By her own admission, Trisha Ritson is not a roller derby expert. She tried to get a team started in Prince Rupert when she was living there, but moved to Nova Scotia before the team got going.
But what Ritson lacks in experience, she makes up in enthusiasm, so the newly minted Tumbler Ridgian (she moved here in October) is once again looking to get a roller derby up and running. “I decided to give it a try here and see if there was any interest,” says Ritson. “And so far, there has been a lot. We need to figure out what day works for people, then come up with a name and a place to practice. Because Tuesday is Ladies golf day and Wednesday is Yoga and Thursday is something else, so we need to work around these different things. Once we get the insurance and the location, then we can start actually practicing and doing the groundwork.”
Ritson wants to get a team started for all sorts of reasons. “For one, it’s very active. And it’s fun for the whole family. You can work on your skills anywhere you want. If it’s sunny outside, you could go and take a skate outside, or you can practice inside. It takes a lot of skill and is a way to be active. Every time I’ve gone to a bout (which is what a Roller Derby match is called), I find the atmosphere is amazing. Once you get the crowd going, you know, it’s just gets you pumped up.”
But what is Roller Derby?
The sport has its roots in roller skating marathons of the 1930s, and became very popular in the 1940s through the 1970s. But its popularity lead to it becoming more a spectacle than a sport, and its popularity waned until the early 2000s, when it was revived as a sport.
Two teams of five players skate around an oval track. The track can be flat or banked, though in Tumbler Ridge, the oval will be flat.
Each team is made up of one jammer, whose job it is to race around the track, three blockers, whose job it is to prevent the other team’s jammer from passing, and one pivot, who dictates strategy, and who can take over as jammer. The jammer wears a star on their helmet, while the pivot wears a stripe. The jammer can pass the star to the pivot, who then becomes the jammer.
Points are scored by a jammer making it past one of the opposing team players. Once they make it past all the opposing blockers they skate around the lap again the see how many of the blockers they can make it past again.
Each jam lasts two minutes or until the jam is called; that’s when the lead jammer (the jammer who is in the front) decides to end the match early to prevent the other team from scoring. There are as many jams as can fit in a thirty minute period, and there are two periods per bout.
While the game is full contact, there are rules. They can only push from the side, and they have to use their shoulders, the top part of their arms, their hips, or the top part of their legs—so tripping, shoving, punching, or pushing the other team’s players from behind is not allowed. Players who break the rules are sent to the penalty box for thirty seconds, leaving their team stranded on the track without them.
Ritson is hoping to get a team up and running in the next few months, and, depending on the commitment of the players, training for derby can be a year-round pursuit. “Even in winter, if the ice is on in the arena, we can just strap on skates and do drills during public skates. And you don’t have to be wearing skates. We’re going to be doing lots of outdoor hikes to get our cardio up.
While they don’t have a place lined up yet, they have been eying up the arena or the curling rink. But, says Ritson, many teams practice in schools gymnasiums. “We can practice almost anywhere, as long as we get approval for the use of building.”
But derby season in generally spring, when the ice comes out of the arena.
Because of the pandemic, there hasn’t been a lot of regional derby activity, but Ritsen says there are more teams about than you might imagine. “There’s a team in Fort St. John called the Killbillies, and they are just starting to practice. I’ve been in contact with the Dawson Creek team, called Mile High Mercy. Chetwynd have a team, called the Chetty Betties. I’m not sure when their first practices are.”
There is a Junior Team in Fort St. John called the Little Billies. She says there’s been lots of interest to get a Junior Team in Tumbler Ridge, though her focus right now is getting the adult women’s team up and running. “I’ve definitely gotten a lot of interest in a junior team. There are two age groups: between the age of six and 11 and 12 to 17. And if anybody wanted to spearhead that I’m more than happy to help.”
And, even if there weren’t any local teams, she says they could invite teams from anywhere. “We could invite a team from Nova Scotia to come and play a bout, or we could host a tournament and invite teams from across the country. I’ve had the pleasure of going and seeing a team in Ontario play and I’ve watched teams in Nova Scotia play a few games, and it was quite huge. The crowds that come can be pretty insane. And I think this would draw in quite a crowd.”
She says the plan is to have a location set aside sometime in the next month and start practicing. “We’re all basically newbies,” she says. “Michelle [Chisholm] is the only one that’s actually ever played roller derby and she would know timeframe as to where we can get tested.
Tested? Yes, says Ritson. “There are minimum standards you need to know and be able to do to be able to participate in Derby. For instance, you will have to be able to do 20 laps on the flat track in a certain time. So I’m hoping by the end of year, we can really have a good team ready for next season to bring in some teams.”
And, of course, they will need to have insurance in place.
Even if the team is not ready this year, Ritsen is hoping to invite some of the regional teams to town to show the community what a match is like.
So far, they’ve had about seven or eight people show up to the team meetings. “We need 15 people for a full team—a full roster, it’s called. And having, say, 20 people training would be perfect, because not everyone can make every bout. “Having a few backup people would be ideal. It’s really hard to commit to every bout, especially in a mining town with people who work one week on, one week off.”
And is it only for young, fit women? “You have to be over 18, but after that, it doesn’t matter your age or your shape. I’m so out of shape. And I think I’ve strapped on the skates twice, maybe three times. So you could be literally anybody. It doesn’t matter your fitness. If you want something to look forward to and start getting in shape…it’s a great way even if you’re a man and want to just join in to be a referee or to skate and help train. It’s for everybody. We need non-skating officials. We need a referee. We need a coach. It can be anybody and everybody.
So, what does someone need to join? Roller skates, a helmet and pads are the basics, but says Ritson, once she’s got the insurance lined up, she’ll be looking for grants to buy equipment for people who want to test out the sport, or who aren’t able to afford the gear.
“I’d love to get the community involved in it,” she says. “It’s very family-friendly. There is a big interest in juniors derby. And there’s even men’s roller derby as well. I think PG has a men’s team, though that’s a little more intense. Anyone is invited out. Interest is more important than ability.”
The team will be picking a name later this week. Anyone interested in being a part of roller derby can contact Ritson via the Tumbler Ridge Roller Derby Page on Facebook.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.