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| What Junior Gems being awesome may look like. Photo Credit: Jeff Boerio / www.rockinbdigital.com |
For the first time in Eugene/Springfield history, boys will
have an opportunity to participate in junior roller derby. The Emerald City
Junior Gems are opening up registration to boys ages 10-17 to play roller derby
this season. This pilot project comes with support from various places from
veteran Junior Gems all the way up to the greater trend of mutual support for co-ed
derby from the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association and Men’s Roller Derby
Association, governing bodies for their respective genders.
“We would like to invite boys to skate with the girls this
year. Our hope is that things will go
smoothly, and we can grow the league to include boys permanently. This is in the very beginning stages,”
Junior Gems Director Cold Hard Crash said. “The only details we know for sure
are that the boys will start in the modified division just like the girls and will
have to be evaluated for skills and safety prior to moving into the full-contact
division.”
The Emerald City Junior Gems are under the umbrella of the
Emerald City Roller Girls. The Emerald City Roller Girls do not currently have
an official place for men’s players, though they regularly practice, scrimmage,
and bout with members of the Lane County Concussion men’s team. It is unclear
what the Lane County Concussion’s involvement will be with the Junior Gems,
though they have often lent a hand by officiating and helping out with Gems
practices in the past. The inclusion of boys will likely lead to more Lane
County Concussion volunteering in Junior Gems practices.
Registration takes place Monday, September 23rd
at 5pm at Willamalane Center in Springfield and is open to all boys and girls
ages 10-17 interested in playing roller derby. Skaters should be sure to arrive
with skates, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, helmets, and mouth guards.
For more information, visit the Facebook event.
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