MOOSIC, Pa. — Instead of skating, they'll be sipping this weekend.
"I'm excited to taste all the wines, but I'm just looking forward to having a great day. It's supposed to be nice and sunny tomorrow," said Stephanie Engle, a coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Roller Derby League.
The group is hosting an event on Saturday called Radical Winefest.
"That's named after our team: The Roller Radicals. It's right here at the Roller Derby Factory," said Chelsi Heinrich. "We have just shy of 30 vendors, nine of which are wineries, cideries, and we actually have Sango Kura Sake joining us."
It'll mainly serve as a fundraiser for the league. Money raised will help cover things like rent and utilities, but also as a way to get more people interested in the sport.
"Hopefully, we get people in the door to the Winefest, and then two weeks later, they're at our game," Heinrich said.
Or maybe even playing in a game. Last year, the group added a few new skaters to their roster after the event.
If you're unfamiliar with roller derby, here's how coach Stephanie describes the sport.
"I like to call it physical chess. It's very physical. You get tons of endurance, but you also have to think, plan out, and strategize."
"There's a lot of wow factor, like the first big hit you see. That's why we have our splash zone here," Heinrich said.
Sydney Smith-Senese experienced that wow factor when she first joined the team in January.
"When I first got here, I was like, 'What? What was that?'"
Now, she can hardly wait until she has enough training under her belt to play at the contact level.
You can learn more about roller derby, taste some wine, and shop your way through the vendor tables on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Roller Derby Factory, 4951 Birney Avenue in Moosic.
Tickets are $10 if you buy them online, $20 at the door, and $5 for designated drivers. Buy tickets here or here, and find out more about the event, including what vendors will be there, here.
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