Dead River Derby team ready for competition

MARQUETTE — There’s pushing. There’s shoving. You might even get a scrape or two.

This weekend, these women will be trading in their regular wardrobe for mouth guards and knee pads. It’s the Dead River Derby and it is not for the faint of heart. The ice at Lakeview Arena is gone and it gives an opportunity for the team to practice their strategy. So what is roller derby?

“So on the track we have five players from each team. There are four blockers and one jammer. The two jammers can both score points after their initial pass and they get one point for each hip that they pass from an opposing player. The goal is to go around as many times as you can and score as many points where the other jammer cannot,” said Spark.

This year, they will split into two separate teams: one to travel and one to stay home. And the team is made of women from many different backgrounds.

“We have ladies out here that have never played a sport before. Never been on quad roller skates before. And it’s just a matter of you can do it if you want to,” said Spark.

So with all the practicing, where is team’s confidence level right now?

“Well of course we’re very confident. This is our first bout and we felt really good at the end of last year. However, the teams that are coming up, they’re going to be fierce so we’re going to be playing very, very hard,” Spark said.

For more information on the Dead River Derby team, click here.