The derby is back on this weekend as the East Kootenay Roller Derby League kicks off another event in Kimberley on Saturday night at the Civic Centre.
Unlike the children’s tale, there won’t be any hallucinating as the four teams clash for Malice in Wonderland, the league’s second event of the season.
It will be a double-header event, as the Invermere Killer Rollbots will challenge the Avalanche City Roller Girls out of Fernie, before the Cranbrook-Kimberley rivalry heats up with the Bavarian Barbarians taking on the Mountain Town Maulers.
The first match begins at 4:45 p.m., with the following bout kicking off at 7 p.m.
Though roller derby events have been hosted by the Marysville arena, the Barbarians managed to secure the Civic Centre this time, and are excited to show off their team to a hometown crowd, said Pamela Currie, who skates under the name Demolition Dolly.
“We’re very excited to be in the Civic Centre to kick off the first Kimberley game this Saturday,” said Currie.
The Bavarian Barbarians have a bit of a new look this year, with some new faces on the team and a new coach.
“Our team is super-excited because we have some new girls that really hit the ground rolling this year, so it just seemed to improve our team so much quicker,” added Currie. “…People that had been skating for years and through the community, heard about roller derby, heard it was rolling and progressing and they came on board and we were lucky to get people that were already established in skating.”
They also managed to poach Erik the Red, the head ref of the league last year, to come on as their new head coach.
“Erik used to be the head ref in the league, and then he stepped down from that, and because he’s local, he knows most of our girls, so he became our coach, which has worked out exceptionally well for us,” said Currie.
“It’s a rarity that you can find a man that 15 girls will listen to.”
The event will have a concession with some awesome goodies such as bacon-wrapped corn on a cob, along with other delicious treats, with funds raised going to the team. There will also be the beer gardens on site.
Once all the roller derby action is done, there will be an after party at the Sullivan Pub. Shuttles will be available afterwards to take derby fans to the Sully or the Marysville arena for Marysville Daze.
The girls have traditionally played in the Marysville Arena, but got the chance to book the Civic Centre in Kimberley for Saturday night.
“We’ve skated there twice, and on Monday we invited Invermere down for a scrimmage,” said Currie.
“So we have played a physical game on the floor and we’ve been in there twice, which gives us an advantage, but its still a new floor for us.
“But it is a beautiful new upgrade.”
Aside from practicing in the Civic Centre, the girls have been busy with an exhibition bout in Canmore, along with their first official EKRDL match against a new team—the Creston Black-Eyed Cherries—in Fernie.
Now, the Bavarian Barbarians are eager to reignite the rivalry between Cranbrook and Kimberley.
“Last year, Cranbrook gave us an equal level playing field, and they were a well-matched team for us,” said Currie, “so coming in this year, we’re definitely going to be pulling out all the stops to ensure our victory.”
Next week, the ladies will be having a ‘Fresh Meet’ at the Resker Hall in Marysville on June 4th at 6:30 p.m., and invite anyone interested in roller derby to come out and check out information about the team, the sport and the league.
Further questions can be answered by contacting Diana Wiest at 250-420-1201.