BANFF – The Bow Valley Lady Macs are ready to kick butt and recruit new players during the team’s return to action this weekend.
After a three-year hiatus from competition in the Bow Valley, the local roller derby team is revved up for its home bout against the Rocky View Rollers at 5 p.m., Saturday (July 27) at the Banff Fenlands arena. Admission is $5 in advance and $10 at the door.
The Rumble in the Rockies will not only feature the Lady Macs in action, but also a junior bout will take place with alternating low contact and no contact portions, starting at 3 p.m.
The local bouts, which have become a rarity in the Bow Valley, offer an opportunity for the club to get back into the public’s eye moving forward.
“We’re rebuilding,” said Sarah “Bad to the” Jones, president of Bow Valley Roller Derby. “We have new skaters from last year and this is their first home game, as well. It’s good exposure for our team and hopefully get more skaters out for recruitment in August.”
Due to the Bow Valley’s transient nature , the Lady Macs have been hard-pressed at keeping a roster intact for bouts over the past couple of years. The last time the Lady Macs were in action was June 2016, where same hardships were echoed regarding player recruitment following the bout.
“We’d love to get the word out about us once people actually see what the game is about,” said Jones.
Roller derby is a full-contact sport played between two teams of five players roller-skating around a track. During a bout, both teams participate in short matchups, called jams, where the designated scoring player, the jammer, scores points by passing members of the opposing team.
The remaining players on the track, three blockers and a pivot, make up the pack and attempt to obstruct the opposing jammer while helping their own by playing offence and defence simultaneously through legal hits and blocking.
“It’s a bit of a mix [of rookie and experienced players] for this one,” Jones said. “Hopefully it’s a close match.”
The league is also hoping to showcase its junior player program and recruit younger players in the Bow Valley to join the team in September.
For more, visit the Facebook page Bow Valley Roller Derby.
