BELLINGHAM ROLLER DERBY SEASON KICKS OFF WITH A DOUBLE HEADER AT THE LYNDEN SKATEWAY The Bellingham Roller Betties are gearing up for their eleventh season of roller derby with their annual pre-season bout at 5:30 PM on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at the Lynden Skateway. This evening features a double header: Red Riot vs Black Death and Blunt Force Trauma vs Wine Country Crushers. The preseason bout is the first time that new skaters in the Bellingham Roller Betties will compete in a full-contact, full-length game. This year, the Betties added over twenty skaters such as Femme Brulee and Dita Von Teeth. Some of the skaters, like Knotty Nurse, transferred from other leagues and moved to Bellingham, while others, such as Kitty Kitty Bang Bang are brand new to the sport. New Skaters go through a boot camp to teach them not only how to skate, but how to give and take a hit; how to transition from forwards to backwards skating; how to stop; and how to work as a team to prevent the other team from scoring points. In their debut game, the Fresh Meat skaters will be divided up on two teams (Red Riot and Black Death), mixed with some returning skaters for support. They will be coached by teams of veteran skaters: Phila Sting and Go-Go Gadget versus Pokeyto Mustachio and Luna Tick. For the second game of the night, the Bellingham Roller Betties traveling all-star team, Blunt Force Trauma will skate against the visiting team from Yakima - the Wine Country Crushers. The travel team members try out quarterly to earn their spot on Blunt Force Trauma. They are more experienced skaters - capable of faster transitions and harder hits. This is certain to be a great game! During half-time, attendees will have the added bonus of getting to see the new junior roller derby league, the Subdued City Rollers in an expo bout. The Subdued City Rollers was started recently by a group of parents and volunteers in order to “give every kid in Whatcom County the chance to play roller derby.” They are open to kids ages 5 to 18 and practice at the Lynden Skateway. Tickets for this event are $10 for adults, $6 for kids ages 8-12 and free for kids 7 and under. Tickets are available online through Brown Paper Tickets (https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3225889) or at the door. Doors open at 4:45 PM and the first bout starts at 5:30 PM.
