CLEVELAND — As roller derby gains popularity and picks up speed here in Cleveland, one team is pushing for more inclusivity among women, hoping to break the traditional mold of women’s sports.
“Burning River was founded in 2006,” said Rachel Silver, Vice President of the Cleveland roller derby team. “We have been a part of the Flat Track Derby Association since then.”
For some, the roller derby track is an outlet.
“It’s nice to be able to get out of the house and do some activity and have a community to do it,” Thea Mukhi said.
For others, it’s a place of belonging.
“I joined right out of high school, so this was my introduction to adulthood and I have had the best role models ever because there's PhD students, there’s artists, there’s musicians, there’s authors, there’s local business owners,” Alexandria Perez said.
Regardless, the roller derby space, filled with speed, aggression and confidence, is empowering more and more Cleveland women of all ages, backgrounds, skill and color.
“If I were to look back at what little Wynonna Spider would have hoped and dreamed for, I think this is it,” Perez said, referring to her derby alter ego. “These are my people, and yet this full-contact sport is typically male-dominated.”
Much of that is due to a lack of awareness and access. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, many girls drop out of sports by age 14, at two times the rate of boys. The opportunities for females in athletics are said to be 1.3 million fewer than boys starting in high school.
It wasn’t until Muhki saw the Burning River team at a pride event that she knew the space and opportunity existed.
“You didn’t need to know how to skate or anything, so I showed up and I kept coming back and I kept coming back, and now I’m here,” Mukhi said.
Much like Mukhi, Perez thought women’s roller derby was a thing of the past, only seen in movies, which isn’t far off, given that women’s sports receive just 4% of all sports media coverage, according to the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport.
“I just had to get into it, so from there I signed up for the new skater program and been doing it since,” Perez said. “That was 2018. I got on the team from 30 active members last year to now 55.”
“Everything that we do, from our pads to the way that we skate and the rules, all are to keep skater safety and their best interest at heart,” Silver said.
These women are rolling into a new season with an inclusive purpose.
“We really want to be a holistic, healthy part of Cleveland and uplift whatever space that we can, but also making this a more open and welcoming space,” Silver said.
There's still time to join the Burning River roller derby team. You don’t have to know how to skate or anything derby to join. The season kicks off in April. Click here for details on the team's website.
Burning River's team mantra is, “Laugh when you fall” — on the track and in life, you’re going to fall a lot, but learning to give yourself grace and get back up is key.
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