Edinburgh’s very own roller derby team, the Auld Reekie Roller Girls, are sending some of their finest skaters to compete for Team Scotland in the sport’s World Cup in Texas next month. The Scotland squad will be captained by local lass Lianne ‘Crazylegs’ Parry.
Skaters from leagues all over Scotland tried out earlier in the year to compete on ‘Team Scotland’, but only the best 20 skaters have been chosen to travel to Dallas, Texas, in a few weeks’ time.
Team Scotland’s final line-up includes players from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, but Auld Reekie has contributed the lions’ share – an impressive seven capital players have made the squad.
Roller derby is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and has seen an explosion in popularity over recent years. It involves teams competing on an oval track in a series of “jams” – two-minute periods that see teams of five players racing to score points. During each jam, one player on each team is designated as the “jammer” who scores a point for every member of the opposing team she passes.
The tournament takes place in Dallas from 4 – 7 December, where teams from 29 countries will battle it out for the trophy. Scotland was one of only 13 teams to compete in the first ever roller derby World Cup held in 2011, so this year’s tournament shows just how much the sport’s popularity has increased.
Team Scotland is captained by the Auld Reekie Roller Girls’ own Lianne Parry, who has been skating for over five years. Lianne, who’s from Cramond, said: “I think we’re all just really proud to be representing Scotland. I really believe in this team, a lot of the skaters inspire me with their attitude; there is a lot of talent and oodles of passion – Scottish roller derby looks seriously good for the future.”
Go, Team Scotland!
Team Scotland are fundraising by selling specially designed merchandise, designed by the team’s own Admiral Attackbar.
You can also help Team Scotland get to Dallas by donating via this link: http://gogetfunding.com/project/get-team-scotland-to-dallas