On Saturday, October 18, Springside will host a roller derby bout the likes of which has never been seen in small town Saskatchewan when Team Saskatchewan welcomes Team Manitoba for a Prairie Rivalry bout at the Springside Arena.
However many people are unsure what roller derby actually is. So what exactly is 'roller derby'?
Local player Kim 'Kimakazzi' Hyshka explained just what roller derby is via email to Yorkton This Week, saying, "Roller Derby, or just derby, is a full contact sport played primarily by females (although male teams are starting to become more popular).
"Two teams, made up of five players a side (with up to nine substitutes), compete for two 30-minute halves in which the skaters play in as many mini games, or jams, as they can with each jam lasting a maximum of two minutes."
Hyshka also mentioned that there are just three positions in roller derby: the jammer, the blocker and the pivot.
A jammer's job is to lap the opposing members to earn points, with each pass equalling one point. Blockers simply try to hinder the opposing jammer while attempting to open up lanes for their jammer to pass and earn points, while a pivot is a blocker who is essentially the acting captain, but can be switched to a jammer in mid-jam if the jammer's helmet cover (a Star) is switched over successful.
The only way to score is for a team's 'jammer' to lap each opposing member earning a point per pass.
Roller derby is now mainly played on a flat track as opposed to the banked track that it originated on in the 70's.
Finally Hyshka said that this Provincial bout wraps up their season, however if people are interested in roller derby then they can contact her for more information. "For someone to get involved would be to contact myself and I have 'Old School Skate' for them to try and then we will go from there," said Hyshka. "This is the end of our season as we skate on cement but plan to get together in the winter months twice a month then come spring we will be starting again."
Hyshka's contact number is 1-306-621-7283.
Tickets for the Saskatchewan vs. Manitoba bout are just five dollars at the door with the bout starting at 7:00p.m.
