We All Fall Together: A Roller Derby Photo Story by Cara Kishter

We All Fall Together a roller derby photo story by cara kishter Kishter 1: We All Fall Together

(BELOW): “Fury” (R) skates towards “Riptide” (L) at a Philly Roller Derby League practice at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

LEFT: Skaters from the Philly Roller Derby League attend practice at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

(RIGHT): A skater from the Phily Roller Derby League smiles during a practice at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

Kishter 2: We All Fall Together

(BELOW): “Mad Mercury” (center) is a Temple University student and member of Philly Roller Derby.

BELOW: “Libery Violence” (center) sticks their hands up in the air during a Philly Roller Derby practice at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

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SPACEY LORDS “It’s a cool sport,” Lords said. “There’s something for everybody.”

ABOVE: “Spacey Lords”, 44, (L) skates with teammates at a practice at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

Spacey Lords, as she’s known as among her teammates, got her start in roller derby in Reno, Nevada, in the back of her friend Stoney Tony’s bar with her friends in the punk rock scene. 15 years later and still skating, Lords never looked back.

“We have a real DIY ethos, and I think that makes us very welcoming, especially to like, all different kinds of people, which is why you see so many age groups, so many body types,” Lords said.

ABOVE: Lords skates during practice as her teammates go through drills.

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Roller derby is notoriously a female-dominated sport.

According to Lords, gender inclusivity is a defining element of the derby community.

LEFT: Lords (L) skates past her teammates during a drill at their practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

“We are by far at the forefront of gender inclusivity in our sport,” Lords said. “We have the most trans inclusive gender policy in any sport,which is really awesome and important.”

BELOW: Lords (center) stands with the rest of her team and listens to direction from the leader of the practice.

In the derby community, inclusion is essential. Lords explains that the league works to make roller derby an accessible sport for anyone who wants to play.

“We work hard to try and find ways to make derby really inclusive, like economically inclusive and locationally, geographically inclusive, and it’s a struggle.”

Kishter 5: We All Fall Together

Riptide (R) goes through derby drills with her teammate Fury (L) at a Philly Roller (BELOW): “Riptide” (center) works through drills with Derby League practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. her teammates during a Philly Roller Derby practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

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“It was actually my very first boyfriend, our first date he brought me to a roller derby game, which was his loss really because I did not pay attention to him even a little bit. We did break up after that, but I stuck with roller derby.”

RIPTIDE

(ABOVE): “Riptide”, 25, (center) is a member of the Philly Roller Derby League and attends a practice at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

Riptide has been in the roller derby world for 10 plus years since joining the first junior league in the United States. According to her, the rules of the game are constantly evolving, forcing players to rethink their technique as they go.

“What makes roller derby different from other sports?”

“We’re so gay,” Riptide said.

Historically, roller derby has a far greater emphasis on inclusivity, specifically with the LGBTQ+ community, than most other sports.

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(RIGHT): Roller skates are available for rent at Millenium Skate World in Camden, New Jersey. Employees close up the rink and put away skates as they prepare for the Philly Roller Derby League to practice after they close to the public.

(ABOVE): Members of the Philly Roller Derby League listen to the leader of their practice who gives them directions and instructs them on technique. “Thigh Jinx” (R) is one of the many players with their derby name on the back of their jersey.

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(ABOVE): Members of the Philly Roller Derby League complete drills during during practice. In roller derby, skaters have to be aggressive while following the everchanging rules of the game.

Competition and athleticism are of course integral in this heavy contact sport, but many derby players are drawn to derby in particular because of the environment of acceptance it provides universally.

Since it’s conception, roller derby has been a team sport typically made up of female identifying participants. Today, roller derby provides a community of inclusivity for women, the LGBTQ+ community, and gender non-conforming individuals.

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, or WFTDA, has a gender policy including trans women, intersex women, and gender expansive participants, according to their website.

Kishter 9: We All Fall Together

(RIGHT): “Menace”, a member of the Philly Roller Derby League, stands listening to directions during a practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

THE NAME OF THE GAME (ABOVE): In addition to having it written on the back of their jersey, “Fury”(L) has their derby name written in sparkles on their helmet.

(LEFT): “Hush Money” (center) and “Bourbon” (R) wear tank tops with their derby names printed on the back.

Kishter 10: We All Fall Together

Having a roller derby name is a key element of derby culture. Players often get creative with their derby names on an individual and team level, as well as in the uniforms they wear when they play, which seldom resemble a typical uniform jersey found in most team sports. The DIY element can be tied to its roots in the punk scene, where the players themselves are running the show from all sides.

Choosing a derby name gives players an identity of their choosing when they’re in the rink.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF “SPACEY LORDS” “Spacey Lords is a play on the name of an actress named Traci Lords which is an adult film actress, but also she’s done regular films, like she was in Cry Baby by John Waters with Johnny Depp, and she has a rockabilly band and she’s an all around badass person, like really fierce woman, so my name is a play on her name,” Lords said.

(ABOVE): “Spacey Lords” (L) and “Thigh Jinx” (center) collide during a drill at a Philly Roller Derby practice.

WHY RIPTIDE? “I was an inline skater and a figure skater before, so it was my first time on quad skates, so I would fall, but I’ve always been a larger lady, and so I would fall and take absolutely everyone down with me,” Riptide said. “So everyone called me the riptide, cus I would just drag everyone down off the track. So it kinda stuck. I like it.”

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According to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, one of the key lessons skaters must learn in roller derby practice is how to fall, and then, how to get back up again.

(LEFT): A skater begins to fall during a Philly Roller Derby League practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

(ABOVE): Sportsmanship and commradery are integral elements of the roller derby community. So, even when you fall, you can count on your teammates to help you up. Or, at the very least, laugh with you on the way down.

Kishter 12: We All Fall Together

(BELOW): “Mad Mercury” (L) and “Spacey Lords” (center) fall during a drill during practice, but that doesn’t stop them from laughing. After falling, Lords strikes a pose and makes Mercury laugh while Riptide and other skaters watch.

(LEFT): During practice, Philly Roller Derby players collide while practicing drills on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

(RIGHT): Two members of the Philly Roller Derby League high five during practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

Kishter 13: We All Fall Together

(LEFT): “Fury” (L) and “Riptide” (R) talk as they take off their gear at the end of a Philly Roller Derby League Practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

(RIGHT): In roller derby, players known as the “blockers” prevent the player acting as the “jammer” from getting through them. The jammer earns a point for each blocker they lap, but to do so, they must get through the blockers and make it all the way around the track, according to the WFTDA.

(LEFT): One Philly Roller Derby League skater (R) gives “Liberty Violence” a thumbs up during practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16,

Kishter 14: We All Fall Together

(BELOW): “Thigh Jinx” (L) and “Dread Velvet” (R) listen to direction during practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

Though the sport has evolved dramatically since its original conception in the 1930’s during the Great Depression, roller derby’s roots within communities of women and other people looking for a sport that welcomes them has encouraged an environment of self expression and radical acceptance. As the 9th ranked roller derby league in the WFTDA, Philly Roller Derby provides individuals with an opportunity to engage in a highly competitive sport and an inclusive community that welcomes individuality and commradery all at once.

(LEFT): Philly Roller Derby League players talk as they remove their gear at the end of practice on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.

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