Carolina Rollergirls

What it is:  Last week, we took our toddlers to see roller derby.  It wasn't an obvious choice for kids, and perhaps the sport was a little over the head of my youngest son, but my older son was fascinated as, I think, most older kids would be.  Carolina Rollergirls is a roller derby team that plays in Dorton Arena at the state fairgrounds.  If you've never been to a derby competition, it's definitely a lot of fun.  I don't know how adept I will be at explaining the rules, but fortunately, your tickets come with a program describing the rules.  As far as I can understand, the girls on the team skate around the track.  Then, one member from each team tries to pass as many members of the other team as she can and earns points for doing so.  You can either sit in the stands or bring folding chairs and sit down on the floor for a closer view of the action.  (We chose the stands to keep little toddlers from running out onto the track.)  They had a concession stand selling typical concession stand food and a couple of bake sale table to raise money for breast cancer research.

What we liked: It is a sporting event, and like all sporting events they're interesting for kids to watch and be exposed to.  I think this would be perfect for a girl that's a little older, about 5 and older, to see.  You don't get as much of an opportunity to see women in sporting events with crowds cheering them on.  In Roller Derby you get to see strong women which I think is a good thing for young girls and young boys to see.

What we would change:  For younger toddlers with little attention spans it can be difficult to keep them focused. My youngest spent most of the time climbing the stairs of Dorton Arena finding every dirty corner he could to stick his hands in.  In addition, some of the names of the players and attire can be a bit mature, but it was still a family-friendly event with lots of kids in the stands.

Website and other important information: 

Website: http://www.carolinarollergirls.com/

Address: DDorton Arena, State Fairgrounds, Raleigh

Ticket Prices: $5-10

Photos:

(A close up view of the action)

(A view of the whole competition)