Oswego is home to one of the 375 women’s roller derby member leagues from across the globe that are recognized by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association [WFTDA]. Port City Roller Derby is a little known fact around the city of Oswego, even though the sport is recognized worldwide.
In 2013, Port City earned one of 28 bids worldwide to join the WFTDA as an apprentice league. Since their inception of the program in 2010, the local league has helped the fast-growing sport expand on a local level.
Port City competes in bouts from May until September, going up against teams from Ithaca, Syracuse and even as far as Toms River, New Jersey.
Roller derby is played on an international scale as well. This year’s International Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Championships will be streaming live on ESPN 3 from Portland, Oregon.
Aside from the expansion of the sport across the world, Port City Roller Derby has made a conscious effort to impact the community year in and year out.
“We try to do a lot with community outreach,” said Media and Marketing Chair, Sarah Ada. “We’ve just worked with a lot of different charities over the years and tried to help out whenever we can.”
The team tries to use their schedule as way to help out charitable organizations that hit home with them each year. At every bout an organization is chosen to be the beneficiary of the funds gathered, Ada said.
This season, Port City hosted a co-ed bout to help donate books to children. The team partnered with Paws Across Oswego, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education [SAVE], Team Red, White and Blue, and Reading Painbow.
According to Ada, who is a blocker for Port City, the team has also helped out Treats for Troops, which supports military personnel that are deployed by supplying various care packages shipped overseas.
Creating their brand is also a focus that Port City is making happen each day.
“We do parades; we go to the farmers’ market,” Ada said. “A couple of weekends ago we went to the Oswego Speedway and we did the national anthem and went out on the track. We try to do as much as we can to be visible, but we have to get people to pay attention somehow.”
The 2016 season for Port City has just concluded. They are constantly searching for new members to be a part of the only roller derby team in Oswego.
“We are always looking for new skaters,” Ada said. “Especially now that we are on the offseason, this is the perfect time to join us because we are training our nuggets over the winter to hopefully be skating with us next season.”
Port City Roller Derby will be moving from the Anthony J. Crisafulli Ice Skating Rink in Oswego to their new home in Fulton at the Bilou Roller Skating Rink. This will help the team immensely, being suited for roller derby teams and help the team progress for next season.
If interested in joining the team, contact Sarah Ada at portcityrd@gmail.com.
