{"id":25277,"date":"2021-06-29T14:26:18","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T21:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000021014"},"modified":"2021-06-29T14:29:58","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T21:29:58","slug":"time-is-nearly-out-for-mimi-masher-and-her-rare-banked-roller-derby-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/time-is-nearly-out-for-mimi-masher-and-her-rare-banked-roller-derby-track","title":{"rendered":"Time is nearly out for Mimi Masher and her rare banked roller derby track"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though Mimi Masher knew she had her work cut out for in 2019<\/a>, trying to bring back a rare banked roller derby track to Long Beach, 2020 proved to be the most trying for the local skate advocate and junior roller derby coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if we had a building, we couldn’t use it,\u201d Masher said. \u201cRoller derby is a close-contact sport. The city was not issuing any sort of permits for it\u2014it was one of the very last tiers of things to be released.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, halfway through 2021, the pressure and bills are mounting for Masher, who wants to keep the track in the city, but can\u2019t afford the $600 monthly storage payments much longer as the price hikes up each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started out at $345\u2014that\u2019s how long it\u2019s been in storage. It just keeps going up and up and up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Through the pandemic Masher fruitlessly sought out a big enough warehouse with enough square footage (some 28,000 at least), fire exits and parking for a roller sports venue. The spaces she found that could accommodate were in expensive, cannabis-zoned buildings. Well out of her price range, she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
One of the Kitten Traxx derby tracks being used by the Arizona Derby Dames in 2010. Masher’s track is also a rare, Kitten Traxx-style track and looks like the one pictured above. Photo courtesy James Jones.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, Masher said she and her husband resorted to living frugally, even selling their personal belongings such as her husband\u2019s motorcycle to cover the storage costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe white-knuckled it, basically,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to sell it or give it away. I cannot keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giving it away would be the last resort, Masher said. Her focus right now is generating some kind of revenue to cover storage costs while she renews her search and continues talks with the city\u2019s economic development department.<\/p>\n

Her \u201clast-ditch\u201d effort on that front was organizing a virtual 5k\/10k fundraising race. Profits from sign-ups would be donated toward storage costs.<\/p>\n

The race technically ends June 30, but Masher said she still has a few medals for people who might still like to participate. Those who would like to donate directly can also do so on her website, socalskatespace.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Though finding a suitable space within her budget is the most daunting task, Masher admits that convincing people of the potential for the space is tough, too.<\/p>\n

Long Beach is saturated with shopping and dining options but lacks activity-based entertainment Masher explained. The track could be used for more than just roller derby, but for free skate events, workout classes, skate lessons and after-school programs for children. It could also be a great tourist attraction, Masher said, much like the Derby United outdoor roller rink in San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m just trying to get the city to recognize the value in it and help us find a place that we can go to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Masher said she\u2019d also be open to moving the track to anyone willing to house it\u2014it could fit in a two-car garage when disassembled\u2014but understands that moving the 44-piece track is a massive undertaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes like 15 to 30 people to move it, and three moving trucks [to transport],\u201d she said. \u201cEach track piece takes four to six people to lift it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, once the track is fully assembled, it\u2019s pretty magnificent. The track, laid out in all its glory, lives on in the 2020 Harley Quinn movie \u201cBirds of Prey,\u201d where a recently emancipated Harley Quinn (Margo Robbie) blows off some steam a la roller derby style takedowns.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=86V-UM_5OTc<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Despite Masher\u2019s looming anxiety about the future for the track, she\u2019s choosing to stay optimistic while she fervently searches for options. Whether that\u2019s raising the money herself to find a warehouse, or relinquishing ownership to the city which might have more luck finding a space\u2014she doesn\u2019t care, just as long as it\u2019s in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t want to have to sell it to somebody in a different state. It was built by skaters here. I\u2019m just trying to bring the community together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

To donate visit Mimi Masher\u2019s website, go to socalskatespace.com<\/a> or visit her GoFundMe, here<\/a>. Follow Masher on Instagram<\/a> to stay in the loop or to contact her directly.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more information on the track and Masher’s efforts in 2019 check out this previous story:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/can-mimi-masher-bring-banked-track-roller-derby-back-to-long-beach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The pressure and bills are mounting for Masher, who wants to keep the track in the city, but can\u2019t afford the $600 monthly storage payments much longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":70660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1452,28473],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[8767],"class_list":["post-25277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-roller-derby","tag-roller-skating","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25277"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=25277"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=25277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}