Hard Knox Roller Derby

20 years of HKRD. 20 seasons of Barbara Bushwhacker.

Bush has brought dedication, leadership and heart to this league, inspiring generations of skaters.

Cheers to 20 incredible seasons and to you, Bush! 🥂🛼

🔥🔥🔥

Roller derby is a sport unlike any other. Hard Knox, the local league, is celebrating two decades of roughhousing and relationship building. See link below ⬇️

📸 Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel

Some Hard Knox history requires a little context. Some of it requires absolutely no context at all. 😂

Twenty years of roller derby leaves behind a LOT of memories, and more than a few questionable decisions along the way.

As we get ready to celebrate 20 years of Hard Knox this Saturday, we dug through the archives for a few moments that made us laugh, made us nostalgic or made us ask, “What exactly was happening here?”

Hard Knox alumni, this one’s for you. Tell us what you remember. Better yet, drop your favorite Hard Knox memory in the comments. 👇

And come see even more from the archives Saturday at our 20th Birthday Bash!

Before the Allstars, Brawlers, Mayhem and our baby Hooligans, there was this. 💚🖤

In 2006, a group in Knoxville strapped on skates and started something that would still be rolling 20 years later. The uniforms looked different. The rules were different. The track was different. But this was the beginning of Hard Knox as we know it.

These are some of the faces, teams, and moments from those earliest days, when Hard Knox Roller Girls was just getting started, and nobody could have known what it would grow into.

This Saturday, we’re celebrating 20 years of Hard Knox Roller Derby, and all week long we’ll be digging into the archives to share pieces of the history that got us here.

And trust us, we found some GOOD stuff. 👀

Recognize someone in these photos? Tag them below and help us fill in the history with your own pictures.

Then come see even more Saturday, with 20 years of photos, posters, programs, jerseys, gear, and memorabilia on display at our Hard Knox Roller Derby: 20th Birthday Bash & Triple Header.

📍 Knoxville, Tennessee
📅 2006 → 2026
💚 20 years of Hard Knox

🤘🦓 IT’S THROB ZOMBIE’S BIRTHDAY! 🧟‍♂️🎂
Today we’re celebrating Throb Zombie, the man who has spent the last 15 years blowing whistles, calling penalties, chasing jammers around the track, and standing faithfully beside our fearless leader and his loving wifey, Barbara Bushwhacker.

Throb’s Hard Knox story started back in 2011, when he heard a radio ad shouting about roller derby in Knoxville. He looked us up, saw the words, “WE NEED REFS!”, and within hours, Throb Zombie was born.

And he’s been one of our favorite zebras ever since. 🦓

Throb has always loved being right in the middle of the action, especially as a jammer ref, flying around the track alongside our jammers while somehow keeping track of points, penalties, and all the chaos happening around him.

When he isn’t wearing stripes, Throb is a rock-and-roll guy through and through. His derby name and #1965 are a tribute to Rob Zombie, and he’s even played bass in a local rock band. Hard Knox once surprised Throb and Bushwhacker with tickets to see Rob Zombie for his birthday, a gift he says years later still means the world to him. 🤘

Happy birthday, Throb! Thanks for all the whistles, the years, and for knowing better than anyone that where Barbara Bushwhacker goes, you go. 🖤💚

Everyone give our favorite Zombie some birthday love! 🧟‍♂️🎉

20 years. So many people, so many memories. 💚

Hard Knox has always been about more than roller derby. It’s teammates who became family, hard-fought bouts, long practices, big laughs, hard goodbyes and plenty of blood, sweat and tears along the way.

Ahead of our 20th anniversary bout this weekend, we dug through the archives. This photo dump can’t possibly capture everyone or everything that has made Hard Knox what it is, so help us fill in the gaps.

Tag yourself. Tag someone you haven’t seen in far too long. Share your favorite memory in the comments. And this weekend, bring a favorite Hard Knox photo or write down a memory to add to our physical 20th Anniversary Memory Wall at the bout.

To every skater, official, volunteer, fan, friend and supporter who has played even a small part in keeping roller derby alive in Knoxville for the past 20 years: thank you. This league wouldn’t still be here without you.

Here’s to 20 years of Hard Knox and everyone who helped make them possible.

Take a look! Is that a butterfly in the sky? No- it's the Locas!

There has been a rebranding this season - an "evolution" if you will.
The former Lolitas Locas have burst through their cacoons and transformed into the La Vida Locas!

In the spirit and the "extra-ness" of the Locas- the final logo(s) are still to be revealed - stay tuned!
In the meantime, pick up this sticker located at the merch table - while supplies last.

With our 20th year birthday bash this Saturday, we wanted to remind everyone of the rebranding that has happened the past few years of ALL home teams, so you can still represent your team if you so choose.

For those confused- Hard Knox breaks all skaters into "home teams" (La Vida Locas, Bombshell Betties, and Moonshine Moxies) so we can scrimmage and keep up our competitiveness when we don't have official games during the season.

Hope to see you Saturday- and remember, Locas for Life!

**Disclaimer- this post was not written by AI- we are just very excited and very corny. 😂**

📸 John Edwin May