River Rollers roll out bootcamp

San Marcos' first and only roller derby league, the San Marcos River Rollers, are offering a 12-week boot camp program to get new skaters rolling.

The bootcamp will start on Sunday, Feb. 17 and continue every Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon and every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. until May 14 – excluding Easter and Mother's Day.

The boot camp covers basic skating skills and derby skills, with no previous experience required. They’ll be teaching everything from how to do crossovers when skating and how to stop to how to fall safely, recovery and conditioning as well as gear maintenance. 

“We advertise it as a ‘teach to skate,’ so even if you’ve never really skated before you can come in and we’ll get you rolling,” league member Sage Richardson, aka “Cherry Poppins,” said. “The idea is towards the end of the boot camp, if you wish, you can try out for our home teams.”

The River Rollers have two seperate home teams – the Aquamaidens and the Serenading Sirens – as well as a travel team, the Merciless Mermaids, that’s comprised of members of both teams. Those who pass the Minimum Skills Required Evaluation at the end of the 12 weeks will be allowed to join the league and attend all league practices.

The River Rollers pride themselves on thier extremely inclusive environment, according to league member Rebecca Aluotto, aka “Blondie Dangerfield.”

“Something I love about it is the variance in age – anything from 18 year-olds to women up in their 60s that are still playing – it’s really incredible. And also the sizes, there's no weight classes or staying in a limit – like there is in wrestling or jiu-jitsu – in derby it’s all over and it honestly just makes it more challenging and fun,” Aluotto said. “You don’t have to be an athlete to join derby, but you’ll become one.”

Richardson said for her, derby is a great way to shed the societal expectations on femininity to be soft and polite, something that can be physically and mentally empowering.

“In derby, you’re applauded for being really tough, which is something that girls don’t get in everyday life,” Richardson said. “I go there and I get to hit the crap out of my friends and then I help them up – and we love it.”

San Marcos River Rollers (SMRR) is a women-owned and operated flat track roller derby league and 501c3 nonprofit organization with the aim to develop and amplify the athleticism, inclusion and collaboration of women within the community through the sport of roller derby. SMRR aims to empower and inspire by demonstrating physical and mental strength both on and off the track, and by providing positive athletic role models.

Participants must be 18 and older to sign up and must have quad skates, a helmet, a mouth-guard, elbow pads, knee pads and wrist guards to participate. It is $75 for the 12-week course and those interested in signing up can register on the River Rollers’ website. 

For more information, email smriverrollersinfo@gmail.com with questions.