Babes | City Roller Derby Team Plays To Big Crowd

By Doug Diaczuk
Delaney Arena was packed with screaming spectators Saturday, making it pretty clear that roller derby is taking off in Thunder Bay.
The hometown team, Babes of Thunder, played their first home bout against the Harbor City Roller Dames from Duluth. While the hometown team didn't come away with a win, the opening bout was still a huge success.
"We obviously wanted to win, but win or lose it was all about the event we were putting on and finally being able to display all the time we've taken to train and our talent in front of the hometown crowd, and it is fantastic," said team founder Judy Roche after the bout.
The Babes of Thunder fell to Harbor City Roller Dames by a score of 181-74. The Babes came out strong in the first half, trailing by only six points with a score of 60-54 at the end of the half. But they were unable to build on that early momentum and the Roller Dames came out flying in the second half.
"We were almost there in the first half," said Melissa Kastern. "In the second half we played as hard as we could but I guess in the end they were the better team. But it was a lot of fun."
"They are an established team," Roche added. "Any time we go up against any other team we are always learning."
Some of the jammers on the Duluth side seemed unstoppable, but Roche explained that when it comes to this sport, the focus isn't on one or two players.
"Your team is only as strong as your weakest skater," she said. "It's not so much about stopping an individual, but working as a team. Because we are so new to this, we are still gelling as a team."
Even with the loss, the hometown crowd was not shy when it came to cheering on their side. The Delaney Arena was crowded with cheering fans, many sitting right on the floor just meters from the action.
Michael Cashaback, who was attending his first roller derby event, said he wasn't sure what to expect, but added that he was very surprised and enjoyed the bout.
Tracey Pollard also had a lot of fun, though she was a little disappointed the team lost. While she was expecting there to be a bigger crowd, she still thinks roller derby has made an impact on Thunder Bay.
"Two years ago we didn't even had a roller derby team and now look how many girls there are involved," she said.
"I think it has taken off and it's only going to get bigger," Cashaback added.
As for the bout Saturday night, Pollard was quite impressed with the level of competition.
"It was very ferocious," she said. "It was epic. Not every girl can do it. Girls were throwing each around out there."
The team was blown away by the cheers coming from the large crowd. Roche said that as an event, it was incredibly successful and she was so happy to see all the hometown support.
"The home crowd was awesome," Kastern added. "We're used to playing out of town and hearing boos, but hearing yays is way better."
The next home bout for the Babes of Thunder will be June 11 against the Murder City Maidens from Winnipeg. For more information on the team and the schedule, visit www.tbayrollergirls.com .
"The more bouts we have, the better we will get," Roche said.
The team will be hoping for even more hometown support to not only propel them to victory, but make the sport grow in the city.
"If more people like this, we can just make it bigger and bigger," Kastern added.