The Martlet

Victoria’s premier roller derby association, the Eves of Destruction, will take on Vancouver’s Riot Girls in their first home game of the season on Saturday, March 20.

This will be their second bout of the year, having won their season opener against the Jet City Roller Girls of Everett, Washington in February. The Riot Girls are part of rival Vancouver league, Terminal City Roller Girls.

Roller derby has been around since the 1970s, but has witnessed a comeback in recent years as a modern competitive contact sport. The Eves have been “hittin’ chicks since 2006,” according to their website. Several men’s leagues have materialized, with Canada’s first all-male bout having taken place at the Eves’ closing game last September. However, roller derby remains a predominantly female sport.

A bout starts off with five players from each team skating around an oval flat-track in a pack formation. The team must keep within three metres of each other, in a space called the Engagement Zone. A maximum of four Blockers and one Jammer from each team are allowed on the track at a time. It is the Jammer’s job to break through the pack and circle her opponents as many times as possible, gaining one point for each pass. The Blockers try to prevent the other team’s Jammer from getting by. The Pivot Blocker wears a stripe on her helmet, sets the pace for the pack, and can take the place of the Jammer if necessary.

The sport takes a lot of strategy and teamwork and, last Thursday, the Eves skated fast and hit hard at one of their last scrimmages before the home opener.

“Hitting is where the fun comes in,” said one player, referring to the rough turn a game can take.

While certainly contributing to the spectator experience, safety is always respected — there are strict zones where a player cannot be hit, including the legs and head.

The Eves have, for the first time ever, brought in a sizable class of new players, known affectionately as “Fresh Meat.” Ladies of all levels of experience were invited to come tryout and learn to skate earlier this year and, of the 50 that were recruited, more than 30 have stayed. The team has developed into a diverse group of women of all different backgrounds, builds and ages, spanning from 21 to 46 years old.

Sarah Gaudreault, one of the new recruits, remembers feeling terrified as she put on her skates and stepped out onto the flat-track for the first time.

“I thought, ‘What am I doing?’ It felt like buyer’s remorse,” she said.

Even so, she stuck with it. Yvette Guigueno, another Fresh Meat rollergirl, said she first saw roller derby as a teenager in the ’70s, and thought she would try out a practice with the Eves. All Fresh Meat are tested for two to three weeks in hopes of making the roster team.

What makes a good derby girl? You need to be reliable, have a positive attitude, and you absolutely cannot second-guess yourself, said Gaudreault. If you want to be fast, you have to be fearless. But while skill and experience are undeniable assets, you don’t have to be the fastest to prove you’re a valuable player, Gaudreault and Guigueno agreed. Good communication is what counts and is what keeps the Eves so close, both on and off the track.

Roller derby is fun, fast and action-packed. The girls suit up with helmets, knee and elbow pads and mouth-guards. But it’s the outfits — the leggings, fishnets, tube socks, hot pants, and jerseys — that grab all the attention, making the safety gear seem like an afterthought. Coming up with a derby name is also essential. Girls make up their own, which is then registered with the International Rollergirls’ Master Roster, ensuring that the title is all theirs.

“It’s a rollergirl’s rite of passage. It’s your badge,” said Eves’ media rep Trish Maxwell.

Maxwell, aka “Nadia Comin’atcha,” expects a good game next week.

“I always go into a game thinking we’re going to win,” she said. “But even if we don’t, we still learn something from that. We still have a good time — we get to play roller derby. It’s the best sport out there.”

Saturday’s game, at the Eagle Ridge Community Centre, will be a family-friendly event. Tickets are available for $10 at The Hive Hair Salon, Logan’s Pub, Ace’s ‘n’ Spades, or off your local roller girl, and are $15 at the door. The bout starts at 7 p.m. Kids 12 and under get in free. Come out for the bout as well as the 50/50 draws, door prizes, halftime show, beer garden and concession.