The newly formed Rossland Trail Roller Girls (RTRG) will make its first appearance on Saturday at the Trail Memorial Centre during the Trail Smoke Eaters game. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m., but the local roller derby team will be geared up when the doors open at 6:45 p.m., displaying its new team logo and creating awareness of what is arguably, the fastest growing women's sport in the world.
The Rossland Trail Roller Girls (RTRG) are comprised of the former Gnarlie's Angels from Rossland and the Bad News Betties from Trail. The team plays in the West Kootenay Roller Derby League, competing against Salmo's Babes of Brutality, the Killjoys from Nelson, the Valley Vendettas from Slocan and Castlegar's Dam City Rollers.
Roller Derby is a full contact women's sport played by two teams of five, roller skating around an oval track. Each game or “bout” is divided into two minute segments in which each team selects a “jammer”, whose role is to score points by passing members of the opposition. Playing offence and defence simultaneously, the remaining players on the track try help their jammer through the pack while preventing the opposing jammer from scoring.
Those familiar with the “old school” style of roller derby from decades past assume that an elbow to the face or a fist fight on the track is par for the course. Modern Roller Derby however, has exchanged the theatrical elements of its early years for honest, hard-hitting action, making it a fully legitimate sport under consideration for the 2020 Olympics.
The Rossland Trail Roller Girls (RTRG) season opener is on April 13 in Rossland against the Nelson KillJoys.
To keep up to date on the Rossland Trail Roller Girls (RTRG), follow the team on Facebook here. The team greatly anticipates introducing Roller Derby to B.C.'s number one sports town.