Walk into a Winter Wonder Slam
There won't be any ice or snow, but there will be plenty of sweat and excitement when the girls from Northern Rivers Roller Derby (NRRD) put on a derby show so hot it will warm even the most cold blooded of spectators.
On Saturday, June 30, NRRD will host its second home bout for 2012 at Lismore Skating Rink, where NRRD's Battlestar Girlacticas will take on Brisbane City Rollers team Nasty Nancies in a Winter Wonder Slam. If you've never watched a roller derby game before, this is your chance to see this fast-paced sport in action, bruises'n'all, live at a local venue.
NRRD roller girl Kim MacIntosh (aka Kimmando Karnage) said the NRRD girls were ready to beat the Nasty Nancies again, just like they did when they played them for the first time last year.
"We have three new girls on the team and we're training hard," Kimmando said. "We've been winning games all over the place recently and we're ready to do it again."
After skating with NRRD for nearly three years, Kimmando was recently selected to play in a series of derby challenge bouts at The Great Southern Slam, a national roller derby tournament held in Adelaide each year. Over a 20-hour period, she played three games with two different teams and won two of her games. She came home with bruises and a sore bum from a couple of falls, but says she is in "fighting fit condition for next weekend and ready to roll."
"I enjoy the slams and I took my kids to last year's one," Kimmando laughed. "This was the first time I'd played in games with guys on the teams as well. We were a bit worried about it in the lead up because I hadn't played any co-ed games, but it's good to know you can take on males in derby and kick their butts."
Kimmando played her final challenge bout in front of a crowd of 2500 people on the same derby track that Australia's top two roller derby teams (Sun State Roller Girls and Victorian Roller Derby League) competed later in the day.
"It was amazing," Kimmando said. "I learned so much from watching the other teams and the different tactics they use; I love bringing back the new plays and drills to the NRRD girls.
"Derby has changed in the years since I started. It's very much an athlete's endurance sport now. Roller derby has attracted figure skaters who are doing some fancy artistic moves like spinning as they come up to the back of the pack and twirling on their toe stops to get through."
On June 30, the doors of Lismore Skating Rink open at 6pm and the game starts at 6.30pm. Tickets cost $10+bf or $12 at the door. Limited tickets can be bought at Music Bizarre or online at http://tickets.oztix. com.au/?Event=27629.
