LOCAL roller derby devotees are getting ready for action as round three of the Statewide Stampede takes to the track at the Bendigo Showgrounds on Saturday, 6 May.<\/p>\n
Rebecca \u2018Razorbec\u2019 Fisher is media coordinator and captain for Bendigo\u2019s Dragon City Roller Derby\u2019s top team, the Chiko Rollers.<\/p>\n
Fisher said although winning is a big goal, the club also wants to show the community what the sport is all about.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been four years since we\u2019ve been able to host an event this big here, and it\u2019s the first one we\u2019re holding at the showgrounds for a really long time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about the opportunity of having so much space to have lots of people come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the squads competing is Team Regional Victoria, which Fisher said is made up of skaters from smaller clubs that don\u2019t have enough players to field their own line-ups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the best aspects of this competition, that a place has been made for those really small clubs to exist,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout something like this, they probably would have folded years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kimberley \u2018Sugar\u2019 Sprake has skated with Dragon City for almost 13 years and said there\u2019s been a change in the sport over that time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first started, roller derby was more that theatrical aspect of the tutus and the fishnets and just basically hitting people as hard as you can to send them flying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was awesome if you were watching a game of derby and you get a skater land in your lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to have a part of the track called the suicide line because if you sat there, you would probably cop a skate to the face. It was pretty full on.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then it started to change, because you want to be taken seriously as a sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Annika Ritchie is a newer recruit and said her derby life emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic roller skating boom.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring COVID there was a bit of a spike in people going out, getting roller skates as something to do outside while locked indoors. I was one of those people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t get much use during that time, but afterwards I realised I wouldn\u2019t mind looking for something else to do to get me a bit more active.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving an active outlet, that wasn\u2019t as competitive as some other sports may seem, really drew me to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ritchie won\u2019t be competing this weekend, but encourages the curious to come and see what it\u2019s like.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way I like to see it, is I\u2019m at the touch football level, so nothing too aggressive just yet, because this weekend they\u2019ll definitely be getting a bit more hard out, a bit more in there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing is to try give it a go.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems a bit daunting, especially because you\u2019ve got eight wheels on your feet and you can\u2019t just stand and step, but it does get easier, and you\u2019ll surprisingly just love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chiko Rollers will compete against seven other teams in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Dragon City will also have several skaters battle it out in the low-contact category.<\/p>\n
Doors will open at 8.30am with games starting at 9am. The Chiko Rollers will skate at 1pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LOCAL roller derby devotees are getting ready for action as round three of the Statewide Stampede takes to the track at the Bendigo Showgrounds on Saturday, 6 May. Rebecca \u2018Razorbec\u2019 Fisher is media coordinator and captain for Bendigo\u2019s Dragon City Roller Derby\u2019s top team, the Chiko Rollers. Fisher said although winning is a big goal, […]<\/p>\n