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Tag: Roller derby

  • Brooklyn roller derby league delivers crash course on inclusivity

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    PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Hundreds of skaters, support staff and fans flood LeFrak Center at Lakeside skating rink in Prospect Park for some good-natured, if not hard-hitting, Saturday night fights.

    Gotham Roller Derby skater Violet Knockout loves the “full-contact sport on roller skates.” She explains how the sport is “five-on-five on the track, with two point-scorers,” before giving us a crash course at the league’s double-header pitting teams from Brooklyn against the Bronx, and Manhattan against Queens.

    League president Chuggs Brewkowski describes it as “playing offense and defense at the same time. Where there’s two people with the opportunity to score at the same time.”

    Many of the skaters will tell you that inclusion is the real name of the game here.

    Manhattan Mayhem veteran Kill Valentine thinks that part of the reason the sport has gotten so popular in New York City is because “any body type can be successful. I think it really brings out the athleticism in a whole lot of different people.”

    And if the hits seem too hard, there are plenty of support roles to get involved with. “We have non-skating officials, we have volunteer spots, we have so many things that, if you don’t want to skate you can still be a part of this and still be enveloped in our community.”

    Now, Gotham Roller derby needs a new home. In a town known for its toughness, these rowdy rollers are on the hunt for a permanent space to practice and play.

    For information about Gotham Roller Derby or to help the league find a place to play head to the website gothamrollerderby.com.

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  • Kentucky Derby runs into more obstacles ahead of big race

    Kentucky Derby runs into more obstacles ahead of big race

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    The early favorite for the Kentucky Derby has been scratched hours before the race

    ByBETH HARRIS AP Racing Writer

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The cast of characters for the 149th Kentucky Derby was rewritten again hours before the race Saturday when early favorite Forte was scratched.

    It was the fifth scratch from the Derby in the days leading up to the $3 million race for 3-year-olds. Five horses have died at Churchill Downs in recent days.

    Forte had been the early 3-1 favorite; his absence reduces the field to 18 horses for the 1 1/4-mile race.

    Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said veterinarians from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission had concerns about a bruised right front foot.

    Forte stumbled during a workout on Thursday, although trainer Todd Pletcher had downplayed it. He still has two horses in the race: Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns.

    A crowd of about 150,000 is expected to jam Churchill Downs to wager and watch the Derby. Post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT.

    The horse deaths included Derby contender Wild On Ice. Two of the horses were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was indefinitely suspended by the track, although investigators have yet to determine a cause for the deaths of his horses.

    Four horses were scratched — Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continuar and Skinner — in recent days. Practical Move and Skinner had fevers, while Continuar wasn’t in peak condition, according to his Japanese trainer. Lord Miles was Joseph’s Derby horse.

    Forte was last year’s 2-year-old champion and has a five-race winning streak.

    New antidoping and medication rules to be enforced by the sport’s new central governing body won’t take effect until May 22, after the Derby and the Preakness.

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    AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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