Skaters set for stampede comp

ROUND two of Victoria’s ‘Statewide Stampede’ roller derby tournament comes to Bendigo on Saturday, May 18.Dragon City Roller Derby will host the event at the Regional Events Complex at the showgrounds. The action starts at 9am, with the feature competition at 1pm.

Eight teams from around the state will battle it out in four games. Bendigo’s competitive team, the Chiko Rollers, will take on Team Regional Victoria in the 1pm game.

Both teams are seeking their first tournament win.

The Statewide Stampede provides development opportunities and helps foster a sense of community within the roller derby movement. It consists of 10 teams across two pools and has been running since 2015.

A lower-contact, developmental game for newer players also will take place on the day.

Doors will open at 8.30am with entry via a gold coin donation.

Some seating will be available but spectators are encouraged to take their own chair or picnic blanket. Coffee and food will be on offer, along with some market stalls and club merchandise.

Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact team sport played on quad roller skates that requires athleticism, speed and strategy.

It began in its current form in Texas in 2001 and the first Australian teams were formed in 2007.

Generally, teams attempt to score points by racing each other around a track and passing other teams’ skaters. Five skaters from a 15-member team can be on track at any one time, with ‘jammers’, ‘pivots’ and ‘blockers’ working together.

The team with the most points at the end of each game is declared the winner.

Dragon City Roller Derby was formed in 2008 and the Chiko Rollers is the club’s travelling competitive team which participates in exhibition and tournament events.

Its junior skating program started in 2018 for ages eight to 17 and the junior derby team, the Spring Rollers, played its first competitive game last year.