Co-ed roller derby a smashing success
The Hutt Valley’s first co-ed roller derby was both brutal and balletesque.
One woman from the Otautahi team kept hitting the human wall of Hayden Eising, being sent flying every time, but she never gave up.
And Scott Illeman frustrated the opposition’s blockers by leaping past them around the edge of the track.
Although Hutt Valley Vanguard Roller Derby League won the game by 185 points, it wasn’t a continuous bloodbath for their Christchurch-based opposition.
At the September 17 event at the Walter Nash Centre in Taita, the Otautahi Roller Derby League scored the first points. Each jammer scores a point every time they lap any member of the opposing team.
By half time though the Hutt team was winning 172 - 32.
Despite the Hutt’s 11 players’ high rotation, in comparison to Christchurch’s 14 members, the final score was 270-85 to the Hutt.
They had a 200 point lead for much of the second half before Christchurch scored some last gasp points and pulled the Hutt’s lead back.
The Hutt team also received less penalties - 13 penalties to Christchurch’s 24.
Elodie Green and Illemanwere the Hutt’s gold stars when it came to penalties, receiving none.
While the game was rough, members would help the opposition up when they fell and, after the match nominated award winners.
‘‘That’s one of the cool things about derby; it’s all on when the whistle goes, but in between there’s a lot of support,’’ Hutt member Philippa Murdoch said.
Christchurch named Hutt’s Most Valuable Players as Eising and Marcia Taylor.
The team had had no idea what to expect from the Christchurch team, having never played them, she said.
‘‘We were hoping the bout against Kapiti Coast Derby Collective, which the Christchurch team won 190-101, would give us a gauge, but they were playing a slightly different team, as it wasn’t co-ed,’’ Murdoch said.
If anyone who had watched the Hutt game wanted to sign up they can contact the Hutt team on their Facebook page or come along to their training session every Monday at Wainuiomata High School gym or Thursday at Walter Nash Stadium in Taita from 7pm - 9pm