Our Third Space to Skate Wasatch Roller Derby

Tucked into the edges of Salt Lake City’s industrial area is a largely worn warehouse. I excitedly walk around with the address in hand, hunting for the space that the Wasatch Roller Derby resides in.

I get the butterflies I usually get when I’m looking for an underground event, and surely enough, I hear music pumping in the distance to tell me I’m in the right place. It’s “The The Empty” by Le Tigre that’s playing when I arrive.

Across from me is the captain of the B team. Furious George, she calls herself, as many other teammates come up with their own playful names like Menstrual Psycho and Off the Rails.

“I was looking for queer community and looking for some way to get involved in an activity outside of work.”

It is the sounds of roller skates scraping and carving, bodies crashing into each other and someone laughing in the distance that catch my attention. Almost like the gravitational pull you feel from a mosh pit, I want to get up and jump in. It doesn’t feel like any traditional sport but more so a community home that I wished I belonged to when I was younger.

“I graduated college then I moved back here — I was looking for queer community and looking for some way to get involved in an activity outside of work. So I really wanted to try it out and said, ‘Hell yeah,’” George says.

“In the Derby Depot, we actually have a few different leagues, like Beehive Skate Revolution and Uinta Madness. Wasatch Roller Derby is the one that I play for,” George explains, noting that this venue isn’t just a home to her league but to many others as well. Some of them (like Uinta Madness) didn’t even exist until this space was created. It’s a beehive of some sort that pollinates other flowers to grow.

“There are not a lot of competitive sports that are queer-coded. Roller derby has a lot of punk, feminist and queer gender roots.”

“We’ve had this space since 2009, and before that, I don’t actually know if we had a venue. We were probably just at a rec center,” George says. “Nationally, there might be six derby leagues that have their own space like we do. When you talk to leagues from other states and you tell them that you have your own space, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, you have your own space!’ And I think, ‘Oh my God… we’re so lucky to have what we have.’”

“There are not a lot of competitive sports that are queer-coded. Roller derby has a lot of punk, feminist and queer gender roots. So it attracts a lot of people who are trying to find community,” George says. “These people are my family. Between our A and B team, we have like 35-ish people. There’s a jammer, a block and pivot… there’s different vibes to every position. It’s good to have different types of people. You shouldn’t stop yourself from trying a different position if you really want to — don’t box yourself into a category.”

My eyes widen when George says, “We’re funded by the [two] sponsors that we have — but we’re pretty much funded by ourselves. I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but we’re losing our venue. We are having to move June 30.” She explains that the owners of the space are wanting to expand their business. “It really hurts. It’s not easy having to move out of a place you [have] called home.”

“We have to stand together with our queer athletes in sports.”

“We’re having to band together more than ever because of our future and stay positive. The best thing you can do is come to our games. We love having people to support us like our dedicated fans. We have fundraisers and merch you can buy. We’re looking for new sponsors to support us and a venue within our budget. So we’re all ears if anyone knows about that,” George says. “We have to stand together with our queer athletes in sports. Even though a space is important, it’s the people, the friends and the skills that you take with you that matter. It doesn’t matter where you are.” Want to get involved with the Wasatch Roller Derby league? Find them on Instagram at @wasatchrollerderby.

Read about more action sports in Salt Lake City:
Skullcandy Crusher Cup @ Kilby Block Party 7
Carry On: Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better

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