Minnesota Roller Derby matches with kids can be a fun night out for the family members of all ages. We attended when my kids were small, but adults and teenagers can have an equally good time at these tournaments.
6 Reasons Why Minnesota Roller Derby Can Be Fun for Families with Kids
- Kids get in free. Adult tickets are $16. A family of four (or six in our case) will pay $32 for a night out. Of course, be ready for the gimmees because the food smells delicious, and what is a night out without snacks?
- Everyone we dealt with was very child friendly. From the ticket taker who offered our toddler her own ticket “to eat or whatever,” to the face painter and stilt walkers, everyone seemed happy to see children in the audience. There were a lot of kids in the audience.
- Fun kid-friendly activities. We visited a face painter (bring tip money), a photo booth and a balloon artist. Kids may also get tattoos or other fun booths.
- Half-Time fun on the floor. At half-time everyone is invited down for a dance party. Kids love this. Half-time fun varies and has included hula hoops and the hokey pokey, among other activities.
- Meet the skaters. Kids can meet the skaters. These skilled athletes can be great role models of strong women for new skaters. They present a positive body image and show girls examples of self-esteem and self-confidence in sports.
- There is space down on the floor where kids can be a bit more squirmy. This is important. For obvious safety reasons, they are not allowed to run on the bleachers.
Tips for Taking Kids to Roller Derby Matches
- Forget keeping score. In roller derby, points are scored every time a jammer laps an opposing player. It’s actually kind of hard to keep track of the jammers, but its near impossible when you are trying to keep a crabby four-year-old from kicking the head of the person in front or a squirmy toddler from trying to climb the bleachers. We finally started taking turns taking them out. There is a score board if you lose track.
- Consider bringing a babysitter. If you actually want to enjoy the skating matches, you may want to consider bringing a babysitter to hang out with younger kids.
- Take advantage of the chaotic fun. Little kids don’t care about the bout. Roller Derbies are family fun only in the sense that they atmosphere is kid friendly. Even the 10-year-old wasn’t actually interested in the sport itself.
- If you can work in naps before going, you’ll be glad that you did. The night will be loud and there is a lot of outside stimulation. Plus, it kills bedtime for young people. While games are usually held on Saturdays, we found it difficult to get the family moving for Sunday morning obligations. This would be less of an issue with teens and tweens.
Overall, we would take our little kids again, and we would definitely take school-aged kids through teens. They had a great time.
More Family Fun with Young Skaters
If your kids love their experience watching roller derby, local roller rinks offer new challenges for all skill levels. Beginners through those with more polished skating skills, can strap on their rollerblades and helmets and have a great skate.
December through February, families can strap on the ice skates and get outdoors and maybe they’ll even want to try hockey!
