Next week, our Warehouse is scheduled for demolition.
This place has been our home as long as I've been a part of the Charlotte Roller Girls. Unlike many of teammates, I came after the days where we practiced at Kate's. I had already decided I wanted to join when I saw that the Charlotte Roller Girls were moving to NoDa. That really settled it for me. Not only did I want to do this sport, but now they were in my backyard.
I have only ever known the Warehouse. It was dusty, dirty, possibly moldy, dark, and dank. The stairs to the bathroom were rickety and terrifying. The door was heavy and quirky. The neighborhood is not great, and we had some sketchy experiences. I'll never forget the night I was first slated to take my Day 2 assessments and the lights went out. We spent the rest of the practice doing an offskates workout...in the dark.
But the space was ours. We had access to it 24/7. I went to as many practices as I could and cherished the hell out of our space. We settled in over the past 3 years, made it our home. We decorated it and stored our stuff there. I kept my gear and skates in my locker for a while.
In the name of progress, the city is expanding their lightrail project. It's going north. We've known about this, but were told they wouldn't need to demolish our nearly historic facility. Suddenly, we heard otherwise. In mid-November, they let us know that we would be expected to vacate by December 31st. We did so, and the building is on the demo list for January 12th.
This place means so much to me and my teammates. It's where I honed my skating skills. It's where I learned to play roller derby. It's where I learned to play with a team. It's where I've practiced weekly since beginning my journey in 2010.
I have a lot of sadness about losing our home, but I know this is an opportunity for us. This is an opportunity for us to grow our league in new ways. The year starts off with a bang and a crash and can only go up from here. I'm excited to see what 2014 will hold for us. Check out the Charlotte Roller Girls this year. All home bouts will still be at Grady Cole!
