ARGY BARGY: Riot, aka Benjamin Brougton, tries to break through the pack wall of Edge (aka Sarah Lawton) and Patch (aka Sarah Jane Patching) during a recent co-ed roller derby bout in Whanganui.
ARGY BARGY: Riot, aka Benjamin Brougton, tries to break through the pack wall of Edge (aka Sarah Lawton) and Patch (aka Sarah Jane Patching) during a recent co-ed roller derby bout in Whanganui.
Whanganui plays host to a roller derby double header this weekend with visiting co-ed teams preparing for battle at the Jubilee Stadium on Saturday.
Hometown team, the West Coast Bombers host mixed gender roller derby bouts against visiting teams from Levin and Taranaki.
As the sport continues to grow inpopularity in New Zealand, the Bombers are now able to field two full co-ed teams. The Bombers squads consist of a broad range of players, including husband and wife, brother and sister, mother and son and uncle and nephew combinations.
The first bout at 2:30pm pits the development team, the Stealth Bombers, against Whenua Fatales' Quiet Riot visiting from Levin, and at 3:45pm the senior West Coast Bombers team will face Taranaki Roller Corps, a highly-respected team known for their hard-hitting style.
Bombers spokesman Phil Murphy said both bouts promise to be action-packed and although the visiting teams are currently all-female, they're keen to help promote and develop co-ed roller derby in New Zealand and encourage more men to start the sport.
The Bombers are hoping to develop an all-male team in the future.
Charges on the door are $5 per person for the whole event. Murphy said spectators are encouraged to bring their own seating or cushions and make themselves comfortable in the "suicide seating" by the trackside, or watch from above in the main stands.
More information can be found on the West Coast Bombers facebook page and spectators are encouraged to come and talk with the players after the event if they're interested in knowing more about the sport, or finding out how to join.
