Inside Gorge Roller Derby

You may be familiar with roller derby in its first form as televised in the 1950’s, but how much do you know about roller derby today?

Since the days of cheap shots and staged catfights, flat track roller derby has grown into a regulated, international sport with men’s, women’s, and junior divisions. Our very own Portland, Oregon is home to the 2018 and ‘19 world champions Rose City Rollers, Wheels of Justice. You may even recognize the teal and gold colors of our local league, Gorge Roller Derby (GRD).

There are many facets to running a league, in the words of GRD skater and incumbent president Rachel Anderson, aka ‘Faye Spounder’.

“I don’t think that the public gets to see how organized we are, and how much work it takes to put on a production and still give back and be involved in the community,” she said.

GRD is a non-profit organization, and there are responsibilities to the community that come with that title. At each of their home games, called bouts, the league partners with local non-profits and facilitates fundraising for donation. This past season GRD partnered with organizations HAVEN, Friends of The Columbia Gorge, and The Next Door.

“[People] don’t get to see the community within GRD… its like family, at times it can be super challenging, and on the same hand incredibly uplifting,” Spounder said. “The biggest way we help our community is by giving our friends a place to be, and a place to skate… and a family.”

And a safe space to enjoy a bout. So, GRD was one of the first to cancel an event in the Gorge, the Save Our Sports fundraising bout for White Salmon School District was scheduled on March 14th. Concerned about the health and safety of skaters, volunteers, and community members, the GRD medical committee moved to suspend all practices and events on March 13th.

The shutdown due to Covid-19 has not been easy.

“I think a lot of our friends are struggling,” said Spounder, “for me, that’s twenty hours of my week just cut… all this support; if you need a hug, if you need a laugh, if you need someone to hit the snot out of you. There are so many individuals with different needs that were met through practice… my heart breaks just talking to different friends.”

With such a strong emphasis on team cohesiveness and personal empowerment, GRD has been hosting themed Zoom workouts twice a week to stay connected during the shutdown. “It’s really important to stay connected and check in, so that we can get through to the other side of this and play another day,” Spouner said.

With so much conflicting information from different sources, Spounder says GRD’s board can’t make a timeline for when the league can reopen and meet—or even plan events for next season. But post-pandemic, she hopes to watch the league continue to grow and develop new protocols to keep everyone happy, healthy, and safe.