The Soul City Sirens, an Augusta-based roller derby team, are gearing up to host a six-week boot camp starting in January, offering even inexperienced skaters the chance to learn the basics of roller derby, a full-contact sport played entirely on skates.
The boot camp is open to anyone 18 and older with a $50 camp fee.
While participants will need to purchase their own mouth guards, skates and protective gear can be provided, albeit in limited quantities.
President of the Soul City Sirens Rachel Polvadore, whose derby nickname is Stingray, shared her personal experience with the boot camp saying that she started five years ago as a complete beginner.
“I kind of found my local family this way,” she said.
Inside the camp
Polvadore said that camp goers will learn how to stand up on skates, how to safely fall down, lots of interesting footwork and of course, the basics of the sport itself.
“By the end of boot camp, people are jumping over cones and you know, skating a mile in five minutes…it’s really cool to see people come in who have never done this and then do these really cool things by the end of six weeks,” she said.
Polvadore encourages those looking to mix up their fitness routines, saying that many people end up signing up for the sole purpose of getting in shape.
“This is a really unique way to jumpstart your New Year’s resolution…people join just for that…it’s a great way to kind of empower yourself at the beginning of the year and try something that you never knew you could do,” she said.
How to join
Boot camp runs from Jan. 22 to Feb. 26 every Wednesday night. A sign up form is available at https://tinyurl.com/2025bootcampregistration.
