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Chapters (49)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  4. Prologue
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Chapter Eight
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Chapter Twenty-One
  26. Chapter Twenty-Two
  27. Chapter Twenty-Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-Four
  29. Chapter Twenty-Five
  30. Chapter Twenty-Six
  31. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-One
  36. Chapter Thirty-Two
  37. Chapter Thirty-Three
  38. Chapter Thirty-Four
  39. Chapter Thirty-Five
  40. Chapter Thirty-Six
  41. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  42. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  43. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  44. Chapter Forty
  45. Chapter Forty-One
  46. Chapter Forty-Two
  47. ROLLER DERBY: A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW
  48. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  49. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roller derby is a full-contact sport with contact rules similar to hockey. You may not grab an opposing skater, link arms with your teammates to impede an opposing skater, or trip a member of the opposing team. However, body checks, booty blocks, and hip checks are all fair game. A high-level game of roller derby often looks like rugby on roller skates—but with more bodies flying into the cheap seats!

Roller derby is unique in many ways—it is played on traditional roller skates (the quad-style skates, not Rollerblades), it is one of the only sports where you play offense and defense at the same time, and weirdly enough—there’s no ball! But what makes it truly unique is that it is a full-contact sport that has been created, developed, promoted, operated, and led by women. Although there is a small roller derby community of men, the biggest stars in this sport are women. And the WFTDA promotes a policy of inclusion for individuals identifying as transgender, intersex, and gender-expansive.

The WFTDA’s motto is Real, Strong, Athletic, Revolutionary. Roller derby is so much more than the sport; it is a community that strives to empower and revolutionize the way we see women and athleticism. If you attended a roller derby game, you’d see women of all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, speeding around a track on roller skates and having the time of their lives.

Lucy Croysdill aka LuluDemon

Founder—Pivotstar Roller Derby Apparel

Co-Founder—Camp Elite Roller Derby Training

Co-Founder—Girls on Track Foundation

Co-Founder and Head Coach—Rolla Skate Club

Former President—Terminal City Rollergirls, Vancouver

Team Member 2011 & 2014—Team Canada Roller Derby

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’m grateful to live and write on land belonging to the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. I acknowledge that I benefit from historical and ongoing colonialism and understand that I’m responsible for working toward a more equitable and just future for Indigenous peoples on this land. I commit to doing so in the ways I teach, write, act, and listen.

I was lucky enough to write this book with the same dream team: my agent, Jim McCarthy, and my editor, Jennifer Ung. Jim, thank you for your constant support and willingness to answer all of my Type-A questions. This wasn’t my debut book, but I’m still a rookie and I appreciate your patience, advice, and good humor. Jen, your focus on character so aligns with my own and I feel fortunate to have had someone like you at the beginning of my writing career to guide me. I’ve learned so much about writing fully formed human beings and about care in language. Thank you for making me a better writer from one book to the next!