The H.A.R.D. Dark Sky Starlets vs. The AZRD Bad News Beaters - Flagstaff, Arizona Photography
There are two new things being introduced on my site today... First is Dig Into, a new series that will be popping up on this blog, highlighting people and organizations in the Flagstaff community. I've grown up in Arizona my whole life, and if you have too, then you've probably heard numerous times how boring family and friends think your home state is. I think people get tired of living in the same area, so I would guess it happens in every state... But I love AZ, including all the good, amazing things happening here and I want a place to share them! The second thing is the very first organization being introduced in this series! So without further ado, let's talk about H.A.R.D.
My introduction to roller derby was my mom reminiscing on her childhood days spent roller skating down her street pretending to be a derby girl. I thought it sounded cool, but since I was never able to see roller derby on the television like my mom had, my roller skating days were spent pretending to be figure skater, Michelle Kwan. Flash forward to my college years and I was finally at my first derby bout! It was so much fun to cheer on the teams and make up potential derby names for everyone. When I moved to Flagstaff, I was a little worried my derby watching days were over, but I quickly learned about Flagstaff's very own High Altitude Roller Derby.
I think roller derby is such an exciting sport to watch because of the strong women battling it out on the track. There's a fierce sense of empowerment in roller derby and it's an idea I was very eager to capture through photography. H.A.R.D. brings this strength and empowerment to the community, but they bring a little extra too. While providing the fun and excitement of derby to Flagstaff, H.A.R.D. is also benefitting organizations through charitable donations and service, building their community in another aspect. Through these photographs I hope you can see the strength, empowerment, and community rooted in roller derby!
