About Druid City Derby
From two skaters to a thriving community, Druid City Derby has grown since its inception in 2015.
Druid City Derby is Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s premier roller derby league. DCD was founded in June of 2015 by Megan ‘Val’ Gunter and Kelly ‘Salty’ Wolfe. Val and Salty previously skated with Birmingham, Alabama’s Tragic City Rollers, and that experience helped them bring roller derby to Tuscaloosa.
DCD began with a simple Facebook page called Tuscaloosa Roller Derby. The page put out a call for local women who were interested in roller derby to meet up at Druid City Brewing to discuss building a local team. After a month of planning, the team had its first practice on July 27, 2015. The league has only grown since then, and founded its junior team, the Druid City Daredevils, in 2021.
What kind of people are part of Druid City Derby?
Druid City Derby is made up of adults, kids, and teens who skate, teach, coach, officiate on and off skates, or volunteer with bout production and events — sometimes all in one day! Our members aren’t required to pass any on or off skate exam and don’t need any previous experience with skating or roller derby to join our recruitment classes. We’re made up of doctors (MD and PhD), teachers, nutritionists, managers, chefs, researchers, nurses, retailers, moms, dads, grandparents, students, and more. Both adult and junior teams are also now open gender.
DCD offers a safe, inclusive space for kids and teens to grow and build confidence in a team environment and is a third place for many of our adult members. We’re always in need of non-skating officials and volunteers and offer several recruitment periods each year. Contact us to join off skates today and keep up with our events for upcoming recruitment nights — next ones are January 13 and 15, 2025!
Empowering athletes and strengthening Tuscaloosa through roller derby.
From the beginning, DCD has been embraced by the Tuscaloosa community and we are proud to be a part of its cultural tapestry. This is why we adopted the city’s logo as our team chant: “The one and only!”
DCD is also a not-for-profit sports league. We seek to empower local individuals to become more confident, better athletes, and stronger teammates. We believe that roller derby can have a deep and profound impact on a person’s life, bringing out both inner and outer strengths on the track and in their day to day lives.
“Founding DCD will always be one of the best things I’ve ever done because of the positive ripple effect it’s had on so many people’s lives and the Tuscaloosa community as a whole.”
— Megan Gunter (Valhallaback Girl)