Next year, the Chippewa Valley Roller Derby will celebrate 10 years of work and play. But in order to do so, they’ll need to find a new space. Heather Brockel, or “Lizzy” as she goes by when she puts her skates on, is taking on the task of locating a new home for CVRD practices and bouts. “We have to find a new home because without a place to skate, we just can’t exist,” Brockel said. Practices and events currently take place in the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, which was recently purchased by the Eau Claire YMCA. Unfortunately, the change in ownership resulted in a loss of practice space for the CVRD. “In the spring they’re putting in a new floor that’s not safe for us to skate on anymore,” Brockel said. “We physically can’t skate there next year. The floor that they’re putting in doesn’t meet the safety guidelines for us to be able to skate.” So what kind of space might make a perfect fit for the CVRD? Somewhere that can host two private practices per week in the evening, as well as five public events between September and May, according to Brockel. Additionally, the floor must have 100 by 80 feet of unobstructed, smooth surface. “There’s a lot of benefits of providing a space for us,” Brockel said. “We’re willing to offer a big sponsorship package, and we pay for our space.” Though the need for a new space may pose a challenge for the CVRD, a new space could be a blessing in disguise: “Next year’s gonna be our 10th year,” Brockel said. “It’s kind of a big deal. We want it to be bigger and better than ever, and we want to do it in a new space.”