Cleveland’s Burning River Roller Derby Heats Up
- 10 hours ago
- 7 min read
A look inside Burning River Roller Derby, a skater-run, inclusive Cleveland league that blends fast-paced competition with community, teamwork and passion.
Written by Helaina Rucinski
At the sound of the whistle, the skaters take off, and the rattling of wheels intensifies as they make their way around the track. The jammer darts for an opening that vanishes nearly as quickly as it appears, blockers close gaps and skaters scramble to make a move. As the action unfolds on the track, the crowd leans in, letting out collective “ooohs” and “ahhhs.”
This is Burning River Roller Derby, a long-established flat-track league that has grown to be an essential part of the local sports scene.
What Roller Derby Is
Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport played on quad roller skates on a flat, oval track. Due to derby's full-contact nature, players suit up with layers of padding to absorb the impact when they’re slammed into the track or knocked to the ground.
During a bout – roller derby terminology for a game – a designated player called the jammer scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. All while blockers on each team work not only to help their own jammer advance, but to slow down the other team's jammer.
Bouts consist of two 30-minute periods with multiple “jams,” allowing equal opportunity for each team to score points. The sport blends speed with strategy, requiring quick decision-making while on the go.
Burning River’s Roots
Burning River Roller Derby, BRRD, is a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, and since the league's founding in 2006, it has established a solid reputation in the roller derby community of Northeast Ohio. The term “Burning River” refers to the Cuyahoga River fire, a part of Cleveland’s past that has come to be a catalyst for environmental reform.
The history stretches back to the league’s earliest days, even before it had a name. CoCo Sparx, one of the league’s founders who has skated with BRRD for two decades, said she joined after receiving a random message on Myspace from someone trying to form a derby league in Cleveland.
At the time, she said, “The league didn’t even exist yet; it didn’t have a name.”
Despite the uncertainty, she threw herself into it. “I bought my first pair of roller skates. They were like $40 and had holes in them,” Sparx said. “I duct taped them up, went to practice and I’ve been here for 20 years.”
The Cleveland Heights Community Center is the main venue for their home events, where spectators often fill the stands with support.
For those new to the sport, watching a live derby match may seem a bit chaotic with its loud, fast-paced environment. But once you learn the basics, the excitement draws you in and makes it captivating to watch.
In order to better reflect its commitment to diversity and to welcome skaters of all gender identities, the team has since changed its name from Burning River Roller Girls in 2015.
A Mission Rooted in Inclusivity
The primary goal of Burning River’s mission statement is to offer an inclusive community for all women and other historically marginalized genders to develop their strength and athleticism.
As a contact sport, derby requires trust between opponents and teammates, and Burning River strives to create an environment where skaters feel protected, but challenged as well. The culture is designed to accommodate people of all ages, body sizes, backgrounds and skill levels.
BRRD’s league president, Killer Queen, has been with the league for over a decade. She said the league constantly evaluates how it represents and supports its members.
For example, she recently repainted an old promotional board because all the skaters were white and the league wanted to ensure equal representation.
“The board is old. It's from a few years ago, and all the skaters were white,” Killer said. “So step one is to make sure that everybody and every race is represented.”
Inclusivity goes way beyond the images we share. Killer said BRRD tries to make sure that what they post on socials is welcoming, and that the league is intentional about creating a space where everyone can feel comfortable and flourish.
Another huge part of that effort is financial accessibility. Roller derby can be expensive, and Killer noted that a skater’s initial gear – helmet, skates and pads – can cost anywhere from $500 to $600. To reduce barriers, BRRD maintains a gear library stocked with basics for anyone to borrow.
The league also adjusts dues and offers support when needed. “There are ways we can work around financial barriers,” Killer said. She also emphasized that derby shouldn’t be a sport “where you have to be like X, Y and Z to fit in.”
For Sparx, inclusivity is partly about rejecting stereotypes about what an athlete “should” look like.
“One of the things that is so wonderful about derby is that there isn’t a physical ID,” she said. “Here, there is room for every body type.”
Some skaters have competitive sports backgrounds, others are simply looking for community. Either way, Sparx said, “If you feel like this is the place for you, then this is the place for you.”
