On Saturday, September 7th, the GTA Rollergirls had their double header season closer titled “Nightmare on Elm Street” at the Ted Reeve Community Arena. Roller derby fans as well as those curious about this amazing sport had the opportunity to watch and cheer on the teams as they battled it out with some fast flat track action. The G-sTARs all-stars took on the Border City Brawlers and the GTA home team the Derby Debutantes took on Renegade Derby Dame’s Bombshell Battalion. The derby girls demonstrated incredible roller skating skills and superior team work. An exciting night was had by all who attended. The event also featured some cool promotions for the upcoming Zombie Walk.
Roller derby is an adrenaline filled full contact sport. The objective of the sport is relatively simple. Each team tries to get their Jammer who is the point scoring skater, to lap as many of the other team’s skaters as they can. The Jammer uses strength and agility to get ahead of the opposing players. Jammers must be able to skate fast and have a high physical endurance level in order to shotgun themselves to the front of the pack. The other team members take on the role of Blockers. The Blocker’s objective is to prevent the opposing team’s Jammer from passing them while trying to help their own Jammer. The Blockers must have a lot of strength as well as the ability to work with the rest of the Blockers on the team to carry out different strategies. The Blockers must always communicate with each other throughout the game in order to execute the perfect team blocking method to inhibit the enemy Jammer while making sure the other team’s Blockers are not inhibiting their own Jammer.
Roller Derby is a fast passed game which exemplifies some serious female bad-ass attitudes and yet demonstrates sheer team work, agility and stellar roller skating skills. These roller derby queens captivate their fans by their work on the track as well as giving them exposure to derby culture, which has been around since the game was first played in Chicago in 1935. Rollers derby has staged a recent comeback in popularity. The sport’s unique and unconventional atmosphere actually projects a very positive image for girls in this day and age. Roller derby girls are athletic, thoughtful and confident. They are part of a sport that allows them to dress in a manner that conveys the essence of the sport (for example wearing fishnet stockings and zombie makeup).
So if this peaks your interest in roller derby fellow Torontonians, then check out Visit… gtarollergirls.com. Just hit “News and Events” and check out a match.
