Roller Derby Makes a KC Comeback

When Brooke Leavitt lost her right arm in a school bus accident when she was 3, little did she know her handicap would help re-launch roller derby in the Midwest, reports the Steady Burn blog. Leavitt skates for the Knockouts in the four-team Kansas City Roller Warriors women's roller derby league, which will be featured today on ESPN's Sportscenter.

Leavitt (known as Dirty Britches #2), Eanna Johnson, and Mandy Durham started the league in 2004. The top match that season drew 800 fans. Last season's final drew 2,200, and the league hopes to top 4,000 this season. All the women work day jobs, including Leavitt, who is a librarian. An All-Star team from the KC league competed in Women's Flat Track Derby Association National in September in Austin, Texas. (More Roller derby stories.)