From left, Danielle Patchell, 10, Malise Fry, Kerry Pearson, Kelly Norris and Amy Patchell,11 will be part of the Hell-O-Wheels Live Roller Derby Spooktacular. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER.
From left, Danielle Patchell, 10, Malise Fry, Kerry Pearson, Kelly Norris and Amy Patchell,11 will be part of the Hell-O-Wheels Live Roller Derby Spooktacular. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER.
Roller Derby
Rotorua's Sadistic Doll, Panel Beat Her, Princess Die and Primevil are just some of Sulphur City Steam Rollers' Motley Crew players looking to impress in the inaugural Halloween Skate Spooktacular.
Motley Crew will face off against Auckland's Broadside Brawlers - members of the original New Zealand roller derbyleague the Pirate City Rollers - in the Hell-O-Wheels event at the Sportsdrome in Rotorua on Saturday night.
Motley Crew's Layla Robinson said the national ranking fixture was set to be a "bruising contest", and she was wary of the experienced opposition.
"There's a lot of importance in the clash and it's certainly going to be a very competitive," she said.
"Brawlers are part of the longest standing league in the country so I expect their team to be filled with talented and experienced players.
"They will bring a very hard game to the table and we have to be ready for that."
The local side will field several new faces in the crunch clash and Robinson, a veteran of roller derby, said "communication and urgency" were crucial for success.
"We have some new blood in the team and recently we have been training hard making sure to gel," she said.
"It's a big event and nerves will play a part - especially for the first-timers so I and other experienced players have made sure to pass on advice.
"We want to put on a good show but we also want that winning result."
The Sulphur City Steam Rollers' Motley Crew Roller Derby team members (front to back) Malise Fry, Shannon Seymour, Lorena Sierra and Layla Robinson. Photo/File.
Saturday's match will follow modern roller derby rules- full contact, with players skating around an oval track in a pack made up of eight skaters, four from each team, who hold the position of blockers.
Blockers must remain within a certain distance from each other at all times. Also on the track are jammers, one from each team who are the point scorers. It is the jammers' role to attempt to 'break' through the pack and score points for each opposition player they pass.
It will also include a large group of officials - up to seven referees during a game and 14 non-skating officials.
"It's often referred to as rugby on skates," said Robinson.
"The crowd can expect a high contact and exhilarating match-up."
For tickets information visit Hell-O-Wheels Live Roller Derby Spooktacular event page on Facebook.
The Sulphur City Steam Rollers' Motley Crew squad:
