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Knaak's late goal secures victory for Man City, edging them closer to the WSL title.

The Flathead Valley Roller Derby league practices ahead of the Big Sky Brawl tournament in Kalispell, showcasing Montana's roller derby teams. The event features an exhibition match with Team Montana 406 Roller Derby, highlighting local talent.
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On a rainy Wednesday night at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Expo Building, members of the Flathead Valley Roller Derby league ditch their shoes at the door and lace up their skates for one more practice before the weekend’s Big Sky Brawl.
The clatter of the quad skates hitting the floor and the gravelly scraping of wheels sliding to a stop echo off the metal walls and spill into the entryway. Inside, the team runs drills around an oval course.
The Big Sky Brawl is the first tournament the team has organized in Kalispell, bringing together Montana’s active roller derby teams. Headlining the brawl is an exhibition match showcasing Team Montana 406 Roller Derby, a team made up of all-stars selected from around the state, including those from Flathead Valley Roller Derby.
“I think it’s truly going to be a gathering and a celebration of Montana roller derby,” said team member Kari Hammer, aka Hammer.
From former speed skaters to those learning to skate for the first time, FVRD invites people of all skill levels to join. The league is made up of a women’s team, the Big Mountain Misfits, and a co-ed team, the Northern Light Knockouts.
LEARNING THE sport takes time. Newcomers start by attending boot camps, where they learn skating fundamentals before adding limited contact. Colored tape placed on their helmets helps identify a teammate's level of progression during practices. No tape means a skater is cleared for full contact.
“There’s a lot of rules surrounding contact, but ... people go flying on occasion,” team member Dani Rosenbaum, aka Dani DeFeato, said with a smile.
A roller derby bout (game) encompasses a series of fast-paced “jams,” lasting up to two minutes, where two teams of five skaters maneuver around an oval course trying to score points by passing opponents, Rosenbaum and Hammer explained. Each team comprises a jammer, a pivot and blockers.
During jams, the action condenses into a fast-moving cluster of bodies and arms linking, pushing and breaking apart as skaters fight for position.
“If we want to equate it to a ball sport — the jammer is the ball,” Hammer said. “Everybody on the track is playing offense and defense, potentially at the same time.”
The jammer starts at the back of the pack and scores by passing opposing players. Blockers work to clear a path for their jammer, while at the same time, stop the opposing jammer from getting through, Rosenbaum said.
“Everybody on the track is playing offense and defense, potentially at the same time,” Hammer said, who competes as a blocker.
“Having that awareness of playing offense and defense is really a critical part of the game,” she added.
The jammer will be identifiable by wearing a helmet cover with a star, and the pivot a bold stripe, Rosenbaum said. A pivot is a special blocker who can become a jammer during play.
During the April 22 practice, the team members split up by skill level. The seasoned and intermediate competitors prepare for the Big Sky Brawl while the newer skaters focus on building foundational skills.
The Big Sky Brawl is the first roller derby tournament organized by the Flathead Valley Roller Derby league, featuring teams from across Montana.
The Big Sky Brawl is held at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Expo Building in Kalispell, Montana.
The tournament includes the Flathead Valley Roller Derby's teams, the Big Mountain Misfits and the Northern Light Knockouts, along with Team Montana 406 Roller Derby.
Yes, the Flathead Valley Roller Derby league invites individuals of all skill levels, including beginners, to join their practices.

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Veteran skaters, such as Hammer, who has been with the team for 11 years, started out with a love of roller skating.
“I was a kid at the roller-skating rink on Friday nights,” Hammer said.
“I love roller skating and I didn’t know I would love full contact [sports], but I do. It’s really fun to move people, like to take up space, which is something that people raised as girls are frequently not allowed to do,” Hammer said.
For new members like Victoria Nix (aka Calamity Pain), who learned to skate through the league’s spring bootcamp, that confidence builds gradually. Bootcamp lasts six weeks and teaches the fundamentals of skating and safety in roller derby.
“The first two weeks I think were the hardest,” Nix said. “And then, of course, like with any type of sport or activity, the more you do it, the easier it gets, and the more you can trust yourself and your confidence.”
“A lot of the beginning of boot camp was focusing on how to safely fall and how to stand up,” Nix said. “I think once you fall a couple times and you learn how to fall more in control — it’s less scary.”
Nix knew she wanted to join roller derby after attending bouts she saw advertised in posters around town.
Flathead Valley Roller Derby, which is a nonprofit, seeks to make the sport accessible by loaning gear, including skates.
“These are their skates. I had my own elbow pads. So it’s really easy to join if you don’t have anything,” she said.
With a red-colored piece of tape on her helmet, Nix is still working her way up through the levels. For drills, the new skaters play games like Duck, Duck, Goose on wheels, to practice agility and control.
“I’ll hopefully move to yellow pretty soon. When you move to yellow, that’s like limited contact,” she said. “And for me, there’s a specific kind of stop I’m working on before I feel comfortable to move on. Well, it’s a transition ... moving and then quickly pivoting to move backwards or if you’re moving backward, pivoting to move forward.”
EVENTUALLY COMPETITORS will settle into roles as blockers, jammers or pivots.
“It’s really just whichever speaks to you," Rosenbaum said. “There’s not one specific kind of person that fits in each role. Everybody can thrive in each situation because there’s so many different techniques to jamming and blocking.”
Rosenbaum, who is a jammer, started out as a blocker.
“That’s how I learned to play derby. I was a blocker for almost my whole first season and then in my very first game, we were up by a good amount of points, so the coaches were like, why don't you go out and jam, like go test it out,” she said.
“I wasn’t super familiar with it, but it just worked out. It kind of clicked and I got thrown into the jammer role,” Rosenbaum said. “For me, I jam because I can push people out of the way. That’s my biggest strength. That I’m a pushy jammer. There are some people that can skate and never be touched.”
These nimble jammers are known as “juke jammers,” she said.
Like Nix, Rosenbaum learned to skate when she joined in fall 2022 after seeing a post about the team rebuilding following a hiatus during the pandemic.
“You don’t have to know how to skate to start our boot camp. We teach all of the skills,” she said.
THERE IS also an element of showmanship in roller derby, through expressive nicknames, face paint, uniform accessories and bold personal styles.
“People absolutely embody, sometimes, their alter ego as a player. It is a popular thing,” Hammer said. “Lots of people choose something and then really develop who they are as a derby player. It might be very different from who they are in their regular life, and I think it’s very freeing for people.”
For many roller derby competitors, the mix of competition, challenging exercise (that’s fun), creativity and community is what keeps them coming back despite the occasional bruise.
Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.
Flathead Valley jammer Dani DeFeato (29) forces her way past a pair of Electric City blockers during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley's Busta Prime (89) throws a shoulder into Electric City jammer MalletMaiden (777) during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley's Busta Prime (89) throws a shoulder into Electric City jammer MalletMaiden (777) during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley jammer Lit'L ShaNanaGins (412) skates through the Electric City blockers during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley blockers Bee Nice (006), XinderHella (626) and Neener-Neener (808) hold up Electric City jammer Antagony (523) during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley blocker XinderHella (626) chases after Electric City jammer TwinkleToes (16) during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley jammer Pandamonium (99) skates through the Electric City blockers during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead Valley jammer Dani DeFeato (29) forces her way past the Electric City blockers during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley jammer Pandamonium (99) skates through the Electric City blockers during the Big Sky Brawl 2026 tournament at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)