Help us find a permanent home

Help us pay for a new permanent home for roller derby in southeastern Connecticut!

Shoreline Roller Derby and Connecticut Junior Roller Derby need your help to pay for a new permanent space after theirs was suddenly and permanently closed due to ceiling leaks causing hazardous conditions. The leagues are no strangers to change -- being near a navy base, skaters transfer in and out all the time -- but they went from a regular practice schedule to repeated cancellations due to ceiling leaks to complete and permanent closure of the rink in the span of less than a month.

For Shoreline, this news comes a month after a new recruit event and a month before the Belladonnas team's first bout of the 2018 travel season. For CTJRD, this came the day they were supposed to hold an open house at their Groton location and a few months before their first ever game there. While CTJRD has another campus in Waterbury, many Groton-based families are unable to make the 1.5-hour trip weekly.

Both boards and several other dedicated members and league volunteers have been searching for alternative spaces for a few months as the leaks started, and after weeks of constant calls to every place they could think of with a flat floor, Skate Inn in Plainfield has offered to house both leagues for now so we can get back on our skates. Thank you, Skate Inn!

Even with a practice space available, they still have the issue of cost; both leagues rely on skater dues and fundraising events such as bouts to pay for rink time as well as other equipment and materials they need to keep things running smoothly. They may also have to find an alternate space for our bouts due to the shape of the skating surface; it's plenty long enough, but the width is uncomfortably close to the minimum requirements of a regulation track.

If you know of any possible venues for bouts in the greater New London County area, please contact the SLRD board at [email redacted] or the CTJRD board at [email redacted].

Your donation will help secure a safe space to get back to the game, from the newest "fresh meat" who can barely stop to the seasoned veterans. For adults and children alike, roller derby helps build confidence, body positivity, leadership skills and other traits that allow skaters to lead healthy, productive lives and help their communities.


About Us:
Shoreline Roller Derby, southeastern Connecticut's all-gender adult roller derby league, was founded in 2011. We are a skater-run 501c4 nonprofit organization dedicating to personal empowerment through the sport of roller derby. We have about 50 skaters and volunteers ranging from their 20s to their 50s in all walks of life from stay-at-home parents to active duty military to bakers, managers, nurses, and reporters. Our costs are supported by member dues, fundraising events, and merchandise and ticket sales, and we frequently volunteer with other organizations to support our community.
Connecticut Junior Roller Derby is the state's only JRDA roller derby league for skaters of all genders ages 7-17. We have campuses in eastern and western Connecticut to serve all of the state's youth. Our goal is to learn the sport of roller derby in a safe and encouraging environment. In addition, we want to further develop skaters through giving them leadership opportunities within the league.