On the track, the girls will fight until the end to win. Off the track, they celebrate with hugs and drinks.

DETAILS

The Hellion Rebellion vs. Belladonnas
Triwood Arena
Saturday, April 16 - Saturday, April 16

More in: Sports

Fresh meat, fishnet stockings, bruises and roller skates.

Calgary’s colourful, thriving derby scene is back for a new season,bringing audiences a taste of ’80s and ’90s “whippings” that some people have only seen on television or in the 2009 film Whip It — a movie with Juliette Lewis being, well, Juliette Lewis on roller skates. Oh, and derby.

What many people probably don’t know is the Calgary Roller Derby Association (CRDA) ladies have to work their way up the ranks, and the rookies are known as fresh meat or “freshies.”

Chelsi McKenzie, 26, (a.k.a. Scissor Me Timbers) is one of the newest members to the league and joined the Cut Throat Car Hops last year as fresh meat, but is expected to be playing a lot this year as a rookie.

“When you are fresh meat, you have to pay your dues,” McKenzie says. “You do a lot of volunteer work for the league, which we don’t mind, and you practise a lot.”

McKenzie and the other rookies have spent their weekends practising with each other and joining the veterans for league skate in preparation for the fourth official season, kicking off April 16.

CRDA spokesperson Jennifer Storm (a.k.a. Booty Page) says fresh meat only practise during their first year, unless the league is really short of girls. A new batch of 25 “freshies” were just accepted into the league for this season, but will spend their first year just practising.

“The group of rookies from last year is definitely the best group inducted so far. They have some serious skills and will bring a new level of athleticism and legitimacy to the league,” Storm says.

McKenzie says the girls don’t mind working their way up the ranks and usually spend six months training just for the try-outs. After that, there are practices three nights a week. And some girls, including McKenzie, attend roller derby boot camps in other cities.

“For years I wanted to be a derby girl, but I never in a million years thought I would actually get to,” she says. “Now I am on a team I love and skating with a lot of the girls I spent skating with all those months.”

For those who don’t know — and the girls admit it’s confusing at first — roller derby is a sport played on an oval track on roller skates. Both teams send five skaters onto the track to compete during each “jam,” which is a two-minute time frame for teams to score points. “Jammers” need to get through all of the opposing “blockers” to score points. There is skating, hard hits and, of course, theatrics.

Season veteran player Rosie Moyer (a.k.a. Mama Ro) is the captain of the B52 Bellas and has been playing since roller derby started in Calgary in 2007.

“The rookies are amazing this year. With more girls trying out, there is skill coming in and it makes our veteran girls work harder,” Moyer says.

She says the rookies are so talented there are already three on the Calgary all-star team that competes in Canada and the U.S., the Hellion Rebellion.

“The sport is growing fast. When Calgary’s league started there was only Edmonton with a league in Alberta,” Moyer says, adding there are now other Alberta teams in Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Grande Prairie.

“So expect a lot more roller derby girls around the country.”

Despite all of the trash talk and huge hits on the track — which most girls will say is one of their favourite aspects— many of the girls are friends away from the sport.

“A lot of the girls meet their girlfriends and boyfriends in the league. A lot of the girls have kids and their kids are friends,” Storm says.

“After the bouts we hug and go out for drinks. So there is a lot of camaraderie. We develop some really amazing friendships through the league.”

Moyer agrees.

“On the track I am mean and I love handing out the big hits. I may trash talk a girl on the track, but I’ll share drinks with her at the after party.”

Whether they are playing it up for the crowds or for themselves and their teammates, there is nothing fake about the sport — the girls have the bruises to prove it. But something about the sport has even the shy players talking trash and dressing the part.

“Normally I am shy, and hate being the centre of attention, but when you get out there you forget there is a crowd watching you,” McKenzie says.

“That’s definitely one of the best things about this sport.”