Getting on the Track
Getting on the track looks different for every skater, but each one has a unique story about what drew them in and keeps them coming back.
Killer Queen joined after her college roommate started skating the year before. She remembered attending her roommate’s game, and the next day buying all her gear.
“I never quad-skated in my life, so I didn’t know how to skate,” Killer said. “I went home, laced my skates in my driveway, and my dad watched me roll from one side of the driveway straight into the grass and fall over.”
Killer laughed while saying her dad expressed a little bit of concern about the sport being a good fit after that first wipeout.
“Despite that, I still went for it, and I’ve been here for 12 years now.”
McFearless, a graduate student pursuing a degree in accounting at Cleveland State University, joined in 2024 after following BRRD on social media. She had always been curious about derby and appreciated that the league allowed for different levels of commitment.
“You can go super hard and go to every practice each week, or you can go the more laid-back route,” she said. “You put in as much as you want to get out.”
Some memories on the track stand out more than others for long-time skater Maloik. “My favorite moment was my husband proposing to me on skates after a double header,” she said.
After the bout, a teammate pulled her to center track for the big surprise. “My husband came out on skates, got down, slid on one knee across the track and proposed to me in front of everybody,” she said. “My whole family was hiding, his whole family was hiding. It was great.”
Sparx’s most unforgettable moment is from a roller derby tournament in Canada when her team arrived with just 11 skaters, which is well below the usual 15 for a full roster. In the first half of the first game, the team lost a player to injury, leaving only 10 skaters for the entire tournament.
“I was freaking out,” Sparx said. “I was like, ‘We have to forfeit. This is a disaster.’”
Her coach put a hand on her shoulder and said, “CoCo, we are not quitting.”
That moment shifted everything. Sparx pushed through three back-to-back jams, a rare and exhausting move, to later learn she’d been named tournament MVP.
“As I was driving home, I started getting all of these text messages congratulating me about being awarded MVP for the tournament,” she said. “It just made me laugh because I was the one that wanted to forfeit.”
This moment stuck with her because it showed how far perseverance can carry you in some of the hardest moments.
The challenges of derby go beyond tournaments. Maloik said the hardest part is the time commitment that she puts into both playing and watching the sport.
“I try to stay educated on the highest level of derby,” she said. “It’s physical, it’s mental, it’s on skates, it’s off skates.”
But for many skaters, those challenges are outweighed by the community.
Why It Matters
Burning River Roller Derby is more than just a sport; it is a diverse community that mixes athleticism with genuine passion. Many skaters find that derby provides an opportunity to develop skills, make new friends and enter a welcoming environment where they can be competitive without losing who they are.
For Maloik, the relationships are what stand out the most. “You’ll find the best people you’ll ever meet here,” she said.
Even with skaters she isn’t especially close with, Maloik said, “no matter what, they will have your back.” The sense of unity, she said, is unlike anything she has experienced elsewhere.
The league's principles are reinforced by the non-profit format. The skaters themselves control all aspects of the league, including conducting practices, handling finances, organizing events and maintaining the team’s overall structure.
Killer said the nice thing about being skater-run is that it allows BRRD to keep its culture authentic. “We’re not pressured to conform,” she said. “We’re able to make sure our space remains skater and member-friendly.”
She also mentioned that being a women-inclusive, member-led organization is empowering, and gives the league freedom to choose partnerships and opportunities that align with its values.
“We’re able to stand our ground in what we believe in,” she said.
Beyond the Track
Cooperation, support and trust are all fostered by the sport, and these traits shine through on the track as well as in the many hours spent behind the scenes to maintain the league.
Burning River’s dedication to independence and diversity has contributed to a community where athletes push themselves, develop their skills and encourage one another throughout the season.
A niche activity like roller derby can be worthwhile for anyone searching for a competitive, but comfortable, atmosphere. Once you step onto the track, you never know who you’ll meet, what you’ll learn and what adventures you’ll have.
To Maloik, that’s the real pull of roller derby. “It’s the community of people that there is nothing like,” she said.
Roller derby action photos provided by Full Stop Photography.
