The Chippewa Valley Roller Derby (CVRD), Eau Claire’s original and only flat track roller derby league, presented its annual Spring Thaw Derby Brawl bout on May 16 at the Hobbs Municipal Ice Center (915 Menomonie St.) in Eau Claire.

Walking into the ice arena, attendees were greeted by Non Skating Officials (NSOs) and volunteers who handed out programs, shared resources on how to join the Chippewa Valley's derby league and, of course, adorned the myriad of CVRD merchandise available for purchase.

In between the pretzels and beer, t-shirts and stickers, local derby players from the Bad Axe Brawlers and Sawdust City Rollers – CVRD's two individual teams – were already on the track. Clusters of players warmed up with exercises and practice maneuvers to prepare for the sequence of bouts to follow.

The waving of colorful posters – marked by derby players' names including Cowboy Bones, Joan Thrett, among others – coupled with loud cheers from kiddos and adults kept the energy alive as jammers, pivots and blockers circled the track.

In between each of the 30 minute-length bouts – where Bad Axe Brawlers and Sawdust City Rollers were often neck in neck to score points – raffle prizes were distributed to friends, family and other attendees. Raffle donors included Habitual Yoga Space, the Eau Claire Express, Leona's Pizzeria, the Chippewa River Trolley, among others.

Learn more about the Chippewa Valley Roller Derby league in Volume One's latest mini feature, "You Can Roll With Us," or online via cvrderby.com.