a coach for the newly-formed Junior League.
“First I joined because I wanted to make friends, because it can be hard to make friends as an adult. But [GRD] has a whole other aspect to it that people don’t see,” she said.
Members of Gorge Roller Derby try to hold off the opposite’s team jammer. The jammer, whose helmet is always marked with a star, tries to get through the opposite team’s defense so they can score.
Laurel Brown photo
Volunteering in the organization is a requirement for anyone who wants to skate for the team, and that ultimately helps build the community aspect of GRD. “They feel more like my family now. We are so supportive of each other and it’s all about building each other up and becoming better athletes. The community is a lot different than people expect. I don’t even have words for how amazing it is. I can honestly say I’ve made lifelong friends through roller derby,” she said.
The Gorge Roller Derby mission statement is to “encourage strength, athleticism, and independence in community and members who want to participate in a hard hitting sport of speed and skill.” They are also “committed to empowering one another, providing entertainment, supporting our community, and supporting youth sports programs through charity and volunteerism.” Without volunteers and giving back to the larger community, the skaters at GRD would be mindlessly slamming into each other without much structure.
“We do focus a lot on volunteerism and youth involvement in the community. In the past we’ve done scholarships for girls who play sports and we hope to get that back up and going again soon,” said Pickle.
“There’ll be months when some of us put in 20-30 hours of our time to make something like Saturday’s event possible,” Lethally Blonde said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much of what we do is to give back to our community. Every time we have a home bout we feature different organizations that we donate to. In my experience roller derby is very empowering and builds a lot of confidence, and the opportunity to pass that along to my daughter is huge.”
The league is always looking for new volunteers and skaters to join their cause, including their new Junior League, no matter the level of personal fitness or past skating experience.
“We are a welcome place for any type of person. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how your body is or feels, we welcome everyone,” said Pickle.
The community at GRD is dedicated to empowering each other and promoting strength, teamwork, and generosity.
“Part of our norms are don’t compare yourself to others. Roller derby is a journey and you should enjoy your own journey,” Lethally Blonde said. “Rather than compare yourself to other skaters, we have the mentality of ‘My friend is a total bad*** and I want to support them. I want to put myself with them so that they can teach me too.’ That’s where we help change self-talk and instead empower each other.”
Practices are currently three times per week at the Hood River Armory, and GRD even offers a skater assistance fund for members who may be struggling financially. They are always looking for new community members, teammates, and volunteers.
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