Keweenaw Roller Derby

The weekend of June 21: not only was it some of the longest days of the year, but it was also a momentous time for Keweenaw Roller Derby. For the first time, Keweenaw Roller Derby crossed the Canadian border to take on Thunder Bay Babes of Thunder. We all headed up on Friday, and the eight-hour trip flew by as it was non-stop conversation and laughter. The morning of the bout, most of the team ventured to picturesque Kakabeka waterfalls and walked around the provincial park- It was a perfect way to move about and see some of the wonderful natural beauty that Canada had to offer. We all came back together for an in-room taco party (you really can’t go wrong with a taco party), collected our thoughts, and rested for the bout.

Fittingly for June, the bout was Pride themed, and so we donned our rainbows and in typical KiKo fashion I did some wild rainbow bout makeup. When it was time to bout KRD took to the track with just eight skaters, some blockers going three or more jams in a row! Everyone skated with heart, pushed themselves, and nailed it. I am so proud of my team! Our bench coaches, Afro, Fifi, and Luna, were our rocks: they helped us hold it together in addition to keeping everything moving smoothly and communicating with us as to what needed to be done. This was one of the most exhausting games that I have ever skated (my teammates can probably agree) but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you, Thunder Bay, for the wonderful experience!

-Kim Kong

Keweenaw Roller Derby invited Traverse City Roller Derby’s Toxic Cherries knowing it was unlikely we would rock the scoreboard. And this mentality is how I know derby is uniquely my scene.

Saturday was my first bout on skates, but I’ve been working up to this moment since September 2017 when I first strapped on skates and duck-walked onto the track at an intro to derby bootcamp in the Calumet Colosseum. I’ve never been athletic, never been on a team, but this sport is an unrelenting inspiration and the people involved even moreso. We skate, we hit, we train, we fall, we laugh, and we get back up. We smile at our competitors and they smile back. KRD plays to win, but we never value the win more than the experience.

Up until Saturday, I’d been involved in bouts on the sidelines: filling volunteer holes, directing, coaching, and wrangling skaters on the bench. Despite my slow mastery of the skills, there has always been a place for me in the league. I have watched my team learn and grow through tough matchups with stellar opponents. This weekend, I got to join them.

It was awesome.

We took some hits, we struggled against their offense, and we often failed to counter their defense. Traverse City was the stronger team, but you don’t gain muscle by lifting lighter weights. We pushed our bodies, found skills to work on, and witnessed new strategies to try. Best of all, we had a great time testing ourselves against a team of excellent skaters, coaches, and staff. This sport encompasses a world-wide community of teams that respect and lift up one another and this weekend was a prime example.

~~~

We had a couple of intro to derby bootcamps this week and we’ll be starting KRD new skater training at the end of this month. If you missed the opportunity to try us out and you’re ready to be a part of something empowering and fun, please reach out to info@keweenawrollerderby.com and we can work with you to get you enrolled in the program. If you’re looking for a way to get involved but don’t want to play, you can train to be a skating official, non-skating official, or help us out by volunteering at a bout!

Princess BubbleButt