WESTBROOK, Maine — Maine Roller Derby held its first international tournament over the weekend at Happy Wheels Skate Center in Westbrook, welcoming teams from Canada and out-of-state to participate in Skatecationland: The way derby should be.
Maine Roller Derby is the state's first women's flat track roller derby league and is the largest and longest-running league in Maine, according to league officials.
"This whole weekend is a celebration of the power of women, honestly," Heather "Dash" Steeves, the tournament's director, said. "It's all these women playing amazing competitive sports at an internationally ranked level."
Maine Roller Derby's travel team has traveled across the country for the past 10 years to play in tournaments, so directors said it means so much to be able to host their first tournament.
"We really wanted to host a tournament for teams like us from some more rural areas and from some smaller leagues to come together and have a great time," Rachel "Cinderellbows" Casey, the tournament's co-director, said. "I love the community around the sport."
Maine Roller Derby is a nonprofit aimed to bring the sport to the wider community.
"Roller derby is a fast, hard-hitting sport with a lot of strategy, so I think people come ready for the big hits and the game play and the big jumps. But as you learn more, you realize there's so much going on with all the strategy," Steeves said. "There's something for everyone."
Maine Roller Derby will be holding information nights in the next week or so before holding tryouts Monday, June 24, at the Portland Expo. Click here for more information.