MAY 2023

Upcoming Events

Anti-Trans Legislation Statement

from the RCRD Equalities Committee

We at River City Roller Derby are infuriated and deeply troubled by the wave of anti-trans legislation rolling through this country. We believe unequivocally that trans rights are human rights, and we proudly align our league with the trans community. Transgender people are our beloved friends, teammates, and league members. We are proud and honored to welcome all transgender and gender nonconforming skaters, officials, and volunteers to our league. Legislation that seeks to criminalize and eradicate transgender people is state-sponsored bigotry. Fearmongerers are trying to make punching-down against an already-marginalized group an American pastime.

River City Roller Derby stands firmly in opposition to all attempts to remove a community's dignity and human rights. We will continue to speak and act in solidarity with our trans siblings, loudly and proudly.

Recap of RCRD Presents: 90s Rap vs. 90s Country

It was a night of nostalgia, gold chains, and rhinestone cut-offs at our “90s Rap vs 90s Country” themed scrimmage this past Thursday - with 90s Rap reigning supreme!

(Photos by Joe Ring aka Joe Cool)

Recap of RCRD Conquers the Cap2Cap

Several of our RCRD skaters conquered the Virginia Capital Trail this weekend, skating various lengths of 10, 26, and the full 51.7 miles! Our skaters and volunteers received so much support and hype from cyclists & pedestrians all along the trail that day, including a shoutout on the Virginia Capital Trail FB Page, and we celebrated with much-needed drinks and food at Billsburg Brewery.

Our fundraising page and t-shirt campaign are still live - last call to make a donation or pick up a t-shirt to celebrate the huge accomplishments of our skaters!

Special shout-out to Liz, who won our first-place trophy and finished the trail in 6 hours, 41 minutes!

RCRD Cap2Cap Quotes & Reviews:

• “At the end of this, there’s beer!”

• “The weather gods were on our side today” (yes, Saturday’s weather was perfect!)

• “It was horribly fun and I was ready to skate again the next day… minus all the blisters. Would I do it again? Maybe… the last 10 miles were brutal but it was worth it.” -Toefu, who skated the full 52-mile length with close to 0 outdoor trail skating practice

(Photos are in order from start (MM 51.7) to finish (MM 0))

Team Spotlights

Riot/A-Team: FOXY FOE #34

League role?

Vice President

How long have you been playing derby?

11 years!

How long with RCRD?

9 years

Favorite position?

Blocker

How'd you pick your derby name?

I struggled to find a name that felt like it fit me. I wanted something feminine but strong. My sister had a friend who did burlesque and she was Foxy Faux Pas and I loved it so much - I asked if I could play on it and do “Foxy Foe” and she said of course! 

What's your roller derby origin story?

I took a new job, and the person that had the desk before me played banked-track derby with Texas Roller Derby. All of the coworkers wanted to support her, and I came along. The second I saw it, I immediately thought “I want to do that!” I went home and bought a pair of skates and started skating anywhere I could. I had only ever rollerbladed, so there was a learning curve. I skated while vacuuming and doing dishes and all around my neighborhood to get better. Then I saw Texas Roller Girls (who play flat track roller derby) were enrolling for a recreation league and would teach you from the ground up. I signed up, bought the rest of the gear, and was hooked!

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

Definitely blocking - I started as a jammer with flat 4-walls and when the game changed and slowed down, I was not as successful getting through. I realized I needed to become a more dynamic player and started blocking. I kept knocking myself down when trying to hit others and was so bad at it. I’m proud of how far I’ve come! Now I have my pointy hips that I use to my advantage.

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

Definitely PB&J’s. I don’t know why, but I’m always craving them after practice.

Favorite derby memory?

The Hawaii tournament in 2019. One of the most beautiful and fun trips I’ve ever taken. Plus bonding with the team was amazing! 

How has derby positively impacted your life off-skates?

