Liam Mays

Before every match begins, a group of skaters rolls around the track with a rainbow flag in hand. Once a month, four teams gather in Memorial Hall in Kansas City to shove and bump elbows in the nicest way possible. The culture and community of roller derby has become much more than a safe place for women to be aggressive and release anger; it’s become a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community, a confidence boost, as well as a little community of women who support each other despite being competitors.

“It’s just a very supportive community; we play each other we’re hitting each other but we’re all giving each other high-fives and hugs as soon as it’s over,” said Autumn Kastner of the KC Roller Warriors.

Kansas City isn’t alone with having a strong community of women supporting each other through roller derby. Part of what makes the derby community strong, at least in Kansas City, is the fact that it’s completely run by the players. If your team isn’t competing, then you’re at the front selling tickets or merchandise. Even though the sport itself is very competitive, it’s a highly collaborative organization.

“I like how encouraging everybody is. Everyone’s always lifting you up even if you’re messing up a lot. People are always ready to tell you what you’re doing well and then give nice constructive criticism to help you do better,” said Amara Seng of the KC Roller Warriors.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, over 50,000 women participate in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association in the U.S. with over 300 leagues in the world. In Kansas City alone, there’s a community of over 75 players in the association.

“If somebody’s having a bad day or gets hurt or needs literally anything, you’ll have like 80 people that are now your whole community,” said Stephanie Spicer, of the KC Roller Warriors.

The NCBI reported that 79% of respondents from the KC women’s flat track roller derby league have sustained multiple injuries. However, many of the derby players have said that the community in derby is much more supportive than in other sports. Skating on a flat track is considered to be much safer than a standard derby track which is why flat tracks quickly gained popularity after the Kansas City and Texas leagues started skating on the newer tracks.

“Derby players are known for being hard asses and bad asses, and we are, but even the toughest and meanest players will stop and provide feedback or tips to new and struggling skaters,” said An Sasala, a KC Roller Warrior in training.

Many of the derby players use the sport as an escape from their everyday lives and as a way to gain confidence and release aggression. Some players including Lady Killshot, Jessikaboom, and Bones have also gained some fame in the scene and they’ll frequently sign autographs after matches. Several of the women said that they keep their derby life and their work life as separate as possible. This is one of the reasons the players opt to have a pseudonym or a “derby name” opposed to their real name. Many of them also have costumes and make up that go along with their alter egos.

“I was transitioning from being a stay-at-home mom to a full-time middle school teacher. And my advisor was nudging me to just remember that I had this,” said Kastner. “I was looking for something to kind of be a confidence boost and I thought that I’ll just go do something that terrifies me.”

For many of the women, derby has become a method to try something new and different. It’s become a vice for them to show a different side of themselves and exert some belligerence.

“Derby culture is about challenging yourself and others to try something a little crazy and falling in love with yourself and the sport because of it,” said Sasala.

According to the KC derby league, roller derby reached its hey-day it the 1970s and slowly dissipated after. When a local league started in 2004, Kansas City started working to revive the derby community, helping it grow into something larger. The league started with just a few women rolling around in a parking lot and is now considered to be one of the top leagues in the country with a growing number of fans every year.

“Everybody’s trying to get everybody to improve. We’re here for everybody mentally and physically – just to make sure we’re all in a good place,” said Kastner.