As the West Kootenay Women’s Roller Derby season rolled to a finish Sunday, the hard work is just beginning for one Salmo skater.
Babes of Brutality jammer, Bobbi Barbarich aka Beretta Lynch, is training for the Roller Derby World Cup after being named to Team Canada last month.
Barbarich first laced up the roller skates five years ago in Edmonton where she was founding member of the E-Ville Roller Derby.
“Now I start training,” said Barbarich after the match Sunday. “We have a big group camp at the end of October, and a scrimmathon in November and then we get together in December (for the World Cup).”
Barbarich was a competitive runner and cyclist before she first tried derby in 2006. Since then she’s gone from a neophyte who couldn’t skate to the pinnacle of her sport in roughly four years of training.
Tryouts for the team were held in Abbotsford, Calgary and Toronto in July and after a series of skill and fitness tests, individuals were short-listed and eventually selected.
“It’s just unbelievable, I’m just really excited, and I’ve always dreamed of being on a national team and this is my favourite sport I ever played so it’s a dream come true.”
Toronto is the site of the first ever Roller Derby Worlds with 14 teams competing.