The Estevan Junior Coaler Rollers took one big step towards upcoming regular season game action March 11 and 12 with an instructional roller derby and social retreat at the Metochos Lutheran Bible Camp.
Lorelei Lachambre, a coach with the Estevan Junior Roller Derby Club, said 31 of the 34 registered kids with the Coaler Rollers took part in the second annual camp that focuses on teamwork training, healthy lifestyles coaching, self-esteem building and fundamental roller derby instruction. She said the 34 kids will be put on three different Coaler Roller teams based on their abilities with each seeing their first game action at the beginning of April when the ice is taken out of their early-season home at the Bienfait Memorial Arena.
“We’re actually going to be driving to Bienfait starting in April because their ice is going out over Easter,” said Lachambre, noting the ice in Estevan will remain unbroken later into the spring this year due to the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins hosting the April 30 to May 8 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup.
Lachambre said the kids began training for this season in September with three months of basic roller skating instruction, which was followed by fundamental roller derby training in the Trinity Lutheran Church basement since early February. She said the skaters will get the chance to showoff the skills they’ve learned in April, May and June with road games against teams from Regina, Rocanville and Moose Jaw as well as during their home tournament on May 7 and 8.
“This is the first year we are actually taking two teams to Calgary to play in a massive junior roller derby tournament,” said Lachambre. “We’re going out of province this year, so this will be our first big trip.”
The Calgary tournament runs June 18 and 19 and will be followed one week later with games in Regina. The Estevan Junior Roller Derby Club will complete their season a few days later with the Coaler Rollers annual windup competition, which features only members of the Coaler Rollers battling each other in a fun end-of-season event.
Lachambre said 34 kids are registered with the club this season, an increase from the 27 who ended the season with the club last year, and they range in age from Grade 4 students to Grade 9 students. She said the kids each commit to two one-and-a-half to two-hour practices each week to get ready for the season and all seem to be pumped for the games to begin.
“They’re very excited about the game and they’re very excited to start playing the game,” said Lachambre. “I keep saying when we get to the rink we’ll be able to start game play, start scrimmaging and get into it. The closer we’re getting (to that) the more excited they are.”
