Gorge Roller Derby Crushes the Competition in First Bout of the Season
Columbia Gorge Roller Derby All Stars and Blood-n-Gorge both won their first bout of the season on Feb. 24 raising nearly $400 for Culture Seed in the process.
By Cole Goodwin
The Dalles, Ore., March 14, 2024 – Both Columbia Gorge Roller Derby teams won their first bout of the season on February 24, at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles, OR.
The GRD All Stars crushed Lilac City Sass 342 points to 50.
And GRD Blood-n-Gorge defeated the Lilac City Yetis 220 to 89.
It takes more than home court advantage to win by that much.
Some team members have been training hard for literally years to get this good. As anyone who’s in GRD can tell you, these tight knit teams are dedicated to finding fun, community, and grit in the daily grind.
But perhaps one of the coolest things about Roller Derby is the depth of good sportsmanship and love of the game that it brings out in the players.
Even if they didn’t come out on top, Lilac City said they still had a blast facing off against such an awesome team.
”We had an absolutely amazing time this weekend! We faced off against a really tough opponent and gave it our all on the rink. While we may not have come out on top in terms of points, the experience was still a major victory for our team. We skated as a united front, had a blast, challenged ourselves, and walked away with valuable lessons that will only improve our skating skills. We cannot wait to see what this season holds for our team and can’t wait for our chance at a rematch!” said Lilac City on Instagram.
As always the team donated proceeds from their home bout to a local non-profit. Proceeds from the bout raised almost $400 for Culture Seed, a non-profit that offers long-term outdoor immersion and mentorship with a focus on mental health for underserved youth in the Columbia River Gorge.
“We had a blast playing Lilac City at home in front of our amazing crowd. Our community always shows up to give us so much!” said Coach IrmaGRD.
GRD’s Upcoming Bouts
Home Bouts:
April 20, 2024 will be a triple header with GRD SASS Squashers (Junior team), GRD All Stars, and GRD Blood-n-Gorge at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center.
June 1, 2024 will be a double header with GRD All Stars and GRD Blood-n-Gorge at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center.
Away Games:
May 11, 2024 will be a triple header featuring GRD SASS Squashers (Junior team), GRD All Stars, and GRD Blood-n-Gorge vs. Cherry City in Salem, Oregon.