Roller derby spreading to junior ages

Some Redneck Betties hopefuls got a piece of the spotlight at the Redneck Rumble when they played in a junior scrimmage during the five-bout event on July 6.

Members of the Ra Ra Riots played on the Black Team that opened the Redneck Rumble with a 186-138 win over the White Team.

Redneck Betties jammer Bashful Button is the coach of the Ra Ra Riots, the Betties’ junior program, which is now in its second season.

“It has been going really good and the girls have been sticking around,” said Bashful Button, who explained that some of the girls are multiple sport athletes who The future stars of the Saskatchewan roller derby scene got a chance to show off their talents during a junior scrimmage to open Saturday’s Redneck Rumble. have to work around their various other sporting calendars.

The Ra Ra Riots’ roster runs around 15 players deep with skaters as young as 10 and up to the age of 16.

They had seven players on the track for the junior scrimmage at the Redneck Rumble.

“It was awesome, I was totally pumped,” said Button after seeing her young charges on the track for a dominating win.

Most of the other players were from Regina so the bout ended up being mostly Swift Current versus Regina with a few players balancing out each squad.

“It worked out good to be able to have them in a scrimmage and be able to work with each other because they haven’t been able to do that,” explained Bashful Button.

She said they work on a diverse amount of aspects of roller derby because the age group ranges so much.

“Sometime we have a break it down the same with newbies.

“Endurance is a big thing that we like to work on.

Core, I like to work on that, that is a huge thing strength-wise for derby and skating.”

Button is hoping that next season the program will really get rolling with some games against other junior derby teams.

Roller Derby in Swift Current is a little but handcuffed by the fact that they only have access to their home track during the months of the year when the curling ice is not occupying the Credit Union iplex.

They are hoping to be able to host some home games next season when they could play in the late afternoons before Redneck Betties home games.

She said that Roller Derby is spreading to junior age groups across the prairies in a similar way to the womens teams that have popped up across the region in the past few years.

“There are a lot out there and there are getting to be more and more. Medicine Hat just started one not that long ago.

There is Regina and Saskatoon, Edmonton has been around for years and years and they have some really good girls up there.”