Courtney Taylor
Cariboo Advisor
It may seem a thing that only people in the movies do, but right here in Williams Lake girls have a chance to be rough, tough, and sexy in roller skates and fishnets skating with the Lakecity Roller Derby team.
Mel Ablitt started the team in November of 2009 after she returned from a year living in Edmontone where she had joined a roller derby team.
“I was a little bummed when we came back, and was practicing with the Prince George team and decided I would start a team here,” said Ablitt.
Since then there have been many girls who have donned a pair of roller skates and taken to the rink, but currently Ablitt says they are down to about six regular skaters.
“We need 14 girls to make a full team,” says Ablitt. “And there are lots of opportunities for men to be refs.”
There is no cookie cutter image of what a roller derby girl needs to look like according to Ablitt. Big girls with big booties are more than welcomed, along with skinny tall girls. Ablitt says the only criteria are that they are over 18 years old.
The team has skaters who are moms, cowgirls, businesswomen, students, and accountants.
“There is no such thing as the typical derby girl,” says Ablitt.
She says it gives women the chance to be tough, and sexy all at the same time as well as make some great friends along the way.
The team practices twice a week, Wednesdays in the Marie Sharpe gym and Fridays in the Nesika gym. Ablitt says any girls who are interested just need to show up and they have all the equipment necessary and there is no experience needed.
The official season starts at the end of September/ beginning of October and Ablett hopes to be able to put together a home bout in April.
“We had one last August against P.G., and over 500 people came out to watch,” said Ablett.
Roller derby teams are popping up all over the province, and Ablett says Quesnel and Kamloops have great teams that they have had the pleasure of skating with and hope to keep roller derby progressing in the Lakecity.
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