Katy Mabeck was looking for a healthy outlet during a stressful time when she came across the Dubbo Stampede.
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"Initially, the name caught my attention. Then, when perusing the website, I liked the inclusive nature and positive vibe," she said.
Ms Mabeck lives in Oregon in the United States. As a roller derby competitor, she'll be skating the 21.1 kilometre Zebra Zoom.
"I found out about it on active.com when searching for virtual races," Ms Mabeck said.
"I'm a mum and high school teacher who is just trying to cope with stress related to increased COVID cases in our area, our dire political situation, and school closures; virtual races have been a healthy outlet."
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Skating is nothing new. Ms Mabeck has been doing it since she was seven. But it wasn't until she was an adult that she started taking part in roller derby.
"I grew up roller skating, in-line skating, and casually played in-line hockey in high school. About 12 years ago, I saw my first roller derby bout, and I was in awe," she said.
"Several years later, after having kids (and finally sleeping again), I went through derby bootcamp and worked my way up to the roster so I could participate in bouts for Sick Town Derby Dames in Corvallis."
To get ready for the Stampede, Ms Mabeck has been skating more frequently and for longer distances. She's even hoping to rope in a few more derby friends to join her.
"I have always wanted to travel to Australia, so it's fun to be connected for a bit, albeit virtually," she said.
The virtual Dubbo Stampede will be held on August 30. More information is available on the Stampede website.