Kent Roller Girls started their campaign for the British Roller Derby Championships in style at the weekend with a decisive win.
The 6 hour journey to Penzance was worth it as Kent finished 219-109 against North Devon’s Grin N’ Barum. This first game sees Kent second in the table, with a game in hand over leaders Cornwall. Kent will be hoping for another win when they play Bath in Swindon on 24 April before their home game in Herne Bay against Surrey on 21 May.
KRG got off to a great start in the first half as Kent’s jammer, Vikispeedia, took 20 points in the first jam. Kent continued to rack up the points as their defensive blockers held back GNB’s jammer to only a handful of points each jam, allowing the Kent jammers to get through.
Kent finished the first half 151-31. Devon’s GNB came out fighting in the second half, with a strong defensive showing, holding Kent back and allowing the Devonshire jammers to claw back some points. Kent continued to fight on and managed to regain their strength in the final jams to finish 110 points up, far more than they were predicted.
“It’s a great start to our season. We’ve worked really hard to prepare for the game and it really paid off” said Kent’s captain, Jennapocalypse.
Roller derby is a fast-paced contact sport played on roller skates. The object of the game is to score more points than the other team by lapping opposing skaters on the track. The game is played in two 30 minutes halves, comprising of 2 minute ‘jams’. Each team has one scoring player (a jammer) who is trying to pass opposing players.
The rest of the team are blockers, whose job it is to stop the opposing jammer getting past whilst helping their own jammer to advance.
If you fancy giving roller derby a go, Kent are holding an open day on 10 April. Anyone who fancies giving it a go can put their skates on for some free tuition from real life roller girls.
The open day is suitable for all ages (over 18), genders and abilities. You don’t need to know how to skate, or have your own equipment – you can borrow everything and the coaches will start with the very basics.
If you don’t fancy skating, you are still welcome to come along and see what it’s all about. People of all genders are involved in Kent Roller Girls as referees and officials – either on skates or off.
The team will also be holding a practice game so you can see roller derby in all of its fast paced glory.
We have also been reliably informed that there will be free cake. Details can be found on Kent Roller Girls Facebook page.
Picture supplied by Roller Derby Photography.