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Kootenay roller derby all-stars take fifth place

The Kootenay Kannibelles, a brand-new all-star team picked from the West Kootenay Women’s Roller Derby League’s (WKWRDL) seven teams, was one of eight top teams between Saskatoon and the Pacific coast invited to go to the “Best of the West” regionals in Kelowna last weekend.

The Kootenay Kannibelles, a brand-new all-star team picked from the West Kootenay Women’s Roller Derby League’s (WKWRDL) seven teams, was one of eight top teams between Saskatoon and the Pacific coast invited to go to the “Best of the West” regionals in Kelowna last weekend.

The West Kootenay Women took fifth place despite “going in as the underdog, for sure,” Injure Spice reported. “Not bad for just starting in March!”

“We really put the West Kootenay on the derby map this year,” she said, “they know to look out for us next year.”

The Kannibelles were composed of 19 women picked from all seven West Kootenay teams, “a little bit of the most talented and a little bit of the most dedicated,” Spice said, explaining that the sacrifice of time limited the ability of some players to attend. Some of the players on the Kannibelles only started playing this year.

The West Kootenay women created quite a buzz among the other teams in Kelowna, and WKWRDL has been asked to host next year’s regionals.

“The teams that were there had been seen over and over again, so we were new. So everyone was talking about us and looking forward to seeing what we had to offer,” Spice said.

More than 65 referees also attended, but only seven were required for each game. West Kootenay ref Jah’som was honoured by being chosen as one of the top-14 to ref the penultimate bout.