The Mad Knockers, based out of Antrim, are a roller derby team in the Monadnock Roller Derby league.

They started 2009, and also have a junior team affiliate, the Mad Misfits. The team is highlighted by player, coach, president and longest-tenured player, known as Cow Plow, who has been around since the beginning.

Smash Ketchum only picked up roller derby a year ago, and while she has come a long way with her skills, that’s not what it’s about for her.

“Derby is very inclusive, and a great community, which is perfect because a lot of us can’t get that community anywhere else,” she said.

Roller derby is closely tied with the LGBT community. As Smash Ketchum said, ” LGBT culture is interwoven through roller derby,” which is why everyone has their own nicknames and are only referred to as such in the context of derby as an expression of their personality.

“I’m Smash Ketchum because I love the Pokemon games, and my number is 151 because that was the amount of Pokemon in the original Pokedex,” she said.

Plow Cow said, “I’m obsessed with cows; that is the reason for my cow car outside.”

The team faced some challenges ahead of their first bout July 28, as they were struggling to find enough players, which is a common problem with roller derby due to the lack of exposure to the sport.

The Knockers have a total of 15 players on their roster, which is just enough to have a scrimmage. However, they only have eight skaters, and 25 players is the ideal roster size for a roller derby squad.

“You can come from anywhere, it’s a very inclusive sport,” Smash Ketchum said.

Fan of the Mad Knockers, and parent of one of the Mad Misfits, Sarah Kirn said “My daughter has loved to skate since she was 7, and wanted to play something that involved roller skating.” Other parents shared similar experiences, but they all had the same thing to say about the sport, which is that it is incredibly entertaining to watch.

The team practices Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and practices are an open environment. The team did speed skate tests during a recent practice, and everyone had a specific mark that they wanted to meet. Whether or not they met the mark, their teammates were supportive.

For information, visit monadnockrollerderby.com.