Season three of roller derby begins on March 5 with the Lucky Harms bout. The Reign Valley Vixens will defend their home track against the Okanagan Raggedy Rollers at the Ag Rec building in Abbotsford’s Exhibition Park.
Partial proceeds will be donated to the Abbotsford food bank and tickets are $5, or by donation.
Future bouts to be played at the MSA Arena in Abbotsford include April 23, Tango and Crash; May 28, 2nd Annual Battle for Boobs (BC Cancer Foundation fundraiser); June 25, Rollin’ Thunder; and July 23, Wheels of Justice.
Season tickets are 2 for 1 until March 31which adds up to $40 for a set of tickets to every game this season. For information see website: www.rvvrd.com
The Reign Valley Vixens began in 2007 with a small group of ladies with a dream to build a flat track derby league in the Fraser Valley. They are based in Abbotsford, but their members span from Surrey, Aldergrove and Langley to Maple Ridge and Mission. They are now heading into their third season and ready to bring their family-friendly rock concert-style roller derby bouts back to Abbotsford’s MSA Arena.
The game is played in two 30-minute periods made up of numerous two-minute races that are called jams. Each jam starts with five women from both teams on the track. Each team has four blockers and one jammer. The pack is made up of all the blockers. Two jammers stand 20 feet behind the pack. Once the pack begins to move, the jammers attempt to make their way through the pack. Their own blockers try to help them though while the opposing blockers try to stop the jammer from passing them. On the second pass through, the jammer gets one point for each opposing blocker she passes legally.
There are five to seven referees who enforce the rules of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), although most fans are delighted to witness many hard hits, skating mishaps and trips to the penalty box. At the end of the second period, the team with the most points wins.
