The roller derby team Port Scandalous Scandals is hosting their first bout of the 2025 season on Feb. 22 at the Sequim Boys and Girls Club at 400 W. Fir St. against the Bellingham Roller Betties.

Tickets are $15 at the door. Children 12 and under are free.

Tickets can be purchased online for $12 plus a $2.41 service fee by searching for Port Scandalous and Brown Paper Tickets. Online sales stop 24 hours prior to the event.

Do not attempt to buy tickets through the Port Scandalous website as they are experiencing technical difficulties.

The venue is wheelchair accessible. Trackside seating and the first row of bleachers are off limits to those under the age of 18.

There will be a raffle, beer garden, and snacks as well as merchandise for sale.

Doors open at 5:30 pm and the bout begins at 6 p.m.

Most bouts last approximately two hours, with a 30-minute warm-up, two halves and a halftime, according to Port Scandalous’ website.

Future home bouts are scheduled for April 5 and June 21. All local bouts take place at the Sequim Boys and Girls club, according to community outreach liason Madelyn Doffing, who is also the league’s vice president.

The nonprofit Port Scandalous Roller Derby (PSRD) league raises funds at bouts and other events like Paint and Sip to cover equipment, rental fees and travel and to hold camps for new skaters.

The next New Skater Boot Camp is planned for April 13 -May 13 for $50. More details can be found online by searching for Port Scandalous andhttps://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6565171.

Even people who have never skated before are welcome at the camp.

“We’ll teach you the rules, how to skate, all the things!” the PSRD flier says.

The little team that could

PSRD was established in 2010 and had their first bout season in 2011.

The league used to be composed of three teams: Strait Shooters (the home team), Intense City Rollers (a traveling team) and Roller Punks (a junior team). Now Port Scandalous’ only active team is the Scandals.

COVID put a halt to bouts in 2020.

In 2023, the league had dwindled to a core group of four to six athletes showing up for practice.

Since then PSRD has regrown itself and returned to bouting in July of 2024.

“We are still a small but mighty team,” said Doffing, explaining that out of 18 active members, 12 are skaters. 15 skaters are considered a full roster for a bout, so “we still have to ask for a couple skaters from other teams – pick-up skaters – to play with us when we do a bout.

“Even our pick-up skaters love our attitude and the environment we foster in our league. A couple of our consistent pick-up skaters travel from areas like Auburn or Bremerton to play with us because our team has such a kind and welcoming energy that’s easy to mesh into.”

Doffing continued, “It’s easily my favorite part about this team, how they make it feel like home no matter where we are when we are together.”

Many of the people on the team are mothers, including Doffing.

She said she joined the league last February after stumbling upon a PSRD event on Facebook.

“I didn’t know that roller derby was an actively played sport still, let alone having a local team,” she said. “It got me interested enough to go down the rabbit hole on TikTok of roller derby videos. Within an hour of research, and knowing I had a bit of rink skating under my belt from childhood, I decided it was something I wanted to try.

“I hear other skaters in the sport say ‘Roller Derby finds you when you need it most’ and I don’t think there’s a truer statement than that. The camaraderie is one of my favorite parts of the sport, along with the inviting and encouraging vibe that PSRD strives to foster.”

Doffing said that after a hard day, roller derby is an outlet.

”It reminds me of who I was prior to children, it keeps me in shape, keeps me social, and it makes me proud of myself,” she said. “At this point, I couldn’t imagine life without being a part of the sport somehow.”

She added, “I’ll likely volunteer to help at bouts long after my body stops allowing me to play a full contact sport anymore. I’ve been made a forever fan.”

Those with questions or who would like more information can email portscandalousrollerderby@gmail.com.

https://www.facebook.com/PortScandalousRollerDerby

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Skaters for roller derby team Scandals practice a drill. Coach Tia Barraza, right, shows the offensive player, or jammer, Jaden Friedle, behind, to get through the blocking wall of defensive players Stephanie Lindquist, left and Brittney Vincent, middle.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Community outreach liason Madelyn Doffing explains that, “Summit Slayer, Bunz and Malice are demonstrating and explaining the movements in the rebate drill. These three of our teammates went to a Jammer (offensive player) clinic a couple weeks back that was taught by a Jammer from Rose City Rollers (Portland’s team who won WFTDA Champs last year). Our teammates brought these skills back to teach us and we have worked on them the last few weeks.”

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ “Skully and Sarah Strange are working on a one on blocking drill where the blocker (defensive player) tries to maintain contact on the jammer (offensive player), while the jammer is trying to use toe stops to quickly juke (to quickly change direction or fake a move to deceive an opponent) around the blocker,” explains Madelyn Doffing, Port Scandalous Roller Derby’s community outreach liason.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Port Scandalous Roller Derby skaters practice footwork. “We are getting comfortable using our toe stops to quickly shuffle to the side, then back to our wheels. This helps us quickly get around and confuse the blocker who is blocking us, allowing us to create an opening to get past them,” explains community outreach liason media liason, Madelyn Doffing, who can seen on one foot to the right.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Olivia Wray, aka Small Fry, practices her roller derby skills. According to Port Scandalous community outreach liasonMadelyn Doffing, skaters are practicing a footwork drill, “balancing on one foot then jumping to the other while maintaining balance. The form we’re aiming for here closely resembles the one footed stance after you throw a bowling ball down the lane.”

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Skaters are “performing the rebate drill, executing the secondary step. In this step, we add another blocker (defensive player) whose job is to stop the jammer (offensive player) after they get around the blocking wall. This keeps them from exiting the engagement zone (majority of the pack) and allows the blockers to catch up and reposition a wall in front of the jammer,” explains Madelyn Doffing of the Port Scandalous Roller Derby league.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ A member of Port Scandalous Roller Derby, Brittney Vincent, aka Sinnabunz, practices an offensive move at the Port Angeles Boys and Girls club

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Shauna McClain, aka Lily Hammer, one of the veteran members of Port Scandalous Roller Derby League, helps other skaters with a practice drill.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Port Scandalous Roller Derby league skaters practice to hone skills for the upcoming bout against the Bellingham Roller Betties on Feb. 22 at the Sequim Boys and Girls Club.