Press Room

While baseball, basketball, and other sports struggle to adapt, an international team of skater-experts has figured out a safer way to play.

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the international governing body for roller derby, has created a comprehensive, science-based COVID-19 plan that focuses on keeping every single athlete, official and fan safe. And it blows every other plan in sports completely out of the water.

Erica Vanstone and her league, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, want to play roller derby, but the safety of the players is the priority for the WFTDA executive director. It’s a complicated task. Unlike the pro leagues that are planning their returns, she doesn’t have the CDC or White House on speed dial. But that doesn’t mean Vanstone and her league take this any less seriously. WFTDA has 40,000 players, coaches and officials in 450 leagues and 23 countries. The coronavirus has ravaged some, while others have been largely unaffected.

Documentary on Jewish Roller Derby.

The We Are Nation: A Game Without Borders matchup between Team Indigenous Rising and Jewish Roller Derby on Day 2 of the 2019 International WFTDA Championships Montréal was to “showcase, support, and honor” these two teams without borders and to celebrate these resilient, strong, and athletic people.

Malka Shayna, Kava and Novisk speak with Ref In Peace about Jewish Roller Derby and its history.

Blackrock Bruiser, Raven and SOgnar speak with reGretel about the purpose and importance of Team Indigenous.

Jewish Roller Derby (JRD) is a nascent international movement of Jewish women who are serious about competitive flat track roller derby and expressing pride in their identity through the sport – and they’re coming to Montreal.

When anti-trans hit sites attacked, roller derby stood up and fought back

Interview with WFTDA Executive Director, Erica Vanstone.

Announcing a revolutionary competition, WE ARE NATION: A GAME WITHOUT BORDERS featuring Team Indigenous and Jewish Roller Derby/רולר דרבי יהודי, hosted by WFTDA at the 2019 International WFTDA Championships.

Sure, the members of Team Indigenous love the thrills and spills that make roller derby such an exciting sport. But being on the track is about a lot more than scoring points for these women. It’s meaningful. It’s about representation and togetherness. April Fournier co-founded the team made up of First Nations and Indigenous women from tribal nations throughout the world. A resident of Portland, Maine, Fournier, who is of Diné heritage, knows only too well what it is like to be the only person of color on the track. That’s why she and her and her fearless squad are lacing up their skates to break down walls and bring diversity and inclusion to roller derby and society.