From an early age Lucy was drawn to a life on eight wheels. “Growing up in London, England I was a lot smaller than other kids my age so I was teased quite a bit at school. To me, being on skates was a way to escape that negativity and it was something physical I could be good at regardless of my size.”
Fast forward 10 years to Vancouver, Canada and Lucy was struggling to make meaningful connections in her new city. “You get to a certain age and everyone already has their ‘groups,’ the people they hang out with. I didn’t really connect with the people I was working with so as a new immigrant and a woman in my mid-twenties I was definitely searching for like-minded people. I spent a lot of time skating round the seawall on my own!”
It was during one of those skates that Lucy stumbled across the newly-formed Terminal City Rollergirls, one of the first roller derby leagues in North America. “From the very first meeting I was blown away! They were this awe-inspiring group of fearless women, doing a crazy new sport and building an incredible world-wide community. I’d finally found a place where I felt like I fit in.” Lucy joined up on the spot, took on the derby name Luludemon and went on to compete with Team Canada at the first Roller Derby World Cup.
“Being on roller-skates makes me feel like a super-hero! It has brought so many incredible, inspiring people into my life and made me the fittest I’ve ever been at age 35. Skating reminds me that it doesn’t matter how many times I fall down, because I can always find a way to get back up again.”
Lucy teamed up with Carla Smith aka Booty Quake to found Rolla Skate Club in 2018. She is also a founding board member of the Girls on Track Foundation and volunteers as a mentor with The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs.
Lucy Croysdill (left) and Carla Smith (right) – Rolla Skate Club Founders