ANNIE Brett, better known as “Grim”, has been playing roller derby since mid-2017 when she moved from Brisbane to Canberra for university.

But, roller skating is a skill she was already familiar with.

“I grew up in a family that went to roller rinks, my dad took me and my little sister every weekend,” she says.

Annie, 24, says roller derby has always been popular in Canberra, but is now growing as a sport Australia-wide.

“It definitely took a hit with COVID-19. I know the Canberra Roller Derby League definitely was hit through player numbers. COVID-19 meant a lot of older skaters who were on the edge of retiring took it as the final push to completely stop,” she says.

“This year is our first return to proper teams and games, we had a crowd of 200 or more people at our recent public game. Before COVID-19, our crowds reached about 300 people for our public games, so it’s good to see those numbers returning.

“I think general skating on quad skates over lockdown got a bit of popularity. It gave people something fun to go outside and do, and now they are looking to continue using that skill.”

Annie says it is the first full-contact sport she has got into playing, because a lot of sports are not full-contact for women.

“It’s just so different from other sports, just culture wise as well. Obviously with most sports it has its problems, but it’s as inclusive as it can be,” she says.

“There is no typical body type for roller derby, which I really like; you just make the skill work for your body type and everyone has benefits. There’s going to be things you can and can’t do but there’s also the opposite for other people so it’s very versatile in that way, which I think draws people in, too.

“It’s a very queer community as well, it helped me figure out my queer identity when I moved to Canberra, figuring out who I was.
“The culture and the challenge of the sport makes it fun, because you’re playing a sport and learning strategies, and you have to add in wheels.”

Annie’s queer identity is lesbian, aromantic, asexual and non-binary, going by she/they pronouns.

Now working as a social impact officer, she finished her ANU double degree of international relations and international security in 2021, leaving her with more time to dedicate to derby, with a focus on her role as a diversity and inclusion committee member.

“We as a league have put a lot of effort in recently to develop our diversity and inclusion policy, to make roller derby a more inclusive place for everyone. Everyone is welcome and it makes the community a better place,” says Annie.

“It’s very fun, it takes up a lot of my time, particularly being on the rep team. It’s eight hours a week that I’m on skates, so if I didn’t love it so much there’s no way I could do it all.

“I play for the Red Belly Black Hearts, and my derby name, ‘Grim’, comes from having grim determination, never giving up and always pushing through.

“That is my advice for new players, too, or anyone in life. In a derby game, when you’re knocked down you’re out of play, and we expect people to get knocked down, that’s part of the game. What I care about is whether or not you get back up afterwards, to get back on your feet and help your team.”

A new skater intake program is happening from July 20, with the first 12 weeks dedicated to learning to skate, before moving on to derby specific lessons.

“Before I even started roller derby, while I was back in Brisbane, I thought I’d try a pair of quad-skates because I hadn’t worn them in forever,” Annie says.

“I just wanted to check if it was something I wanted to do, and I remember putting them on at the roller rink and thinking no, I don’t want to do this, and I had to convince myself to do it, and I’m very glad I did. I almost quit before I started.

“Half of the people who come in have played sport their whole life and the other half have never played a sport before, because they have never really fitted into a sport, so it’s a really fun and interesting mix.” 

Intake details at crdl.com.au