SALISBURY — Four years after its inception, the Salisbury Roller Girls (SRG) organization has grown to three teams, a dozen sponsors and a national ranking.
The organization is also off to one of its strongest seasons yet and SRG looks to grow its skater and sponsor base during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
SRG has two adult teams, the All-Stars and the Wicomikazis, as well as a junior team, the Old Bay Bombers. Both adult teams came out of the gate running for their 2014 season with Wicomikazis posting a 5-2 record and the All-Stars an undefeated 6-0.
“This is the best season so far. We’ve grown and we’re stronger than we ever have been,” said Heather “Lexa Cution” Beran, an All-Stars player. “We’re more organized and we’ve taken on new skaters and had transfers that were significant to us.”
Beran was one of the founding members of SRG back in 2010 and said that she has been blown away with the growth of the organization. Starting with one team and about 12 skaters, SRG has since split into both the All-Stars and Wicomikazis and expanded to around 35 athletes.
This has been the first season where SRG has been a fully recognized member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and the All-Stars are ranked nationally. The Wicomikazis, while still dedicated, tend to play unranked teams. Their squad serves as a great introduction to derby and a way to gain experience for new skaters who might want to work their way up to All-Stars or just compete at a different level.
“It’s not worth it if it’s not fun,” said Dawn “Ida Crazy Momma” Sterling, one of the captains of the Wicomikazis.
Sterling joined SRG in 2010 when the team was still young and, like Beran, said that it’s hard to believe how the fledgling brand has developed in four years. Both teams skate their home games at Mitchell’s Martial Arts in Salisbury and the venue, along with several other sponsors, has welcomed girls’ roller derby into the community with open arms, according to Sterling.
Along with a number of private businesses, both Third Friday Downtown Salisbury and Main Street Berlin are SRG sponsors. Old Bay, the company responsible for Maryland’s most popular seafood spice, is also one of SRG’s biggest sponsors and the namesake of the Old Bay Bombers junior derby team.
As welcoming as the community has been, SRG is doing its best to give back.
“At every bout we have a charity that we chose. This month it’s Relay for Life,” said Sterling.
The charities rotate throughout the season and the teams try to work in local charities as much as possible. A portion of the ticket sales at the door for every bout go towards that night’s charity of choice. Raffles and donations add to the pot and each roller girls’ bout can generate between $150 and $300 for their charity.
Besides community outreach, SRG puts a large emphasis on personal growth both on and off the track. When the group started in 2010, Beran was looking for a hobby that would give her some direction and be a positive foundation to build from.
“I needed something to do for myself and something to make me into the person I am, I guess,” she said. “It’s given me opportunities and I’ve met so many people I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t done it.”
Sterling joined SRG for similar reasons. Between juggling a family, a career and a score of other commitments, Sterling wanted to have something in her life that was just for her, that allowed her to focus and to improve her body and mind.
The skaters gave Eva “Buster Skull” Paxton a nod while talking about the team. Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma before starting SRG, Paxton was the driving force behind getting the roller girls up and running and continues to serve as a role model for her teammates.
As SRG gets ready to wrap up the 2014 season, team leaders are casting an eye to the future. There will be an open information and recruitment clinic held on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. and located at Mitchell’s Martial Arts in Salisbury. The clinic is for any female interested in lacing up her skates and becoming a roller girl and also for anyone interested in volunteering or becoming a sponsor. Referees are needed as well.
You’re “never too old” for roller derby, according to Sterling, and SRG currently has skaters age 20 through 53. Experience isn’t necessary; Beran actually first learned how to roller skate while training for her team.
No one should be intimidated, said Sterling, even though the sport is full-contact and physically challenging. Skaters come from all walks of life and both Beran and Sterling promised that they’ve never met a friendlier group.
“We have beauticians, vet techs, a bookkeeper, stay at home moms,” said Sterling.
Kids are also encouraged to come out to learn about the sport. Old Bay Bombers, the junior team, is open to youth ages 8 through 17. The team is coed but non-contact and helps kids develop the skills they need to skate in competitive roller derby in a fun and safe environment.
SRG will be participating in Relay for Life on Sept. 19 and 20 and is looking for support on that front. For more information about the team, their competition schedule or how to become a sponsor visit www.salisburyrollergirls.com or like Salisbury Rollergirls on Facebook.