Calgary roller derby team headed to Sweden for playoffs

The Calgary Roller DerbyAll Stars have a championship title on their minds as they prepare to take on teams from around the world at the Women's Flat Track Derby Association(WFTDA) playoffs.

Part of the Calgary Roller Derby Association (CRDA), the All Stars will be headed to Malmo, Sweden, in September for the Division 1 Playofftournament.

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TheCalgary Roller Derby All Stars are ranked 35th in the world.Team coachNazaninPhafftold theCalgary Homestretchthat her teamjust made the cut for the tournament wherethe best teams battle for a shot at the Championships thisNovemberin Philadelphia.

Phaff said the All Stars will have their work cut out for them when they take onRainy City Roller Derby from Manchester, U.K.,intheir first match.

"Well at this point I believe they are ranked 17th in the world, so we're coming in sort of as the underdogs in that game,"Phaffsaid. "We're really excited to play them.I think this is the highest-ranking team we've playedso it's going to be an intense match up. We've been training really hard and we really want this win."

Retro revolution

Phaffsays the sport has come a long way from the staged matchesof the'70s and '80s.

"We like to say that the hits are real and the athleticism is real,"Phaffsaid."Yes, the earlier versions of [roller derby] were kind of like wrestling.Like, the fake version of it and things were planned(with)moredrama."

"Now it's more similar to hockeythere are big hits, it's definitely full-contact but within a set of rules."

Phaff saidroller derby has grown in popularity and become more accepted bythe mainstream in recent years.

"It started almost sort of like a punk-rock revolution but it's really morphed into a focus on athleticism, ongameplay, on strategy," Phaff said."We've really taken it to the next level."

One part of the sport that has passed the test of timeistheroller derby nicknames athletes useto intimidate thecompetitionwhenhitting the tracknames like"Easy Break Oven,"RoccaFellon"and "Fluster Cluck."

Phaffskates under the name "Monster Maggie," a nod to her favourite character on the television showThe Simpsons.

Raising funds

Whilethe Calgary Roller DerbyAll Stars may be a top-tier team, roller derby athletesarestill far from a major-league pay day.

Phaff said the team is independently funded and they do not get paid for games, so team members have to raise funds for every tournament they enter.

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The Calgary Roller DerbyAll Stars have started a GoFundMe pagewhere people can donate to the team and help them reach Sweden.

Phaffsaid theCRDAis accepting new applicants for both men's and women's teams in the fall. The sport is open to both men and women and Phaff said the CRDAwillbe starting a junior league in September.

More information on how you can get involved with the CRDAis available on their website.

The WFTDADivision-1 Playoff Tournamnet runs from Spet. 8 to Sept. 10 in Malmo, Sweden.

For more information on the tournamentvisit the WFTDAhomepage.

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With files from the Calgary Homestretch