Utah Roller Derby: Alive And Kicking
The derby scene in Utah is alive and kicking, literally. But when five of Utah’s teams were threatened with the loss of the Derby Depot, the warehouse they have called home for the past five years, they knew they had to act. The teams, Wasatch Roller Derby, Red Rockettes, Uinta Madness, Wasatch Junior Rollers and Ladies Of The Lake, banded together and formed new leadership that would not only solve the problem but make the derby scene even stronger.
We talked to derby spokeswomen Candace Swenson Peck, aka Jupiter Crash, and Carrie Snow, aka Jane Accostin, about the new lease on life. Jane said that the threat of loss caused a deep sadness in the community. “When we found out Wasatch Women’s Club was no longer going to support roller derby and we were in danger of losing our warehouse, I think everyone went through the five stages of grief pretty quickly.”
Jupiter said her reaction to the thought of losing the warehouse was that it needed to be saved at all costs. She started derby because she had recently moved back to Utah from New Jersey after dealing with some rough years and needed something fun that was also a good outlet and a way to meet some new friends. Now, she says she can’t imagine her life without derby in it.
Of the warehouse debacle, she said: “Initially, there was a little bit of panic, because this means a lot to me, it means a lot to a lot of people, but I quickly realized we’re a big enough community that we all could pull together. The leagues have become closer because we realize that we are all an important part of the community and that we all contribute in different ways. No one league is better than another, just different. We are more open in our communication, more willing to cooperate and work together, and more supportive of each other.” “We have a very vibrant community, we all kind of know each other,” Jane said. “We are starting more inter-league bouts and we’re starting to make sure it’s not just separate entities that just exist in their own sphere, that it is actually a derby community. We have a nationally ranked travel team, Midnight Terror, and we had to make sure they had a home, so they could maintain their ranking.”
Jupiter said she can’t wait to see how the sport continues to evolve. “The future of roller derby in Utah is very bright,” she said. “This has given us the opportunity to grow and to become visible in the community in a way we haven’t been before. This gives us a chance to reach a new audience and get them to fall in love with derby. And with a strong and growing junior team, I can’t wait to see the level of game play here five years from now. I wasn’t really worried because I knew we could pull it off, and I’m happy to say that we did.”
Other Utah roller derby teams in the burgeoning scene include Salt City Derby Girls, Junction City Roller Dolls, Happy Valley Derby Darlins, Latter Day Skates co-ed league, Vernal Derby Drillers and Moab Roller Derby.
Wasatch Roller Derby is having a recruitment night at the Derby Depot, 1415 S. 700 West, on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. For more information go to Wasatchrollerderby.com. You can also see the derby girls in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, through the Gateway Mall, Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. Watch for the second part of our derby series, coming next week.
Photos by: Chris Bojanower
