After only a few years in the sport, members of the Estevan Coaler Rollers junior roller derby team are picking up new skills in a game they clearly enjoy.
The Coaler Rollers had four players level up in skill from benchmark level two to benchmark level three, which is the highest level they can get for playing as juniors. The Tank, Heidi Hipwrecker, Zero and Beautiful Nightmare were the ones who leveled up to three.
“We were a little bit nervous in our first game, going how are they going to fit in,” said Loreei Lachambre, president of the Estevan Roller Derby Association Sunday at their season-ending event at the Bienfait Memorial Arena. “And you would have never known that they didn't play level three last year. They fit in to the lines perfectly. They upped their game and the because more aggressive. Kudos to them.”
Some of the level ones who moved up to level two were, Pscyhopath, Godzilla and Mammoth Crusher, Lachambre said. These girls took a leadership role and “really are pushing themselves to get to the next level,” she said. “We're super proud of those three.”
The girls can play level three until they're 17 and then can join a women's league – except there's no team in Estevan currently to fill that void. If they move as adults or go to school or start their own team though, they can jump in on any other team as a level three.
“That would be wonderful,” she said. “Right now we're still a little bit young. Our level three team has 13 and 14-year-olds, but in two or three years time when they're 16, 17-year-olds, if there was a group of adults that said 'Let's join up and get a team going', that would be awesome. We're just a little bit young still.”
Not that that was the big concern Sunday. Most of the players that levelled up have only been playing for a short time, as the club has only existed for four years. The players were enjoying the camaraderie of the late afternoon as the skies opened up above them, a few drops coming into the rink.
Moving up to the next level was a big deal for Beautiful Nightmare.
“It took a lot of work and a lot of practice to build up the endurance so we had the skill,” she said. “The coaches pushed us in practice, making sure we got to where we wanted for moving up in levels.”
For Beautiful Nightmare, it's a sport that she finally found that she enjoyed.
“I've never found a sport that I love this much,” she said. “I'd love to play again for a long time...
“Your team becomes such a great family. I love it.”
Moving up a level and becoming a leader, Mammoth Crusher also enjoys the sport after all the work she put into her skating.
“This year I pushed a little bit harder,” she said. “One year they just came to our school and I was like 'Maybe I should try it out.' I thought it was interesting.”
The aggressiveness is what Mammoth Crusher likes best about derby.
“No other sport is like this sport,” she said.
