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Meet Woody (Caitlin) Olson of Denver Roller Derby in Overland Neighborhood

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Woody (Caitlin) Olson.

Woody (Caitlin), let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am currently the President of Denver Roller Derby (DRD) and have been skating with the league for three and a half years now. I got my start with DRD back in January 2017 when I attended one of the league’s new recruit nights. I fell in love with the world of roller derby and have been immersed in it ever since.

When I first started, I had never roller skated before in my life but that didn’t stop me from starting DRD’s new skater program (aptly named “Flight School”). I made my way up through Flight School alongside my Derby Wife, Julia Gulia. We weren’t able to pass test-ups without each other! Flight School isn’t an easy task, especially considering we were skating with some of the best skaters in the derby world (DRD is ranked #4 in the derby world rankings), but once we did, skating along with these awesome individuals was amazing, challenging, occasionally heartbreaking (because trying to skate at such a high level is soul-crushing some days), but overall a lot of fun. After finally testing up (9 months later…) I was drafted onto one of the four home teams (Green Barrettes) and drafted to the lower level travel team, the Standbys.

I am very much the type of person who sees problems and instantly starts brainstorming ways to improve or come up with ways of resolving issues. DRD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and completely run on a volunteer basis and we all pay to play, so suffice to say, things aren’t always perfect, we make ends meet the best we can. There’s always room for improvement, so at the end of 2019, I ran for League President. I officially became League President in January 2020.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but challenges and struggles are what make it worthwhile. Being on the Board of Directors and President and being the forefront of the League has its rough moments, but I am not a person to give up easily. Like I said previously, I am the type of person who enjoys solving problem-solving, so as soon as I joined the Board, I started sharing ideas and trying to tackle some of the League’s more pressing challenges. Unfortunately, COVID hit and shut everything down in March for us and none of us have been able to skate or really participate in our community since then. It’s been a challenge to try to keep the League engaged as well as legally and financially afloat since we can skate at all and we lost our main source of income, hosting events.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Denver Roller Derby – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Denver Roller Derby is a local “Flight” themed roller derby league that is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and completely run on a volunteer basis. We are a mainly female-operated group that tries to build a safe and welcoming community for all walks of life including LGBTQ+, communities of color, children and youth, veterans, and everything in between.

We provide an outlet for any and all individuals to:
– Learn how to skate
– Learn how to officiate
– Generally, participate in and support the derby atmosphere (shoutout to our beloved derby announcer of 15 years, Brad Example)
– Juniors Program (7-18 years old)
– Men’s Team – Ground Control

Participate in a recreational team sport at whatever level they choose from:
– Home Teams – For those who want to play the sport but don’t want to travel or be too competitive.
– Green Barrettes, Shotgun Betties, Orange Crushers, Bad Apples.
– Standbys – Our “C” level travel team that plays local teams.
– Bruising Altitude – Our “B” level travel team that travels around the states.
– Mile High Club – Our elite charter team which is ranked #4 in the derby world and travels around the world to play other top-ranked teams.

I think what sets us apart from most other groups around Denver is that we are a very unique group doing a very unique thing. Whenever I mention to that I play roller derby to someone who doesn’t know me, they always have tons of questions and perceptions of the sport, and I always love to tell people all about it. I am most proud of how strong and supportive our group can be, a few years ago one of our teammates found out she had cancer and had to go through chemo and surgery. Our group rallied together to put on a fundraising bout to raise money to help her pay for treatment. It was and still is one of my favorite bouts to play in.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Denver for all of its art and creative outlets. I love all the murals that are all over the city and that RINO provides an outlet for artists every year to put their talent on display. The diverse selection of breweries and distilleries big and small makes exploring the city a lot of fun.

No city is perfect and Denver is definitely no exception. I know that the city has been working on improving its public transportation, but I am excited to see how the city continues to expand it and make it more easily accessible for those who rely on it the most. Many of our league members rely on public transportation and it’s often difficult for them to find transportation after a late practice or on the weekends, so maybe in the future the public transit options will allow for more flexibility in travel times. Additionally, the I-25 corridor is always a hot topic of conversation, so any way to make it safer and more efficient would have a significant positive impact on the city.

Lastly, I know some of our members work in the medical field or in jobs that have odd hours, so I always thought it was interesting that Denver hardly has any 24-hour grocery stores or restaurants, for being as big as it is. Coming from Lincoln, Nebraska, I always thought it was peculiar that Lincoln had almost every single grocery store and Walmart open 24 hours everyday, but Denver hardly had any. Growing up, my mom was a nurse and would work some of the most inconveniently timed shifts where she would get off at 3am and sometimes would go grocery shopping after getting off shift so she wouldn’t have to disrupt her sleep schedule, she wouldn’t be able to easily do that here.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Alvin Green Jr., Cathie B – Brockman Moments, Eric J. Schultz, Liz Marchiondo Imaging, salvadorphotos.com

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