Roller derby team debuting at Forum

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Get ready for some real and hard hits, fast skating and some serious blocking skills from Maine’s newest women’s roller derby league, featuring northern Maine’s very own Aroostook Roller Derby.
The ARD skaters are hitting the rink in their very first bout ever. The local squad will host the Breakwater Blackhearts of the Rock Coast Rollers out of Rockland at The Forum in Presque Isle June 7. The team has been practicing since last October and are ready to show off their skills.
Roller derby has been evolving as a sport since the resurgence in popularity 10 years ago. Nothing is staged anymore — those hits are real and hard.
Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. sharp. The first whistle will blow at 6 p.m. for the 60-minute battle of skills, jumps, jukes, hits and wipeouts.
The pre-sale ticket price is $5 or they can be purchased for $7 at the door. Children 12 and under are free. Tickets will be available soon and can be purchased in advance from Brown Paper Tickets at: http://ardfirstboutever.bpt.me/ or from your favorite ARD skater.
“Head out to The Forum and become a fan, or even better, join this league of skaters in the fastest growing women’s sport in the country. Roller derby is a full-contact, non-staged, competitive sport played on traditional quad roller skates. Over the past few years, the sport has exploded worldwide with almost 1,200 new leagues forming all over the world,” said team member Samantha White, also known as Zom B. Bite, who serves as public relations and media director for Aroostook Roller Derby.
The Aroostook Roller Derby league, formed in October 2013, is the only all-female flat track roller derby league in Aroostook County, and the group is proud to be part of the modern women’s roller derby phenomenon. ARD strives to provide women from all walks of life with a chance to be involved in something fast-paced and exciting, while forming lasting friendships and helping in the community. Roller derby builds confidence and respect in all their members.
Aroostook Roller Derby is 100 percent skater-owned and operated, with many members taking on leadership in the league including putting on bouts, organizing fundraisers, helping build relationships with non-profit organizations and running the social media aspects of the league.
“Every member acts in such a way that brings honor and respect to the league and sport of roller derby as a whole. ARD is currently working on becoming a Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association (WFTDA) apprentice league,” White added.