Whips, spins, pivots, holes – you might be thinking I just got back from a high school refresher class on the theory of relativity and looking to brag. Nah.
To me these are just the sweet nothings that are often uttered at a standard Tuesday or Thursday night team practice.
Here are a few more: back blocking, apex jumps, pass the panty (what?) and fresh meat. You confused yet? What’s that talk of jam? And what in the world is that doohickey on her helmet?
The game is called Roller Derby, and yes, it’s still a thing. And no, you can’t punch or use elbows to take out your opponent … although sometimes that does inadvertently happen in the adrenaline-fueled chaos. It’s a full contact sport on wheels. And it’s super fun.
Our games are called bouts instead of a game or a match as per the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). They last 60 minutes and are divided into two 30-minute halves.
Fresh meat, by the way, is what we call our new recruits.
Jams are the two-minute periods during which all the action happens. The jammer is the one with the star on her helmet who is trying to pass through the opponent’s wall to score points.
And this two-minute duration is where you are most likely to see some pretty sweet apex jumps. I won’t define that for you here, as you’re just going to have to come out and see for yourself – words don’t do it justice – it really needs to be seen firsthand.
Cutting the track is a penalty wherein a skater goes out of bounds, passes an inbound skater and re-enters the track in front of that skater – a big no-no and one I often find myself doing in bouts and scrimmages. Oops.
And speaking of bouts: our last one was against Vancouver Island’s Brass Knuckle Derby Dames, where the Sunshine Coast Roller Girls Red Tide Warning served up an upset to the visiting team in a landslide victory. We hope to make this a repeat performance at the end of the month.
Our last bout of the season, Aug. 26 at Sechelt Arena, will see us play against the Prince Albert Outlaws. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the first of many whistles at 6 p.m. Adults are $10, kids and seniors $5.
It’s a family-friendly event with a 50/50 raffle, merchandise for sale and, of course, a beer garden for your drinking and viewing pleasure. Come on, you can drink and watch a sporting event without judgment. What’s not to love about that?
So come on out and support your Sunshine Coast Roller Girls. And who knows? You might be lucky enough to see some pretty epic hits, the occasional whip and lots of cute girls on skates.
– Submitted by Pamela Schutz (aka Se7en Spins)
