April 2023

Upcoming Events

BIPOC Bowl

HUGE Shoutout to our very own Billie Joe Strongarm #2000 & k*bOOm #19, who are playing in the BIPOC Bowl, hosted by Colorado Shiners!

BOTAS Statement

In March, many of RCRDS skaters participated in the Battle of the All-Stars tournament in Scranton, PA. Upon returning home, statements were released by the tournaments two borderless teams, Team Indigenous Rising Roller Derby and Team Black Diaspora Roller Derby, regarding their experience and maltreatment from various BOTAS officials and organizers. River City will not tolerate racism or injustice toward marginalized individuals.

River City Roller Derby acknowledges that we all skate on stolen land. We recognize the Powhatan, Pamunkey, Arrohateck, Kiskiack, Rappahannock, Chickahominey, and Mattaponi tribes as well as the many others who were victims of colonization - whose ancestral lands are home to many of our members. White colonizers took this land from Indigenous Peoples. Any effort to silence or refuse them from taking their rightful place as a valid WFTDA team, is perpetuating white supremacy.

The experience of Team Black Diaspora skaters and other BIPOC skaters attending is not an isolated incident. BIPOC skaters across WFTDA, including many of our own, have had to experience it first hand. We MUST be better at advocating for and uplifting all BIPOC and marginalized community members. It is our responsibility to diligently create and maintain a safe space for skaters all of the time, not just in light of blatant oppression and white supremacy.

Please read their statements: Team Black Diaspora Roller Derby and Team Indigenous Rising Roller Derby

Please donate and support these amazing teams: Team Black Diaspora Roller Derby and Team Indigenous Rising Roller Derby

Community Spotlight

Shelf Life Books (formerly Chop Suey) is proud to sponsor River City Roller Derby this season!

Located in Carytown, Shelf Life is home to a number of furry creatures (feline and muppets), and operates with a focus on local authors. Inside, you'll find a lower level full of new books and a vast upstairs with used books. Check out their website or follow @ShelfLifeBooksRVA to stay up to date with their news and events!

Team Spotlights

Rookie: Regreta Gore, #7113

League role:

Fundraising Committee Head

How long have you been playing derby?

Rookie since October 2018

How long with RCRD?

Same!

Favorite position?

I kinda love it all. I like to get in where I fit in! Definitely don’t think I can jam more than two in a row though 😅

How'd you pick your derby name?

Gore is my maiden name, and I love the tradition of puns in derby names. So I was like, you’re going to regret-a Gore when she hits you! 

What's your roller derby origin story?

I am one of many who saw Whip It in high school and I was STOKED. I saw an RCRD bout in 2012 I think, and was like “oh man, I gotta do this.” I didn’t join until several years later (with the encouragement of my now-husband), and decided to attend a rookie orientation in October 2018!

What's something you really struggled with when you first started out, but now you feel good about? 

I was a true baby deer and could barely stand up straight! My balance has improved SO MUCH that it is hard for me to believe I struggled so much in the beginning.

What's your favorite food/ritual after a hard practice? 

I am a big fan of spicy water (La Croix), and then whatever we end up making for dinner.

Favorite derby memory?

In December 2022, I got to do the NOVA Rookie Scrimmage. My first time jamming went great! My second jam I started in the penalty box and came out, became Lead Jammer, and snagged a few points! It was so amazing and I loved every second.

How has derby positively impacted your life off-skates?

I feel like derby has really increased my confidence and helped me become my most authentic self, and helped me meet such an amazing group of folks that love me and support me, both on and off the track. My job is also kinda high-stress, and it has given me a healthy outlet to get out that icky energy!

B-Team: k*bOOm, #19

League role:

Risk/Safety Manager

How long have you been playing derby?

This is hard to answer - I was a rookie when it was still called "fresh meat" one million years ago, with Big Easy Roller Derby in New Orleans. Shortly after passing assessments, I moved and didn't play until I moved again to California where I played with Hidden City Derby Girls for a few years (on and off, due to illness.)  A couple of moves later, I came to Richmond and stalked RCRD until it reopened from the COVID-19 pandemic.

