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 Lisa Suggitt, the owner of Rollergirl shop and one of the team captains in the Terminal City Rollergirl. Suggitt provides a lot of the equipment for the new recruits as well as gives them advice and tips on how to get started for upcoming roller derby tryouts this Sunday. (CARMINE MARINELLI, 24 HOURS) |
Vancouver women ready to rumble into the roller derby scene will get their chance this Sunday when The Terminal City Rollergirls holds open tryouts.
Potential recruits looking for anything from equipment to guidance need look no further than the RollerGirl shop in East Vancouver. Owner and TCR team captain Lisa Suggitt has been offering advice to inexperienced roller skaters even before the local derby league was founded in 2006.
“We really like to help out the new girls,” Suggitt said, adding a number of roller derby wannabes have recently stopped by in anticipation of Sunday’s tryouts. “We’ve seen a surge [of business] in the last week and a half.”
Due to a fresh spark of media coverage and a roller derby film, Whip It, set for release next month, Suggit said interest in the sport is stronger than ever.
“Over the years, [roller derby] has definitely been building momentum,” she said. “We expect a bit of a boom after Whip It.”
This year, the Terminal City Rollergirls are expecting anywhere from 70-100 hopefuls at the tryouts; only half of those who come out will make it onto a team.
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Since the competition can be fierce, Suggit recommends wannabes start training months in advance.
“Get your skates as soon as possible and spend as much time on them as possible,” she said.
Recruits also need to be sure they’re in top physical condition.
“There will be an endurance section [during tryouts],” Suggit said. “You need to be in amazing shape. We make the girls work really, really hard.”
And as a team captain of the league’s Bad Reputations team, what does Suggit herself look for in a player?
“Commitment to roller derby,” she said. “And a really good team attitude.” abd
Tryouts for The Terminal City Rollergirls are being held this Sunday and Sunday, Sept. 27 and Sunday at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre. Those interested must first sign up through www.terminalcityrollergirls.com.
- Want to try out for roller derby glory? First, you need the right gear.
Besides roller skates, Suggit said knee and elbow pads, a helmet, wrist guards and toe protectors are compulsory. RollerGirl offers those trying out a “fresh meat” package starting at $275; the set includes all the equipment required to survive the fiercest of roller derby battles.