Like to roller skate? The Humboldt Roller Derby Team is starting their training camp 

If you ever thought about learning how to roller skate well, maybe now is your chance. The Humboldt Roller Derby team is hosting a four-month training camp for anyone interested in learning how to roller skate and possibly join the team. 

“Every year we have two training camps and the purpose is to recruit new skaters, teach people how to skate better and more safely, teach them the rules of roller derby and sort of what we do and how much fun it is to be on roller derby,” said Erin Kelly, the head of recruitment for Humboldt Roller Derby team.  

This training camp is open to skaters of any body type or experience level. Level one of the training camp focuses on teaching skills and techniques to become a better roller skater. Level two focuses on contact and how to participate in the game of derby. Once people reach level three you are welcome to skate in scrimmages and eventually competitive games.

“A lot of people just do L1 (level one) and then they never join the team and that’s totally fine,” Kelly said. “If you pass L1, then you go on to level two, and a lot of people from level two decide to join the team because they get into it. They start to learn how the gameplay works.”

The training camp is $200 and requires a time commitment.

“The camp starts on January 30 and it goes until May 2,” Kelly said. “We have practices every Tuesday and Thursday and most Wednesdays. Every Tuesday and Thursday we meet up at Redwood Acres and that’s also where we play games and scrimmages. And then, on Wednesdays, we’re usually at another venue and sometimes we have footage watching where we watch derby and talk about it. So the training camp people will be able to be involved in that as well.”

The Humboldt Roller Derby team is part of a volunteer-run league. And if you need gear, the team offers loaner gear. To sign up or learn more about their training camp visit their website.