Happy Pride to our wonderful Jet City community! Here at Jet City, we are proud to nurture a place where everyone can feel safe, supported and loved as their truest selves.

 

Derby is a sport for anyone who is brave enough to put eight wheels on their feet and run into other people, so naturally it attracts those who don’t always feel accepted in mainstream society. By providing a home and welcome community to each other, derby allows anyone to find a place to express themselves as they are.

 

Adalaide Herout, a veteran skater who has been with Jet City since 2015, says, “Roller derby has helped me find authenticity in a way that no other venture in my life has. Having a group of people that wholeheartedly support me being the realest version of myself and offering the same for them has changed my idea of friendship and love.”

 

At Jet City, providing support for LGBTQ+ members has meant building a community that reaches across generations as well, as many skaters also coach at junior league teams or have children who skate. The acceptance of all identities and orientations in derby means that it is often a safe space for kids who may not feel as supported in other sports.

 

“Derby is one of the first communities where I felt like I could truly be myself in every way,” says Jacklyn Hyde, a skater on Jet City’s travel team. “It has allowed me to learn and grow as a person as well as find like minded individuals to share time and experiences with. My kid and I both skate and I love that derby has brought us closer together and built a unique bond.” Jacklyn’s kid, P.I.T.A., plays roller derby with Mob City Junior Roller Derby.

 

And of course, at Jet City every month is Pride month, because our community is a family that is full of love, no matter its shape. Perhaps no one can say it better than Mary Contrary, who met her wife Crash Smashum here at Jet City. The two were married in 2019.

 

“What does roller derby mean to our family? Derby is the reason FOR my family! Jet City and the derby community as a whole have always been joyful places to express and celebrate gayness. Crash and I met playing roller derby and are now married with a little Jet City super-fan of our own. Roller derby has a way of bringing people together, in all sorts of ways!”

Happy Pride, Jet City family! We love you all!