Ohio roller derby teams are rolling with the punches — and growing their audience

Today from the Ohio Newsroom, a gritty sports growth spurt. Support comes from the James at Ohio State, cancer. For some, it's one of life's fiercest foes, but not at the James, where a team of nearly 300 specialists and over 1,500 researchers are working together to create a cancer-free world. Support comes from Ohio Casa. Ohio Casa's mission is to ensure children experiencing abuse and neglect. have a caring, trained adult in their corner. Information about CASA volunteer work is at Ohio's C-A-S-A.org. I'm Aaron Gotzacker. Roller Derby is picking up speed in Ohio. Eight Ohio teams have been listed by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, and that number doesn't even include independent or non-league affiliated teams. The sport has a long history in the region, with organizations like the Gem City and Cincinnati Roller Derby celebrating 20 years of operation this year. Shea Frank with Ohio Newsroom member station WYSO has more about the full contact sport and its growth throughout the state in recent years. Get the point!

So to get points, our skater has to pass the hips of the other player. That's Jessica Beans. She is a volunteer on the training committee for the Jim City Roller Derby in Dayton. She says their teams have fluctuated in size and success since she joined in 2020 when their 18 Purple Rain was on a winning streak. We were ranked number 12 at the top of like how we did out of 160 teams in our region, which is all of the Northeast America. 160, we were 12. So I feel like I came in on this time where we're really coming into our own. But the Jim City Roller Derby didn't always have three full teams and around 80 league members. Racy Rocker has been with the team off and on for 19 seasons. She says when she first joined, they had only seven members. You know, so I've seen the league grow. I've seen it fall apart. I've seen it rebuild. And get 20 years in, it's pretty good. For the Cincinnati Roller Derby, participation has also boomed over the years. The Southern Ohio team regularly sold out its original venue in Northside before recently moving to a larger space that can accommodate 500 visitors in the North College Hill area. Andy Dixon is public relations director for the team. She says this could be credited to a resurgence of skating as a pastime during the pandemic. Or some may have been inspired by an Olympic athlete. Aaron Jackson, the speed skater, started out with a derby background. And I think that was really cool unless it's just my specific algorithm of derby people. But I think that might have helped too. As for the Dayton skater, Leslie Fairchild's, she says community is what brought her and her sister to the sport 15 years ago. We have fun pretty much beating each other up and then go party together. And we're all friends. And that desire to connect with an inclusive community is what draws many skaters in and keeps them around. Dixon says the Cincinnati Roller Derby recently changed its name from the Cincinnati Roller Girls to reflect that inclusivity as it grew in popularity. This is a legit sport with rules. I know a lot of teams in the same way with the name change are trying to get away from that kind of like. sexualization of everything that used to be on TV like that. The Women's Flat Track Derby Association itself is looking to potentially change its name to be more inclusive. And that dedication to diversity is one of the things that drew Beaver Creek resident Salem Shepherd to watch her first roller derby game in Dayton. More people like me are represented like on the team and in the crowd and that makes me feel a lot more engaged with it in a way that I don't buy like mainstream sports, I guess. Kelly Karp from Yellow Springs also visited a gym city roller derby game to show her daughter how sports can celebrate women's strength. It is important for me to bring my daughter and her friend out to this because I wanted her to see women being really fierce and something that they're doing and being like athletic and just sort of seeing what women can do. While the Cincinnati Roller Derby hosted its boot camp in July, many teams in Ohio are expected to offer newcomer clinics in the coming months, as well as drop-in derby days to try out the sport. Beans with the Jim City Roller Derby in Dayton says they will offer two skater clinics around September and October for people interested in joining the pack. We're always looking for skaters, transfer skaters, people that want to learn, so people can come to that new skating clinic in the fall and then...

Become a roller derby player. For the Ohio Newsroom, I'm Shea Frank. That's all today from the Ohio Newsroom. We'll talk with you tomorrow.