Pixies in Kneepads: Spokane’s Junior Roller Derby Delights

By Kelly Milner Halls

n August of 1935, event promoter Leo Seltzer was looking for a new fad to launch in America. Depression era citizens had lost interest in dance marathons and Seltzer wanted to hawk a bold new alternative—roller derby.

More than 20,000 people turned out for the first Transcontinental Derby where two-person teams—one man and one woman—skated laps around a flat, wooden track. The simulation of trip from New York to San Diego meant the first team to travel 2,700 miles—one lap at a time—would be declared the winner. It took three weeks to claim victory.

Seltzer knew it would be hard to keep audiences engaged in such a long competition. So he spiced things up.

Seltzer put five players on each derby team, defined new rules and shortened the battles—all traditions that remains today. Two teams face off in one hour matches called “bouts.” The team “jammer” is charged with scoring points by lapping opposing team members. Four “blockers” try to keep the opposing jammer from landing a point, but also block to help their own jammer score.

Jammers wear a bright star on either side of their helmets to make them easier to track. One blocker wears a stripe on the crown of her helmet. She’s the “pivot,” a skater who can step in for the jammer at a moment’s notice.

It is a full contact sport where the skaters play defense and offense at the same time. Scrums they call “triangles” can be brutal when passions run high. But they can be exciting, too—especially when the jammer breaks through to steal a point.

Roller Deby’s popularity has ebbed and flowed in the 88 years since its debut. But it has never died. It was alive and well watching the Pixies—Spokane’s Junior Roller Derby Association warriors—circle the Roller Valley Skate Center track (9415 E. 4th Ave.) on March 11, 2023.

Before the bouts began, an EMT examined each skater’s equipment—skates, knee and elbow pads, and helmets—to be sure they were in working order. The aim of the competition it to score points, not life changing injuries. The JRDA takes that stance quite seriously.

Even before bouts are scheduled, JRDA coaches teach the girls 8 to 17 how to fall safely when they skate. Weekly practices teach them to absorb the impact of a fall on their protective knee and elbow pads, head’s tucked between their arms. Falling forward on pads can protect the girls from most serious injuries, according to their coaches.

There is no body-type required to be a team member in the modern roller derby. Every height, every weight, every variation is welcome. “We’re very body positive,” says Pixies coach Kate Palmer—aka Ginger Slap. Universal acceptance is clear in the nicknames each team member adopts.

Pixie jammer #7, “Thunder Breeze” is tall and lean and skates like a champion. But her blockers were of every size and shape and had skate skills of their own. The team’s second jammer #5, “Little Miss Savage” is much smaller than “Thunder Breeze,” but she uses it to her advantage.

Most attributes prove to be beneficial in roller derby bouts. And while the Pixies lost to their challengers, the Portland Rosebuds, 88 to 165. But both teams conducted themselves as winners. They selected Most Valuable Players from within opposition ranks and posed for group pictures before they left the floor.

Junior Roller Derby Association skaters are athletes, charged with determination. But they work hard to conduct fair and ethical bouts. Their families holler like the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders from seats just beyond the wooden battlefield. And when the day concludes, they leave heartened by a membership that means far more than a win or a loss.

Pixies know they are part of a derby family— a family that embraces them all.

Every Roller Derby Girl endows herself with a new name when she joins the team. Some call them “alter-egos,” but true derby girls know they are a reflection of the warriors they’ve always been. Curious what names they prefer? Check out each of the Pixies names.

#10 Ruby Roundhouse

#12 Mad Hatter

#13 Glitter Bomb

#14 Striking Viking

#17 Havoc

#236 Madness Lane

#247 Nacho Friend

#26 Sugar N Spite

#3 Little Miss Savage

#33 Jawbreaker

#413 Pancake

#45 Donna Dang R Us

#47 Nacho Killa