Calgary roller derby squad skates into championship

After months of hard work and even a few broken bones, the Calgary All Stars have qualified for the International Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Championship, going Nov. 4 to6 in Portland, Oregon.

It marks the first time an Alberta squad has qualified for the roller derby world championshipsince the sport took off here 10 years ago.

Adding to their accomplishments, the All Stars also won gold at a tournament in Lansing, Michigan over the weekend, beating Charlottesville in Sunday's final, 189-165, which gave themthe top seed heading into Portland.

"It's another feather in the cap in terms of proof we can compete at this level, that all the hard work we've put in over the last few years have paid off," co-captain Angela Reid told the Calgary Eyeopener.

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"We definitely punched above our weight. We're lucky there were no serious injuries this weekend but there was definitely some pretty big collisions and we're all sporting some new bruises and scratches."

The team is made up of a "pretty diverse collection of folks from all kinds of different backgrounds," said Reid, who's known on the track by the moniker Easy Break Oven.

"I myself am an electronics technologist, we also have a professional baker who does amazing decorative cakes," she said.

"We have two accountants. There's no real common thread in terms of professions or life experiences but we all somehow stumbled into this sport ... and made a bit of a family here."

Reid got started about five years ago after seeing the Oil City Derby Girls in Edmonton.

"I just loved the punk rock nature of it ... I always liked roller skating," she said.

"It just grew on me and it becomes an addiction."

Competing at the highest levels of the sport takes a time commitment.

"A lot of people talk about it being a second job between the training and fundraising to actually keep the league running," said Reid.

"It's basically a group of women getting together to run a small business, effectively, and also put all that workload on your body at the same time."

They practice about eight hours a week, with most working on their cardio as well, and that's on top of day jobs and family commitments.

As the sport becomes more mainstream, Reid said she hopes it keeps its "bad girl image and punk rock root."

"I suspect if we were to try and make it too much like other sports, it wouldn't have some of the appeal it does, for the players and our core fans who have followed it from the start." she said.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener