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Killjoys crush Kelowna in roller derby action

The final score of 354-100 demonstrated the Killjoys’ domination of the track, and raised the team’s national ranking by seven spots.
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The Nelson Killjoys travelled to Kelowna and despite only having nine players

In September of 2013 the Nelson Killjoys won the West Kootenay Roller Derby’s Golden Boot, after an undefeated season dedicated to teamwork and skater development.

This bolstered the Killjoys’ love of derby and each other so much that they decided the league season just wouldn’t suffice in the year to follow. The Nelson team thus booked two road games in the 2014 season — March 1 in Kelowna with the Okanagan Derby Dolls, and May 10 in Fernie with the Avalanche City Rollergirls. With the level of competition so high at home, the Killjoys wondered how the West Kootenays’ house teams would stack up against other regions, and there was only one way to find out.

Between family life, vacations, injuries and work schedules, the Killjoys’ 14 skater roster was pared down to nine, two of whom hadn’t played in a bout in over a year. But, knowing that the Okanagan Derby Dolls had a full 14 didn’t faze the Nelson team. The nine skaters all prepared to play double shifts.

The Derby Dolls proved a challenge immediately, throwing hard hits without remorse and creating strong walls to run the Killjoys’ jammers into.

The Nelson team had some new moves they wanted to try out, and they seemed to be working — the score at halftime demonstrated a decided lead at 165-30 in favour of the Killjoys. With less than two full lines, the Killjoys were more likely to tire out in the latter half of the game than the hosting Dolls.

The Killjoys’ bench may have been short but it was deep, and by the end of the bout every single one of the skaters had taken a turn wearing the jammer star.

The final score of 354-100 demonstrated the Killjoys’ domination of the track, a differential that raised the team’s national ranking by seven spots.

The Killjoys will be playing next in Castlegar  on Saturday, March 29 against the Rossland Trail Rollergirls.