The Roundtown Roller Dolls invite all local firefighters, police, EMS, and military to “The Fight Before Christmas”, a roller derby bout to be hosted on the Pickaway County Fairgrounds on Saturday, December 9th at 5pm. The local hero can also bring their family, at no charge.
Morgan Ford, the founder of the club, said, “We know a lot of these local heroes will be working through the holidays to keep everybody safe, so we wanted to offer them a fun family night out.” She said the free ticket offer is open to all employees and volunteers at any fire department, police department, dedicated EMS facility, hospital, national reserves, or military service, or anyone that supports those organizations, such as the VA. Show your official ID at the door for the free tickets.
“The Fight Before Christmas” is an invitational style match, inviting players from all over the region. The club expects players from Ohio and neighboring states. Teams will be formed just for the night in a series of just-for-fun matches. For the first time in Circleville, the night will feature a co-ed bout.
The event is family friendly. Food and other vendors will be available. The group will also collect donations for New Leaf and the Haven House. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.Roller Derby is a game played on roller skates. Each team has a designated scorer called the jammer. Each time a jammer passes their opponent's skaters, they earn a point. Teams skate in a loop on a flat surface, not to be confused with the sloped rink that was once popular on TV. It’s a full contact sport,and players push, shove and block each other to help their jammer score or prevent their opponents jammer from scoring. It started as a co-ed event, but in the last decade has been dominated by women-only leagues.
The Roundtown Roller Derby Club was started by Morgan Ford in 2015. Membership is open to all women over 18 years old. No skating or derby experience is required. The team will teach you all the skills over time to be able to compete in games. Ford said, “The team is a sisterhood. We support each other, and it’s a great way to grow confidence in all walks of life.”
See their facebok page at facebook.com/Roundtownrollerderby for more information.