It’s definitely made me more confident in being a mother. The support the league has shown when I needed them the most has been amazing. I love the community and seeing everyone’s smiling faces. If I’m having a bad day, I always leave practice smiling.

Rats/B Team: KILL SWITCH #2806

League role?

I help out with the website, sponsorship, fundraising, wherever I can!

How long have you been playing derby?

I started learning in the RCRD rookie program in September 2022 - just 8 months ago.

Favorite position?

Jammer

How'd you pick your derby name?

I love the X-Files, and knew I wanted to do an X-Files related name. I am a software engineer, and there is an episode where there’s a goth girl hacker that shuts down an evil computer virus. The episode is called Kill Switch - so I thought it would be a good crossover between my love for X-Files and my computer programming experience. 

What's your roller derby origin story?

I moved to Richmond in August 2022. Before I moved, I was looking up cool stuff to do in Richmond. Omniscient instagram suggested a RCRD post to me, saying “We think you might like…”. Turns out they were right! I went to a game within my first two weeks of living here and started the rookie program shortly after. 

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

Hmm… I’m still struggling with many things lol. But I am seeing a lot of progress in myself! When I first assessed up to the B-Team (which was only a couple months ago), I had an extremely hard time keeping track of everything that goes on during a jam. You have to be aware of so many things at once, and everything happens so fast. It is still very overwhelming, but I have definitely gotten better at staying calm and staying aware of everything going on around me.  

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

I am absolutely obsessed with the D&D podcast Dimension 20. I listen to it on my car ride home from practice, and it brings me so much joy. 

Favorite derby memory?

Just last week, I played in my first scrimmage and was awarded MVP Jammer for my team. It felt so validating after working so hard to get to where I am. I can’t wait to keep learning and make more memories!

How has derby positively impacted your life off-skates?

When I moved to Richmond last summer, I had never been here before and I knew no one. Derby has provided such an amazing, supportive, queer, and fun community. I have made so many wonderful friends through derby, just in my few months here.

Rookies: Jil

Derby name and number?

TBD - for now it’s just Jil!

League role?

I help out where I can; this year I’m trying to volunteer as NSO to learn more about the game from the off-skates perspective.

How long have you been playing?

I started with RCRD during the pre-COVID 2020 rookie intake; I think that’s about 1 year in actual derby season time, compared to the eternity it seems to have been.

Favorite position/position you hope to play?

I don’t have a strong preference just yet, but on the few occasions I have jammed and gotten through the wall in practice, it’s been really satisfying. 

How'd you pick your name?

It’ll be based on my favorite show, which conveniently has a number in the title.

What's your Roller Derby origin story?

My partner always thought it’d be something I’d enjoy and I thought he was crazy.  In 2020, a mutual friend of a league member invited me out to an RCRD open skate, then I decided to go ahead and try out rookie orientation.

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

Crossovers! The only problem is that once I figured that out, I went faster.

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

Absolute garbage junk food.

Favorite derby memory?

NOVA Roller Derby hosted a Rookie Clinic & Scrimmage last year.  It was a really fun challenge to participate in a full scrimmage and watching the junior league skaters was so rad.

How has derby positively impacted your life off skates?

Derby consists of everything that is outside of my comfort zone, but everyone at RCRD is supportive and inclusive so I’m able to keep trying even when I am not stoked about my progress. Something about falling flat out in front of everyone at least once a week gives me confidence in “real life”.

Official: ADRENALYN #26

League role?

Head Referee, and Head Slack Admin

How long have you been playing derby?

I started learning from scratch in August 2014 - almost a decade!

How long with RCRD?

I joined during an open house orientation in August 2017.

Favorite position?

Jammer (as a skater), & Jammer Referee (as an skating official)

How'd you pick your derby name?

My middle name is Lyn, and I was trying to think of a derby name that would allow me to use “Lyn” for short. I literally just searched for “words that end in -line”, and I eventually came across the word “adrenaline” - eureka, AdrenaLyn!

What's your roller derby origin story?

