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Roller derby entertains with thrills and spills

Four teams in the East Kootenay Roller Derby League went head to head on Saturday night at the Memorial arena.
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Mountain Town Maulers Jammer K-POW navigates the pack as she tries to break through the lines of the Invermere Killer Rollbots during roller derby action at the Memorial Arena on Saturday night.

The Memorial Arena played host to roller derby action on Saturday night, as teams from across the East Kootenay slugged it out for bragging rights in the regional roller derby league.

It was a double-header with Fernie’s Avalanche City Roller Girls taking on the Creston Black-Eyed Cherries, followed by the hometown team, the Mountain Town Maulers, challenging the Invermere Killer Rollbots.

Kimberley-based Bavarian Barbarians had a bye for the bout, however, a few familiar faces were in the Black-Eyed Cherries lineup to help the fledgling team along.

The Cherries, fielding a squad for the first time this year in the East Kootenay Roller Derby, went up a tough squad in the ACRG, who reign as the league champions from last year.

The Cherries bench had nine skaters, including a few faces that skate for the Barbarians, but they welcomed the help as the ACRG had a full team with extra bodies to hit the derby track.

By the end of the first half, the ACRG were up 126-40 on their Creston opponents.

The Roller Girls used their effective blocking and high-flying jammer to their advantage, while Creston kept chipping away at Fernie’s lead with the deft work of their own jammer, Stroker, who has a knack for finding the open spots.

However, the Fernie squad held on to their lead by the end of the second half to win the bout 248-127.

Following a brief intermission, the Mountain Town Maulers and the Invermere Killer Rollbots then took to the track in the headlining bout.

The Rollbots, due to the skillful work of jammer Puma Thurman, jumped to an early lead, with roughly 50 points before the Maulers were able to respond. Blockers from the Rollbots also made life difficult for Maulers’ jammers K-POW, Hit E. Longstockings and Pale Fire, as the match turned into a defensive battle.

After the first half hour, the Rollbots were up 90-45 over the Maulers.

After a quick break that included a kids tricycle race and other shenanigans, the two teams were back on the track, as the Maulers looked to close the gap.

Invermere’s jammer Puma Thurman kept finding the gaps through the Maulers’ blockers, while K-POW managed to catch fire and do some damage for the Cranbrook squad.

However, the Rollbots defence was very stingy and the Maulers were unable to complete a comeback, falling 108-103 by the end of the game.

 



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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