Roller derby is a full-contact sport. Rae Hayes knows that all too well – and so do their glasses.
“I got hit in the face so many times that I couldn't put them back on, because it was the wireframe that got all bent,” they said. “And so I just stuffed them in my pants and just went on [playing].”
Hayes, who lives in west Michigan, plays a lot of roller derby. They’re a member of four teams: Kalamazoo, Team Michigan, Team Indigenous and Trans Rollers United.
This weekend, Hayes will be playing in Skate Wars, a massive gathering of 24 teams from around the world. Teams will compete in a two-sided bracket, similar to March Madness, to determine a tournament winner.
Roller derby is an amateur sport that dates back to the 1930s. Modern derby traces its roots to Austin, Texas, in the early 2000s. Michigan’s first leagues started in 2005 in Detroit and Grand Rapids.
Like other sports, roller derby teams are usually organized around a city or town. Really dedicated athletes can also join separate teams that represent their state, province, or country.
But what’s unique to roller derby is borderless teams. These are not defined by geographic boundaries, but instead by a shared identity. The first was Team Indigenous Rising, whose goal is to unite Indigenous, First Nations and Polynesian skaters, Hayes said.
“We don't recognize state borders or country borders when we're making our roster list, due to the fact that we are on colonized land as Indigenous people,” they said.
It’s a roller derby tradition to use a different name when skating. Derby names are often puns related to a skater’s career, hobbies, or identity. With Kalamazoo, Hayes goes by Smackagawea.
But some skaters on borderless teams take the opportunity to use a name tied to their culture. Hayes uses their Bodéwadmi name, Zhaawashko Bineshii, when they skate with Team Indigenous. And skaters on Team Jewish sometimes use Hebrew letters or names on their jerseys and on the game roster.
That’s what stood out to Caty Clayton, who usually skates with Ann Arbor Roller Derby. She joined Jewish Roller Derby after watching a game online between Team Indigenous and Team Jewish.
“Being able to see Hebrew letters on not only jerseys but also on the [livestream] overlay [and] the scoreboard was really cool and very special,” she said. “That was definitely one of the impetus for me to join.”
Over the years, skaters from around the world have formed more borderless teams representing diasporas like Team Desi, SALAAM, Fuego Latino and API Fury. Trans Rollers United, one of the four teams Hayes skates with, is a team for transgender and nonbinary skaters.
Hayes said borderless teams are a way for skaters to celebrate their identity and culture.
“It's important because we're talking about our ancestors that have been here for hundreds and hundreds of years, and being able to skate and say that we are still here is like the top priority.”
Michelle Thomas, who skates with Team Black Diaspora, said borderless teams provide a kind of safe space.
“You get to skate with people who look like you, who have shared a lot of the same life experiences and can relate more,” she said.
Thomas skates with Detroit Roller Derby, where her teammates know her as Swift Justice. She said skating with a borderless team provides a unique experience she doesn’t get with her home league.
“It's not that your home team doesn't love you or doesn't appreciate you, but if they haven't lived it, then they can't totally understand and empathize, right?” she said.
At Skate Wars, Thomas is playing with two teams: Black Diaspora and Team Michigan.
Michigan is one of 14 teams attending Skate Wars that represents a state. Kristy Howard, better known in the derby world as Javelin, has been with Team Michigan since it started over 12 years ago. She's been playing roller derby for 19 years.
“[That’s] probably like 120 in roller derby years,” she joked.
Howard skates with Kalamazoo Roller Derby, coaches their juniors team, and owns a skate shop. That’s in addition to her full-time job and being a single mom.
That kind of dedication isn't uncommon. Abby Wessels, who goes by She-Hulk or Shulk, said these all-star teams are an opportunity for skaters to improve their skills.
“I have wanted to be on Team Michigan for the past four years,” she said. “It's been a challenge [for] me to kind of push myself and a measure of how well I'm doing as I progress in my derby career.”
Wessels said she was in the process of moving from Traverse City back to Detroit — all for roller derby: Detroit and Ann Arbor are the highest ranked leagues in the state.
“That's been a year in the works and it's finally coming together,” she said. “And I'm jumping in headfirst.”
That drive and need for competition is why Hayes joined Team Michigan, too.
“I love the idea of training with the top 30 [skaters] in my state. That's such a great opportunity to grow and learn,” they said. “And a lot of them are already my friends, so I get to skate with my friends all over Michigan.”
That doesn’t mean Team Michigan skaters are only there for competition, however. Howard is looking forward to playing with skaters she once coached.
“I love the sport. I love the community,” she said. “I love being able to play with people from the community and also still skate with the people that, no matter what league they are part of [now], I still get to skate with some of the kids that I coached.”
Thomas said it’s that feeling of community that keeps her coming back after 15 years of skating.
“[It’s] playing with my friends, seeing friends from other states. Giving everybody hugs,” she said. “And just some good athleticism.”
Hayes decided to skate with Trans Rollers United at Skate Wars this year. (Team Indigenous was unable to attend.) They’re also excited to see friends at the tournament.
“Derby tournaments are so much fun. You get to meet all these really cool skaters from all over the place,” Hayes said. “You get to play with a lot of people that you don't usually get to play with. It's like a convention.”
Wessels said that sense of togetherness at events like Skate Wars is special.
“I think that there's a very unique sense of family and community that you get at big derby events,” she said. “The vibe is one of a kind. You don't get it anywhere else.”
Skate Wars continues Friday, September 5, through Sunday, September 7, in Lansing. The tournament will be open for spectators at the Lansing Center and online on Lansing Roller Derby’s Youtube page.
