Derby

Hip whip. Taking a knee. Grand slam. Rink rash. This is the unique vernacular of roller derby, which is alive and well in the City of Champions. Pittsburgh-based photographer Rob Larson beautifully captures this bawdy, theatrical sporting subculture, as well as the physical ramifications (like rink rash) found in Pittsburgh’s robust Roller Derby scene with his most recent photo exhibit Derby at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s 709 Penn Gallery.

They’re some of the toughest athletes you’ll ever meet.

They don’t play on a field of unblemished grass or on a rink of glassy ice. They don’t sign million-dollar contracts. And they don’t have lucrative endorsement deals.

Roller derby is made up of tough, smart and fascinating women who work up a sweat, get bruised, and sometimes draw blood for no other reason than they love the sport. They are sisters, daughters, wives and mothers. They are teachers, designers, and small business owners. And they all skate to win.

Through the collection of portraits that make up Derby, Rob Larson captures the spirit and power of an attraction that has, much to the thrill of its fast-growing number of fans, gone from 70s Saturday afternoon camp to today’s serious adrenaline rush.

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