By day, Faith Cortright is a clinical research coordinator for the Perelman School of Medicine. Outside of work, she’s known as “Devoida Mercy,” a former roller derby skater for Philadelphia’s Liberty Belles adult All-Stars team, now serving as coach to the Philly Roller Derby Juniors.
When you think of roller derby, you may think of packs of skaters racing around a track, blocking and shoving their opponents to prevent them from passing. Each player using a unique, but fierce alias like Cortright’s, or like the character “Babe Ruthless” in the 2009 roller-derby-centered movie “Whip It.” And although skaters get plenty knocked down playing the sport, known for its full-contact activity, the Philly Roller Derby Juniors team is all about lifting up its teammates and offering a supportive community.
Philly Roller Derby Juniors is comprised of kids aged 6 to 18 years old, ranging from beginners with no skating experience, who participate in games within their own league, to the highly skilled All-Stars travel team.
Roller Derby Juniors initially began as female-only, but in its second year, the coaches opened up the league to be open-gender. As the league continued to develop, the coaches observed the need to have rental skates to skaters who did not have access to their own pair. In 2019, Cortright applied for and was awarded a grant from the Penn Medicine CAREs program. The CAREs program provides funding for staff and their community initiatives across the regions Penn Medicine serves, including both regional and international efforts. Through the grant, the league was able to build a lending library with extra skates and gear of all sizes.
This year, the league received another Penn Medicine CAREs grant to support membership fees and costs of transportation. Over the past few years, many households experienced the economic impact of the pandemic, resulting in unemployment and need of financial assistance. Supported by the CAREs grant, skaters can apply for a one-time gift to help cover fees.
“We don’t want to turn someone away from something they love. This grant allows the kids to keep skating and keep them involved with the team as the economy continues to stabilize,” Cortright says.
This story is by Julie Wood. Read more at Penn Medicine News.
