The Gold Pain City Derby Girls were all smiles last Friday following their inaugural roller derby match at Twin Arenas, despite being on the short end of a 111-178 score against the Prince George Roller Girls
Billed as the first annual Gold Rush Rumble, the evening featured demonstrations on the finer aspects of roller derby and a match against the Rated PG Roller Girls from Prince George.
“We did awesome,” team organizer Amy Quick, otherwise known as Quick and Dirty, said.
In addition to the Gold Pain City Derby Girls putting on a good show on the oval, Quick was surprised and pleased with the number of people that came out to watch the match and the number of people who volunteered to help out with security and other tasks.
“We had great support from the city,” she said with a big smile.
“There was a line up around the block.
“That was pretty exciting, we didn’t know what to expect.”
For Quick and other local derby girls, Friday night’s rumble was the culmination of almost 12 months of cajoling, recruiting and practicing.
Quick saw her first roller derby match almost a year ago and fell in love with the sport immediately, not only the fun side but also the physical side of the sport.
“The hits are real, you need to be strong and train hard,” Quick said.
“It’s a serious sport, a sport that women can do to empower themselves.”
Also pleased with the inaugural rumble was Willow Meana, otherwise known as Willow Eyford.
Eyford’s journey to Friday evening’s match against Prince George began a year ago when, in the company of Quick, she witnessed her first roller derby match in Williams Lake.
She too was hooked.
“The hard hitting action, the crazy names, the whole sport,” Eyford said to explain the attraction of roller derby.
Although her team was on the short end of the score, Eyford, who had never worn skates of any kind until six months ago when she began practicing roller derby, was giddy with excitement after her first organized roller derby match, despite the possibility of a broken thumb.
“I liked the whole thing, it was awesome,” Eyford said.
Eyford, admitted she was surprised by the speed on the track, but fortunately one of the first things derby girls learn is to fall properly and in doing so avoid serious injuries.
Although the risk of injury is real, it is precisely the physicality of the sport of roller derby that draws Quick, Eyford and other women to the sport.
“It’s kind of a showy sport, but it’s tough,” Eyford said.
“You’re going to get knocked out, you’re going to get beaten, your going to get bruised.”
A tough sport indeed.
The local roller derby team lost two members to broken ankles suffered during practice in the weeks before Friday’s inaugural rumble.
“Derby is not just about fishnets and cute names,” Eyford said.
“It really is a fun sport, but not everyone can cut it.”
Because of the physical nature of roller derby and the inherent risk of injury, the sport’s governing body requires women wanting to take part in organized roller derby to first pass a skills test.
Only four women from Quesnel managed to pass the skills test ahead of Friday night’s match, so the Gold Pain City Derby Girls bench was filled out with players from Williams Lake, Kamloops and Vernon.
“We need to get more of our girls trained up,” Quick said.
“We’re hoping to have five more girls pass their test in the next couple of months and then
we’ll be close to having our own solid team.”
To be considered an official team, a team must field 14 players, coach Troy Ablitt explained.
Ablitt, who normally coaches the Williams Lake roller derby team was impressed with the turnout for the match and how well his rookie players from Quesnel performed.
“They’re brand new, but they really did well,” Ablitt said.
“They skated hard and they hit hard.”
Ablitt was also impressed with the intensity and emotion the players put into the match, but explained a challenge for new players is to learn to channel that energy.
“They have to learn to kill the jammer,” Ablitt said.
“They have to learn to focus on the jammer.
“There’s so much emotion for the new girls they kind of lose their focus.”
One of the jammers for Quesnel was Kriminal Kutie, otherwise known as Stephanie Ferrari.
A 23-year-old mother of two Ferrari is a jammer with the Williams Lake Derby Girls who suited up for Quesnel.
“It’s definitely my aggression release,” she said with a smile any mother would understand.
How Ferrari was introduced to roller derby is an interesting story, one she shared willing.
“Some crazy lady at the bar on New Year’s Eve went on and on about how much she loved roller derby,” Ferrari said, her voice seemingly wanting to match that of the woman in the bar.
“She piqued my interest.”
As a jammer, Ferrari’s strategy is to score as many points as possible by working her way through the pack.
“You have to have the heart and drive to keep going,” she said was the key to being a good jammer.
Ferrari, hinting she played the last half of the game with a pulled quadricep muscle, couldn’t stop smiling of the match, her passion for the sport undeniable, like many other women who take part in roller derby.
“You feel like you’re on top of the world, like nothing can touch you,” she said.
“It’s an amazing feeling.”