Shannon 鈥淢ala Justed鈥� Handley wants to dispel some misconceptions about her sport of roller derby.
It鈥檚 much different than the derby of the past, for one thing, she says. Back in the 1970s 鈥� the days of the formidable Gwen 鈥淪kinny Minnie鈥� Miller 鈥� elbows flew and so did the players, over the boards and each other.聽
鈥淚t isn鈥檛 really like that at all anymore,鈥� said Handley, founder of the Squamish roller derby team the Sea to Sky Sirens.
Modern roller derby is much more strategic than the historic derby.聽
鈥淥ne of the common expressions among people who play roller derby is it is like high-speed chess while bricks are thrown at you,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t just blows your mind, what some of these people can do physically and command mentally at the same time.鈥澛�
For the uninitiated, derby bouts last for one hour, with two 30-minute periods.聽
Teams have five women a side: three blockers, one pivot and one jammer.聽
Handley doesn鈥檛 have a defined position, she said 鈥� she plays them all.聽
Each period is made up of multiple jams, which last up to two minutes. In a jam, players simultaneously skate counterclockwise around the 鈥渇lat track,鈥� or rink. The aim of each jam is to score as many points as possible by the jammer lapping a member of the opposing team. The members of each team try to prevent the other team鈥檚 jammer from passing and help their own jammer score.聽
The full-contact, fast-paced sport played on old school roller skates isn鈥檛 for the timid. In fact, a Helsinki painter, Riikka Hyv枚nen, based an entire art exhibition on the 鈥渂eauty鈥� of real-life roller derby bruises, affectionately called 鈥渄erby kisses鈥� by players. 聽
The bruises form deep purple, blue and yellowish-green swirls on various derby players鈥� body parts where they collided with an opposing player or the concrete track. 聽
Before a player can join the team, she has to go through a 鈥淔resh Meat鈥� program where she learns to master roller-skating, the physical demands of the game and the rules.聽
Players must pass a physical and written test to make the team.聽
鈥淚t is intense,鈥� said the Sirens鈥� youngest player, Tawnie Gillis, a diminutive 23-year-old college student and second-year blocker.聽
She鈥檚 known as 鈥淭awnka Truck鈥� in the derby world. 鈥淚t is a play off of Tawnie and the little truck, tough thing,鈥� she explained.
A misconception is that derby women are hulking brutes, according to Handley. 聽
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be big,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have seen tons of tiny players really dominate this sport.鈥澛�
A diverse group of 23 women make up the Squamish team, which began in 2008 with six women meeting to skate on whatever flat surface they could find. Women of all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds play derby.聽
Sirens veteran Handley, 32, is an electrician by trade.聽
Jessie Cameron, who plays jammer and blocker, is a 31-year-old lawyer known as 鈥淧urr-Fect-Lee-Legal.鈥�
鈥淟awyers need hobbies too,鈥� Cameron joked.聽
The strategy, ruggedness and personas they wear on the track are empowering outlets for women, many said.聽
Derby portrays a positive female body image.聽
鈥淚 have always been athletic. I鈥檝e put on more muscle though doing this sport than I did鈥� snowboarding, or mountain biking or running,鈥� said Cameron. 鈥淚t is good, it feels good to be strong.鈥�
Several women on the team are mothers. Lindsay Leathem, 39, is a wife, mother of two and account manager at a radio station. On the track, however, she鈥檚 jammer Rowdy Roddy Pippa.
鈥淗aving something like derby, or having something where you have this ultra ego where you aren鈥檛 just somebody鈥檚 mom 鈥� as much as that is OK鈥� it is nice to have an identity and be like, yeah, I am tough,鈥� she said.
More than anything, the Sirens seem a tribe of sorts, with an unbreakable sisterhood that bonds them.聽
鈥淟ifelong friends,鈥� asserted Leathem, who joined the team in 2012 when she moved to Squamish from Pemberton.聽
鈥淎ll of us have had losses in our families鈥� we鈥檝e had girls who have been injured, and everybody steps up,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got happily married women, you鈥檝e got divorced women, you鈥檝e got women who like women, it doesn鈥檛 matter, everybody just gets on the track and has fun and has this amazing sisterhood.鈥澛�
In February, when Gillis had all her gear stolen from her truck, the team rallied around her and presented her with money and gear to replace what was stolen.聽
鈥淲e really stick up for each other,鈥� Gillis said.聽
Handley said it has been an amazing feeling to see the ragtag team she started over eight years ago grow up. The team began in 2008.
In 2010, the not-for-profit Squamish Women鈥檚 Roller Derby Association, of which the Sirens are a member, was formed. 鈥淚鈥檓 honoured. It鈥檚 pretty special,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work, but there are a lot of rewards.鈥澛�
This season will be a little different because, with the arena slab at Brennan Park being replaced, it is out of commission; no home bouts are scheduled.聽
The Sirens are slated for a high-profile bout during the renowned 2016 World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler on April 9.聽
Typically, the team draws a few hundred devoted fans to its family-friendly home games, Handley said.聽
She would like to see the fan base grow once the Sirens鈥� bouts are back on home turf next season.聽
鈥淚 think one of the reasons why it hasn鈥檛 broken into the mainstream鈥� is people don鈥檛 know the rules,鈥� Handley said. 鈥淚t is really hard to watch a sport if you can鈥檛 understand why is this person getting a penalty, why are they doing this weird thing. So it is definitely something we struggle with. You are trying to gain a fan base and try and to educate them about the sport at the same time鈥�. More than anything, I wish they didn鈥檛 misunderstand it.鈥澛�
For more on the team, go to.
