The greatest sport on wheels makes its St. Albert debut next Saturday.
The Heavenly Rollers, St. Albert’s first and only roller derby league, and Lethbridge’s Deathbridge Derby Dames will stage the first bout in city history at 7 p.m. at Performance Arena.
“We want it to be a good show and of course we want to win it,” said Jillian Pearse, a.k.a. Cee Cee Sickness, No. 82.
Tickets are available online at www.brownpapertickets.com. They are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Kids 10 and under get in free.
The national anthem will be performed by local singer/songwriter Ann Vriend and St. Albert Deputy Mayor Roger Lemieux will blow the first jam whistle.
The concession will also be licensed.
“It’s going to be awesome. We’re really excited. We’re really hopeful that it’s going to be a big success,” Pearse said. “Of course there will be some game nerves, especially since there is going to be a lot of people there. A lot of people said they’re coming to watch us.”
The 60-minute game will consist of two 30-minute halves of thrills and spills.
“It’s one of those sports that even if you have no idea how the scores work or what’s going on. It’s really a lot of fun to watch,” Pearse said. “There is going to be a lot of action, a lot of hits and lots of flying people. It’s going to be a good time.”
It will be the third game for the Heavenly Rollers but their first against the Derby Dames.
“I’ve heard they’re a really fast team and they’re pretty heavy hitters,” Pearse said. “We’re a really fast team, too, and our girls are strong hitters and really fit.”
The Heavenly Rollers were founded in September 2010 for women of all ages, backgrounds and athletic abilities.
“We wanted to play it but we didn’t want to go to Edmonton [which has two leagues]. We wanted to start something closer to home,” Pearse said. “St. Albert was a great choice for us, just because of the support we’ve got from the community. People are so excited to see us and the staff at Servus Place have been amazing. Everyone is really behind us, which is great.”
The age range of players is 18 to late 30s.
“We have an RCMP officer, stay at home moms; we’ve got everything,” said Pearse, a human resources employee.
A game roster consists of 14 players. The Heavenly Rollers have 30 skaters in their fold. About half hail from St. Albert.
“As soon as people hear roller derby they’re instantly interested,” Pearse said.
Training sessions are held every Thursday night.
“A few have contacted us about joining after watching the practices,” Pearse said. “But before you play in a game you have to pass minimum skills. You have to be able to do certain things like jump and stop and a certain number of laps in five minutes and we still have a fair number of new girls who haven’t quite hit that point yet.”
Knowing the various nuances of the sport is another plus.
“Because we’re a new league we have a lot of new players and there is a lot of strategy to learn about roller derby. It’s not just about being fit or knowing the rules, which definitely does help,” Pearse said. “As they pick up on the strategy we just keep getting better and we’re improving a lot each game.”
In April the Heavenly Rollers wheeled into action against the Missfits of Mayhem in Wetaskiwin and the Nightshades in Red Deer. Despite losing both games, Pearse was encouraged by the effort.
“They both actually were very close games and most importantly they felt like close games. You didn’t really know which way it was going to go until the end,” she said. “We had a lot of people coming up to us after, and they were like, ‘Oh my God! That was awesome!’”
Roller derbies date back to the 1880s as endurance races on roller skates. Today’s contemporary style is a contact sport with roots in sports entertainment.
“Generally speaking, roller derby across Canada is exploding. Right now in Alberta I think the last time I counted there are about 15 teams. Not all are playing publicly yet but in various stages of development,” Pearse said.
For more information on the Heavenly Rollers, visit www.stahrderby.com.
