St. Albert's Arch Angels roller derby team suffered a season-opening home-track loss to Calgary's Cut Throat Car Hops over the weekend.
The team put up a fight in the second half but weren't able to recover from the first-period shortfall, losing the Saturday bout 171-127 at Servus Credit Union Place.
"I'm super proud of our girls. We're a fairly new team so our girls don't have the experience that the other teams perhaps do," said captain Deborah "BB Sting" Brososky.
She said judging by the past performance of some Cut Throat Car Hops, the team knew it'd be in for some big hits and fast plays.
Co-captain Celeste "Petra Phi" Thiesen agreed, adding several members of the opposition have more experience on the track.
"A lot of the Calgary players are very seasoned," she said. "Obviously we all have stuff to work on because we are so new to the game and it's usually strategy, but we did great."
Early success
The St. Albert Heavenly Rollers Derby League (STAHR) has been operating full force since September 2010.
What started as a relatively small operation that often struggled to field a team has grown to roughly 35 athletes and a solid competition roster of 14 on the Arch Angels.
"Roller derby is probably the fastest growing sport in Canada. Five years ago, there were maybe 50 teams across Canada. Now, it's close to almost 200," Petra Phi said.
The sport is getting more interest from St. Albert residents, both as players and spectators, she said, with between 300 and 450 spectators taking in home games at Servus Place.
The initial target audience was between 18 and 35 years of age, although she said the demographic in St. Albert is a little different.
"We have senior citizens who come and love it, the little kids love it and we try very hard to make sure that it's a family-oriented place," she said.
This means not selling alcohol, keeping foul language at bay, keeping outfits moderately conservative and having a positive attitude, she said.
"If you like to see athletic women who look super sharp and like to hit a lot and hit other women, this is the sport for you to come and watch," she said. "It's very fast paced, it's very quick and there's never a dull moment."
The league is always looking for volunteers to assist with game operations, merchandise selling or refereeing. They are also looking for more athletes to strap on wheels and take to the track.
The Arch Angels square off next against the Thrashin' Lassies on April 28 in Calgary. For more information on the STAHR, visit www.stahrderby.com.
