'Bout ready? Somer City Roller Derby returns to action Saturday at Center

Not even a tornado can keep Somer City Roller Derby down for long.

Somerset’s very own roller derby team returns to action this Saturday, August 2 against Chemical Valley Roller Derby at The Center for Rural Development, after the May 16 storms delayed the start of their 2025 campaign.

“We were originally supposed to have our home opener on May 17, but we had to cancel because of the tornado the night before,” said Jennifer Albritton, who skates under the name Kitty Omega — all roller derby participants have an on-track alias that typically implies both toughness and whimsy.

“Thankfully all of our skaters were safe from the storm, but it seemed in poor taste to hold the bout after there had been so much loss,” she added. “But we’re so excited to finally get to play this year, and Chemical Valley is going to be a great opponent.”

Chemical Valley Roller Derby is based in Huntington, West Virginia — a city just over the Big Sandy River from eastern Kentucky — and will face a Somer City squad that has been competing since 2019 (Covid interruptions notwithstanding).

The team has continually transformed its make-up in that time, but has never had difficulty bringing in new members, excited by the possibility of competing in a fast-paced, physically demanding woman-centered sport.

“We’ve had so many skaters through the years who have been such integral parts of the fabric of our team but then have a life event that takes them out of Somerset, whether that be going off to school, getting a new job, or leaving to start their family,” said Albritton, who was one of the team’s original members. “Sometimes having a small team can be difficult, but I think there’s a special intimacy to it, and it allows us to all get really close.”

This year, there are 18 team members total right now, with about 10 who are bout eligible. There are two brand new skaters playing in Saturday’s game, skating under the names ShelCat and Awkward Dawg. “ShelCat joined at the end of last year and Awkward Dawg joined in early spring. We’re so excited for both of them to get to play!” said Albritton.

While the team is small, they have found ways to help bolster their own strength while supporting others in the sport.

“(S)omething that we’re doing this year that’s been pretty cool is partnering with a new team that’s started in a small town in Indiana, Southern Indiana Roller Derby,” said Albritton. “They just started their team this year, so understandably their numbers are pretty low. So we agreed to do a kind of ‘sister league’ thing where we can sign up to play in their games and they can sign up to play in ours, that way neither of our teams have to play with a short roster. You’ll see a few of them playing this Saturday!”

Each bout is played between two teams of five, comprised of a “jammer,” a “pivot” and three “blockers,” collectively called a “pack.” Each game is 60 minutes in length, broken down into two 30-minute periods that are further broken down into two minute “jams.” The two jammers try to break through the pack to begin scoring points for their team while the blockers are using shoulders, hips, and strong skating techniques to block opposing team members so their jammer can succeed, scoring a point for each member of the opposing team passed.

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the bout starts at 6 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are available at somercity.com until 11:59 Friday night for $12, and tickets will be sold at the door for $15. Kids ages 12 and under get free admission. Diamondz & Divaz on Wheelz is providing concessions, and Birds Nest Brewing will be serving beer to enjoy during the bout.

Albritton added that the team will have a school supply drive at the bout, specifically for teachers — a beneficial boost with the start of the new school year coming soon.

“We’ve got an Amazon wishlist for teachers’ supplies that people can purchase from, and then we’re going to take a portion of our proceeds from the bout to buy more for the schools,” she said.

Somer City Roller Derby’s final home bout of the season will be the third-annual Somer Slam event on Sept 13, a wrestling-themed double header.