Call to Action: Send Team USA to the White House
Team USA representatives recently got in touch with us to let us know about an incredible initiative they're launching. They want to send Team USA to the White House to be honored for their great achievement on the world stage. We wanted to share this with you, and ask that you share it with everyone you know who loves roller derby and wants to see it gain the legitimacy it deserves.
What: A letter writing campaign to the White House asking that the president honor the women of Team USA. Feel free to use our stock letter or write your own. Please stay respectful and on point. If you write a letter on behalf of this campaign you are representing the whole roller derby community. If we each send an e-mail, it will be very hard to ignore our request. You can easily e-mail the White House through this link, http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments.
Why: Team USA deserves this honor for their skill, dedication and accomplishments. Also, this will help further legitimize our sport. Finally, as amazing as it sounds, there are still people out there who don't know about the modern roller derby movement! This is another opportunity for us to reach those people.
What else can you do to help: Encourage everyone you know to write a letter, it takes two minutes to copy and paste.
If you know any politicians enlist their help!
Share with your leaguemates, through Facebook, through Twitter, etc.
COPY AND PASTE BELOW. USE The category "We the People-Petitions"
Dear Mr. President;
In the long history of Presidents honoring our nation’s sports champions, I would like to take a moment to ask you to consider honoring our nation's newest sports heroines, the Blood & Thunder Roller Derby World Cup Champions, Team USA. This group of fearless women took to the roller derby flat track and scored a total of 2,110 points in their games to their competitors' 59 total points. The competition came from across the globe including England, Germany, Brazil and Australia just to name a few.
The women on Team USA come from across the United States. These women are the best that modern roller derby has to offer and exemplify what the sport of roller derby is doing for America. Women reinvented a forgotten sport, made it legitimate and now it is the fastest growing sport in the world.
Modern roller derby is composed of a whole generation of women running businesses, finding the joy of physical fitness and nutrition, it is creating a new community and giving back where they live. It’s not just women; there are men's leagues and junior leagues that are doing the same. Currently, there are 214 leagues associated with the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association; this movement is a powerful positive change in this country. The roller derby community is teaching their children through example that women are beautiful when they are strong, that making healthy choices are the right choices, that they should be engaged in our world.
Each league is a business run by the skaters for the skaters. Through running their own business young women are learning career skills. They work together to analyze finances, run human relations departments, train, and run events. Safety is taken seriously and each league enlists the help of local trainers and health care professional to help keep everyone safe.
I humbly ask that you recognize what this movement is doing for this country by honoring their finest skaters. Thank you for your time.
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Comments
Thank you for contacting the
Thank you for contacting the White House.
It's really easy!
Don't put it off til later--it'll take you 2 minutes. Thanks everyone!
Less than 2 minutes!
Thank you for contacting the White House.
Everyone should do this - it takes less than 2 minutes!
Done and Done. What a wonderful idea! Good luck in your quest, ladies!
Done
Sent. But man...that sample text really made me realize how much I hate the way roller derby uses the term "league" though. So confusing when you're used to ANY other sport (imagine 200+ football or basketball or hockey "leauges"). Oh well, I'll get over it! :-)
Done!
This is a great idea! These ladies deserve some recognition!
Super quick to do
Done Did it :D Hope this gets the attention it deserves!
macrocosm
My eyes misted up and my throat clenched with a genuinely surprising feeling of pride and patriotism-- so unexpected I almost didn't recognize what I felt-- when I watched Team USA skate out and play. I tried to get everyone I know to watch the world cup, I camped out all weekend in the only place in town with sufficient internet (good ol' McD's!), and the most recent time I told someone how badly Team USA kicked their county's team's ass was only about 48 hours ago (prior to my reading of this article). I respect the fuck out of everyone on this team and am proud that my favorite sport has such skilled ambassadors for the rest of the world, because they represent our future.
I also think this idea is absurd, and whoever came up with it either has no idea how incredibly busy and important the president of the United States is with real issues, or is so meglomaniacal they actually think just because they're really really really good at playing roller derby they're ever infinitesimally as important, and they need to take a step back and see the world at large for a reality check, because even though I respect the fuck out of them this skill does not qualify them to meet the fucking president of the fucking United States.
Dahmernatrix,
Dahmernatrix,
I appreciate your point of view and had the same thoughts myself.
As the main idea person behind this project and the author of the sample letter I would like to clarify a few things. I am fully aware of how busy and important President Obama is. However, the president regularly finds time out of his schedule to recognize the accomplishments of this countries athletes.
I don't have time to fully research but I would be willing to bet that every Superbowl winner, Stanley Cup winner and World Series winner have met the president. Well, except Tim Thomas but that's another story. Many national high school champions and college champions have had the honor of meeting the president. These are all athletes who are champions on a NATIONAL stage. Team USA roller derby are champions on a GLOBAL stage. Don't you feel that Team USA has earned this honor?
Also, it is an election year and the president will be doing his best to shake as many hands and kiss as many babies as he can for the rest of the year. By recognizing Team USA, he would practically secure a vote from every single roller derby player in this country. I say practically because we are all different individuals with different political views, but he would earn a lot of respect in our community.
I am not someone who is "really really really good at playing roller derby they're ever infinitesimally as important". I am actually an announcer who has been retired from skating derby for over a year.
Many of us in the roller derby community are trying to further legitimize our sport and the hard work we put into it. This is an excellent opportunity to move closer to that goal.
And finally, a girl can dream - can't she?