Become A Skater

First Steps

Contact Us

All new, interested skaters must contact our Recruitment Committee to get started. A member of Recruitment will email you basic information about the league, required forms and/or waivers, and date/location of our next Derby 101 event.

If you are a prospective transfer skater with previous roller derby experience, you are welcome to start joining us at practices at your convenience. Please email us for more information!

Gather Your Equipment

Once you have contacted Recruitment and received the required reading, make sure you have the following equipment, or have arranged loaner equipment from the league:

Quad roller skates (rollerblades are not acceptable)
- Quad roller skates with a heel are acceptable for learning skills but are not suitable for long term derby practice and gameplay.
Knee pads
Elbow Pads
Wrist guards
Mouthguard (custom fitted to your mouth)
Helmet

What To Expect at Derby 101

Derby 101 is a program designed to introduce completely novice-level skaters to fundamental skating skills. There is no required minimum skill level to attend Derby 101. However, we do recommend that all participants at least be comfortable standing upright in roller skates to begin.

Our trainers will take skaters through basic skills such as moving forward, moving backward, stepping side to side, stepping forward, balancing on one foot, stopping, falling safely, turning, weaving, and more.

Skaters are encouraged to try all of the introduced skills, but will never be forced to participate in drills they feel uncomfortable or unsafe performing. You are the best judge of your own ability!

Next Steps

Contact Us (Again)

Did you go to a bootcamp or Derby 101 event, learn some skills, and have a blast? Are you ready to do it again? At the end of your first session with Steel City, a member of the Recruitment Committee will review the basics of what is required for full league membership. You should receive a follow up email from us containing this information as well. If you do not hear from Recruitment first, please contact them again and let them know you are interested in becoming a league member.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can join Steel City Roller Derby?

You must be 18 years of age to train with and/or join SCRD. Per the WFTDA statement about gender, SCRD is committed to inclusive and anti-discrimination practices in relation to members of all marginalized genders, and aims to ensure that all skaters’, volunteers’, and employees’ rights are respected and protected. An individual who identifies as a trans woman, trans man, transfem, transmasc person, intersex woman, agender, nonbinary, or any other marginalized gender or combination thereof, may skate with SCRD if women’s flat track roller derby is the version and composition of roller derby with which they most closely identify.

Cisgender male skaters may contact the Pittsburgh Undead for open gender skating opportunities. If you or a loved one are interested in roller derby but are under 18 years of age, we recommend contacting Pittsburgh Derby Brats, Pittsburgh's junior roller derby league open to skaters 9 to 18 years old.

What does it cost to join?

Our Derby 101 events have a nominal fee of $10 to participate. This fee goes towards the cost of the practice space. If you attend a Derby 101 event and wish to continue your training through our league, the next step is to become a member.

All members of our league must pay a required monthly fee, called dues. Currently, dues range from $45 to 65 per month depending on a skater's level of involvement. These fees go towards paying for our practice space, putting on spectated games, travel arrangements, and other league costs. Skaters who cannot afford these fees are able to pay reduced dues or make alternate arrangements with our Finance Committee.

We are a non-profit organization and do not make money playing roller derby, nor do we pay our skaters.

What is the time commitment?

Like any hobby, roller derby does require energy and time. In addition to attending practice, members of the league are expected to contribute to the league via committee work. The joint effort of our committees is what makes our training program, bout days, and charity work happen.

Prospective members can expect to attend a two hour practice at least once a week, with at least an hour's worth of committee work (done remotely or via in-person meetings) per month. Chartered skaters may have additional practice, travel, and fundraising requirements they must meet in order to remain in good standing with the league and eligible for rostering.

Our league is comprised of folks who work full time, are parents, attend school, have other group hobbies, and travel from out of state to attend practices. Roller derby is a commitment that can be balanced like any other commitment in your life.

When do I get to play in a game?

If you join roller derby, don't worry -- you won't be thrown into a game before you're ready! All new skaters are observed carefully and tested incrementally by our Training & Skills Committee to ensure that they are safe, stable, and understanding of the rules before moving on to the next step of the training process.

Once a skater is deemed able to perform the basic movements of roller derby, they are then allowed to participate in practice that involves person-to-person contact. After they are observed initiating contact legally and safely, they are then allowed to participate in scrimmage (simulating gameplay) practices.

Only after demonstrating the required skills, the ability to interact safely with other skaters, and knowledge of basic gameplay and rules, will skaters be designated as ready to compete in regular bouts.