Borderland Roller Derby women bring toughness & volunteering spirit to fun, rugged sport in El Paso
EL PASO (KVIA) -- This weekend, Borderland Roller Derby will be finishing off another successful season as two teams duke it out for the championship game.
The "Sexocutioners" will duke it out with "Las Viudas Negras" in the Monster Smash Championship Game on Sunday, October 13th at the El Paso Coliseum.
The group is also cashing in on the popularity of Roller Derby by giving back to the community.
Borderland Roller Derby has been dazzling crowds at the Coliseum for over a decade with the athletes rollin' strong in friendly competition that can get down right physical as athletes like Ivey Ruiz, literally make their -rounds-.
"They're looking for excitement, they're looking for girls hitting one another, knocking each other out, they're also looking for a sense of great atmosphere of entertainment," said Ivey Ruiz, player for the Sexocutioners & GM of Borderland Derby.
It's lots of entertainment at the Roller Derby with a pro-wrestling-like environment when it comes to theatrics, but, competition as well.
The Borderland Roller Derby supports a number of community causes inlcuding suporting International Women's Day, or volunteering at a Health Fair for kids, and showcasing pride month in El Paso.
Ruiz added, "Borderland Roller Derby has done a lot of charity work. So, it's always a community-based kind of touch."
When asked what it's like to get "slammed against the wall" in the name of competion, Viudas Negras player Rocky Road, said
"It's not fun, you gotta' know where you can and cannot fall."
It's something ABC-7 anchor Paul Cicala learned first-hand. It was a fun look at the sport of Roller Derby and the crowds involved, including, a look at some of the group's charity work around the El Paso area. In another edition of "People, Places & Paul", KVIA Anchor Paul Cicala will also put on the skates and literally gets "checked" by some of the roller derby players in some "reporter-involvement" shots to show just how gritty and tough the sport is.
If you'd like to check out the last game of the 2024 season, you can head out to the El Paso County Coliseum, in the south arena, on Sunday, Oct. 13th. The action begins at 5 pm. with the game starting around 6 p.m. Tickets are as low as seven dollars.
Borderland Roller Derby player Ivey Ruiz is also an employee with KVIA ABC-7.
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Paul Cicala does frequent features on all the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez/Las Cruces area has to offer with fun features and stories in a periodical segment called: People, Places & Paul. You can see more stories HERE.
