TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Odin’s Lair hosted the Capital City Crushers for their axe-throwing competition.
The Crushers, established in 2007, are a roller derby team based out of Topeka.
More than ever, the team needs community support as they travel to other states for competitions.
“Everything with roller derby is ran by the skaters,” team captain Ashley Weber said. “We don’t have an owner, we are the ones that are making all the decisions, we’re the ones doing all the things to make the league run. So it really takes that community to really help us get where we need to go.”
The Crushers say support from community members on days like today is rewarding.
“It means a lot when people come out to support us just because we are a local organization, so we’re always doing things within our community,” team member Mattie Ritz-Tillman said. “So it’s nice to see that in return for members of the community coming out and supporting.”
“It means a lot to know that our hard work’s paying off to have people come out and support us in that way,” Weber said.
Odin’s Lair supports small businesses to make a name for themselves as well.
“Any local group like that, we like to support,” Odin’s Lair owner Buddy Haynes said. “It’s a win-win for us that they get extra funds to do whatever they need it for, and then we get more faces in here that don’t normally come in here.”
For any Topeka business, it’s all about working together.
“Just to keep Topeka thriving,” Haynes said. “I mean, it has its rollercoasters, it goes up and down, and everything. But we try to help out the other businesses, we want the other businesses to help us out. If we can work together, the more the merrier.”
The Capital City Crushers have plans to travel to Oklahoma and Nebraska later this year. Sunday’s axe-throwing competition helped raise funds for their endeavors.
Their next game is Saturday, May 10, at 5:15 p.m. at Sk8Away in Topeka.
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