VANDALIA, Ohio — An Ohio skater is fighting to bring more diversity to a sport where people of color are often underrepresented: roller derby.

By day, Ang Garcia is a part of the newest branch of the military, the Space Force, but at night Garcia puts on a different kind of uniform to gear up for a battle in the roller rink.

Known as "Arc" in roller derby, where you have to push through other players to score, the Dayton player is about to make history.

“It’s just like…mind blowing, it’s the coolest feeling ever," Garcia said.

Out of 50 global roller derby teams, Garcia is a part of the first all-Black team to compete for the Roller Derby World Cup. Their team goes by the name Black Diaspora.

“I feel like that, just the vibes like on the bench in the game, how you talk to each other, there are certain things about your life experience that you don't have to explain and that, you know, is just part of your shared togetherness," Garcia said.

But being on what is sometimes the only team with players of color comes with its own challenges. Garcia said they’re often underestimated and the target of racial bias during games.

"There's absolutely been times where I've been called on penalties, and it was a legal hit with a legal hitting zone, like a blocking zone, a legal blocking zone, but the strength of it, sometimes it's called egregious," Garcia said.

But Garcia said that is the fuel, and they're not letting that stop them.

The team advances to the Roller Derby World Cup this summer. Garcia will be representing Ohio and the culture.

“I would often wear my hair out at the bottom of my helmet so you could see the big fluffy ponytail and be like, 'yes, like this could be you, this is achievable. This isn't just one type of person sport, this is a sport that could be for anybody," Garcia said.