Homelss Skaters

New York Press

Roller Derby league has to move from Bronx rink

By Bret Liebendorfer

Wanted: A new home for 64 tattooed, pinup-skating badasses. New York’s Gotham Girls Roller Derby is now homeless after the Bronx’s Skate Key rink shut down. The announcement came only a few weeks before the season opener. NY1 reported that the 24-year-old skating rink had a history of crime and faced harassment chrages from the police and Community Board 1. Stabbings, fights (some fatal) and sale of alcohol to minors all allegedly took place, according to the police, as reported by the TV network.

It’s hard to believe closure is the best course of action. Revitalized roller derby brought excitement to the average 1,200 fans that attended the monthly games last season, while support for the league was continuing to expand (a new team, the Bronx Gridlock, would be added to the league this year). In a city plagued by expensive sporting events, pretentious athletes and hometown teams that don’t even play in New York, the league was refreshing.

While we hope the roller girls will find a new home (possibly even one in a more central location), let’s not forget about who is affected by the closing the most: the children of the community. Idle hands do the devil’s work, and with less opportunities for entertainment, expect the neighborhood violence that supposedly led to the closing to only get worse.