AnySportAnyTime

On Friday, April 13th, the Olympic Oval will be home to the largest roller derby tournament in Western Canada.  Flat Track Fever, hosted by Calgary’s Chinook City Roller Derby, welcomes teams from all over Alberta, and even includes a few from beyond our borders.

Matchups promise to be exciting and unpredictable, as many of the teams have not played against each other.  Friday’s schedule introduces teams in short 30 minute bouts, which are half the length of regular bouts, for determination on which pool each team will play in.

The first bout will take place on Track One at 2:00 pm on Friday, Northern Alberta’s Grande Prairie Roller Derby Association takes on Southern Alberta’s Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild.  On Track Two, at 2:15 pm, our token international women’s team, the Spokannibals,  face off against the young and hot Foothills derby girls out of High River.  At 2:45 pm, Calgary’s own Kill Jills, of the Chinook City league, host the Central Alberta Roller Derby Association, in the first ever match up between these teams.  At 3:00 pm on Track Two, another North vs. South rivalry faces off with the Gas City Rollers out of Medicine Hat taking on the Lakeland derby girls out of Cold Lake.  The results of these primary bouts will determine who takes on the veteran teams from E-Ville, CRDA, OCDG, and the Red Deer Belladonnas, scheduled to play later Friday afternoon.

In the men’s pool, the Vancouver Murder are headed to the off leash park on Track One with Calgary’s own Glenmore Reservoir Dogs at 9:45 am, while the Red Deer Dreadnaughts have breakfast with the Puget Sound Outcast at 8:30 am on Track Two.

Junior action takes place at 2:15 pm with the G-Town Beat Down Derby Bratz and the GEJRD Rot’n Rollers in a rumble by the bike racks on Track One.

Derby action continues throughout the weekend, with ongoing scrimmages and challenge bouts scheduled.  For a full schedule, go to www.flattrackfever.chinookcity.ca, and come cheer on your favourite team!  Or if you don’t have one yet, head down to the oval and find out what kind of Derby fan you are!

Tickets are available online through Brown Paper Tickets http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/218458, and are $15/day or $30 for the whole weekend, if purchased in advance, or $20/day at the door. Kids get in free with a food bank donation, or $5.