| It may surprise you who the real identities behind some | | | | things about my decision to join derby is the fact that I |
| of your favorite derby personalities are. The ladies | | | | am once again apart of a team. I love the feeling of |
| who make up the Silicon Valley Roller Girls are just like | | | | being a part of something bigger than myself, and |
| the ladies of any other derby team, an eclectic mix of | | | | when you join derby, you join your league and you join |
| women from many backgrounds and professions. | | | | Women's All Flat Track Derby, the reigning national |
| SVRG is made up of teachers, mothers, fitness | | | | regulator of the sport. |
| trainers, corporate employees and more. They are the | | | | In addition to spending time with teammates at |
| girls-next-door by day and hard-hitting derby women | | | | practice, most roller derby women are involved in |
| by night. However one of the biggest draws to this | | | | derby extra-curriculars like league meetings, |
| sport, which has seen a huge rebirth in the past few | | | | fundraisers, craft nights, community service and more. |
| years, isn't the draw of derby stardom or the | | | | Soon, the women of SVRG will be doing community |
| guaranteed hard-hitting action. For many girls, one of | | | | service at Happy Hallow, a park and zoo in San Jose, |
| the main reasons they join roller derby is for the | | | | California. Recently after much planning and hard work, |
| camaraderie of team play. | | | | we recently raised $1,400 at a mud wrestling |
| I know that this is especially true for me. After a | | | | fundraiser. Selling merchandise, raffle tickets, the |
| difficult decision to move back to my hometown in the | | | | opportunity to see derby girls mud wrestling and |
| Bay Area, I was really down about being away from | | | | spankings, the proceeds will go towards our first home |
| all of my friends that I left behind in New Orleans. I | | | | turf bout during Labor Day weekend. |
| wanted to do something where I'd meet people, | | | | All of these events are the result of the women of |
| especially girls, that I would actually like, and after | | | | SVRG working hard to keep the dream of derby in |
| playing sports almost my entire life, I really missed the | | | | the Silicon Valley alive. Working together to put on all |
| fun and comradery of team play. I had toyed with the | | | | these various events brings the team closer. Derby |
| idea of joining a derby team while living out in the Big | | | | women do have the desire to knock some girls around |
| Easy, but I never really found the time. My moving | | | | on the rink, but what makes a great derby team is the |
| blues were swiftly alleviated when I attended my first | | | | closeness that comes from all the work they do |
| roller derby practice with SVRG at the end of March. | | | | together off the rink. |
| Three months later, I can still say that one of the best | | | | |