It’s roller derby season

Tar City Rollers host Fredericton in season opener in New Waterford

Cape Breton’s only women’s roller derby team will hit the concrete for their season opener tonight.

The Tar City Rollers will begin their 2017 season by hosting the Portside Pirates of Frederiction at 6:30 p.m. at the New Waterford and District Community Centre, a venue the team will call home for the season.

Stephanie MacPhee, a player and head of public relations for the Rollers team, said the club is looking forward to starting the year off strong.

“We practised all winter to prepare for this and it’s going to be really fun and really intense,” she said. “Roller derby here in Cape Breton, I believe it is incredibly important because it’s very empowering to women and I think in this area women need that.”

The team was in formed in 2011 after the idea was brought

up by Denise Dilney, a Cape Bretoner who had been working in Western Canada and participated in the sport during that time. The club features women between the ages of 20-45 from across the island.

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller-skating in the same direction, counter-clockwise, around an oval track. The game consists of a series of short matchups known as “jams” in which both teams designate a “jammer” who scores points by lapping members of the opposing

team.

“When it comes to sports, especially in Cape Breton, once you are out of high school there is very little opportunities for women to play sports,” said MacPhee about why the team was started up. “If they didn’t play traditional sports growing up, such as hockey or soccer, for example, their options for playing sports and being active in group settings is very limited.”

Doors open for the roller derby at 5:30 p.m., followed by the game an hour later. Admission is by donation.

MacPhee encourages residents to support the team throughout the season.

“Whether you’re a regular sports fans or not, come watch a strong group of local women give everything they have to make Cape Breton proud,” said MacPhee. “These are your moms, your sisters, your coworkers, and they need your support.”

Following tonight’s game, the Tar City Rollers will continue their season on May 27 when they host the Twisted Sisters team at 6:30 p.m. at the New Waterford and District Community Centre. The team will also host the Moonshine Maidens at the Emera Centre in North Sydney on June 24. Game time to be announced.

For more information about the Tar City Rollers, visit the team’s website www.cbrollerderby.ca or Facebook page by searching Cape Breton Roller Derby.