Mike Lemmer had the opportunity to sit down with the Roaring Fork Roller Derby team members.
Mike Lemmer: The Roaring Fork Roller Derby squad has been around since 2010 and became a nonprofit organization last year. Membership is open to any ladies 18 and up who are willing to travel to Glenwood Springs for practices and bouts. Roller derby member Shell On Wheels says it's great to watch new skaters learn the skills while getting in some good therapy as well.
Shell On Wheels: Honestly, it's seeing skaters progress and, going from being a, kind of a Bambi on wheels to all of a sudden they're just crushing it on the track. And also the therapy of it is the best therapy. It beats anything else. To say it's a good outlet is such an understatement. There's just nothing else like it. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself.
Lemmer: Roaring Fork Roller Derby Vice President Whisk Taker says that Saturday's special event will be more than just a match.
Whisk Taker: Sure, yeah. We're gonna have a silent auction, so we had a lot of businesses from the community donate something. So there will be a silent auction going on. We'll have a beer garden that we also had a bunch of different beers and some bubbles donated to the team. We will have a merch table, concessions, and food as well.
Lemmer: The event benefits longtime roller derby member Die’an Grenade in her fight against cancer. She says the support she's receiving from the local community means a lot.
Die’an Grenade: It would definitely help me out just with all of the financial burdens that come along with cancer and surgery and chemotherapy, and you just never know what's gonna hit you, what insurance will cover, what insurance won't cover, and all those fun things in between. And I was traveling to Denver for my treatments, so that was another expense. So, that'll definitely help me out with all of those expenses. So that would be greatly appreciated. But what, more than anything, is just to come out and watch us play and enjoy roller derby because that's what we're about.
