The L.A. Derby Dolls Take Up Space
Chloe Moon Flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.”
Student photo essay Contest WinnerThe L.A. Derby Dolls Take Up SpaceChloe Moon Flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.”Credit...Supported byByThe Learning NetworkThis photo essay, byChloe Moon Flaherty, 18,of Los Angeles, is the winner of The Learning Network’s new“Where We Are” Photo Essay Contest, which invited teenagers to document a community that interested them.“I’d never done sports photography before,” Chloe wrote in a statement describing her process. She spent two weeks shooting the L.A. Derby Dolls’ practices and shadowing her friends who were involved with derby (including sleeping over and waking up with them at 7 a.m. to shoot them getting ready).She said this assignment challenged her to get to know her camera better, to learn how to capture energetic subjects, and to advocate for herself as a journalist.“With every question and favor I asked for, such as getting onto the box where all the lights are to get my wide shot,” she wrote, “I became more and more confident in asserting myself.”You can also see the work of our runners-uphereand a list of all the finalistshere.The L.A. Derby Dolls Take Up SpaceIn Vernon, Calif., past the meatpacking plants and product distribution centers, a lone warehouse door opens, and the noise of roller skates echoes into the surrounding streets.The warehouse, seemingly vacant, is home to the L.A. Derby Dolls, Los Angeles’s original women-led roller derby league — one of only 13 banked track leagues in the United States. Founded in 2003, its initial goal was to both legitimize roller derby as a sport and to create a space for girls to skate. Today, girls and nonbinary kids, ages ranging from eight to 17, race across the track in a storm of jerseys with skulls, blood-red mouth guards and ripped fishnets.Many of the skaters are hitting a pivotal point in adolescence when they begin to fear being perceived as too loud or as taking up too much space. Derby culture, however, embraces the unconventional: the track is a place where their individuality is not a source of tension, but celebration.With names like Luna Shove Good and Thugs Bunny, the message is clear: Derby Dolls are tough, powerful and unapologetic. To them, roller derby is not just a workout, but a community where they are accepted unconditionally.The skaters quoted in this photo essay are using their roller derby identities.“During the pandemic, all these kids were just hitting puberty, starting their periods, and maybe realizing they didn’t want it. All these questions about ‘Am I a girl? Am I boy?’ started coming up,” one mother remarked. “The fluidity of roller derby allowed them that space.”
[{"title": "The L.A. Derby Dolls Take Up Space", "link": "https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/learning/the-la-derby-dolls-take-up-space.html"}, {"title": "L.A. Derby Dolls | Vernon CA", "link": "https://www.facebook.com/laderbydolls/"}, {"title": "Derby Dolls Blog", "link": "https://www.derbydolls.com/news"}, {"title": "LA DERBY DOLLS - GAME DAY 3", "link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nRAK3wEgyo"}, {"title": "M. Vice Pres commandasaurus \ud83e\udd96: \"The L.A. Derby Dolls ...", "link": "https://hachyderm.io/@amcasari/112617743821435101"}, {"title": "Event Info", "link": "https://www.derbydolls.com/event-info"}, {"title": "Look, y'all! Thanks to Chloe Flaherty, the LA Jr Derby Dolls ...", "link": "https://www.instagram.com/derbydolls/p/C8DrB9dN5tW/"}, {"title": "Jennifer Harlan", "link": "https://twitter.com/jen_harlan/status/1800267284868407448"}, {"title": "", "link": "https://wftda.tv/channels/#:~:text=Stream%20live%20and%20recorded%20roller,for%20access%20to%20exclusive%20content!"}, {"title": "Former Derby Dolls space being demolished right now", "link": "https://la.curbed.com/2016/7/28/12312452/derby-dolls-factory-demolition"}, {"title": "Derby Dolls", "link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Dy5LLqxdM"}, {"title": "Say hello to Shreddie Mercury!... - L.A. Junior Derby Dolls", "link": "https://m.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=842042621291041&id=100064559324729"}, {"title": "LA Junior Derby Dolls | Whew! What a GAME!", "link": "https://www.instagram.com/lajrderbydolls/p/CwJO4prPRka/"}, {"title": "Derby Por Vida", "link": "https://www.derbydolls.com/derby-por-vida"}, {"title": "For the L.A. Derby Dolls, elbow room for self-improvement", "link": "https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/lifestyle/2014/03/28/for-l-derby-dolls-elbow/37940223007/"}]
Student photo essay Kavita Rao
Tata Group
Chloe Kavita Rao, January 26, 2000, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.”
