Kathryn Conklin, a senior at Sonoma State University, is one of the students that’s fallen in love with roller derby. Conklin plays for Rohnert Park’s very own team: The Resurrection Roller Girls. “Our league provides opportunities for athletes to achieve their maximum potential through the sport of amateur roller derby while remaining active in our local community,” their website states. Their home rink is Cal-Skate.
Conklin met some of the team at Big Nite last year when they were tabling and joined that fall. Her experience growing up with skating is what made her want to try it out. The team has “Back to Basics Night” every Tuesday at Cal-Skate where they allow anyone at any skill level join them. Conklin then participated in the Resurrection’s two week boot camp where she was able to strengthen her skating skills and learn how the game is played. “The rest, they say, is history. I caught the derby bug, and I don’t ever see myself stopping,” Conklin said.
For those that are unfamiliar with the fast pace contact sport, roller derby requires quad skates and mandatory protective gear. This includes helmets, wrist and mouth guards, elbow and knee pads. Each team can have up to 14 players on their roster and only five players on the track at a time. There are three blockers, one pivot and one jammer. The helmets of the pivots and jammers are labeled with a stripe or a star and each team has the same base color helmet. The game has two 30-minute periods.
The skating pack consists of the blockers and the pivot whose responsibility is to prevent the other team’s jammer from advancing past them. The two teams skating packs go around the rink trying to stop the opposite team’s jammer from going past while trying to allow their jammer in. Each time a team’s jammer passes a member of the other teams pack, they earn a point.
In addition to their games, The Resurrection Girls are very involved with the community as well. They take pride in volunteering, donating and much more. Some of the team’s charity partners are Red Empire Food Bank, American Red Cross and Verity.
On Thursday Sept. 29, the team played against B.A.D. Girls Berkeley Resistance and gave a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to Sonoma State Lacrosse Club. The team is open to everyone over the age of 18. The Resurrection Girls compete in a competitive league, but there is also a recreational league with less time commitment that is open to all gender identities.
To join the team, the process is the same as Conklin’s. Go to a Basic Night, there’s no experience needed and the first session is free. The next step would be to participate in the intensive Boot Camp which is hosted both in the summer and January. The tryouts include passing minimum skills test which is necessary for a full contact sport. The requirements are of the Women’s Flat Derby Association (WFTDA). When attending a match at Cal-Skate, you can expect a full bar, raffle prizes and a half time show. The next home game is open to anyone, on Oct. 27 at 6:45 p.m. The student tickets are only $8.
