{"id":355912,"date":"2026-06-30T16:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/355912\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T16:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:22:10","slug":"the-el-paso-roller-derby-leaves-it-all-on-the-track-the-prospector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/355912\/","title":{"rendered":"The El Paso Roller Derby leaves it all on the track \u2013 The Prospector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two teams made of\u00a0five skaters each, one Jammer and four Blockers\u00a0per team, positioned\u00a0at the starting line of a flat track. The\u00a0crowd is excited as the players focus on\u00a0the\u00a0game\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0been training\u00a0for\u00a0and their\u00a0teammates\u00a0who\u00a0are\u00a0ready to bring their best. The whistle signals the start of the game, and the skaters are racing down the track, blocking\u00a0jammers\u00a0or pushing blockers\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0derby\u00a0stance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Roller\u00a0derby is a contact sport played by skaters on a flat track. During the\u00a0roller\u00a0derby season, El Pasoans can catch\u00a0a game\u00a0played by one of several teams in the El Paso Roller Derby league\u00a0at Nations Tobin Sports Center in\u00a0Northeast El Paso.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Established in 2010,\u00a0The\u00a0El Paso Roller\u00a0Derby is\u00a0a\u00a0non-profit\u00a0organization\u00a0whose mission is to\u00a0build\u00a0self-confidence,\u00a0athleticism\u00a0and community\u00a0for\u00a0their\u00a0skaters\u00a0through roller derby.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0league,\u00a0made\u00a0up of\u00a0over\u00a0120\u00a0members,\u00a0has a\u00a0playing season\u00a0from\u00a0March\u00a0through\u00a0December.\u00a0During\u00a0the season, skaters\u00a0train on and off\u00a0the\u00a0track\u00a0to\u00a0take harsh\u00a0hits,\u00a0push through mental\u00a0and physical blocks,\u00a0and\u00a0foster trust\u00a0with their fellow skaters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Members of the organization practice for months and train throughout the season to prepare for competition. (Lesly Chavez<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Every skater in the league has a unique derby name they use on the track.\u00a0These names are often chosen by the skater and\u00a0are deeply personal, serving as reminders of a\u00a0skater\u2019s\u00a0strength or commitment to their team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kamikaze\u00a0is a\u00a0second-year\u00a0skater for the El\u00a0Paso\u00a0Roller\u00a0Derby\u00a0who\u00a0joined the league\u00a0with a\u00a0friend and\u00a0stayed\u00a0for the\u00a0community\u00a0and the\u00a0constant\u00a0challenge.\u00a0The skater works a\u00a0stressful\u00a0job\u00a0and the intensity of roller derby\u00a0builds\u00a0the\u00a0confidence\u00a0they need to take on\u00a0intimidating\u00a0tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u00a0have a good team behind you, and you take that into the world with you because now if I feel something\u2019s hard at work, I don\u2019t even think twice about it,\u201d Kamikaze said.\u00a0\u201cIf I can get shoulder checked by Fish or knocked out from\u00a0Pinchi, a meeting that would normally stress me out:\u00a0piece of\u00a0cake.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The sport\u00a0is also\u00a0physically\u00a0demanding. Players train\u00a0at\u00a0least twice a\u00a0week and\u00a0are\u00a0encouraged to\u00a0work\u00a0out\u00a0outside of\u00a0practice.\u00a0Despite the challenges,\u00a0roller derby helps athletes\u00a0improve\u00a0their\u00a0athleticism\u00a0and skating skills,\u00a0while the\u00a0league\u2019s\u00a0players and coaches\u00a0work to\u00a0make\u00a0roller derby\u00a0a\u00a0positive\u00a0experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"El
\n <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe El Paso Roller Derby is recognized by the international governing body for flat-track roller derby and has competed in several competition across the country since the league was established in 2010.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0weird because I never saw myself like a gym rat, but I do see myself running more often and preparing because I want to do my best,\u201d\u00a0Kamikaze\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0try to get,\u00a0super enraged.\u00a0Nothing in life is that serious. If we lose, at least I\u00a0had\u00a0fun. At least\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0playing with the people that I love\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skaters\u00a0in the league push each other\u00a0to bring their best to the game.\u00a0Reminders to be in proper derby stance, to get lower or to push a certain way can often be heard\u00a0during practice, but players are not left to improve on their own; experienced\u00a0skaters\u00a0are always willing to provide guidance or support to newer players.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skater,\u00a0Betta Fish, has been\u00a0part\u00a0of the organization for about two years and\u00a0believes that the\u00a0community at the El Paso Roller Derby\u00a0makes\u00a0growth in the sport less intimidating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery\u00a0practice,\u00a0everyone\u2019s\u00a0got\u00a0positive feedback,\u201d Betta Fish said.\u00a0\u201cAnd then, it makes you feel like\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0progressing because even if you feel tired and beat up,\u00a0everybody\u2019s\u00a0just giving you\u00a0high fives, and\u00a0everybody\u2019s\u00a0like,\u00a0\u2018you did great.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Kamikaze is a second-year skater with the El Paso Roller Derby who joined the league with a friend but stayed for the challenge and the community. (Lesly Chavez<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Derby\u00a0skaters have respect for each other in the game\u00a0and are always learning from other players. That respect and openness for improvement keeps\u00a0Roller Derby\u00a0fun and\u00a0enjoyable for the skaters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s times where it gets intense\u00a0but, I can\u2019t help but\u00a0to be\u00a0in awe of\u00a0how good\u00a0Michi\u00a0[their teammate]\u00a0did this one turn, or how good Zero\u00a0[their teammate]\u00a0did this other turn,\u201d Betta Fish said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The league\u00a0gives back to the\u00a0community with\u00a0every game as well. The organization chooses one nonprofit to\u00a0support\u00a0every\u00a0game\u00a0and players feel a sense of accountability to bring their best\u00a0knowing that they make a direct impact on the\u00a0city around them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The El Paso Roller Derby is open to anyone who is willing to join.\u00a0Through encouragement,\u00a0support and\u00a0feedback,\u00a0the league creates an environment where a challenging sport like roller derby\u00a0becomes a place to build confidence and strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n

a contributor\u00a0and may be reached at\u202fkr[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two teams made of\u00a0five skaters each, one Jammer and four Blockers\u00a0per team, positioned\u00a0at the starting line of a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,140,139],"class_list":["post-355912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}