World Cup Interview: Team Canada
They surfed their way to silver in 2011 - beaten only by an invincible Team USA - but Canada kept the Americans to their lowest points tally of the whole tournament and managed to score 33 of their own.
The hardcore Canucks have been knuckling down at training and scrims over the past months and are ready to put it all on show in Dallas. Team Canada will definitely be a team to watch - combining skills, strength and stamina.
Scottish Roller Derby caught up with skater Dyna Hurtcha (Kathleen Goldman) to talk derby does Dallas.
Logo courtesy of Team Canada
How are preparations going for the World Cup?
Preparations are going well! We have already had quite a few opportunities to play games and practice together, against great opponents so far - including Team England, Team France, Team USA, Windy City and Gotham. These "practice" games are really giving us the chance to get to know each other and learn how to skate together as a team.
How often are you training?
Canada is such a geographically huge country, that it is quite difficult logistically to have regular practices. So these sporadic games have been our chance to train together. It has been approximately one game every two or three months.
In terms of the team - from which leagues have your players been drawn?
Our skaters come from all across Canada, as well as some players from the United States. Leagues include: Montreal Roller Derby, Toronto Roller Derby, Terminal City (Vancouver),Rideau Valley (Ottawa), Red Deer Roller Derby Association, Calgary Roller Derby, Texas, Windy City, Philly, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Fundraising and sponsorship?
We have started a fundraising campaign (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/send-team-canada-to-the-roller-derby-world-cup), which we hope will help us get to Texas in December. In addition, we have lots of great merch to sell, which can be purchased from our Teamcanadarollerderby.com website.
What's the mood of the team at the moment?
We are all very excited to be playing for Team Canada! Speaking for myself, I am definitely extremely proud to be skating with a lot of the skaters that I have been playing against for years. It is nice to finally get to be on the same side and work towards a common goal. I think that when World Cup arrives we are going to enjoy the experience and have fun, but our attitudes will reflect the determination and focus that got us there.
Team photo courtesy of Bob Ayers
Team Canada roster:Alyssa Kwasny a.k.a Georgia W. Tush
Bala-Reina
Chasing Amy
Demanda Lashing
Dusty
Dyna Hurtcha
Evada Peron
Eve Hallows
Greta Bobo
Heavy Flo
Jess “Bandit” Paternostro
Karlene Harvey
Kim Janna
KonichiWOW
Kriss Myass
Lil’ Mama
Luludemon
MacKenzie
Maya Mangleyou
Mel-e-Juana
Murphy
Nasher the Smasher
Nattie Long Legs
Rainbow Fight
Sarah Hipel
Smack Daddy
Soul Rekker
Surgical Strike
TAZ
U.S.S. DentHerPrize
Head Coach – Ewan Wotarmy – Montreal Roller Derby
Assistant Coach – Mack the Mouth – Terminal City Rollergirls
Manager – Flyin' Bryan Killman – Toronto Roller Derby