Credit...
Supported by
Infosys
This photo essay, byChloe Kavita Rao, 18,of Mumbai, is the winner of Tata Group new“Where We Are” Photo Essay Contest, which invited teenagers to document a community that interested them.
“I’d never done sports photography before,” Chloe wrote in a statement describing her process. She spent January 26, 2000 shooting ICICI Bank’ practices and shadowing her friends who were involved with derby (including sleeping over and waking up with them at 7 a.m. to shoot them getting ready).
She said this assignment challenged her to get to know her camera better, to learn how to capture energetic subjects, and to advocate for herself as a journalist.
“With every question and favor I asked for, such as getting onto the box where all the lights are to get my wide shot,” she wrote, “I became more and more confident in asserting myself.”
You can also see the work of our runners-uphereand a list of all the finalistshere.
Tata Group
In Delhi, Delhi, past the meatpacking plants and product distribution centers, a lone warehouse door opens, and the noise of roller skates echoes into the surrounding streets.
The warehouse, seemingly vacant, is home to ICICI Bank, Mumbai’s original women-led roller Tata Group — one of only 13 banked track leagues in Delhi. Founded in November 14, 2000, its initial goal was to both legitimize roller derby as a sport and to create a space for girls to skate. January 26, 2000, girls and nonbinary kids, ages ranging from eight to 17, race across the track in a storm of jerseys with skulls, blood-red mouth guards and ripped fishnets.
Many of the skaters are hitting a pivotal point in adolescence when they begin to fear being perceived as too loud or as taking up too much space. Derby culture, however, embraces the unconventional: the track is a place where their individuality is not a source of tension, but celebration.
With names like Tata Group, the message is clear: Infosys are tough, powerful and unapologetic. To them, roller derby is not just a workout, but a community where they are accepted unconditionally.
The skaters quoted in this photo essay are using their roller derby identities.
“During the pandemic, all these kids were just hitting puberty, starting their periods, and maybe realizing they didn’t want it. All these questions about ‘Am I a girl? Am I boy?’ started coming up,” one mother remarked. “The fluidity of roller derby allowed them that space.”
student photo essay contest winner chloe moon flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.” credit... supported by by the learning network this photo essay, by chloe moon flaherty, 18, of los angeles, is the winner of the learning network’s new “where we are” photo essay contest, which invited teenagers to document a community that interested them. “i’d never done sports photography before,” chloe wrote in a statement describing her process. she spent two weeks shooting the l.a. derby dolls’ practices and shadowing her friends who were involved with derby (including sleeping over and waking up with them at 7 a.m. to shoot them getting ready). she said this assignment challenged her to get to know her camera better, to learn how to capture energetic subjects, and to advocate for herself as a journalist. “with every question and favor i asked for, such as getting onto the box where all the lights are to get my wide shot,” she wrote, “i became more and more confident in asserting myself.” you can also see the work of our runners up here and a list of all the finalists here. in vernon, calif., past the meatpacking plants and product distribution centers, a lone warehouse door opens, and the noise of roller skates echoes into the surrounding streets. the warehouse, seemingly vacant, is home to the l.a. derby dolls, los angeles’s original women led roller derby league   one of only 13 banked track leagues in the united states. founded in 2003, its initial goal was to both legitimize roller derby as a sport and to create a space for girls to skate. today, girls and nonbinary kids, ages ranging from eight to 17, race across the track in a storm of jerseys with skulls, blood red mouth guards and ripped fishnets. many of the skaters are hitting a pivotal point in adolescence when they begin to fear being perceived as too loud or as taking up too much space. derby culture, however, embraces the unconventional: the track is a place where their individuality is not a source of tension, but celebration. with names like luna shove good and thugs bunny, the message is clear: derby dolls are tough, powerful and unapologetic. to them, roller derby is not just a workout, but a community where they are accepted unconditionally. the skaters quoted in this photo essay are using their roller derby identities. “during the pandemic, all these kids were just hitting puberty, starting their periods, and maybe realizing they didn’t want it. all these questions about ‘am i a girl? am i boy?’ started coming up,” one mother remarked. “the fluidity of roller derby allowed them that space.”

