State College Area Roller Derby lost its venue of 10 years when Penn Skates closed its doors in October, but now the league has a new place to play.
C3 Sports, 200 Ellis Place, is the new home of SCAR Derby, the organization’s board of directors announced in a press release on Monday night.
The venue “has the space and amenities that we need as a rebuilding organization,” according to SCAR Derby, with 26,000 square feet of court that will allow the league to host games and tournaments while accommodating fans.
SCAR Derby is now practicing at C3 two nights a week and has space for off-skate meetings.
“We are happy to report that we have a new home for roller derby in Centre County,” Rachel Gaddis, president and coaching committee chair of State College Area Roller Derby said in a statement. “C3 Sports has been great to work with establishing a new relationship that we hope will help us continue to grow roller derby in the Centre Region.”
With the new location, SCAR Derby is now recruiting new members, including skaters and skating officials for its current “FreshCuts” class until April 4 and volunteers and non-skating officials on an ongoing basis.
“FreshCuts,” or new recruits, attend practices 8-10 p.m. on Monday and Thursday at C3 for instruction on skating and the basics of roller derby. Loaner gear is available for interested participants to use until they are able to purchase their own gear.
New volunteers and non-skating officials can attend any and all practices to learn more about the sport and receive training.
Anyone interested in becoming a new member should email [email protected] or send a Facebook message. Those who can’t join the current FreshCuts class but are interested in joining in the future can request to be added to the SCAR Derby mailing list for future recruiting announcements.
“We are excited to be able to invite new people to join our league on and off skates,” Elizabeth Kelly, sponsorship and fundraising director, coaching committee chair and active skater of State College Area Roller Derby, said in a statement. “We all look forward to new recruits joining us at practice, sharing our love of roller derby and making new friends.”
Founded in 2010, SCAR Derby is a non-profit, skater-operated league. A volunteer organization, it is comprised of individuals from Centre County spanning a wide range of ages and lifestyles.
SCAR Derby joined the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in 2015 and now competes for an international ranking. The league has a travel A-team, a travel B-team, and two home teams that practice year-round and compete from February through November.
