In roller derby, getting knocked down and doing the same to opponents is part of the game. But when she started playing the sport three years ago, it took freshman Casey Maloney a little while to get used to it.

“The first time I got hit by someone who wasn’t my teammate, I was scared and intimidated. But I was able to adjust and get used to it,” Maloney said. 

Maloney felt a similar way during the first time she had to hit someone else.

“When I first started hitting I was apprehensive and nervous. But then after I started getting used to it, it just came naturally,” Maloney said.

It was nerve-wracking, but the more she played, the more she was able to improve her skills and confidence on the track, Maloney said.

“I was definitely nervous and I was being put into situations with many amazing athletes,” Maloney said. 

Maloney plays on the Pittsburgh Derby Brats roller derby team in Monroeville, an open-gender division of the Junior Roller Derby Association. 

Maloney has been skating since first grade when she was given her cousin’s old skates. But she found out about roller derby when she was in fourth grade through Derby Girl, a novel by Shauna Cross.

Maloney then searched for videos and more information, and then she talked with her mother, Michele Maloney.

“I just Googled ‘junior roller derby in Pittsburgh’ and the annual Brats open house happened to be coming up,” Michele Maloney said. “We went to check it out, and she signed up right then and there.”

Roller derby is played on an oval track with five players on the track at a time. The Derby Brats have a roster of about 20. 

Their games, known as bouts, consist of two 30-minute halves. They are composed of two-minute-long “jams,” and the teams score points by passing opposing skaters, Maloney explained. 

Five players from each team play at a time – four blockers and one jammer.  The jammers wear a star on their helmets and are racing against the other team’s jammer.  The blockers help their jammer win by either stopping the other team’s jammer or stopping the other team’s blockers from interfering with their jammer. 

Maloney, who is a jammer, said her biggest inspiration has been the late Joan Weston, who helped shape the sport into what it is today. 

“She inspired me because she was nicknamed the ‘roller derby queen’ and played the same position that I currently play,” Maloney said.

The Brats have skaters ranging from ages 9 to 18, divided by skill rather than age. There are only two other junior teams in Pennsylvania, but the Derby Brats also play teams in Ohio, Maryland, Nebraska, and Indiana, among other states.  

All the travel helps the team bond.

“It was fun being on a bus with my friends and being able to stop at fun places, like the world’s biggest truck stop in Iowa,” Maloney said.

One unique aspect of roller derby is that players often get several nicknames. There is usually a story behind each one.

“I’ve been called many different nicknames. But the main one is ‘Squidday’ because when I first joined, I skated funny and I looked a little silly,” Maloney said. 

Michele Maloney is the president of the organization’s all-volunteer board. One of the best parts about roller derby is the inclusive, diverse community, she said. 

“There are kids and people from all walks of life who play derby. Everyone is welcome and it is completely a judgment-free zone,” Michele said. “Come as you are and we will meet you there.”

Casey Maloney agrees that this diversity is important. 

“It’s really important to me and the league because it opens up a whole new type of world and makes it a lot easier for me to talk to new people,” Maloney said.

The sport is full contact, but skaters cannot hit each other in the head or lower legs. A lot of the contact happens when the team’s players have to shove opponents to protect their jammer.

Roller derby has a lot of rules and regulations regarding safety that must be learned before a player can participate in a game. Still, like athletes in other sports, Maloney has been injured.

“My worst injury so far has been my knee,” Maloney said. “I had to sit out for about two weeks. It wasn’t that bad because I was able to wear a knee brace and do physical therapy, and I was back in just a few weeks.” 

Michele Maloney said she was never worried about the amount of contact in the sport and trusted the safety policies that were in place.

“It’s not more or less physical than playing football, and the coaches are very strict about the safety training before you ever enter the track,” she said.

The Derby Brats are coached by Nathan Rupp, who is known as Coach Dozer or PittBullDozer due to his aggression and strength on the track when he plays on his own team. Rupp has been coaching Maloney for three seasons and said she is not only a good teammate but has a willingness to learn, which makes her a great asset to the team.

“Commitment like that will make her not just a great derby player, but also a valuable contributor to anything she does in the future,” Rupp said. 

He wants his players to be good communicators who build true friendships, and Maloney has that part nailed down.

“She is always smiling and cheering for her teammates and is genuinely happy when they succeed,” Rupp said. “This support is so important for building trust and camaraderie.” 

The Derby Brats play their home games at Neville Roller Drome on Neville Island in Neville Township. The team also occasionally plays at Pro+Sports in Monroeville.

The season starts in January and ends in the summer. There are playoffs, but they come in the form of qualifying tournaments where the top finishers advance to the championship tournament, instead of several weeks of one-on-one games like in other sports. 

“We won a bunch last season and we definitely win more than we lose,” Maloney said.

Her mom said Maloney’s interest in skating and roller derby has influenced the rest of her family.

“Casey started the trend in our house. Now her two little sisters (ages 11 and 9) both joined the team, and I am teaching myself how to skate at 39,” Michele Maloney said – though she added that she is highly doubtful she would ever join an adult roller derby league.

Although Maloney has made friends on her team, she has not been able to convince her Baldwin friends to join. 

“I’ve tried talking a couple of my friends into joining, but they weren’t convinced,” Maloney said. “A few of my friends have come to some of my recent games, and they told me that they had a lot of fun.”

Maloney plans to continue to participate in the sport in the future.

“I plan to try out for the juniors team USA in 2027, and I want to continue playing as an adult,” she said.