Posts tagged with “Black Diamond Betties”

Roller Derby made its debut in Whistler during the World Ski and Snowboard Festival, with the Whistler Black Diamond Betties facing off against the Squamish Sea to Sky Sirens in front of over 1000 spectators. By half time the Black Diamond Betties were down over 50 points to the Sea to Sky Sirens who had their talented assistant captain “Honey Badger” on an unstoppable tear. In the second period they made a slow- yet steady comeback and in the last jam they were down by a mere 10 points. Lead Jammer “Princess Slaya” of the Black Diamond Betties came through for her team scoring a massive 18 points for her team to take the win. Here are some photos of the event.

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JUNE 2 – Calamity in the Corridor at Brennan Park Recreation Centre
Doors 6:30 p.m., bout begins 7:30 p.m

TICKETS

• $10 advance, $15 at door. Kids 6 and under free.
• For VIP tickets $30, including the Whistler Shuttle please call the info line at 604-902-9922
• Tickets are available in Squamish at Agnes Jean Boutique, Diamond Head Fish Market and in Whistler at Hempire and Evolution  Online Here.

Russ Desaulniers Photo

I have to confess. I loved 1970s roller derby. The big hair, the big hits. Skinny Minnie Miller and the L.A. T-Birds kickin’ butt on the Texas Outlaws. Those women were cool, tough and entertaining.

Well, guess what? Roller derby is back in a big way and is one of the fastest growing women’s sports with 1,000 leagues around the world and 30,000 women involved. B.C. has 12 leagues and we’re lucky enough to have two teams in the corridor: the Whistler/Pemberton-based Black Diamond Betties and the Squamish Sirens.

The Black Diamond Betties were launched in 2011 by Kathryn Elder when she placed an ad in the paper asking interested women to meet at Roland’s. Well, there was definitely interest and now over twenty women meet regularly to practice their skills and perfect their moves for the track. They are from all walks of life and many had little or no experience, but a year of training and huge support from the Squamish Sirens has brought the Betties to their debut event.

Russ Desaulniers Photo

So what is it about this sport that keeps the women coming back week after week? As Princess Slayah (a.k.a. Lori O’Hare) tells me, “It’s ridiculous how much fun it is!” This is a full contact sport that is more than many of the women thought they could do. But as their skills improve and confidence builds, it’s a chance to really get into the role and create a roller derby alter ego. That’s where the nicknames come in. It takes a lot of time and feedback from the rest of the team to find just the right name to express their persona on the track. Who would you be?

Princess Slayah, Vixen Stones, Gold D. Blocks, Va Va Voom La Doom and the rest of the team led by Coach Kill Bill Sirota will meet the Squamish Sirens in their first sanctioned bout, “Calamity in the Corridor,” on June 2 at the Brennan Park Recreation Centre in Squamish. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the bout begins at 7:30 p.m.

Russ Desaulniers Photo

The bout is an all ages, licensed event with a concession, beer garden, and music provided by DJ Shawn LaRock. After the bout, bring your ticket stub and join the players for an after party in the Firebread Lounge at the Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Company. DJ Riddim Fernandez and DJ SprouT are providing the entertainment. Get a VIP ticket and hop on the shuttle to get a safe ride from Whistler to Squamish and back. Get your ticket for this hot event – you gotta be there!

How much:  $10 bucks advance, $15 at door. Kids 6 and under free.

For VIP tickets $30, including the Whistler Shuttle Please call the info line at 604-902-9922

Tickets are available in Squamish at Agnes Jean Boutique, Diamond Head Fish Market and in Whistler at Hempire and Evolution. Online Here.

Next events for the Black Diamond Betties:

• July 8 in Abbotsford
• July 21 in Squamish. A co-ed event with the men’s Vancouver Murder team.

For more information about the team, go to www.whistlerrollergirls.com

Russ Desaulniers Photo

Volume 6 of Pecha Kucha Night Whistler will take place during the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival on Monday, April 16 at Maxx Fish. Tickets are $10 and include one drink making this one of the best events of the year and I haven’t even started talking about what takes place!

