A sport rolled out of the area on the weekend.
The Foothills Roller Derby Association held its May Melt Down on Saturday at the Crescent Point Field House to say so long to the Okotoks area after six years.
“Today is a farewell to our local roller derby community — a thank you for helping us,” said Okotoks’ Breanna “Luscious Lynn” Grassl, a blocker with Foothills’ DAMNsels in Distress.
The association has had women skating in circles as jammers tried to get by blockers since the fall of 2011 when it took form in High River.
It moved to the Shane Homes Gym in Okotoks after the flood of 2013.
However, the flood took away some of the club’s momentum as the 2013 season was wiped out.
“It’s just not sustainable anymore,” Grassl said of roller derby in the Foothills. “It’s hard to get a coach out here and we don’t have a lot of skaters to help with expenses.”
Jasmine “Bad Jazzy” Jaworenko from Okotoks found trying to block a jammer the perfect break from a tougher task — raising children.
“This is my fourth year and my daughter is actually part of the Southern Alberta Junior Roller Derby Association,” Jaworenko said. “She wanted to join mom and skate.
“I find it like meditation on skates. I have no stress after a practice or scrimmage. I’m just the happiest person in the world.”
While at first glance, roller derby looks about as friendly as Texas Rangers-Blue Jays baseball game, it’s more like rugby — plenty of camaraderie after a physical match.
“I love that it is a sport that you can have any physical fitness level to start with and we will take you and put you on skates and help push you so that you can be the best that you can be,” Jaworenko said. “There’s no judgment, very supportive no matter where you come from or what your ability is.”
The association would ensure players had the proper skills before skating with the competitive team, the DAMNsels in Distress.
Desiree “Deztroyer” Brook, has been jamming for Foothills since the early days in High River.
“I will miss Foothills for sure,” she said. “Fortunately, a lot of girls are on the same team I am going to.”
While you can take the roller derby out of Okotoks, you can’t take the Okotokian out of roller derby.
Luscious Lynn, Bad Jazzy and Deztroyer and other Foothills members are going about 25km northeast to derby for the Eastside Rollers in Indus.
