Fresh meat is hardly the correct term to use for the new players that hit the oval track last season with Greater Trail’s finest women on skates.
And now as off-season training rolls into gear so does recruitment for the Rossland Trail Roller Girls (RTRG), who can only hope to attract another killer batch of new players.
Women with a keen interest in the fastest growing sport in the world are invited to gear up and meet the team at RTRG’s Fresh Meat and Greet held this Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at the Trail Armoury.
Stephanie Pemberton, known in the derby world as Leggedy Anne, has been playing locally since 2011. Though there are still a number of veteran skaters committed to the sport, she says recruitment is an important process that keeps the team competitive and enthusiastic.
“Every batch of fresh meat I have seen has brought something new to the table,” she said. “They bring an outside perspective into the team, which some of us can lose after being on the team for a while.”
Leggedy considers RTRG’s last intake of new players the most successful in West Kootenay Roller Derby League history. The majority of these athletic women were rostered after a short season of training and brought some serious energy and skill to the team.
Such was the case for Kaylee Barklay, known on skates as Bark Messier. The former hockey player was initially attracted to the competitiveness of the sport and soon came to love the atmosphere of the arena during a bout.
“The only thing that surprised me was the rules and penalties and how many there actually are,” she laughed.
Bark pulled off some moves last season, barreling through blocker walls or gracefully jumping the apex of the track. Though she may still be learning some of the rules, her edge and strength is an asset to the team.
RTRG coach Railroad (Jacob Jamin) said it’s always fun to watch new skaters “find their legs and learn the game.”
“It’s also exciting to find new players with skills from other sports that can be applied to roller derby,” he added. “It keeps the team fresh (no pun intended) and helps us push and motivate the team because you never know who might join up and become the next superstar of the WKRD.”
Fresh Meat and Greet goes Sunday, 4 p.m. at the Trail Armoury, 1990 7th Ave. Gear required: mouth guard, helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and roller skates (no in-line skates please) No skates? No problem. Spare gear will be available for people to try, but those attending must bring their own mouth guard as well as their ID and health card.
For more information, check out the team on Facebook.
About: RTRG tore into the scene last season as the newly amalgamated team made up of the former Gnarlie`s Angels from Rossland and Trail`s Bad News Betties (previously known as the Bloodshed Betties). The team is a member of West Kootenay Roller Derby League, which also includes Salmo`s Babes of Brutality, Castlegar`s Dam City Rollers, Nelson`s Killjoys and Slocan`s Valley Vendettas.
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups (jams) in which both teams designate a scoring player (the jammer), who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to assist their own jammer while hindering the opposing jammer—in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously.