Local roller derby club to host fundraiser tourney for Casper College food pantry

CASPER, Wyo. — In October, roller derby competitors from around the state and beyond will face off for a good cause, as A’Salt Creek Roller Derby is hosting a Halloween-themed bout to raise money for Casper College’s food pantry.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 19 at Wagon Wheel Roller Skating, 305 Van Horn Ave. Play begins at 7 p.m. and admission is $5 for ages 2 and up. Tickets can be purchased at Oil City Brewery, at Wagon Wheel Roller Skating or directly from A’Salt Creek Roller Derby by reaching out via Facebook.

In the bout, 32 roller derby athletes from throughout Wyoming, Colorado and Montana will be divided into two teams: zombies and vampires.

“It’s called a mixer bout, which is basically when a large pool of players are split into two teams,” A’Salt Creek member Melanie Tuck said. “With it being so close to Halloween, we thought it would be fun to kind of theme it around the holiday.”

In addition to enjoying some roller derby action, attendees will also be able to take part in a raffle. Raffle tickets will be given out, with the number of raffle tickets people earn correlating to how many items they donate or tickets to the event they buy, Tuck said.

The Casper College food pantry is seeking donations of toilet paper, paper towels, deodorant, body wash, quick microwavable food and other non-perishable food options. Bringing one to four items or donating $5–10 will grant one raffle ticket; five to nine items or a donation of $11–19 guarantees two raffle tickets; and 10 or more items or at least $20 will grant three raffle tickets.

Raffle prizes include specialty mugs, comic books donated by Spellbound Apothecary, gift baskets from various other local businesses and more, Tuck said.

Tuck said A’Salt Creek Roller Derby wanted to support a local food pantry, and decided upon Casper College’s student pantry.

“We wanted to support them because, as we all know, most college students aren’t exactly flush with cash,” she said with a chuckle.

The college’s food pantry allows enrolled students to receive food, toiletries and other essential items.

Originally formed in 2009 before going on hiatus at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, A’Salt Creek Roller Derby is no stranger to giving back to the community, Tuck added.

“We used to love doing fundraiser events,” she said. “We did them for Seton House, Brain Injury Alliance, Joshua’s Storehouse and then there were lots of smaller ones geared towards more one-off-type fundraising efforts. There were more, but those are the ones that are jumping out to me.”

Now in its first full season back since the pandemic, Tuck said the team is hitting its stride and always looking for new members.

“It’s been great to see all the familiar faces, plus there’s been a wave of new players too,” she said.

People interested in joining the club need only attend one of the team’s practices, which are held every Monday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Wagon Wheel Roller Skating. First-time visitors will be able to use loaner gear the team offers, Tuck said.

“And we’re open to all genders now,” she added. “We used to be a women-only team, but we’ve opened it up because we don’t want to keep anyone from enjoying this great sport.”