I had been in marching band for seven years throughout high school and college, and I really missed being in an active/unique community - it turns out that roller derby and drumline have a lot in common! I graduated in 2010, dropped out of grad school in 2011, and saw my first roller derby game in 2012 at the DC Armory. I sat track-side and was expecting to see something like a monster truck rally, but the slower-paced & strategic gameplay threw me for a loop and I was intrigued. Plus I loved the punny names of the various DC teams at the time - Cherry Blossom Bombshells, Majority Whips, Beltway Betties. (Plus, I saw Whip It.) After moving to RVA in 2012, I came across a roller derby recruitment flyer in a local frozen yogurt shop (RIP Yapple) and decided to give it a try. I had never put on a pair of quads in my life, but thanks to seven years of drumline and performing drill on a football field, I was doing passable crossovers on my first day of skate school - and from that moment on, I just wanted to be on skates and go fast.

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

I took very naturally to jamming and agility/footwork drills, but blocking has always been difficult and intimidating for me. I try to push myself during blocking drills so that I don’t always default to being a jammer, but I would often feel ineffective or like a constant weak link. I started focusing on my on-track communication so I could at least be helpful in that way, and soon I found a lot of parallels between jamming and playing offense. The first time I successfully cleared a space for our team’s jammer during a game was a huge moment that I still remember!

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

An order of bacon ranch wraps and an M&M milkshake from CookOut is usually on my mind during practice.

Favorite derby memory?

I was super proud of my stats from our one and only game in March 2020. I had scored a large chunk of our team’s points, and had zero penalties for the entire game. I thought that was gonna be my season, but alas, we were soon dealing with a two-week shutdown, which turned into a two-year hiatus. I have also coached rookies/new skaters with RCRD since 2018, and I am constantly feeling proud of their accomplishments at all levels/paces. As much as I missed playing during our two years off, I missed coaching even more and I’m so happy to be able to help share this sport with others again.

How has derby positively impacted your life off-skates?

I feel like my truest self when I’m on skates. Derby is literally “chaos training” - we learn how to read the chaos all around us, how to flow through it, and how to recover from a hard fall. We do this at practice, during scrimmages, at games/events - and it helps me navigate the even-stranger chaos of everyday life with more confidence and balance. I especially love jamming because it’s a satisfying blend of “skating on my own” and “skating with others” - I get to skate fast and score points, but I also rely on my teammates and need to effortlessly communicate with them (similar to marching band). Derby reveals to me how resilient I actually am, and I love being part of a vibrant community that lends its collective strength and spirit, especially as we deal with chaos from all sides.

Community Spotlight: The Float Zone

The Float Zone is proud to be a sponsor of the RCRD! The Float Zone, located adjacent to Scott's Addition, is RVA’s premiere float spa - featuring four state of the art float pods, each in their own private room.  Each room has a float tank, shower and all the amenities you may need, such as towels, earplugs, soap, shampoo, conditioner.  You can keep the lid open, closed, or cracked, and you float face up in 10” of skin temperature (94 degree) water, saturated with 1000 pounds of Epsom salt.  There are options for music or silence, light (any color of the rainbow) or darkness. You customize the float experience to your comfort. You float for an hour and emerge feeling completely different in body and mind.  As a result of defying gravity, absorbing Magnesium from the Epsom salt and tricking the brain into relaxation mode from the 94 degree water, floating is a great nervous system hack.

Float therapy is best known for its anxiety reducing effects, but also improves heart rate variability, lowers blood pressure, soothes muscles and joints, helps with sleep, manages pain, helps healing (including bruises! 😎), lowers adrenaline & cortisol - and as a result, is the perfect choice for athletic recovery! 

Many athletes use floating as a recovery method and find that performance is enhanced on both mental and physical levels.  RCRD members are able to sign up for free floats during the week & deeply discounted floats on the weekends, all throughout the season.

Please visit our website, @myfloatzone on IG, and @thefloatzone on FB!

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 💚🖤