Dozens of new roller derby fans sat side by side with shouting veterans to cheer on Bow Valley’s own derby squad, the Lady Macs as they faced the Revelstoke Derailers for the first ever roller derby bout in Banff at Fenlands Arena, Saturday (Aug. 24).
The two teams were supposed to face off earlier in the summer, but Mother Nature had a different set of plans for the squads.
“This is the first time we’ve met up, but we feel pretty good,” said Lesley “BanisHer” Bannister before the match. “We feel pretty confident, we have a full roster here.”
The Revelstoke Derailers were a little short on players compared to the home crew.
“They’ve only got nine players out and we’ve got 14,” Bannister said. “We’re going to have a bit more legs than they will hopefully, but it can be anyone’s game.”
Bannister was offering true sports etiquette with her pre-game analysis as the Lady Macs quickly had their jammers racking up the points during the first period. By the seventh jam, the score was 47-20 for the Bow Valley crew.
By the end of the period, some referee calls on holding, and some hard impact falls and shoulder checks let the crowd know they were watching a physically, well matched, athletic bout.
Thanks to the “never back down attitude” of Mac jammers Kim “Brace for KIMpact” Demone and Sonya “Creeps Up sOnya” Chrastina, the Lady Macs found themselves with a hefty lead of 133-68 before the start of the second period.
By the end of the second, Lady Macs made it loud and clear Fenlands Arena is locally owned territory with a final score of 225-121.
“It’s great to win at home against such a competitive team,” Bannister said after the match. “We knew we needed to run a fast pack in order to tire them out, and play really solid walls.”
Both Bannister and Lady Mac captain Rachelle “SkidRoe” Honeyman agreed the players know their roles, but they’re always striving to add to their personal goals along the way. “We find as a team we have really strong defensive roles, so we really wanted to come out offensively for our jammers this game,” Honeyman said. “Not just focus on the opposing jammer, but on the opposing blockers to make for an easier job for our jammers tonight.”
All the Lady Macs brought skill, determination and guts to the arena Saturday, but it was agreed upon that jammer Chrastina was MVP of the match. “She’s just an all-around great skater,” Honeyman said. “She’s a jammer, she’s a blocker; she’s actually a figure skating coach here in Banff – she’s got amazing skills.”
Chrastina took the MVP honour in stride. “I wanted to skate a clean game and a smart game and I got to accomplish that,” Chrastina said on her strategy. “I didn’t get any penalties – I wanted to be vicious my first game and did that.”
The Rez City Rollers will host the Lady Macs in Wetaskiwin on Oct. 19. Visit www.bowvalleyrollerderby.com for upcoming games and Bow Valley Derby information.
