North Star Roller Derby opens June tryouts for summer roster buildup

North Star Roller Derby opened its evening tryouts on Wednesday, June 17, with a recruiting push built to feed the league’s summer roster and, later, its home-team draft pool. The Minneapolis league paired the tryout window with clinics for skaters and officials, but made the entry rules clear: participants had to be 18 or older, show proof of primary health insurance and arrive in full protective gear.

North Star requires quad skates, a helmet, mouth guard, wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads, but gear help or loaner gear may be available through its gear guide or gear library. The recruiting clinics are open to skaters of all skill levels, a setup that widens the doorway for first-timers while still demanding they show up ready to roll.

North Star’s April drop-in sessions covered everything from skating basics to derby-specific pack drills, giving newcomers a chance to learn the difference between standing on wheels and surviving in traffic. Tryouts themselves are run through a series of drills, with home team captains judging skating skills, hustle, endurance, athleticism and coachability before deciding who moves on.

The next stop is Space Camp, North Star’s required summer training program, which runs from mid-July through the end of September. Skaters who make it that far still have to clear the league’s standards, including 50% attendance, volunteer hours and skills assessments, before they can enter the draft pool for a home team.

North Star was formed in June 2006 from the former TC Rollers organization, grew to four home teams by December of that year and joined the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association in December 2008. Today, the member-run, skater-owned nonprofit supports the Supernovas and the Northern Lights travel teams, along with the Satellites recreational program for newer and developing skaters.

North Star plays home bouts at Quincy Hall in Northeast Minneapolis, where a 2026 event listing showed adult tickets at $20 and children’s tickets at $10 for ages 2 to 9. The league’s 2026 calendar also includes a fourth annual Pride Mixer on July 18, “Blood, Sweat and Queers.”