Dead River Derby spreads the love for roller derby in the U.P.

Editor's Note: This article first appeared in Marquette Magazine, and can be found in its original form here.
 
Wondering what the roller derby craze is all about? Roller derby is a great community event and a lot of fun for people of all ages--and Marquette's local team, Dead River Derby, is recruiting this month.
 
On May 14, the roller derby group will hold an open house for recruitment of skaters, referees and volunteers, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lakeview Arena, and another skater recruitment event is planned for May 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. No experience is necessary and training is provided--that's how Dead River Derby has done things from the beginning.
 
In 2012, a group of Marquette locals got together to toss around the idea of joining the roller derby movement.  At the time, other leagues had already come together in the Upper Peninsula, dozens of leagues were several years into their existence in Lower Michigan, and all across Michigan's neighboring Midwest states, roller derby was in full swing--with many Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) leagues already gaining national and worldwide notice. It was time for Marquette to be on that map, and so in the early days of 2012 was born Marquette's own Dead River Derby. From an initial core group of dedicated, passionate individuals learning as they went was built in just under a year a thriving league of skaters supported by a broad network of referees, officials and volunteers critical to the success of any roller derby league.
 
In 2013, the Dead River Derby debuted their inaugural season to a packed house at Lakeview Arena with their first bout victory against the Escanaba Rollin' Hellcats. Despite limited exposure to the sport or understanding of its complex system of rules and parameters, fans in the Marquette area went absolutely derby crazy for this exciting new development in the community and an instant fan base sprouted up around the sport and its unique and lovable stars.
 
That first season, Marquette's Dead River Derby faced off on tracks around the U.P. against the Escanaba Rollin' Hellcats, the Kingsford Krush, and combined teams of Da Whole U.P. and members of established leagues in Wisconsin. They also skated away games and held strong against far more experienced teams in northern lower Michigan and the Detroit area to finish their first season undefeated in the U.P. and with an overall record of 7-2. Without question, the Dead River Derby had made its mark as a North Coast force to be reckoned with.
 
Throughout its early growth and its 2013 initial season, the Dead River Derby sent skaters to WFTDA clinics, training camps in Chicago, visited and skated with other teams throughout the region, brought in guest skaters from established leagues to train and play with the team and foster growth in skills and strategy and built up its valued base of sponsors, volunteers and awareness in the community. In early 2014, the DRD brought a tremendous jumpstart to the region's derby season with a weekend-long derby camp by elite skaters from the Men's Team USA roller derby team. Dubbed "Peter Pan's Magical Derby Camp," the event drew nearly fifty skaters from throughout the Midwest and Canada. Participants learned skills and techniques of high-level roller derby which added to the excitement and skill level of the 2014 season.
 
Community-Minded, Community-Backed
The Dead River Derby aims to be a leader in the growth of the sport of derby in the U.P. and the upper Midwest, foster empowerment and opportunity for women and girls, and give back to the local community. To that end, every home bout they have played has included a "giveback" aspect, with local charities such as the Girl Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Lake Superior Hospice, The Women's Center, Seeds and Spores Fire Relief fund, and the U.P. Center for Brain Tumor Research. One of the critical success factors of roller derby's continued growth in the Marquette area and the Upper Peninsula is the continued involvement of the community.
 
In addition to ongoing recruitment of skaters (women of all walks of life, demographics and abilities are welcome!), roller derby requires scores of volunteers to plan, produce, officiate, manage and run the bouts and the organization's ongoing operations. To learn more about how to get involved in this exciting sport, keep up with local and U.P. derby news and events and to keep up with the bout schedule, find Dead River Derby on Facebook and at www.deadriverderby.org.