Local roller derby club seeks new skaters

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – KOB 4 got an inside look on how the Albuquerque Roller Derby club brings people together. 

“We are an all-inclusive league, any gender is welcome. We also have a junior league, and they practice every Sunday at 2 p.m. at Wells Park as well,” said Danielle ‘Bam’ Lewis, league president of the Albuquerque Roller Derby. 

No one is excluded from grabbing a pair of skates and joining the club. 

“It has a lot of the community atmosphere of we’re all in this together, we’re a team,” said Rachel Rapier, Albuquerque Roller Derby member.  

Any age can come out to Wells Park to practice with the derby squad. On Sunday, the club holds one of their special events to help bring more people to the club. 

“We have a recruitment event about every season to bring in new skaters. It’s our off season time right now so it’s great time for new skaters to join because we can focus on new skating skills,” said Lewis. 

Learning some skating skills for the newcomers is important in making sure they’re learning to skate safely – while learning some new tricks too.

“We wear knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, helmets, and mouth guards when we’re doing contact, as well as skates,” Lewis said. 

While they’re in their off season, they’re still recruiting and training all year-long for their competitions.