A sharp referee whistle cuts through the grunts and shouts inside the Iowa State Fairgrounds’ Knapp Animal Learning Center, ending a struggle between a tangle of players clad in quad roller skates and colorful jerseys. Wheels rattle across the floor as the two teams reset, with a crowd of onlookers arching to see from all corners of the wide event space.
For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Des Moines Roller Derby skaters held a sanctioned bout last November, marking a major milestone for the growing all-gender league. The team faced off against the Peoria Prowlers in a game authorized by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the international governing body for the sport. The bout was part of an ongoing test run as WFTDA considers creating an open division that would allow skaters of all genders to compete together, a move that reflects a broader shift happening across roller derby leagues nationwide.
“This is the first really big event that we’ve been able to do in Des Moines in many years, and we’re just so excited,” said Katie Akin, a Des Moines Roller Derby skater known on the team as “Skatie Breakin’.”…