Local roller derby team partners with autism-friendly skating organization

On Saturday nights, the women of the Tragic City Rollers are aggressive skaters with nicknames such as “Agent Skully,” “Mary Rue Thless” and “Punkin Disorderly.” The rest of the week, they are businesswomen, students, wives and mothers in Homewood and across Birmingham.

“All our women have full-time lives,” said Rachel “Road Rach” Fallin, the public relations officer for the Tragic City Rollers. “This is a way for us to play hard after we work hard all day long.”

The Tragic City Rollers started in 2005 as part of a nationwide resurgence in the popularity of roller derby. The team is part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association and competes against other teams across the region. Fallin said roller derby has become popular because it gives women a way to be active and competitive while still making friends. Roller derby also does not require much prior experience.

“You can start knowing nothing and learn a lot in a couple months. It’s a lot of satisfaction,” Fallin said.

Amber Carthen, whose derby name is Robyn “Tank” Spotz, did not know how to skate when she first attended a recruitment night for the Tragic City Rollers. The Homewood resident was 21 years old and had just left active duty in Washington, and she was looking for something new to do. She began as a referee for the Tragic City Rollers and has now been a member for four years.

“When I joined roller derby, it was the same type of camaraderie as on active duty,” Spotz said, describing the team as a “band of sisters.”

The Tragic City Rollers are also heavily involved in charity work. Each year, the team members pick a local foundation to support. This year’s charity is the A.skate Foundation, an organization that teaches autistic children to roller skate or skateboard, helping them improve motor and social skills. The foundation does not charge parents for participation and has grants to provide gear for children when needed. A.skate was started in Birmingham, but it now holds clinics in 14 states, Ireland and France.

“Out of all the foundations we have given money to, I think [A.skate] was a lot more important to us because it’s skating,” Spotz said.

At each home bout, the Tragic City Rollers have a photo booth for audience members to take pictures with the team, and 100 percent of the booth’s proceeds go to A.skate. The team also has a collection box set up for people to donate water bottles and nonperishable snacks for the skating clinics. In February, the Tragic City Rollers traveled to Montgomery for the Iron Roll Autism Benefit, an annual fundraiser for A.skate that draws in teams across the Southeast.

A.skate has plans to eventually build a skateboard park in Homewood, and Fallin said the team is ready whenever their help is needed. The Tragic City Rollers are enthusiastic about A.skate not only because the foundation teaches children to skate, but also because many team members have autistic relatives.

“It kind of hits everyone,” said Spotz, who has an autistic cousin.

The Tragic City Rollers’ next home bout is on June 7 at 7 p.m. at the Zamora Shrine Temple. To learn more about A.skate Foundation, visit askate.org.