Photo caption: Roller derby skaters often play under a roller derby nickname. Derby names are indicated in brackets. Left to right: Mackenzie Heidinger (Medusa), Jesse Leger (Cheshie), Kyira Franklin (Clawless), Abigail Reimer (Super Fly), Myra Moore (Shredher). Inset: Jasper Davis (Golden Eagle) and Audrey May (Audzilla).

Lethbridge will be well-represented on the roller derby world stage once again. Seven junior roller derby players with the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild have earned a spot with Team Canada. They will compete at the Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA) World Cup in Valence, France in 2023.

Local skaters Mackenzie Heidinger, 16, and Myra Moore, 14, will play on the female division team. Audrey May, age 15, Jesse Leger, 15, Kyira Franklin, 16, and Jasper Davis, 17, will represent Canada in the open division. Abigail Reimer, 16, earned a roster spot on both teams.

For Davis, Franklin and Reimer, it’s the second time they’ve earned a spot on the national team, but it will be their first appearance at the World Cup.

“Playing with Canada’s best skaters and travelling to France to face off against the best teams in the world will be an experience of a lifetime,” Davis said. “Even though this is my second time qualifying for Team Canada, there was no World Cup last time (due to the pandemic), so I’m very thankful that I’ll still be able to play.”

“I am just super excited to get a chance to experience this, unlike the last time,” Franklin said.

The local skaters will have some familiar support behind the bench. The Canadian head coach is Caroline Reimer, who is also the head coach of the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild.

“We hosted tryouts in Alberta and Ontario and over 70 skaters attended as well as accepting video applications. It was amazing to see the representation from across Canada,” Reimer said. “It was important to us (the Canadian coaching staff) that the process was fair and everyone had an equal opportunity to show what they could do on the track.”

It may be difficult to envision how a national team will be able to practice, when teammates and coaching staff are spread across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick. Skaters will be required to continue to practice with their home leagues. Two Team Canada practices are scheduled leading up to the July event and one practice will be in France, prior to the World Cup tournament. Reimer, along with coaches Jenna McLean from Calgary, Raina Owen from Saskatoon and Christine Manders from Kitchener, also plan to host virtual team-building events so skaters can get to know each other.

“Roller derby requires trust and communication with all teammates. We’re going to do our best to develop that when we can’t physically be together on the track,” Reimer said.

The JRDA World Cup takes place approximately every two years. The first World Cup was in 2015 with three nations participating. For the 2023 World Cup, teams from the United States, Australia, France, England, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark are expected to participate.

The Lethbridge junior roller derby program started in 2012 and has three playing levels, identified by the amount of game-play contact. Roller derby is a full-contact sport played on a flat, oval track. Teams earn and protect points by blocking opposing skaters with their bodies. For more information about the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild, please visit www.lethbridgerollerderby.ca.