Despite playing under the theme of ‘Respect’, there were no beg-your-pardons at a recent roller derby match at Springers Leisure Centre.
There were inspiring speeches followed by plenty of bruising action as The Sovereigns from Kingston City Rollers took on the Footscray-based Westside Wreckers at the ‘Roll for Respect’ event on 3 December.
The proudly open-gender Rollers donned orange in support of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Guest speakers were Kingston mayor Hadi Saab, ‘Change Our Game’ ambassador and 2017 world champion roller-derby player Lauren Foote and Rollers player Raff.
‘Change Our Game’ is driving for more equality for women and marginalized genders in sport, Foote said.
“Initiatives like Roll for Support amplifies it’s normal to treat everybody with respect.
“I see a lot of people come to roller derby and find their inner power. Where they can be unapologetically aggressive, where they can be strong, can be tough.
“Feeling strong on the track helped me feel strong in my everyday life as well.”