How long with RCRD?

I'm coming up on a year with RCRD, I think?? Time is hard.

Favorite position?

I aim to be a reliable all around player,  though I'm naturally more suited for blocking.

How'd you pick your derby name?

I started out as "trapHer keepHer" but it wasn't really well-received. I switched to “k*bOOm” because I couldn't think of anything else.  I am open to suggestions because I've been super jealous of all the great names I hear.

What's your roller derby origin story?

I just kept coming across roller derby and always admired the people I met who played.

What's something you really struggled with when you first started out, but now you feel good about?

Well, considering I had no idea how to even stand up on skates when I started, to me it's pretty amazing that I can manage forward AND backward motion without breaking a hip in my old age. 

What's your favorite food/ritual after a hard practice?

I love a good hot shower after practice.

How has derby positively impacted your life off-skates?

I have had the privilege of meeting so many unique, talented, and badass people through this sport. The community saved my life in 2019.

A-Team: Smack Mamba, #7

League role:

Head Rookie Coach & member of the Equalities Committee

How long have you been playing derby?

10 years baby!!

How long with RCRD?

4-5 years, I'm losing track.

Favorite position?

I do it all! I'm a utility player, so I can jam, pivot, or block. I love each role for different reasons.

How'd you pick your derby name?

I got a little outside help with choosing, but the short story is my favorite movie is Kill Bill (Vol.1). The lead assassin is known as "Black Mamba" and is often referred to as "the kiss of death". I think it's pretty fitting 😘

What's your roller derby origin story?

As a kid, I loved to skate and spent many hours just taking my inlines up and down my rough driveway. If there was a birthday party at the rink, l'd skip out on the party just to keep skating for as long as I could. When I was 19, I visited a friend and took a walk to a local convenience store - where multiple derby players worked, apparently. There was a super small flyer for the next open house, so I grabbed one, showed up, and haven't stopped since!

What's something you really struggled with when you first started out, but now you feel good about?

My CONFIDENCE. It's not always a good day, but derby shaped me into the person I am today. I still struggle, but I am the truest version of myself when I am on skates. Oh, and I can come to a stop much better now! I used to be the skater that ran into the wall full-force because I didn't have the strength to stop effectively.

What's your favorite food/ritual after a hard practice?

A super hot bath with epsom salt, and some brownie brittle.

Favorite derby memory?

I have too many to count and have turned into one of the "senior" players that says "back in my day" way too often. I know something I love is getting to be a part of each others’ journey in roller derby. I know how much this sport has impacted nearly every aspect of my life, so being able to share that experience and contribute to another person’s journey is very fulfilling. Getting tournament MVP in Hawaii in 2018 was pretty sweet, but getting laid out by Thornado in the Walmart parking lot at BOTAS cracks me up every time. I could tell you stories for hours & love getting to hear them from other long time players too!

How has derby positively impacted your life off skates?

Because of roller derby, I also fell in love with skate parks. And because of park skating, I eventually met my partner of 5 years, became the first park roller skater with a pro model wheel, and I've gone on to coach other skaters all over the country. My first road trip was with my derby team, and part of my love for community care and mutual aid is from derby. It's helped me get jobs! It required me to respect my body more and gave me the confidence to expect the same from others. It's given me purpose and a life that my younger self couldn't have possibly dreamed of.

Official: Disco

League role:

NSO (non-skating official)

How long with RCRD?

I think I saw my first game early in 2019, but I've been NSOing at practice since April 2019! It's already been four years!? Time isn't real, what are calendars.

Favorite position?

Jam Timer! It lets me be up in the thick of things without the constant anxiety that being on Scoreboard does.

How'd you pick your derby name?

