Many students at Lewis & Clark balance academics and athletics, but some special students fly under the radar by succeeding in athletics outside of the teams LC has to offer. One of these students is Shelby Castro ’25, better known as Lil’ RegulateHer when she plays on one of Portland’s roller derby teams, the Rose City Rollers’ inter-league team Wheels of Justice.
Castro has been playing roller derby for 15 years, starting on skates when she was just six years old. Castro followed in her mother’s footsteps, who introduced her to roller derby. Castro’s derby pseudonym, Lil’ RegulateHer, follows her mother’s derby name, RegulateHer, based on the song “Regulate” by Warren G., with a twist.
“In derby, a lot of it is women empowering, as well as gender expansive and inclusive. So a lot of people’s names in the beginning of derby ended in ‘Her.’ So my mom’s derby name is RegulateHer, and my derby name is Lil’ RegulateHer. I took on that name, but it’s a fun name to play around with and live up to just because the song is very strong and old yet fun,” Castro said.
Castro began her skating career in her hometown of Ventura, California. She now skates for the travel team Wheels of Justice, where she has been playing for the last two years.
“It’s been really exciting to be able to continue my youth sport into adulthood because I know a lot of people don’t unless it is through the college. I’m looking forward to and feel excited for the opportunity to continue playing during college as well as after that,” Castro said.
In roller derby, each team has one jammer who wears a star on their helmet. The jammer’s job is to accumulate points by skating fast, getting a point for every opposing blocker they pass. The blockers, four for each team, play defense, trying to stop the opposing jammer from getting through the “pack” of blockers, while bolstering the success of their own jammer. There are two 30-minute periods composed of two minute “jams.” Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport where every player relies on their team.
“I just think the sport itself is very unique, because there’s different spots, but in each spot there’s always something to do. There’s no dull moment within the jam,” Castro said.
Castro primarily plays in the jamming position on the Wheels of Justice team.
“I’m the person running through the pack and avoiding getting hit, but that’s absolutely unavoidable. That’s why we have all the gear of helmet, wrist pads and everything you need. I’m mainly focusing on getting through the pack as fast as possible and getting back around as fast as possible to do it again. Making sure my body is safe while making sure to find the smallest holes on the track,” Castro said.
Continuing to the adult league came with a shift for Castro: she is the youngest skater on Wheels of Justice at 21 years old. The oldest people on her team are around 40-45.
“There’s a really large range of ages, and it does bring a unique dynamic of having to find commonalities between people on and off the track. But I think because so many people have played the sport for so long, we have that one strong passion and interest, which definitely makes the team connect,” Castro said.
Castro discussed how interesting it is to hear from older teammates about how derby has gotten them to where they are now. Castro also expressed her gratitude to have some mentors, especially teammates closer to her age around 24-30.
“It’s a really fun dynamic to experience, in life, but also in derby, having mentors who are a little bit younger or closer to my age,” said Castro.
Recently, Castro competed with Wheels of Justice in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Global Championships. The tournament was hosted in Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 1-3, bringing together 13 teams from across the globe who won their regional competitions. The Wheels of Justice competed in three games over the weekend, beating out Arch Rival Roller Derby from St. Louis in the final game to win gold.
“That has been the team that we’ve been competing a lot with ability. It was a very intense game. A lot of the games we played earlier, the spreads were a bit wider, it was a bit comfortable, but definitely in this final bout it was much more close and a lot more intense because every point mattered,” Castro said. “We fought tooth and nail literally to the end of it, blood, sweat and tears on the track to get that.”
Rose City Rollers has won the WFTDA Global Championships for the last five years. The star team has recently completed USA Roller Derby training. A few skaters from Wheels of Justice, including Castro, have been selected to play for the United States in The Roller Derby World Cup, which will take place on July 3-6, 2025 in Innsbruck, Austria.
“Derby is prevalent in many different parts of the world, so I’m really excited for the World Cup coming up in the summer and traveling there and just being really excited to be part of the number one roller derby team in the world,” Castro said.
The World Cup will be set on an anticipated five separate tracks in the Olympiaworld venue, which was originally constructed to host the 1964 Olympics. This will make it the largest Roller Derby World Cup to date.
Castro is looking forward to continuing in the roller derby world for years to come. Although she expressed she may have to focus more on school and starting a career in the upcoming years, derby is always going to be a big part of her life.
“Derby, and skating primarily, are very important to who I am,” said Castro. “It maintains my balance in self and my self interests along with my career and future goals.”
The Rose City Rollers have their next bout Dec. 7 against the Discordias out of Mexico City. If you want to watch more of Castro and her team, tickets are available online.
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