Meet the Cannie Gingers captains

After a long break, the Cannie Gingers are back! The Gingers team is chosen from the pool of league skaters not currently on the Irn Bruisers or Maiden Grrders rosters.

We caught up with our newly-elected Gingers captains, Joanna Fight? and KLF, to find out more about them and their plans for the return of the Gingers.

KLF

Joanna Fight?

Let's start with the basics - tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into roller derby? How long have you been playing?

Joanna Fight?: Even though I've been skating for about 40 years on and off, I began my roller derby adventure in January 2023, after finally talking myself into joining a new intake. It's something that I'd wanted to try for a long time, but I kept on talking myself out of - worried about injuring myself, but my hubby finally talked me into it.

KLF: I've been skating with Glasgow Roller Derby since May 2022. I got into roller derby after I graduated from university and I didn't know what to do with all this free time I had. A friend told me I needed to get a hobby!

I remembered seeing people roller skating on TikTok and I must have googled something like "skating in Glasgow" and thankfully I found GRD's learn to skate intake. Little did I know I had joined a full contact sport but I am so glad I did!

Why did you decide to become a Gingers Captain?

Joanna Fight?: Well you should already know Joanna Cannae Help Herself!!! But in all seriousness, our league is very much for the skater, by the skaters, and with this in mind, I wanted to give back, and play my part in bringing the gingers back to full strength.

KLF: I wanted to get more involved in the league and as a relatively new skater I thought captaining the Cannie Gingers would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about the sport and all the rules that come along with it. I have had the best coaches and captains in the Maiden Grrders and I wanted to try and do the same for the new graduate skaters in our C team.

What do you think are your co-captain's biggest strengths?

Joanna Fight?: KLF is one of the most tenacious and determined skaters I know. Her track awareness is fab and there's also the fact that everyone loves her. <3

KLF: Joanna Fight?, what a woman! I think her infectious team spirit and generosity are her greatest strengths. She is always there to encourage her teammates and lend a helping hand if someone is struggling. Lets not forget her many festive aliases which keep us laughing throughout the year, Joanna Cuddle? Joanna Mince Pie? She is a real asset to the league.

What are your hopes for the Gingers this season?

Joanna Fight?: My main aim for the coming season is a simple one...and that is to have lots of on track fun.

KLF: I hope we can get the Gingers back up and running to the way the team was pre pandemic. I can’t wait for us to really gel together as a team so I hope we get a few games under our belt this year.

If you could choose a theme song for the Gingers, what would it be?

Joanna Fight?: I think I'm going to have to go for, as cheesy as it sounds, Pink - Get the Party Started.

KLF: Just one? I'll have to choose Keep on Movin' - Five, Steve Mac.

What do you do outside roller derby, and how does it influence your game (if it does)?

Joanna Fight?: Outside roller derby, well.... I just love skating, so when the weather is being nice I'll be skating outside, either at Ravenscraig or Strathclyde Park. Apart from that I'm a bit of a crafter and you'll sometimes see me at a game with lots of derby and skating themed wares to sell.

KLF: I love going out for a boogie or to concerts with my friends. I'd say these activities definitely inspire my game day playlist and influences my game by improving my ability to twirl on track!

What is your favourite thing about being part of Glasgow Roller Derby?

Joanna Fight?: I love the sense of community that comes with being part of this inclusive, friendly, fun league...oh and all the skating!

KLF: We have such an amazing league, who mean the world to me, and I am very lucky to call them all my Glaswegian family. HEY GO GLASGOW!

How we’re making Glasgow Roller Derby more inclusive

We want to make Glasgow Roller Derby as diverse, accessible and inclusive as possible. We recently expanded our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Officer role into a full committee, because we realised we had a lot of work to do in these areas, and it’s too much for one person to do on their own.

Our new Head of the EDI Committee, Cara Viola, reviewed the results of our last membership survey to understand the makeup of our team. Based on the results, she identified the following EDI priorities for the next year:

• Supporting skaters’ mental health

• Supporting skaters on low incomes

• Increasing ethnic diversity in the league

Cara said, “Tackling inequalities within sport can be daunting, but by focusing on three areas we have a clear purpose to work towards. Small actions can have a big impact and we hope that through continuous action we can make GRD a more inclusive space for everyone to participate.”

The EDI Committee recently met to discuss how we can improve in these three areas. Here’s what we’re planning to do:

Mental health

We’re going to sign up for the SAMH Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport. The charter aims to improve equality and reduce discrimination for anyone with a mental health problem.

