The fastest women on two feet are ready to take on all comers.
The last year has been very successful for the Sunshine Coast Roller Girls (SCRG) as they have gone from an eager group of women to a registered, non-profit league in the Canadian Women's Roller Derby Association.
We first were introduced to the SCRG last March when Willow Heaton, a Coast resident, mother and art student, told Coast Reporter of her dream of starting a team. She approached Verna Chan, owner of The Garage personal training studio to ask her if she was interested in helping out and/or skating and joining the team.
Together they went on a crusade to recruit members and raise awareness about the sport, which has been gaining popularity throughout North America and abroad. In B.C. alone there are already several active teams in Vancouver, Victoria and the Interior.
Through some tenacity and with the help of more interested women along the way, there is now a dedicated group of women getting together for weekly training sessions at the Holy Family Parish Church.
The team started out with three or four women and now there are 25 players who have been busy passing the minimum skills requirements and written test, with the remainder of the team not far behind.
Besides training once a week in Sechelt, many of the players have trained on the Coast with boot camps or gone off-Coast for boot camp fitness training. Several guest coaches have come to the Coast to offer the team support and training tips.
The SCRG travel team will be heading to Kamloops in March for a scrimmage and to Abbotsford in May for an exhibition bout. It takes much more than a group of skaters to put on a bout. There are a minimum of seven referees and 28 non-skating officials. Add in the volunteers and the fans and you have a recipe for a day full of action.
Once the ice is out at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre and the Sunshine Coast Arena in Sechelt, the SCRG hope to hold some bouts and scrimmages at home, so Coast fans can experience roller derby in person.
The team also has several fundraisers planned and want to get involved in community events to get the word out about the team and what they are all about.
For more information, contact the SCRG on Facebook under Sunshine Coast Roller Girls or email [email protected].
