West Kootenay Roller Derby is back for another season with their highflying contact sport on wheels set to start next week.
The opening bout features the Kootenay Kannibelles, the all-star travel team for the West Kootenay league, taking on Fernie’s Avalanche City Roller Girls on Saturday, February 8 at Selkirk College in Castlegar.
The Nelson Star will be giving away tickets to the opener as well as every game this season. It’s your chance to catch the rough and tumble action of Canada’s largest roller derby league.
The fast skates and hard hits of roller derby have been around the Koots since 2009 when Shelly “Hoar Frost” Grice-Gold helped start the league.
“Full contact sport is usually made for men and then adjusted for women to play,” she said. “Roller derby was made for women and mountain women are strong, we can handle it.”
Today, the league consists of the all-star travel team and five house league teams including Nelson Killjoys. There will be six bouts this season before playoffs in June.
To enter to win tickets to the season opener go to nelsonstar.com and click on the contests tab in the top right corner of the page.
The derby girls will hit the track and each other starting at 5 p.m.
For pictures from last June's double header at the NDCC click here.