Rotorua's roller derby league face top 10 challenge

Sulphur City Steam Rollers' Motley Crew in action against Hellmilton Roller Ghouls' Raggedy Angst last year. Photo / Mark Coker Images

For the Sulphur City Steam Rollers (SCSR), the invitation to be part of the New Zealand Roller Derby Top 10 Championship in 2018 is one of the highlights of the local roller derby league's history.

The league took part in the competition last year even though they were only ranked 14th at the time. The spot became available when some of the top leagues were unable to compete because of overseas travel.

It was exciting to gain special entry into the tournament in 2017, but this year SCSR sit within the top 10 leagues in New Zealand women's roller derby.

In the Top 10 Championship, 10 teams are split into two pools in which they play each other throughout the year. Points differentials then decide which teams will play each other in the finals, this year being held in Christchurch on October 13 and 14.

Team captain Nat Calder (Nat Demon) said the most difficult game the Steam Rollers faced in 2017 was against the Dead End Derby All Stars (DED - Christchurch) who are the top ranked side in the country and won 438-18.

"DED proved why they were the number one ranked team in New Zealand, with lightning quick jammers and strong, cohesive blocking formations. We never gave up and took a lot of learnings away from the game.

"We were rewarded later in the season when we put these new strategies into play against teams outside the top 10, realising just how far we'd come as a team," Calder said.

Although it was a daunting experience, the Steam Rollers celebrated the small victories they had throughout the game, and were proud of the fight they put up against a top ranked team.

"If we weren't in the Top 10 Championship, it's unlikely we'd have a chance to play a team like the All Stars," Steam Rollers chairwoman Layla Robinson (Primevil) said.

"So I'm very pleased we took up the challenge, it was an amazing learning opportunity."

The Steam Rollers' first pool game of the 2018 Top 10 Championship is this weekend at the Whakatane War Memorial Hall against the Whakatane Roller Derby League (WRDL).

Whakatane have been sitting comfortably in the Top 10 since 2015.

"WRDL have some hard hitters in their team. They hold strong walls and are skilled at playing offensively," Robinson said.

"For the Steam Rollers, we're going to be focusing on our strengths as a team, supporting each other, keeping positive and playing hard while remembering the words of our team chant, 'three, two, one, fun!'."

Sulphur City play Whakatane at the Whakatane War Memorial Hall, Short St on Saturday, April 28 at 6pm.