We also plan to support league wellbeing by:

• Collating a list of mental health resources that we can signpost skaters to

• Organising Mental Health First Aid training for coaches and other relevant team members

• Promoting key mental health awareness days and resources on our social media channels

• Buying a ‘worry whale’ that skaters can use to share their worries on game day in a safe, confidential way

Low incomes

We want to ensure that the league is financially viable for current and new league members by doing fundraising for uniforms and kit. We know that roller derby is an expensive sport, and we don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t join or participate because they’re struggling to afford the equipment they need.

Our Sponsorship & Fundraising Committee recently put together donation packages that will allow people to donate money that we can use to buy equipment for skaters that need it.

We also want to make sure that people on low incomes are able to attend our games. We already offer a range of price bands for our tickets, and we’ll review whether there is more we can do to make our games more affordable.

Since restarting roller derby after the pandemic, we trialled a Pay What You Can model for our membership fees to help ease the financial burden of taking part in roller derby. The trial was successful, and we have never looked back

Increasing ethnic diversity

In order to make our league more ethnically diverse, we plan to:

• Review our recruitment processes and improve them using insights from research into barriers into sport for the global majority

• Partner with a local charity that supports refugees

EDI awareness within the league

Even though we now have an EDI Committee, we want everyone in the league to be aware of EDI issues. Some of the steps that we’re taking to raise awareness are:

• Discussing the importance of EDI in our other committees

• Running a EDI book group, starting with Being an Ally

• Creating an EDI GoodReads page as a space to share resources

• Drafting an EDI statement and strategy for the league

• Using pronoun stickers on our helmets to normalise sharing pronouns and make our league more welcoming for transgender skaters

We know that some of the things we want to do will take time, and we’re not always going to get it right. And that’s where you come in, Did you try an EDI initiative in your roller derby league that worked well? Have you spotted a gap that we’ve missed? We’re always open to feedback that can help make us a more inclusive league.

Meet the GRD team: Joanna Fight?

What's your skate name and number?

Joanna Fight? 57 (but also Joanna Fright? at Halloween and Joanna Mince Pie? for Christmas, and look out for Joanna Cuddle? in February)

How long have you been playing roller derby?

Although I've been skating for about 40 years, I only started playing Roller Derby in January.

What's your favourite thing about roller derby?

Cue the cheese: The people!! From my fellow skaters, to the refs, our volunteers and NSOs, everyone is so welcoming, friendly and helpful (answering so many random questions about everything Derby). And skating is fun too!!

Who is your derby hero, or favourite team?

All bias aside, it's gotta be our Solo. An amazing human on and off the track.

What’s your best derby moment?

Finishing in one piece at my graduation scrim has been my highlight so far. When the final whistle went I didn't even look at the scoreboard to see who won, I was too busy hugging my fellow grads.

What do you like to do when you aren't playing derby?

I love skating outdoors, so you'll often find me tootling around Ravenscraig or Strathclyde Park (if you haven't skated there before - go check it out!).

Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I keep some reptiles as pets, including 2 boa constrictors and a 3ft lizard called Solomon.

Meet the GRD team: Lauren Disorder

What's your skate name and number?

Lauren Disorder 911

How long have you been playing roller derby?

10 months

What's your favourite thing about roller derby?

The team spirit! I’ve made life-long friends and I love getting the opportunity to skate with them. It also feels like a very inclusive space which is sometimes difficult to find. And most importantly, I enjoy it because it’s fun!

Who is your derby hero, or favourite team?

All of my GRD coaches are my Derby heroes!!

What’s your best derby moment?

Playing at the graduation scrim in front of my family.

What do you like to do when you aren't playing derby?

Anything that involves my wee Poodle, Ru.

Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I performed in the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games (in a bright yellow suit!!).

Meet the GRD team: Maggles

What's your skate name and number?

Maggles 16

How long have you been playing roller derby?

Found Roller Derby 6 years ago and have been playing games for 5 years since passing mins.

What's your favourite thing about roller derby?

It's hard to pick one thing! I love the team aspect and getting to meet very cool people. I adore the friends I've made over the years. The rush of playing games and having such a cool hobby that makes me feel... A little badass!

Who is your derby hero, or favourite team?

I've always adored Lady Trample, the ease of their skating, the skills and the passion. I can almost forgive them for retiring... Cause they're awesome.

What’s your best derby moment?

I think I've still to have my best derby moment! I'm always learning and growing but there was this one time, this year, offence was coming for me playing in Liverpool and they smashed me while I was jamming, I didn't fall, I didn't stop. Smashed right on back and got their point 🥰

What do you like to do when you aren't playing derby?

I love being with my friends, going to the gym and building on my fitness, walking EVERYWHERE with my beautiful Doggo, making and eating amazing food and working towards my Mental Health Nursing degree.

Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I'm not that interesting 😅 but I am a bionic skater... Two plates and 12 screws in my wee gammy ankle!