Lacey resident Michelle Flores, who goes by “Chichi” in roller derby, says a birthday wish was granted when she got the call that she had made Team Puerto Rico for the Roller Derby Worlds held in Innsbruck, Austria, July 3-6, 2025. Roller Derby is a fast, full-contact sport where two teams battle it out to score against each other while traveling a large, flat loop course.
“I am eager to play for Team Puerto Rico because I take immense pride in my island and heritage. My tenacity is a reflection of the resilience that defines Puerto Ricans,” Chichi wrote on GoFundMe. “Aside from RollerCon, I haven’t had many opportunities to skate alongside fellow Puerto Ricans, and I am truly excited for the chance to do so.”
She had to raise funds to pay for her way to the Worlds, but it was a chance she was not going to miss.
Roller Derby in Thurston County a Great Way to Make Friends
Flores, 36, has been roller skating since she was a kid. “There wasn’t much to do in the small town I grew up in, so my mom took my sister and me to the skating rink often,” she says. When Flores, 21 at the time, came across a Facebook post for a new roller derby team near her home in Texas, she jumped at the chance. She has enjoyed the sport ever since.
“The camaraderie for sure!” Flores says when asked what her favorite thing about roller derby is. “You could be fighting for your life against a tough team and there will always be someone to remind you to have fun. There is also nothing better than when your team works together to execute the perfect play. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends. When I moved to Washington, one of the first things I did was find a team to join so I wouldn’t be bored or alone. I still talk to my old teammates from Texas and Oklahoma!”
Here in Washington, Flores skates with South Sound Roller Derby and Dockyard Roller Derby’s Wave of Mutilation in Tacoma. She says the events – called roller derby bouts – are fun and exciting, for the players as well as the spectators. Two teams of five skaters compete in a two-minute jam on the oval track. The goal is to have the jammer – person with a white star on their helmet – lap the other team to score points. The other four people on the team are there to block and hinder the other team’s jammer while helping their own. Flores says there are raffles, a half-time show and lots of excitement. “We like to make sure everyone has fun when they come watch,” she adds.
Local Roller Derby Player Makes Debut at Worlds
Getting to compete with Team Puerto Rico was a dream come true for Flores, one that wouldn’t have even been possible a few years ago. “Previously, to be on Team Puerto Rico you had to live on the island,” Flores explains. “They were supposed to go to the 2018 World Cup but couldn’t because of Hurricane Maria in 2017. After Hurricane Maria, the teams on Puerto Rico dissolved and had to take a hiatus. Now Team PR is diasporic, most people who went are on the east coast and only three of us are on the west.”
She had to submit an application including why she wanted to skate for Puerto Rico, video footage of her competing and a letter from her coach. “Also, when I blew out my birthday candle, I made a wish that I would join the team. I think that sealed the deal for me,” she smiles.
Going to the Roller Derby Worlds was a big deal for Flores as it was her first time. Unlike most sports, the team didn’t get to train together before competing. “Most of us skated for the first time together in Austria,” she says.
“I still get emotional thinking about [Worlds],” she says. “To know that there were 48 teams that went to represent their nations/culture at such a high-level tournament is beautiful. The World Cup is what took Team Puerto Rico out of its hiatus since 2014. But, it was fun to meet other players, volunteers and officials from different countries. I’m usually shy, but I can talk derby all day long.”
At the Roller Derby Worlds, Team Puerto Rico won two out of their three games. “I am so proud of my team for being able to get together and do so well after just meeting each other,” says Flores, who is already planning on making on the next World Cup team. When she is not on skates, Flores is a practice manager at an optometry clinic and enjoys playing soccer with her son.
