Grand Rapids' roller derby league Grand Raggidy Roller Girls will be hosting its fifth Running of the Bulls charity pub crawl on Saturday, August 10. Members of Grand Raggidy will dress as bulls and chase participants from bar to bar as they complete a scavenger hunt at various bars in Downtown Grand Rapids. The event will raise money for the Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan.
Members of Grand Raggidy will be selling Running of the Bulls t-shirts at downtown bars participating in the event from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, August 8. Registration will be held at HopCat, the starting location for the pub crawl, from 10-11 a.m. the day of the event. Event t-shirts and wristbands for drink specials will be sold during registration.
Nine bars in Downtown Grand Rapids will be participating in the event including J. Gardella's and The Pyramid Scheme. Participants can earn points throughout the scavenger hunt by completing challenges at each location. Challenges include completing activities such as arm wrestling a derby girl or taking a photo with someone who fits a particular description. At the end of the bar crawl, the participant with the most points will win a grand prize. Awards such as "Clumsiest Runner," "Scavenger Hunt Extraordinaire" and "Best-Dressed Runner" will be handed out. Certificates and prizes for each award are from sponsors, such as a free massage from Active Life Chiropractic.
New this year is a phone application that will allow participants to keep track of earned points on their smartphone. Those without smartphones can still participate in the event but will not be able to collect points on their phone. Information on how to download the phone application will be made available the day of the event.
Some previous participants have dressed up in costume or worn event t-shirts. Members of Grand Raggidy dress as the girliest bulls ever seen, says Emily "Bidi Bidi Bang Bang" Hammes, a member of Grand Raggidy. The derby girls wear horns on their helmets or use pool noodles as horns. The theme of the event is based on the Running of the Bulls races held throughout Spain in which people race to a finish line while being chased by bulls.
The event will end around 3 p.m. at Grand Rapids Brewing Company. Some participants and Grand Raggidy members, however, may hang out at the bar afterward to socialize and get to know each other.
"It's a lot of fun. It's a good way for people who go to games to meet some of the skaters off the track too," says Hammes. "It's a cool opportunity to see what people are really like off the track."
Grand Raggidy competes in the North Central Region of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The Grand Rapids league recently broke into Division 1 of WFTA. Grand Raggidy Roller Girls are currently ranked 40 in the world out of 198 leagues.
"I don't think a lot of people realize how much work and effort we put into playing roller derby. It's a commitment that we're all really proud of," says Hammes.
The league has been practicing at least three times a week now that it has placed into a new division. The commitment is worth it, says Hammes.
"The people that you get to meet, the fun you get to have: it's a good way to get out there and just skate, be yourself and meet a whole bunch of cool girls who are just out there to have fun," she says. "We like to include everyone in it, whether it be at a game, at an after party, the fans [or] just the people around us."
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