Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

KINGSFORD -- Saying roller derby was new for members of the Kingsford Krush when the team formed in January might be an understatement.

"I knew nothing,” said Tela Hereau.  “All I knew is you skate around in circles, and now I am the team coach.”

Once Hereau laced on the skates and tried it out, she was hooked on the sport, and that mentality spread quickly through the community.

"It's something for us moms and girls to go out and do, and it's something for us,” she said.  “When we started off there were about 10 girls, and the word got out and now we have about 30."

The team practices twice per week and is hoping to begin competing against other teams in Michigan and Wisconsin this summer.

The majority of the members of the Kingsford Krush didn't even try roller derby until January.  So I decided to find out how hard can it be?

The skating part is definitely harder than it looks.  But thanks to Hereau's instruction, I started to get the hang of it...minus the controlled falling part.

Just like I needed all the help I could get, the Kingsford Krush need your help as well.

The league is in the running for the Readers Digest's "We Hear You America" campaign to get funding for its own arena in Kingsford.

"Each day we keep going up another level in the Reader's Digest contest,” said Kingsford Krush member Lynn Currie.  “Facebook is flooded with requests to vote for us from people I don't even know."