You might not be familiar with it yet, but since its revival in the early oughts, roller derby has become one of Portland’s most dynamic sports. Rose City Rollers, Portland’s roller derby league, exemplifies the new face of roller derby, with a hard-hitting alt-punk aesthetic.
College student Aileen Valadez, aka Effy Stone ’Em, first became interested in roller derby in 2009.
“It really opened me up to how feminism can work with sports,” she said. “Derby became my hobby, and then my life. It gave me a new experience. It introduced me to some of the people I would call my best friends.”
Rose City Rollers was established in 2004, and became a founding member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
“When we began, the league practices were held in a sub-level garage,” said RCR’s public relations manager Ellen Beaman, aka Texine. “Our league grew from there and went from one parking garage to another until we found our home in Oaks Park.”
RCR now comprises more than 300 people, and they’ve held bouts at the Portland Expo Center and Memorial Coliseum, although most of their events are still held at the Hangar, a 400-seat skating arena at Oaks Amusement Park.
“There’s still a good deal of DIY attitude about the whole thing,” Beaman said. “Our skaters and everybody we have are part of the leadership of the community.”
RCR only has one full-time employee. The nonprofit organization takes cash and gift donations and gives them to charities, chosen every quarter. The last charity they chose was Impact NW.
“It’s a wonderful place to meet people of every walk of life,” Beaman said. “It’s a really wonderful community to be a part of if you’re a younger woman because there are so many stronger, older women with advice and stories to share.”
RCR is comprised of four home teams, two travel teams and a youth team. The two travel teams, the Axles of Annihilation and Wheels of Justice, compete nationally with other teams from the WFTDA. The four home teams, the Break Neck Betties, Guns N Rollers, Heartless Heathers and High Rollers, compete against each other for league standing.
“It’s much faster than you think. Harder hitting,” Valadez, a member of the Heartless Heathers, said. “Your adrenaline goes through the roof. Afterwards, I feel like I could keep playing for another hour.”
There’s also Fresh Meat, a training program for skaters waiting to move up to the competition teams, and Wreckers, a recreational derby program for skaters of all skill levels.
Skaters have to provide their own equipment, a potentially expensive investment. Good pairs of roller derby skates can push four digits, but Beaman said a workable used set of skates and pads can be had in the RCR community for around two hundred dollars.
Beaman said there are plenty of opportunities in the yellow shirt volunteers and league committees for people to get involved with RCR who don’t feel up to playing derby.
“It’s not for everybody,” she said. “You have to be a certain type of person to want to get out and hit someone several times a week.”
Valadez said RCR is a great place for young women who feel out of place to find a community.
“When I walk in, I feel like a rockstar,” she said. “It’s this thing that’s so surreal. It’s the most awesome [feeling] in the world.”
The rollers have several events coming up in February and March. The hangar will host league bouts Friday and Saturday. Tryouts for the Fresh Meat program will be held Thursday, and the Heartless Heathers will be hosting an “Anti-Valentine’s Party” Saturday night at Watershed PDX. More information about the team and events can be found at www.rosecityrollers.com.