Written by Erin "Miss E. Masculator" Morrisette, photos by Bob Ayers
Roller derby season is in full swing in Vancouver, and if you only attend one event this year, this weekend's upcoming bout is the one not to be missed.
The Terminal City Rollergirls rep team, the TCRG All-Stars, recently made the biggest regional rankings jump in Women's Flat Track Derby Association history (23rd to 16th in the West), proving they are an up-and-coming team in the roller derby world. They have been turning heads all over the continent in 2012, but they hardly ever play at home, so this weekend is a rare chance for Vancouverites to see what they've been missing.
On Saturday, June 9th, The TCRG All-Stars will go head to head with Seattle's Rat City All-Stars. Both teams are fighting with everything they've got this season to try and snag a top ten position in the WFTDA's ultra-competitve Western Region, and a win on Saturday could help guarantee TCRG's trip to the playoffs.
The WFTDA Championship is the Stanley Cup of roller derby; an annual competition where 148 teams from around the world face off for the top title. Every fall, each region (East, West, North Central, and South Central) holds a playoff tournament for the top ten teams, and only the top three teams from each regional tournament advance to the WFTDA Championships. The Rat City All-Stars are currently 5th in the West, and have consistently made it to playoffs in the last few years.
TCRG All-Stars' captain RollerGirl rounds the corner
Since Vancouver's Terminal City Rollergirls first laced up to roll around a parking lot in 2006, they have been looking south to the Rat City Rollergirls to guide them in their path to derby domination. For several years now, Rat City has been selling out Key Arena, playing for crowds of over 5,000, and building one of the best roller derby leagues in the world. "Rat City are our big sisters to the South and have always been the league that we idolized. They're ranked 5th in our division and 10th in the world," says Lisa 'RollerGirl' Suggitt, Captain of the TCRG All-Stars. The Rat City Rollergirls have been voted Seattle's 2nd favourite sports team and practically own their spot in the regional playoffs. And the TCRG All-Stars are determined to join them.
The TCRG All-Stars really came into their own this year, winning 10 of the 13 bouts they've played since January. "Playing a top team like Rat City is really coming full circle for TCRG," explains Coach Ian 'Mack the Mouth' MacKenzie. "We've driven down the I5 and watched this incredible team have so much success and we're finally in a position to compete at their level - a level never before seen in TCRG history." Having only gained WFTDA membership in 2011, the TCRG All-Stars entered the season ranked 23rd of 30 teams in the west. They've trained hard and traveled extensively, playing ten sanctioned bouts in the past five months while steadily clawing their way up the ranks.
TCRG Head Coach Mack the Mouth rallies the troops
As if that wasn't reason enough to come get some derby action, TCRG house teams the Faster Pussycats and the Riot Girls will be facing off in the first bout of the night. A pre-season bout between these teams in March had fans screaming as the teams headed into the last jam with only a five point spread. The race for house team glory is incredibly tight this year; every intraleague bout has been neck and neck down to the final minutes, and which of the four house teams will make it to the championships is still anyone's guess.
Doors open at 5:00pm, first whistle blows at 6:00pm on Saturday, June 9.
Minoru Arena (7551 Minoru Gate) is just half a block from the Canada Line at Brighouse Station.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $10 for kids 6-12, and kids 5 and under are free. Want to bring the gang? $13 each for a group of 10 or more! Grab yours at terminalcitytickets.com
The Faster Pussycats hug it out
