Dead River Derby returns to Lakeview Arena

MARQUETTE — The Rolling Riptide of Dead River Derby will have their first bout this Saturday at 6 o’clock. They will take on the Harbor City Roller Dames Nautikills from Duluth Minnesota. But first thing’s first…what is roller derby?

“You have four blockers from each team, both playing offense and defense while two jammers, one from each team, are trying to lap the opposing players and get one point for every hip that they pass. There’s lots of action. It’s not uncommon for people to have a wonderful time and not exactly sure what happened out there. But with the more games that you watch and more bouts that you sit through, it’s really easy to start picking up what happens in roller derby,” team captain Glory Sparks said.

Dead River Derby has been around since 2012 and they feature some of the same players who have been part of the team since then. And it’s a sport that is quickly gaining popularity in the community.

“We had such an amazing turnout last season. We had great fan support in Marquette County and it was really wonderful. This year, we trying to go later in the fall so our last bout will be in September, so that we can try and catch some of the Northern students coming back, some families that were traveling all summer long and trying to get more support for Dead River Derby right here in Marquette,” Sparks said.

Doors will open at 5 o’clock. Tickets are ten dollars at the door, and kids 12 and under are free. Also, in honor of Armed Forces Day, all service members can come free of charge. All proceeds will be donated to the Marquette County Veterans Alliance.