Ali Lemer got sick of playing “watered-down” versions of men’s sports. That was the reason she turned to roller derby. Since its revival at the turn of the millennium, roller derby has exploded – so much so there was a World Cup in Canada in 2011.
“Derby started very much as a women’s sport,” Lemer says. “It’s a tough, full contact sport. I used to play rugby and ice hockey and we always had to play the female version of the men’s sport.
“Our league [Northside Rollers] is women skaters only, and every league is skater-owned.”
The Northside Rollers are based in Reservoir and train at Puckhandlers Stadium. The league has four teams – two home teams and two travel teams. All are titled with popular culture references, a roller derby custom.
Each bout takes place over 60 minutes split into two periods, and is contested by two teams of five members skating around a circuit. One of the five is a jammer, who tries to lap as many of her opponents as possible. The other four are blockers, who must impede the progress of the opposition jammer while helping their own.
Lemer is part of the travelling Rebel Alliance team, whose next bout is on June 22 in Albury against the Murray River Derby Dames.
“I play both roles, although I’m more of a blocker because it’s a lot of work to jam and I don’t have the stamina,” she says.
Lemer says the beauty of the sport is its inclusiveness and developmental aspects. It can take up to eight months to become fully trained for bouts. The Northside Rollers have a program called Fresh Meat, through which they train new players, with a colour system akin to martial arts denoting the level of a skater’s skill.
“It’s very accommodating of all shapes, sizes and ages,” says Lemer. “I’m 41 and only played in my first bout last month. Tall women, short women, small women, big women, there’s a spot for anyone.
“Training is an essential part of it for safety reasons and because it’s not a sport everyone grew up watching or playing. So there’s a lot of stuff to learn. As long as you can skate one lap around without holding onto the wall, we can take it from there.
“I love being part of a sport where you get to develop. I was playing indoor soccer for a while and it was very casual; you win or lose and then go home, there was no training or development.” ■
The Rollers’ next Fresh Meat intake is on June 16. Details: northsiderollers.com.
