A Gainesville-based women's roller derby league will be able to compete nationally now that it has been picked to join a national skating apprenticeship program.
The Gainesville Roller Rebels was one of 13 leagues accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's Apprentice Membership Program following a six-month application process.
"This is an amazing opportunity for GRR to compete against some of the best roller derby teams in the country," said Miriam Hill, president of the Gainesville Roller Rebels, in a statement Tuesday.
As a league in the apprenticeship program, the Roller Rebels will be eligible to compete against other apprentice leagues from across the nation.
The league will be paired with a veteran league that will mentor the Roller Rebels through the program's rules and regulations, according to the program's website.
Adrienne Fagan, vice president of the Roller Rebels, said the league has wanted to apply for the apprenticeship program since last year.
"We were beating teams we would never thought in a million years we would be able to win against," she said. "Our momentum from last year really helped us build a very strong season this year."
Fagan said in order to be accepted into the program, the program's board of directors reviews each application based on business relations with venues and sponsors as well as feedback from past competitors.
The Roller Rebels will be granted full membership once requirements from the national organization are met.
These requirements include hosting a hometown event against a full-member league, Fagan said.
The Gainesville Roller Rebels has 40 active female skaters. Half are current UF students, she said.
Each member pays to be part of the team.
But the motive to play goes beyond the money.
"That's the thing about roller derby," Fagan said. "Everyone does it because they love it."
Torrie Higgins, a 26-year-old applied physiology and kinesiology doctorate student, said she is excited about the Roller Rebels' new direction.
"It's a huge opportunity for us," she said. "It's a huge marker to show all the hard work we put in the past few years."
LeBrawn Maimes of the Gainesville Roller Rebels secures lead jammer position in a jam against the Thunder City Derby Sirens on Oct. 23, 2011. The women's roller derby league has been picked to join a national skating apprenticeship program.
