Three Hatters debut with Canada junior roller derby
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on April 28, 2023.
sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews Medicine Hat is well represented on Canada’s Junior Roller Derby team. Three local athletes, Ami Traore, Mahawa Traore and K’Senya Schell, along with 32 other Canadian athletes, are set to represent the country on the international stage. Team Canada hosted a meetup in Toronto with Team France and U.S.-based Pittsburgh Derby Brats, with the three squads facing each other in five games between each region’s female and open-gender teams. In May, Team Canada will travel to Calgary before a final practice in France, prior to the Junior Roller Derby World Cup being held in Valence, France in July. “Every one of our 35 Team Canada athletes were selected for their skills and abilities, but as a coaching team we were careful not to put too much pressure on them until they had a chance to find their feet as a team,” says head coach Caroline Reimer. “It is incredible that our team played so well at this stage. They were worthy opponents of Team France and they managed to win a full game and then a second scrimmage against Pittsburgh.” The players range in age from 13 to 18 and are following a strict virtual training schedule and performing drills in their home leagues. “Team Canada travelled from across the country to meet in Toronto for practice and some friendly competition between two much more established teams,” says organizer Jennifer Zammit, president of the Junior Roller Derby Association of Canada. “These kids met each other for the first time at breakfast on Saturday and (by) dinner time they had won their first game.” Editors note: An earlier version of the story stated the wrong Medicine Hat athletes. 10-9
