Bruises are inevitable in Bux-Mont Roller Derby, but Hatfield’s team has become a fierce and surprising haven for its constantly growing roster, write Kenny Cooper and Emily Neil for the WHYY.
“We’re a safe space for a lot of folks from a lot of different walks of life, and everybody’s welcome in our space, 100 percent,” said Alana Deluca, known by her derby name, Liberty Violence. “I think now more than ever, that message is really hitting home for a lot of people. And whether it’s on or off skates, there’s a spot for everybody in derby.”
Born during the Great Depression, roller derby is nearly a century old. It peaked in the 1970s, drawing 27,000 fans to Shea Stadium for the World Championships. The sport has been seeing a resurgence in the last two decades, in part fueled by the formation of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
However over the decades, roller derby has maintained its tough-minded ethos.
“The love that you get playing other teams, like, the harder you hit them, the more that you love them,” said Kristin Janifer, aka Blocka Khan, of Bux-Mont Roller Derby.
Read more about Bux-Mont Roller Derby and the growing community that they have built in WHYY.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on MONTCO Today in May 2025.
