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Memorial arena to host roller derby

Four teams set to clash in two separate bouts on Saturday evening in East Kootenay Roller Derby League action
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Roller Derby is taking over the Memorial Arena on Saturday night

The derby girls will be hitting the track at the Memorial Arena on Saturday night.

Cranbrook is hosting what would be the fourth event of the East Kootenay Roller Derby League season—an event scheduled in Invermere in June would’ve been the third, but it was cancelled due to the floods.

The local team—Cranbrook’s Mountain Town Maulers, will be going up against Invermere’s Killer Rollbots in the title bout. Before that, the Creston Black-Eyed Cherries will be going up against Fernie’s Avalanche City Roller Girls.

The Maulers, which have lost both games this season against the Fernie girls and Kimberley’s Bavarian Barbarians, are looking forward to getting back on the track, said Stephanie Phillips.

Phillips, who competes with the Maulers under the name SteF Bomb, said the team has faced the Rollbots before, and has been growing more confident over the season.

“They hosted a fundraiser bout in Invermere in May and we played them,” said Phillips. “It was a lot of fun—the first time we played them in Cranbrook, it was pretty intimidating, because at the time, they were more prepared for that game than we were and it showed on the track.

“But when we played them in May in Invermere, it was a really close bout and it was really exciting to watch and fun to play, so we’re really looking forward to playing the Rollbots in Cranbrook again.”

The Maulers have roughly 13 to 14 skaters competing with the team this year, but will only have 11 on hand for Saturday’s action against the Rollbots. The Maulers have a core of nine players that were involved with the team last year, and have been able to bring a few new bodies into the fold.

“Right now, our biggest challenge is…we’re just working on strategy and gameplay and just enjoying each other and the community that’s been created between our team and the other teams,” said Phillips.

The first bout between Creston and Fernie kicks off at 4 p.m., with the Cranbrook and Invermere teams hitting the track at 6 p.m.

There will be a beer gardens in one end of the rink, but the organizers planned it to be family friendly, with face painting for kids and some shenanigans between the two bouts to keep the energy going.

 



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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