Filed under: Entertainment, Sport | Tags: beenleigh, golden roughs, liquorice short shorts, roller derby, roller skates, sun state roller chicks
Almost a thousand people turned out to watch the Liquorice Short Shorts and Golden Roughs face off against each other in last weekend’s quarterly roller derby match at Beenleigh Sports Arena.
The aim of roller derby is simple – both teams form a pack and skate around the rink, two ‘jammers’ lag behind, and then attempt to break through the pack. The first one through scores a point, every lap they make through scores an additional point.
The game is so dangerous the teams must fork out for an ambulance presence at every match, with injuries including a double break of the fibula and tibia during one game, and a shattered humerus during a training session.
“You have to be pretty tough mentally and physically, you’ve got to be ballsy enough to get out there and have a go” said Kate McGain, captain of the Golden Roughs.
“I’ve not always been drawn to mainstream sport, it’s a sport where you can be physically aggressive but still feminine,” says Licorice Short Shorts player Lizzie Wilbourne, ie ‘Annie Seizure’.
The game, which started off from humble origins in 2007 has grown a ‘bloodthirsty cult following’ according to Kate.
The sport has rapidly grown in popularity, from 100 viewers a game and one league to 1000 viewers a game and three leagues including Sun State Roller Girls.
But while league president, Nicky Ennever aka Knockout Nicky says she loves the ‘technical game play of the sport’ some spectators are not convinced.
Alasdair Young, who watched the Saturday night match described the girls as ‘slow’ and their performance ‘lacklustre’.
“It would be better if the ring was bigger, the girls were faster and the refs could actually keep score,” said Alasdair.
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