I had the opportunity to learn about the Dutchland Derby Rollers and the Thorns Rugby Club at the Stuff To Do Fair back in January. While I had heard of the Rollers over the years, I had no idea there was a women’s adult rugby club here in Lancaster. Curious, I started digging into these two teams and quickly began to realize that these types of adult sports serve a much bigger purpose than scoring points and claiming bragging rights. They form friendships, provide opportunities for learning new skills, and build community.
Through these two teams I was introduced to our very own women’s ice hockey team, the Lancaster Reapers. It turns out that this trio of adult women’s sports teams recently formed an informal collaborative alliance to help each other spread the word, grow attendance and interest, and even fundraise together. I wanted to learn more, so I welcomed Diosanny Rivera from the Dutchland Derby Rollers, Kelly Leibolt and Zimmy from Lancaster Reapers, and Alex Tarleton and Eva Dombrowski from the Knightmare and Thorns Ruby Clubs to the program to talk about their respective sports and teams, and find out why these kinds of teams are important.
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