OHRG Meet n Greet at SK71

Byline: Loraine Acid

Sunday, Oct. 11 2009 found the Ohio Roller Girls visiting Skate Zone 71, a valued sponsor and the site of many of our derby practices.

Members of OHRG doned their skates and their uniforms to do a meet and greet at Skate Zone 71. There were tables set up with crayons and dress-your-derby-doll coloring pages. Even the skaters had fun sitting around and talking about derby while coloring outfits for their own paper doll.

It was fun to chat with a younger crowd, all of whom obviously liked skating and many of whom were not familiar with roller derby. A background dvd recording of the Ohio Roller Girls’ bout against the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz was playing the entire session.

Around 2pm when Skate Zone was filling up, OHRG put on a live derby demonstration for viewers.  While the track was not regulation, a group of about 8 skaters lined up in formation, 3 pack players per team and one jammer. Two jams were completed, with scoring passes and lots of blocks. The idea of the presentation was to give the audience a taste of roller derby. Everyone was watching and a lot of people were cheering. Amy Spears announced the jams and really got the crowd involved

As the players were lining up Amy shouted , “So how many people are familiar with roller derby?” The crowd responded weakly, many of them shaking their heads ‘no’. After the jams the crowd was enthusiastic. Amy yelled, “So how many of you liked what you just saw?” The response was great.

People were smiling, definitely enjoying the show and more interested than they had been before. The afternoon was a lot of fun and the goal of the event was met: to reach out to people who were unfamiliar with the sport and show them it was a real, high-energy sport with suitable for people of all ages.

Skate Zone 71 is located at Morse Rd and Evanswood Drive, just off of the Morse Rd. exit on Interstate 71. Check out their website for more information on skating times, locations, and events.