Black Derby Collective made history in its debut season — the first all-Black, borderless team sanctioned by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association — and it's headed to the WFTDA Global Championships in Malmö, Sweden, this October.

Erica sits down with co-founder Blaque Jac, Blaxyl Rose, and Winter Olympian Erin Jackson to talk about how the team came together, the "all-star team" criticism they've had to push back on, what it means to finally skate on a team where the majority of skaters look like you, and the personal stories — a serious accident, a crossover from speed skating, a hometown league — behind three very different roads into roller derby.

Want to help send them to Sweden?
BDC's online auction to fund the trip is live now!

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Meet the guests, Blaque Jac and Erin Jackson, and a crash course on what roller derby actually is
• 02:00 – The origin of Black Derby Collective, from an idea Blaque Jac had with fellow skater Markeisha Winters
• 05:08 – Blaxyl Rose on being the only Black skater in her early league — and what changed once she moved to Atlanta
• 08:48 – Erin Jackson on going from inline skating to roller derby, and getting the call to join BDC
• 10:52 – Blaque Jac responds directly to the "all-star team" criticism and explains why BDC isn't raiding other leagues
• 14:17 – Blaxyl Rose on intersectionality, scrutiny, and why "we deserve to exist"
• 18:03 – What BDC brings to every track they step on, and the line that stuck: "Black people are good at roller derby"
• 21:00 – How WFTDA regions and Champs work — and how qualifying became the goal almost by accident
• 23:13 – Derby 101: jammers, blockers, pivots, and how scoring actually works
• 26:01 – Blaxyl Rose on the accident that nearly ended her derby career, and what recovery taught her about what's possible
• 28:22 – When each of them fell in love with roller derby — a gym sponsorship, a college trip to watch Champs in 2012, a hometown team in 2009
• 33:00 – Comparing an MVP trophy to helping build something bigger than herself

You probably know John Carlos from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, but do you know who Wyomia Tyus is? Did you know she was the first person to win back-to-back 100 Olympic gold medals?

You probably know Bille Jean King, but did you know Wyomia Tyus was a co-founder of the Women's Sports Foundation?

Bria Felicien, the founder of The Black Sportswoman, joins host Erica L. Ayala to discuss the legacy of Wyomia Tyus on the track and in the race for gender equity in sports.

For the best quality while recording your video interviews and podcasts, try Riverside.fm:
https://buff.ly/39o9F18

-------------------------------- ABOUT BLACK ROSIE MEDIA -----------------------------------
Black Rosie Media is a community for Black women and melanated creators in sports media.

We are committed to showing up as advocates for the visibility of Black women and creators of color through original content, events, partnerships, and more. Our goal is to create a space online where Black women and other BIPOC creators are celebrated, appreciated, and equitably compensated for their work.

Not only is Black Rosie Media a community for Black women and melanated creators, but it's also a standalone media conglomerate giving these creators a platform for their work. We are a space for news, game coverage, and creative sports content.

Subscribe to get 💪🏾 Black Rosie Media 💪🏾 updates in your inbox!
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💪🏾 Black Rosie Media 💪🏾
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🐦Twitter: @BlackRosieMedia & @elindsay08
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👥Facebook: @BLKRosieMedia
💬Website: BlackRosieMedia.com
📻 : Black Rosie Media Presents ... on Transistor: https://blackrosiemedapresents.transistor.fm/

In our first Black Rosie Media Presents episode, host Erica L. Ayala talked to Racing Louisville forward Jess McDonald. Stay tuned to the end to learn about the #KeepJMacFresh campaign.

The 10-year NWSL veteran never had her 150th cap celebrated by the league. In fact, she didn't even know how many caps she had until she asked Twitter. We talk about how she turned her disappointment into an opportunity to advocate for herself and others.

Learn more about Jess:
https://youtu.be/mjsDO6DxSR8

From US Soccer:
"Jessica McDonald tells the inspiring story about being raised by her grandmother, and then becoming a single mom herself, bringing her young son with her on a journey through six NWSL clubs before eventually landing with the North Carolina Courage, where she won a championship and a Championship Game MVP Award. The all-time leading American scorer in the NWSL, she thought about quitting the game on several occasions, but in the end, the importance of chasing her dreams, being a great role model and a great mom kept her going, bringing her to the ultimate stage for women's soccer as a member of the USA's 2019 Women's World Cup Team."

-------------------------------- ABOUT BLACK ROSIE MEDIA -----------------------------------
Black Rosie Media is a community for Black women and melanated creators in sports media.

We are committed to showing up as advocates for the visibility of Black women and creators of color through original content, events, partnerships, and more. Our goal is to create a space online where Black women and other BIPOC creators are celebrated, appreciated, and equitably compensated for their work.

Not only is Black Rosie Media a community for Black women and melanated creators, but it's also a standalone media conglomerate giving these creators a platform for their work. We are a space for news, game coverage, and creative sports content.

Subscribe to get 💪🏾 Black Rosie Media 💪🏾 updates in your inbox!

💪🏾 Black Rosie Media 💪🏾
...on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLKRosieMedia
...on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackRosieMedia
...on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackrosiemedia/
-------------------------------SOCIAL--------------------------------
🐦Twitter: @Founding4Pod & @elindsay08
📲: Instagram: @BlackRosieMedia
👥Facebook: @BlackRosieMedia
💬Website: blackrosiemedia.com

-----------------------My GEAR - Affiliate Links----------------
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------------------------FOLLOW MY WOMEN'S HOCKEY PODCAST------------------------
ABOUT THE FOUNDING 4 PODCAST:
The Founding 4 Podcast is an NWHL-centric women's ice hockey podcast hosted by Erica L. Ayala. The podcast lives on Transistor.fm and is part of the Sports Talk with Erica L. Ayala podcast network. Please like, share, subscribe, comment, and rate our show. That is how we get more eyes/ears on women in sports.

📻 : Founding 4 Podcast on Transistor: https://founding4podcast.transistor.fm/​