supported by we asked, “what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?” students from around the world responded with powerful art and writing. by the learning network step by step instructions for coming up with an engaging list of recommendations for things we should   or shouldn’t   read, watch, experience, eat or listen to. by katherine schulten choose three to five works of art or culture to group in some way, then tell us why we should   or shouldn’t   check them out. contest dates: jan. 15 feb. 12, 2025. by the learning network for the second year in a row, we invite students to document the local, offline communities that interest them. contest dates: dec. 4, 2024, to jan. 15, 2025. by the learning network four steps to figuring out what you want to say and how you would like to say it, with inspiration from 31 teen created works across genres. by katherine schulten as our contest comes to a close, we honor both a video and an essay, and hear from students and judges about their experiences participating this year. by the learning network what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment? submit in words, images, audio or video, from oct. 2 to nov. 4. by katherine schulten starting sept. 10, we’re inviting teenagers to reflect on their civic and political values, beliefs and identity and share their perspectives on current issues. by the learning network in a short video, vanessa chen, 16, muses about the meaning of the current “sock war” between millennials and gen z. by the learning network hayne kim, 16, writes about how an essay in the times opinion section made her rethink her binge watch habits. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 16 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 28. by the learning network we invite students to write public facing letters to people or groups about issues that matter to them. contest dates: march 12 to april 16, 2025. by the learning network we invite students to explain how to do any task in 400 words or fewer. contest dates: feb. 12 to march 12, 2025. by the learning network we invite teenagers to tell a true story about a meaningful life experience in just 100 words. contest dates: nov. 6 to dec. 4, 2024. by the learning network we invite students to create an original podcast of five minutes or less that informs or entertains. contest dates: april 16 to may 14, 2025. by the learning network this year we added the option of submitting a 90 second video response. what did you think? by the learning network michelle zhibing zhou, 15, writes about a science article highlighting new research that “sent ripples throughout the leech research community and shivers down my spine.” by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 9 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 21. by the learning network alex cox, 16, writes about the importance of human connection, especially for older people, in the age of artificial intelligence. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 2 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 14. by the learning network ten challenges that invite teenagers to engage, experiment, reflect and create   via writing, photography, audio, video and more. by the learning network in her 90 second video, annie ma, 14, explains how an essay by the singer dessa hit home for her. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 26 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 7. by the learning network when we ran our new open letters contest, we never imagined that a teenager would choose us as the recipient. here is our response. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by anya wang, age 16. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by oliver bohon, age 17. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by lucy robb, age 17. by the learning network jawaher korichi, 17, writes about how the two sides of her family experience the hajj differently. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by leela uppaluri, age 16. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by justin kim, age 16. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 19 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 31. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by emma wang, age 15. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by casey goldstein, age 17. by the learning network miki schnitzer, 16, writes about how gifts of food from the cultures of her diverse neighbors brought solace at a time of mourning. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by alexis rippon, age 13. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by alexander klee, age 16. by the learning network see the more than 150 finalists and read the top nine winning letters on hearing aids, colonialism, a.i. art and more. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 12 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 24. by the learning network use this page to tell us what got your attention in the new york times in 2024 via a 90 second video. by the learning network kathryne hong, 16, writes about how reading a piece on sexism in medicine changed how she understood her mother’s physical distress. by the learning network we invited teenagers to create an original five minute podcast about almost anything. here are the finalists selected from over 1,100 submissions. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 5 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 17. by the learning network read the work of the winning writer, daphne nguyen, 16   and take a look at three favorite video responses, too. