The sport of roller derby has exploded in popularity over the last ten years and for Maple Valley resident Sheri Greenman that’s good news because she can’t get enough.
Greenman used to skate every weekend growing up but stopped as she got older.
In 2010 she reconnected with a childhood friend, Cara, on Facebook and in 2011 the two went to an open roller derby skate and, for Greenman, the rest is history.
“I made my decision that night,” Greenman said. “I came home and told my husband, ‘I’m going to play roller derby,’ and he laughed out loud. I said, ‘what’s so funny?’ and he said, ‘it’s not funny, it’s just random.”
Greenman goes by the skater name Jamaica Hurt and is a member of the One World league where she coaches in addition to skating for the teams Wretched Excess and Seattle Sonic Boom.
“After the first night of skating with them (One World) I thought these girls are so nice,” Greenman said.
Donna Kay, also known as The Hot Flash, founded the One World league because she wanted to offer a place where anyone could come and learn the sport.
“I kept seeing people being heartbroken because they wouldn’t make it (on a team), so I formed One World roller derby,” Kay said.
For Kay, the growth of derby means more people have a chance to skate.
“The more they (USA Roller Sports) grow, we are growing, and we are really trying to mainstream the sport and make it accessible to anyone who wants to learn,” Greenman said. “The sport is incredibly empowering, there’s something about it that is magically empowering.”
Kay and Greenman met in 2011 when Greenman came to a practice.
“I met Sheri when she came out to one of our practices. She is fantastic. She’s wonderful. She’s one of our coaches and she’s just a gem,” Kay said.
There are male and female teams as well as co-ed teams that compete on both flat and bank tracks.
“Roller derby started in the 70s, it used to be very WWE like,” Greenman said. “About 12 years ago it started making a comeback, now it’s like a wildfire.”
There are several different rule sets for roller derby, One World plays by the USA Roller Sports rules.
This summer One World will be hosting the regional competition for Region 1, which will bring skaters from around the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Wyoming to Seattle to compete for a trip to the national competition that will be held this fall in Tulsa, Okla.
For Greenman, one of her favorite things about the sport is the friends she has made.
“Just laughing and having fun is what it’s all about,” she said.
Greenman also loves to see the league growing and expanding and the variety of ages and backgrounds the skaters come from.
By day Greenman works for a company that writes tax software for accounting firms.
“You name it, you’ll probably find it here. Any walk of life you can think of is here,” Greenman said. “I think we’re all a little off our rockers to do this sport, in one way or another.”
