Rick Miller photo
“A truly American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil.” — Grover Cleveland
The president who signed the legislation making Labor Day a national holiday in 1894 makes a good point, and anyone in the derby world certainly does partake in “honest toil.” We come to practice in the searing sun, relentless rain or stifling snow. Our facility (aka the OzZone aka the Cove) can be bitterly cold in the winter, boiling hot in the summer. We skate until the sweat saturates our clothes, until our muscles scream in strain, until our minds question our sanity.
But we do it all for the greatest sport on earth. Any good day or night on the track is a holiday unto itself, like a feast and fireworks, a party and a parade all rolled into one. We celebrate all those who work hard in their jobs, with their families and on the track. Today and every day.