The Sunshine Coast Roller Girls Red Tide Warning saved their best for last with an impressive 147-114 win over the Misfit Doomsday Bunnies at the September Slam roller derby event Saturday night, Sept. 13, in Sechelt.
The victory was only the third in four years for the Sunshine Coast Roller Girls who have been working hard over the years to create a great family entertainment spectacle here on the Sunshine Coast.
If you haven’t been to a roller derby match on the Sunshine Coast, you are missing out on a real experience.
This is one of the fastest-growing sports in North America and the organizers make sure you enjoy yourself, whether through watching the large orange bird mascot, dining at one of the Coast’s finest food trucks or simply following the action on the track.
The basics for playing are simple, but there are a lot of rules, which is necessary if you are going to have full contact with safety equipment consisting of elbow, wrist and knee pads along with a small plastic helmet. The object in a two-minute “jam” is for the “jammers” to pass through the pack, and especially pass the members of the opposing team, scoring points for each player passed. It can be an exciting game, since each player is playing both offence and defence, sometimes at the same time. Since this is all happening on a flat oval track, the speed can lead to upsets.
As a new sport, dress tends to be a display of each player’s individualism, with a heavy emphasis on fishnet stockings.
It’s totally volunteer-run and the players have to qualify before they are allowed to compete, so it tends to be well-run, with great fan loyalty. The players also adopt unique names, reflecting their on-wheels persona.
And it’s all in good fun, as many of the players met in the Sechelt Legion to celebrate after the hard-fought battle. Stay tuned and don’t miss the next event next season.
See more on the Sunshine Coast Roller Girls at www.facebook.com/SunshineCoastRollerGirls
