Pioneer Valley Roller Derby hosts Pride skate party and scrimmage in Holyoke

Pioneer Valley Roller Derby will turn Fitzpatrick Arena in Holyoke into a Pride skate party and open scrimmage, blending a welcome-on-the-floor skate session with live derby action. Skate with Pride is set for Sunday, June 28, and the league says anyone can take part as long as they bring their roller skates.

The event runs from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., with a public skate party and social from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. before an open scrimmage around 3:30 p.m. Inlines are welcome, rentals will not be available, and the league is telling attendees to come ready to skate. A silent auction, Pride merch, a bake sale and other activities will give the afternoon the feel of a fundraiser and hangout as much as a derby showcase.

It is the second annual Pride-themed public skate party and social for Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, and the league has tied it directly to Holyoke Pride. Holyoke Pride describes its calendar as a month-long series of events commemorating the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in Holyoke, and Skate with Pride fits squarely inside that citywide frame. The event’s purpose goes beyond promotion: it is meant to celebrate queer and trans athletes and give them a visible place at the rink.

That mission lines up with the league’s own history. Pioneer Valley Roller Derby was founded in 2006 as a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization built around accessibility, inclusion, personal growth, equity and camaraderie. The league says it was the first flat-track roller derby league to offer both women’s and men’s teams, and in 2014 it became the first league to offer a team explicitly for people of all and no genders. A March feature also noted that the league offers skills-building and no-contact participation, a sign that newcomers and skaters who are not ready for full contact still have a path into the sport.

The setting matters, too. Pioneer Valley Roller Derby is based in Northampton, but it skates at Fitzpatrick Ice Rink in Holyoke during the summer and at the Greenfield YMCA in winter, reflecting a regional derby scene that already stretches across the Pioneer Valley. With two roller derby leagues in the area, Skate with Pride is more than a themed afternoon. It is another way the sport keeps building its local base by making space for new skaters, queer and trans athletes, and fans who want to see derby up close.