In 2018, I moved by myself from Columbus, Ohio to Portland, Ore., hoping that the moodiness of the trees and mountains might help me discover something about myself. I was working for a nonprofit and biked to work some days. On the first warm day of the year, I noticed a warehouse by the bike path had its doors open. There was an oval-shaped track inside, where a handful of people on roller skates were running into each other.

I slowed my bike and stopped, putting one foot down to watch them. I figured it was roller derby (I had of course watched Whip It shortly after realizing I was gay), but I’d never seen the real thing. The people in the warehouse were all sizes, all ability levels, and they were hitting each other hard. I signed up.

Roller derby is played in increments called

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