This awesome event features ten presenters sharing their passions 20X20. What does that mean? It means each presenter shares 20 images  and gets 20 seconds to talk about each image. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, it’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. We have an outstanding line-up of presenters…learn more about what we have in store below and ENTER TO WIN a pair of tickets at this link! **WIN NOW**

Tickets are still available and can be picked up at the Activity Centre (outside the Whistler Conference Centre 10am – 6pm daily) or at the door on the day of the event if the event hasn’t sold out.

Chili Thom – Artist

Chili is one of Whistler’s most beloved artists and will be sharing some random ramblings about the joy of living artistically… He hasn’t given us much info since he doesn’t want to spoil the presentation.

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JF Pelchat – NOW Snowboarding

JF is a snowboarding icon who has can now add “inventor” to his resume. He has developed a revolutionary binding called Now and his presentation will take us to Chile where he and his crew  tested their  revolutionary binding.

Mike Douglas – Freeskier and filmmaker Switchback Entertainment

As the godfather of newschool, Mike Douglas is likely one of the world’s best travelled professional skiers. One of his career’s stand out trips took place this winter, a trip to Russia’s North Caucasus region.

Nicole Lauzon – Black Diamond Betties

Nicole Lauzon aka Natural Spiller will be talking derby to us as she tells the story of Whistler’s first flat track roller derby and why the sport is here to stay.

Photo by Carin Smonlinski

Hana Dethlefsen - Cookbook Author / Museum Educator

Hana wanted to build a better cookbook so she got the users to participATE. Her presentation is called The FEEDback Project.

Leslie Anthony  - Book Author and Pecha Kucha Night Whistler mainstay

Les has presented at every single Pecha Kucha Whistler Night and he is always a surprise and a delight. And when I say surprise, I mean it. He won’t tell me what topic he is planning to present.

Asta Kovanen – Textile Artist

Asta will be sharing her experience of returning to school to study Textile Arts  and telling tales about some of the interesting historical myths/stories she’s heard along the way. Her presentation is called Superstit(ch)ions: Stories, Myths & Textile Arts.

We’ll also hear from Dave Olson, VP of  Community at Hootsuite, artist Chili Thom, Madeleine Grant and Marcus Eriksson! **ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS NOW**

The Whistler Roller Girls Society is working hard to bring the sport of roller derby to Whistler. A lot has happened to our little league since the last update and I know you’re just dying to find out what’s new. Here’s a quick rundown:

We changed our name to Black Diamond Betties
After some thought, the team chose a new name that better represented our ski town and also played up on the Roller Derby theme. We’re eagerly awaiting our new logo and website, but for now, you can “Like” the official Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter @DiamondBetties.

We helped open Big Al’s Car Wash in Pemberton

Photo: Brigit Sirota-Goldammer

We’re still looking for somewhere to train in Whistler
The old Pemberton Community Centre has been kind enough to allow the Betties to train in their gym once per week. Boy is it ever amazing to skate at a clean, warm indoor facility. However we’re still in search of a venue closer to home, especially during the winter months. The closer we are to Whistler, the more practices we can have and the faster we can prepare for world domination – or at least roller derby competition.

Thank you Pemberton!

We’re looking for a coach
The Betties are doing a pretty good job of keeping ourselves on track, with several team members stepping in to help lead practice each week, using  skills and drills learned from the Raw Meat drop-in sessions in Vancouver. But, to amp up our game we really need someone to help take the reigns. This is a great volunteer opportunity to be part of one of the fastest growing women’s sports out there. If you or anyone you know has a coaching and/or ice skating background with a keen interest in roller derby, please get in touch with our teammate Claire Leitch.

The Whistler Roller Girls have certainly overcome many obstacles since we first organized last June. Forming a league isn’t a cake walk, but this dedicated group of ladies is up for the challenge.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in roller derby action, the Blood and Thunder Roller Derby World Cup takes place in Toronto this December. Team Canada features 2 players from the Terminal City Roller Girls in Vancouver: Eight Mean Wheeler and Luludemon.  This is an amazing opportunity to get to know the sport so you’re dialed when the Whistler Roller Girls begin bouting in 2012.

Until the next update, don’t forget to “Reach out and ‘whip’ someone.” If you didn’t catch the innuendo, then you definitely need to watch the movie “Whip It.”