After sitting on the sidelines for the past two years, the Southeast Saskatchewan Roller Derby Association Hillbilly Hurt wants back in on the action.
The Hillbilly Hurt senior roller derby team is holding a free learn-to-skate event on May 1 from 12:45 to 2 p.m. and May 3 between 6:45 and 8 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church gymnasium in an effort to raise some awareness about the club as well as recruit a few new members. The event is open to men and women 18 years old and over and no previous experience is necessary.
Danielle Wysminity, president of the Hillbilly Hurt, said they last played a home game in September 2014, when members of the club skated alongside their sisters from Weyburn to form one team. She said these Weyburn players then split off to form their own club, leaving the Hurt with the task of rebuilding its ranks.
“We’ll take as many (recruits) as we can get now at this point,” said Wysminity. “If we were to play a game it’s good to have anywhere from 10 to 14 people on the roster, but right now we’re sitting at maybe five or six. So, we are looking for quite a few people.”
Wysminity said these two free classes are the beginnings of an introductory roller skating course put on by members of the Hillbilly Hurt. She said if people like what they get out of the free sessions they can join up for a two-class-a-week course over the months of May and June that will cost $150 including a skater’s $50 insurance fee.
The Hillbilly Hurt will supply roller skates for the free classes and the first month of the course, but participants are encouraged to buy their own skates by the end of May or they will have to begin paying a $10 rental fee. People are being asked to bring their own helmets to the free sessions, with the club providing the other safety gear such as wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads.
Wysminity said the introductory course will focus on the basics of roller skating such as correctly putting on the equipment and the proper ways to stop and fall. She said they will be doing a recruitment and training session in the fall as well to get a team ready to begin playing once the ice goes out of the rink next spring, but their practices in preparation for that time have already begun and will continue until then.
“We love derby and we still want to play games and still want to be involved in derby and try to build the league up and keep it alive,” she said. “It’s a great sport. It’s quite physical. It’s a full contact sport, so you do get a lot of exercise in the practices. It’s not just about hitting each other on the track. There is a lot of strategy involved in it.
“We also do things outside of skating as well. We try to get together for charity events or go to out-of-town games to watch new games and stuff. So, it’s a great way to meet new people and make friends and stay in shape.”
