ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Did you know we have a roller derby team in Ellensburg? This league is a nonprofit organization and has been actively rolling since 2010. As Central Washington’s original amateur flat track roller derby league, these ladies are all about hard-hitting, having fun, and building a sisterhood around athleticism, positive attitude, loyalty, sportsmanship, and athletic role models. If you are interested in joining this family of skaters, don’t be shy, they are always looking to recruit new members.

We asked some of them what inspired them to roller derby, and here is what they had to say.

What inspired you to do roller derby?

April Rohrbach (Fastest Cactus #32), “I love skating and loved the idea of joining a team of strong, brave, and confident skaters and hoped that I could learn to be all those things also.”

Kayla Robinson (Slaybretooth Tiger #11), “I started derby because I love to skate, and I soon discovered how inclusive and encouraging the community is. Plus, I have fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism, and derby is a fun and rewarding way for me to stay active.”

Shelby Taylor-Olson (Hula C Nation #figure 8), “I was inspired to play roller derby by my sister who was playing with a Philly Roller Derby home-team against a Gotham Roller Derby home-team in 2011. They lost by 2 points in one of the closest games I’ve seen. I knew then I needed to play this tough, physical, and hugely mental game as soon as possible. She sent me an extra pair of skates, and I started a month later.”

Andrea Eklund (Professor Pain #114), “My why is the ability to do something I have loved since I was a kid (skating), having fun while being active, creating lifelong friendships, and being part of a worldwide community that no matter where you go you can find a team to play with.”

Gillian Sigle-Hall (Leana ClockYa #33), “As a young child, I remember looking up to my mother and all the other skaters with awe and wanted to join them as soon as possible. Now, it’s a family activity!”

Cindy White (Nuclear Spinderelli #42), “I loved skating when I was younger. After talking to a skater, Hula C Nation, and hearing her excitement and passion for the sport, I knew I had to try it out, and I’m still here five years later!”

Lynn Bethke (Hildegard of Bring It #94), “I was inspired to join roller derby by an excited friend who’d just started with the team, a childhood love of roller skating, and wanting to try a super fun looking full contact sport!”

Have a great 2022 season! We are cheering you on!

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