Roller derby in Indian country

Roller Derby gains steam in Indian country

By David MichaudNot everyone would consider rolling around in roller skates and knocking people over a good time, but then again not everyone is cut out for roller derby.

Roller derby competitors are, you could say, cut from a different cloth. Women like Ruth Redbird, who has been involved in the sport for the past six years and has loved every second of it, are few and far between.

“I showed up not knowing anyone and fell in love with it almost immediately. I started in Feb '07, skated until May '11, bench coached until Sep '11, and started skating again in March of this year,” said Redbird. “I took a break to have my boys--my "nine-month injury" was more like 18 months.”

Like Ruth, an enrolled Kiowa from Carnegie, Okla., other natives from around the continent have taken to the sport. There is a team in Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada, of mostly Mohawk women who compete in the sport. Their team name is the Kahnawake Wagon Burners.Comment:  For more on the related subject of skateboarding, see Navajo Skate and BMX Competition and Women Skateboarders in Apache Chronicle.

Below:  "The Kahnawake Wagon Burners are one of many Native American teams in the country."