Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Kenyon.
Hi Adam, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
MI Roller Derby, originally Mitten Kittens & spun off into the longest-running statewide annual playoff tournaments. It simultaneously functioned as an organizing force to help Michigan-based leagues to help coordinate their competition, scheduling. facilitate staff training and game opportunities, and sharing insights into operating their leauges. It is really a dedicated group of roller derby Michiganders – and a number of cartoon cats that temporarily appear in three or more dimensions, The The need that sparked the first State Team (a subset of Collective Teams in the sport).
The name and the visage of Mitty, the primary Mitten Kitten existed prior to the team. I am unsure if we were the first collective team to play publicly but we debuted in 2007 in Chicago after the Windy City Rollers had a skater go down with a terrible injury during a fluke fall at halftime of a double-header. That event was called off halfway through. but as a result WCR was in a bad spot because by contract their venue insisted that they had to provide the fans with the 2nd halves of the doubleheader games. (It was staggered with the first halves of both games first then the 2nd half of the first game after the 1st half of the… you get it). With a huge bill on their hands Windy City thought to add an additional game featuring the all-star team so they could sell additional tickets. They reached out to Detroit who could only promise a handful of skaters on short notice, so I recommended they reach out to Grand Raggidy, who also only had half a team. Well it took a math genius, but we put the two together and created flat track roller derby’s first State Collective Team, called ourselves the Mitten Kittens and went down to play our frenemies who advocate for an abomination that is just pizza ingredients in a casserole. We had a blast, lost with style, and from there we’ve travelled from coast to coast, helping when teams need an opponent or sometimes just getting a group of skaters in or from Michigan together for a fun outing against some great competition. When I sparked the idea for the statewide tourney, Mitten Kittens was a natural fit since the team and logo were already beloved.
Some say Mitty is an ancient Michigan cryptid that finally found a place where they felt comfortable enough to show themselves because the community and vibes at the annual Mitten Kitten Mash-Ups. We had our first tourney and sighting in 2011 when a few roller derby volunteers decided Michigan should have its own tournament, and in 3 months time we pulled together a stressful but successful event! The fun and comeraderie of the Michigan roller derby community was great, folks from out of state came and even then some well-travelled folks in the community said it was one of, if not the best, tournament they’d been to. We’ve been rolling since then hosting annual statewide competitions around the state. Detroit’s Motor City Disassembly Line (the B team at the time, now C and competing this year) were victorious and were the first to raise the Kitten Cup. Absolute legend Cookie Rumble (now Carey Finn-Purcella) managed to wrestle and wrangle Mitty in some halftime entertainment and since his defeat he graces us with his goofy pink grin annually.
The fun and friendly feel of the Mitten Kittens persists in different incarnations at different times, but we really had a push from dedicated skaters who frequently played together on the Kittens to make a more ‘serious’ Michigan competitive collective team so we spun off Team Michigan a number of years ago. That super-team has played at state team tournaments for about a decade at tournaments like Battle of the Allstars in PA, State Wars in Florida, Y’Allstars in Louisiana, and recently started hosting our own. I’ve wanted to pick up the mantle left idle after the State Wars tournaments died off, and like something out of a sci-fi fantasy a new hope was born in 2024 – Skate Wars. The following year Skate Wars 2 our own hosting Team Michigan won in a series of great games, taking down Team Florida in the final for our first tournament gold after rising the ranks of state and collective teams. This year’s Mitten Kitten Slash-Up (we’re going with a horror/Halloween theme!) will feature collective teams like Over 40, Divergence, and some aged up juniors called the Queen Beez. Detroit Mens Roller Derby will also be in MRDA action against Race City Rebels out of Indianapolis.
So, this year we’ve got womens, open gender, youth of both stripes, and play levels of all kinds available for skaters and fans. There is the annual Scrim Scram on Sunday mornings which give new skaters a chance to play with some of Team Michigan’s best. We’ll be doing charity raffles and more with Capital Area Humane Society, and we always have some additional fun surprises in the mix!
It has been the work of a core dedicated team, and I’m happy to be the main driver of keeping this going, not only because I love to see the game played at all levels, but because outside of individual games, it has been a way for up-and-coming teams to get the tournament experience. Plus, it’s really like an annual reunion of sorts for the whole statewide roller derby community.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We adopted an early motto that I lean on to this day – “If it ain’t rough it ain’t right”. There are always unexpected challenges from venue issues to people having to step away from the sport. It’s volunteer run and folks will really go above and beyond to make it happen though. The strength of roller derby is the people that will really step up to make it happen. We don’t make much money, and funding Team MI. Additionally, there are a lot of issues with travel for skaters and staff with some governmental policies of late and a general attack on a lot of folks that make up the wider community. If there’s one thing about roller derby folks though, we are hard to knock down and when it happens we get up and come right back.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself an artist in everything, because life is always an opportunity to create something with a spark of the divine. Whether its crafting a t-shirt design or a schedule or working out the kinks of anything related to putting on an event like this (sponsors, volunteers, coordinating the teams0. It takes experience, practice, soft skills, and a bit of magic in the crafting and cultivation of a great event, a successful team, or a brand. So I hope if I’m known for anything it’s being someone who has put in the work, the heart, and always worked to create something magical. Another motto that is woven into the fabric of Mitten Kittens is ‘win-win-win-win…” meaning it’s only a success when as many participants as possible got something great out of it. They might not win a game, but they’ll go home with a great memory (and likely some free swag, or at least some new friends… or bruises).
What were you like growing up?
I grew up loving all the same things I do today. I will cop to watching Rollerjam as a youth, recreating impossible feats using my GI Joes, and imagining achieving derby glory. I loved math (became the head of the Stats Army), I love entertaining people and talking (became an announcer), loved sports – especially checking people in hockey (helped start Detroit Mens Roller Derby), love helping, love being a goof, and getting hyper-focused on my interests. I also grew up in a small class taking advanced classes with a group of brilliant girls (3 of them tied with perfect GPAs for Valedictorian, and I was the Salutatorian) before I went to an all-boys high school, so when roller derby came into my life, I was happy to again be around incredible women again. I’m inspired and humbled all the time by their brilliance, resilience, and ability to do the incredible.
Contact Info:
- Website: mirollerderby.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mittenkittensderby/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LansingRollerDerby
