Detroit Roller Derby duo on a mission to make sport more accessible
(CBS DETROIT) - Detroit Roller Derby is nearly 20 years in the game after it was founded on New Year's Day in a basement in 2005.
The group is made up of multiple teams like the Pistoffs, and it has a junior league, too, with players like Pixie Renny, also known as Squid Vicious. Pixie started playing after watching her mom play the sport for years.
"You really get to be yourself," Pixie Renney said. "The community is so open and accepting."
Pixie Renny's mom, Marijayne Renny, goes by "Kraken."
Marijayne Renny retired from roller derby a few years ago, but when she returned to the sport with her daughter, she was asked to coach. She's also the community outreach executive director and Detroit Roller Derby coordinator.
"Now, I'm teaching [my daughter] all kinds of stuff, and I get to teach all these kids, and I get to watch them grow, not just as players but as people," she said.
Marijayne Renny wants the sport to be accessible to everybody too, especially in the Detroit area, removing certain barriers so the price to play is no longer a deterrent.
"We have removed the barrier to membership fees," she said. "We have a roller skate library, so if you don't have skates, we have protective gear available. [So] join."