As Pittsburgh’s nationally competitive women’s roller derby league, SCRD is devastated at the closing of Romp n Roll, the roller rink where we practiced for nearly all of our ten-year history.

In that time, the league has grown from a ragtag bunch of skaters to an organization whose flagship team, the Steel Hurtin’, consistently ranks in the top 50 women’s flat track derby teams worldwide. When SCRD was founded, it was the only place to play or watch roller derby for hundreds of miles. Now, it is an established nonprofit that supports local charities and provides training and mentorship to nearby roller derby leagues in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Pittsburgh also now supports a junior girls’ league and an adult co-ed league; off-duty Steel City skaters are among their coaches.

And through all the changes, Romp n Roll was the place where skaters came together, several nights a week, to forge their skills and strength.

“I loved Romp n Roll because it felt like home for the past ten years,” says Jennifer “Bonecrusher” Berardinelli, who has been with the league since the beginning. Nancy “Kace O. DaMondaze” Donnelly has played derby since 2011, and also remembers Romp n Roll from her childhood, when it was called Shaler Skateland. “The staff have always been nice to derby people, and the floor is great,” she adds.

We are now scrambling to find a practice space from January onwards. SCRD also puts on its monthly double-header bouts, open to the public, in the same space. That means games scheduled for early in the year are in danger of being canceled. Those include the bouts that make up the championship tournament among SCRD’s home teams: the Mon Monsters, Penn Bruisers, and Allegheny Avengers. In the spring, our nationally ranked travel teams the Steel Hurtin’ and Steel Beamers normally make their season debut. But without a venue for bouts, the future of the teams’ season is in doubt.

It’s hard to find space in Pittsburgh proper that meets a roller derby league’s needs. Those include a 75×108 foot open space plus room for audience seating, the ability to lay down rope and tape for track markings, and a location that is easy to get to and has ample parking. With the right, new space, we could even expand our audience: Romp n Roll capped out at just 800 tickets on a sold out night.

Anyone with leads on a new space, either for weeknight practices or monthly public events, should contact bod@steelcityrollerderby.org.

For information about joining SCRD or to learn about 2017 recruitment, please contact recruiting@steelcityrollerderby.org.