A Fort McMurray first exceeded expectations on Saturday night.
The Tar Sand Betties Roller Derby League hosted the Lakeland Ladykillers in their first-ever home bout. It was also the premiere for roller derby in the city, in an event known as May Long Mayhem.
The Betties held the lead for most of the bout, but in the end, the Ladykillers squeaked out to a 129-125 win.
“We’ve been playing a lot of games out of town, and to bring one up to Fort McMurray, It means a lot for these girls, and it went fantastically.” said head coach Ryan Wheeler, who uses the derby alias “Doug Drillmore.”
The Betties are made up of skaters from all over the country, and different walks of life. Roller derby is a community unto itself, with a vibrant culture all its own. Although the home team lost, they were still happy for their opponents, and post-game photos and celebrations didn’t show any hard feelings.
Lori Snooks, who skates under the name “Lack-O-Booty” says nobody expected the community response for Saturday’s bout. “It was fantastic. We had a great turnout.”
She adds that being able to show the hometown crowd of 1100 people what they do was the most rewarding part of the evening. “We lost by a few points, but I couldn’t be happier.”
The emotional high of being able to host the city’s — and the league’s — first bout was something that all of the skaters couldn’t stop talking about. “It’s great to finally be able to show our friends and families what we’ve been spending our time doing.” says Wheeler.
The Betties are now looking forward to hosting their next bout, which will happen in the coming weeks.
Snooks says she’s hoping for a repeat of the community response they had for May Long Mayhem. “We work together very well, we’re a great, close family. Now that we’ve had this, word is just going to soar.”
Published May 21st, 2012
