Insider’s Look At Roller Derby: Salisbury Roller Girls

When asked what her favorite aspect is of competing with the Salisbury Roller Girls, Street Team Director Caitlin Marvel didn’t have to think twice before launching into her sincere passion for the game. “…the love of the derby. There’s music, wheels clattering against wood, toe stops squealing, people falling, jumping and running on wheels – it is a ceaseless flood of brilliantly organized chaos, and that really brings the fans in the game with us.”

Sound exciting? That’s because it is. Roller derbies have gained traction in the past few years, with new teams popping up across Maryland and Delaware and more and more girls signing up for the high-intensity fun. The Salisbury Rollergirls were founded in 2010 by Eva “Buster Skull” Paxton, a Salisbury native who was playing on a roller derby team in Wilmington, DE (the closest team on the Shore at the time). “She wanted to bring roller derby to the area and create an athletic circuit for area women who wished to continue to take up a challenging sport, regardless of skating skill or experience,” said Marvel.

Five years later, the Salisbury Roller Girls have grown exponentially, currently boasting two full teams (each team is comprised of 14 girls) with alternates and several new girls that are still in the training before being rostered. “We pride ourselves in our league cohesion,” said Marvel, “which is why our retention is so good. We have always done our best to maintain that ‘small league’ fun and sense of unity.”

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