Skip to content

Roller derby intro program underway

"Skating culture is coming back," says North Coast Nightmares' Rylyn Munson

Roller derby is a physical, fast-paced sport that combines strategy, speed, and athleticism. It is a mix of violence, pain, sweat, tears, laughter, and euphoria.

For people who want to experience this, the annual new skater program of Thornhill's North Coast Nightmares roller derby team began Sept. 17.

"It's really empowering, it really builds people up," said Rylyn Munson, whose derby name is Smackdown Sweetheart. 

"It's an awesome community that's welcoming to all levels and all genders. We're super inclusive," she said.

The new skater program runs for six weeks until Oct. 31 with training sessions held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m at the Northwest Trades and Employment Training Centre gym in Thornhill.

They have some gear to loan to skaters, but they highly recommend people bring their own equipment if possible as their supplies are limited. People will need a multi-impact helmet, mouth guard, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and quad roller skates.

In roller derby, each "bout" is played between two teams in two, 30-minute periods made up of two-minute plays, or "jams."

Each team has five players: four blockers and a jammer. The blockers play defence, trying to stop the other team's jammer, who is playing offence by trying to pass each blocker upright and in-bounds.

The first jammer to make it past the pack of blockers on their first lap is designated as lead jammer, meaning that they have the power to stop the jam before two minutes are up, which is where strategy comes into play. A lead jammer would stop the jam if the other team was catching up and about to get more points.

Jammers accumulate one point for every opposing blocker they pass after the initial lap. Whichever team has the most points at the end of the bout wins.

Once new skaters complete the program, they can join the team for a monthly fee of $30, which pays for the gym rental. The fee is only $20 per month for students. If someone cannot afford it, the team will cover it.

"I want as many people to join as possible," said Munson.

"After [the pandemic], we took a big hit and we didn't have a lot of returning members. We've been slowly building up our team now. Skating culture is coming back."