Hi! It’s Rob again!!
The first weekend of June we here at Concuss got the pleasure of experiencing the full banked track women’s roller derby experience at Battle on the Bank. Now, I’ve known about derby for a while—a bunch of my friends have done it over the last 15 or so years—but recently I’ve been invited to come and be a part of this huge family. I’ve been dating Creep Suzette from Seattle’s own Royal Crush, and as a good boyfriend should, have gone out to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds (all the way in Monroe!) and cheered her on at a couple of bouts.
But this was nationals; a full three days of back-to-back bouting and eliminations that culminate in one team’s rise to championship. There were 12 teams from all over the country, both adult and youth teams, and Concuss spent two days in the midst of the action running a full pop-up clothing shop and even had a couple of designs made specifically for the event. Our two new derby-centric designs sold so well, I even came out of retirement and printed a bunch in the middle of the night to have sizes available for Sunday’s championships.
These women are passionate about their sport, and the competition is fierce, but so is the love and bond between these athletes. It’s so great to see women running the show, from top to bottom, and the dedication to their sport and their community. Their derby names are tough and funny, and we had a tremendous time showing off skull t-shirts, meeting new friends and making new Concuss connections. We’re excited to see how these new connections develop…stay tuned!
Photo Credits:
Danny Ngan Photography @dannynganphotography
Grant Palmer Photography @grantpalmerphotography
Rob Castro ATB
