Redneck Betties ready for season debut
The Redneck Betties roller derby team is only days away from their first home bout of their eighth season.
The Betties will take on Drumheller’s Hellraisers on Saturday at the Innovation Credit Union iplex in their ‘Eight Wheels & a Dozen Bruises’ event.
“Actually it’s been going really well,” said Jinger Vitis, a seventh-year member of the Betties. “We’ve been practicing real hard. Our numbers are down, but luckily enough we have been able to pick up a few girls from other places that have played with us. There’s a couple Moose Jaw girls that are not skating with us but will be playing a few games. We have a few girls that have come back after taking a couple years off, so that’s great too. But things are starting to feel like it’s time to start skating again and we are getting ready.”
Slam-azonian, who is now in her second season as a blocker with the Betties, makes the trip from Regina each week to practice with the Redneck Betties.
“It has been hard coming from Regina with the roads being unfavorable. But it is coming together good. We are getting through and getting all excited with it only being a week away. I am pumped and hoping that we have a good turnout. As a team we are doing really well together.”
The Redneck Betties have never played the Hellraisers before.
“It’s always fun to meet new people,” said Slam-azonian. “It is kind of a disadvantage because you don’t know their skills or their strengths. Hopefully in the first half we will be able to kind of organize ourselves and in the second half we can pick out the top morsemachineco.ca skaters and the weaker link.”
But Jinger Vitis is very familiar with the Hellraisers as she also plays for that team.
“So I know all of the girls really well. They also have a couple pickups from other teams that we have played also. I have skated against all these girls before, a lot of us have skated against them before,” she said, also noting that Betties veteran Shell on Earth also plays with the Hellraisers. “I think it kind of gives us a bit of an advantage knowing most of the girls and how they skate.”
The Betties were practicing on their home track last Thursday as they made some final preparations for their 2018 debut.
“We are kind of working more heavily on the same things as last year,” said Slam-azonian. “But more as jammers, I am not a jammer, but more working on endurance and being physically fit. So as soon as you get through the pack just barrel out and race around. So just getting endurance up, working together, just staying strong, keeping together. Communication is a key. A lot of us we don’t talk, so just communicating well, yelling at each other, sticking together.”
The Ra Ra Riots will lead off at 5 p.m. with a junior bout, followed by the Redneck Betties at 7 p.m.
“I think we are all excited to be back at home just because our season last year ended on an away game. It is kind of exciting to start our season this year with a home game, in front of our own crowd and fans and family. It kind of gets us ready and sets the mood for the rest of the season,” said Jinger Vitis.