Roller Derby is alive and well in Bakersfield; growing as we speak. The sport has been in Bakersfield as early as 2001. However, it has seen the most growth over the last 2.5 years. There are currently 3 women's leagues; that consist of 2-5 teams of 20 women, 1 men's league, 2 children's leagues and there's rumor that there is another ready to spring up. We are asking the City of Bakersfield to acknowledge the sport by having a skating rink built to be used for roller derby.

This sport is no longer scripted and the women, men and children involved are athletes. We have a love for this sport and take it very seriously. It requires hard work, commitment and discipline, but also offers exercise, camaraderie and self-confidence. We train weekly to compete with other teams here in California and also out of state. The local teams are involved in many bouts (derby term for games), host tournaments and other events. We also give back to our community by hosting benefits for local charities. My team, Derby Revolution of Bakersfield, recently hosted an event for one of our derby sisters, Kat Nobles, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. We raised funds which eased the stress of some her medical expenses. Proceeds from the event also benefited the Delano Chapter Relay for Life. DRB's charities include, Bakersfield Toy Run, Twin Towers Orphan Fund, Children's Miracle Network, Salvation Army, and Relay for Life.

It is difficult to continue to help these charities without a venue to hold these events and our leagues are growing as well, so it is becoming difficult to accommodate our fans. This is why we are asking for the city's help. This could be a wonderful opportunity for the City of Bakersfield to share the experienceof roller derbywith the players and derby fans by having spectators from different parts of the country; possibly the world. This type of facility that we are requesting could be a major profit maker for the city. We have manypeople that are excited and are in support of the idea of having a rink here in Bakersfield. We hope that we can have the city's support. SUPPORTTHE LOCAL ROLLER DERBY LEAGUESBY SIGNING OUR PETITION. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Donni Lomeli

Y.I. Otta #77

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