I was on the fence for a while on if I should even have one when I first started helping out at practice. Like I felt like I wasn't REALLY on the team as an NSO (which isn't true, but I didn't know any better), so maybe I didn't deserve a cool nickname. Also, like, I have too much anxiety to commit to putting stickers on things, how was I supposed to commit to a name! So I thought about it - I couldn't come up with any really juicy puns, and I didn't feel a badass name was terribly appropriate since I wasn't skating. But I looked within myself and saw that there was only one thing that truly encapsulated everything that I am in one easy to consume package: Disco. Anyone who has seen my outfits knows how appropriate that is. So here we are!

What's your roller derby origin story?

Sooooo funny story - I actually met someone from the team on a dating app! While we ended up not pursuing anything romantically, we did click as friends and when they mentioned that they played on a roller derby team, I was excited to come check it out because I'd wanted to see a game for roughly forever! After two games, I was hooked - and because if I start going to something for too long without helping out I will literally die, I offered to learn how to NSO! I also bought a pair of pretty nice skates shortly thereafter... and then broke my ankle shortly after that. Since then, I've spent most of my time jam timing at games or helping to run drills at practice. I would like to either ref or maybe even actually for realsies try out for the team one day, but until I'm confident enough to try skating again I'm happy to blow whistles and yell “FIVE SECONDS!” at people. 

What's something you really struggled with when you first started out, but now you feel good about?

Honestly when I first started helping out, I was worried I was just going to be dead weight - I didn't really know the terminology, and I didn't really have any idea about the theory of playing. The first few months of practice were kind of hard for me to do anything other than just wait to be useful. After four (well, three plus the lockdown) years of being around, I think I've not only gotten pretty good at anticipating things that need to happen but also just in general understanding how the game and practices work and being able to offer my own non-skating experiences in ways that are helpful, instead of just rambling and taking up time.

What's your favorite food/ritual after a hard practice?

Man, any time we get Intergalactic Tacos to come out to a game, I will immediately run out after the game before they leave and just gorge myself on their food. I've had most of their menu, and I've yet to have something from them I didn't want to eat until someone would have to roll me back to my car.

Favorite derby memory?

This might be kind of grim, but I think my favorite derby moment happened the day I broke my ankle. A while before that, at the second game I ever saw, one of our skaters V had a really horrific leg injury and had been out for a while. At the practice I put skates on, V had offered to help me get my bearings (pun intended) on skates and the moment the break happened, she was over there making sure I was okay and ultimately ended up getting me to an Urgent Care to get checked out. It was a kind of morbid solidarity we had, two people intimately familiar with a horrible experience, and just the fact that she was willing to sit there with me and keep me talking so I didn't go into shock meant a lot to me. Really the whole team was wonderful - folks made sure I had food, we ended up doing a huge watch party for the season of Stranger Things that premiered right around then. But the kindness V showed me that day really stuck with me - I think some people would have just tried to get back to their own life as soon as possible, but she really stuck with me until she was sure I was taken care of and on the way home.

How has derby positively impacted your life off the track?

RCRD was the first place I felt comfortable being out as nonbinary to strangers. It was something that I had been slowly telling people I trusted at the time, but when the practice came when I had to introduce myself and do the whole spiel, I knew it was then or never if I wanted to try to be my authentic self, and I felt like RCRD was the perfect community to do so with. And it has been! I really do cherish each and every person I've met through RCRD, it really seems like we try to have each other's backs as much as we can and frankly there's just not enough of that in this cold capitalist hellscape. So thanks RCRD, thanks for being a warm fire on an otherwise very cold night.

RCRD FANS!

We love engaging with our community, so we have rolled out (pun intended! 😉) a few ways for you to connect with us and get featured in our BRUISEletter! Here's how:

1. RCRD in the Wild: Spot someone wearing their RCRD merch out in the world? Get consent for a pic and send it in. We love seeing your team spirit!

2. Fan Art Submissions: Submit your RCRD paintings, digital art, stories and more! We love when y'all show your support and create with us!

3. RCRD Featured Fans: Show off your team spirit, get loud, proud, and a little rowdy for the team, and show your support at our games for a chance to be one of our Featured Fans and get a spotlight in our BRUISEletter!

🖤💚 Email your submissions to pr.rivercityrollerderby@gmail.com 💚🖤