The Adelaide Roller Derby is midway through their 2018 season.
With only three 'bouts' left, fans are encouraged to come along and enjoy the remaining games before the season wraps up.
The league is owned and operated by skaters for skaters and houses the talents of the four 'home' teams: The Mile Die Club, The Salty Dolls, The Road Train Rollers and The Wild Hearses.
The season started with The Mile Die Club competing against The Salty Dolls. Despite losing to The Salty Dolls in the previous two grand finals, The Mile Die Club found themselves victorious. “It's excellent to be back playing with The Mile Die Club,” says skater Evil Stig.
“Some of us trained in our off season with our travel teams. When we came back and played our first game in April, it was great to get back on track with my home team.
“We just played The Road Train Rollers on the weekend and we were lucky enough to take that one out. So that means we haven’t been defeated yet this year. The Mile Die Club are officially in the grand final.
“We were in the grand final last year and the year before and didn’t win. We are confident but we aren’t getting ahead of ourselves.”
Adelaide Roller Derby strives to make every bout (game) a memorable experience for the fans. “Before we even play, while we warm up, we have a band come and play. That happens before the bout and at halftime,” Evil says.
“We also have a bout village with stalls, local crafts and businesses. That's all there to help people get excited. Before the game we do a skate-out, which is where we come out to a song, they call out all our names and we give the crowd a wave to let them know who we are and to get them all hyped up for the actual game.
“It's a full contact sport on roller-skates so it's pretty exciting,” says Evil. “It's a really exciting and really fun sport. It's great for people who like sport, and for people who aren’t traditionally into sport.
“It's very inclusive. There's people that have never played before [who] come and play. There's a place for everybody on the roller derby track. Everyone has different strengths that they bring to a team.
“It's a family friendly event. We do have opportunities for the kids to come in with their skates and their scooters, as long as they have protective gear. We do like to include the whole family. Kids under 5 are free.
Evil explains that the fact the sport is predominately played by women can feel empowering and exciting.
“It started as a way to empower women to get out there. We can be tough and hit people, but also have a good time and play a sport.”