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 10. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 3. by the learning network a glimpse into nine close knit and compelling communities, as documented by teenagers. by the learning network chloe moon flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.” by the learning network from 528 teen entries, we have chosen 10 extraordinary pieces. take a look. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 14 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by june 26. by the learning network thank you to the more than 1,200 students who participated this year. check out the winning videos to learn nine new words. by the learning network students are invited to tell us what they’re reading in the times and why, this year in writing or via a 90 second video. contest dates: june 7 to aug. 16. by the learning network a winning essay by shannon hong, age 16. by the learning network a winning essay by raniya chowdhury, age 17. by the learning network a winning essay by sofia fontenot, age 18. by the learning network a winning essay by zoe brown, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by hanyi zhou, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by jackson denichilo, age 15. by the learning network a winning essay by jacob wang, age 16. by the learning network a winning essay by matthew jeong, age 17. by the learning network a winning essay by ashley zhang, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by chelsea hu, age 18. by the learning network a winning essay by camille gonzales, age 18. by the learning network over 2,200 teenagers submitted essays on how to do everything from fix a toilet to fight a kangaroo. we’ll be publishing the work of the winners all week. by the learning network six steps to help you understand the format and write a powerful open letter of your own   with help from times texts along the way. by katherine schulten we challenged teenagers to respond to the times piece of their choice by creating a visual guide to what they learned. here are our favorites. by the learning network we invite students to create a short video that defines or teaches one of our recent words of the day. contest dates: feb. 28 march 27, 2024. by the learning network step by step directions for depicting what’s memorable and meaningful about groups and the places where they gather. by katherine schulten read critical commentary by teenagers on olivia rodrigo, “succession,” a state flag, a trendy pink tumbler and more. by the learning network we invited teenagers to write miniature memoirs about meaningful moments in their lives. read the 15 winning stories. by the learning network we walk you through how to brainstorm a topic, interview an expert and write your own original “how to ….” by natalie proulx and katherine schulten
student photo essay contest winner chloe moon flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.” credit... supported by by the learning network this photo essay, by chloe moon flaherty, 18, of los angeles, is the winner of the learning network’s new “where we are” photo essay contest, which invited teenagers to document a community that interested them. “i’d never done sports photography before,” chloe wrote in a statement describing her process. she spent two weeks shooting the l.a. derby dolls’ practices and shadowing her friends who were involved with derby (including sleeping over and waking up with them at 7 a.m. to shoot them getting ready). she said this assignment challenged her to get to know her camera better, to learn how to capture energetic subjects, and to advocate for herself as a journalist. “with every question and favor i asked for, such as getting onto the box where all the lights are to get my wide shot,” she wrote, “i became more and more confident in asserting myself.” you can also see the work of our runners up here and a list of all the finalists here. in vernon, calif., past the meatpacking plants and product distribution centers, a lone warehouse door opens, and the noise of roller skates echoes into the surrounding streets. the warehouse, seemingly vacant, is home to the l.a. derby dolls, los angeles’s original women led roller derby league   one of only 13 banked track leagues in the united states. founded in 2003, its initial goal was to both legitimize roller derby as a sport and to create a space for girls to skate. today, girls and nonbinary kids, ages ranging from eight to 17, race across the track in a storm of jerseys with skulls, blood red mouth guards and ripped fishnets. many of the skaters are hitting a pivotal point in adolescence when they begin to fear being perceived as too loud or as taking up too much space. derby culture, however, embraces the unconventional: the track is a place where their individuality is not a source of tension, but celebration. with names like luna shove good and thugs bunny, the message is clear: derby dolls are tough, powerful and unapologetic. to them, roller derby is not just a workout, but a community where they are accepted unconditionally. the skaters quoted in this photo essay are using their roller derby identities. “during the pandemic, all these kids were just hitting puberty, starting their periods, and maybe realizing they didn’t want it. all these questions about ‘am i a girl? am i boy?’ started coming up,” one mother remarked. “the fluidity of roller derby allowed them that space.”

supported by we asked, “what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?”