Submission Call Out
IS IT REVOLUTIONARY?
Whether you like it, love it, or hate it, the phrase “by the skaters, for the skaters” is a cliché that bounces around Roller Derby spaces a lot. And, I have to agree with its spirit. We, the skaters, the officials, the participants of this sport, do the bulk of the work into running this sport. If we don’t, Roller Derby simply doesn’t exist.
We the skaters, officials, participants, are the culture creators.
Collectively, we decide who is included and who is left out. Revered as one of the most progressive sports in the world, we call ourselves: Real. Strong. Athletic. Revolutionary.
Revolutionary.
That term sits with me. Excites me. But above all, it challenges me. Revolutionary; are we really?
Culture.
Folx are attracted to Derby from all walks of life, and all walks of life exist within the dominant culture. Our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions of people are shaped by the world we come from. Implicit bias does not shed like snakeskin at the door to our arenas. We bring it inside with us. Are bound by it. Grapple with it. And, we really need to work to peel back the layers.
Let’s Talk!
I am looking for Roller Derby participants with marginalized identities who want a space to share their story.
At the moment, I am collecting lived experiences and stories to inform the base of an online, accessible, cultural education platform for Roller Derby skaters. The stories are in the form of audio and written interviews. I am conducting one-on-one interviews with skaters about their Roller Derby journey, their lived experiences in their marginalized identity in the real world, and how that bleeds into their experience of the Derbyverse.
These interviews will be published as a blog and podcast in, hopefully, late 2020.
An education platform.
Ultimately, IS IT REVOLUTIONARY? is about educating the Roller Derby community. I want to help equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate cultural issues as they appear. Together, I hope that we may become more inclusive, more accepting, more understanding of social hierarchy, more understanding of culture, and kinder to each other. I want to make it so that we may be able to confidently answer, with nuance and thoughtfulness, the big question at hand: is Roller Derby revolutionary?
IS IT REVOLUTIONARY
… is not a ‘call out’ piece.
I am not here to point out leagues and tell them to shut down.
I am not here to name names and force people out of the sport through shame or cancel culture.
… is not a ‘call in’ piece.
I am not here to pander to oppressors or the socially dominant.
I am not here to one-on-one coach them into caring about other people.
Rather, this is a call on piece.
I call on you to listen, to learn, and to respect the stories being shared.
I call on you to believe the stories of people who are not like you.
I call on you to use this resource to educate yourself.
I call on you to remain curious, to question the world we live in, the sport we play, and ask of it: is it revolutionary?
SUBMIT YOUR STORY
Email me at Sasha@SashaRoseFitness.com to express your interest in being interviewed.
Fat Folx
If you are interested in talking about what it’s like to be fat in derby, read more about that aspect of this project here: What’s It Like Being Fat in Derby?
