Nipissing Roller Derby is our region’s roller derby league, and the Bombshell Bobbers is North Bay’s team. The league formed in 2017, was doing well, had some serious downtime during the pandemic, but are back on the track stronger than ever, and looking around the bend with optimism.
“The league has been growing,” noted Christina Gates, a Bombshell Bobber and a member of the league’s board of directors. “We recently had a couple of really successful recruiting events and gained some new players.”
The sport is gaining popularity again – “there’s definitely a sort of renaissance in roller skating right now” – Gates said, and when more people lace up the skates, inevitably, some will succumb to roller derby’s lure.
See: Roller skating making a comeback in Magnetawan
Early this month, the team headed to Toronto for the Fresh & Furious tournament, and since there are not too many teams located in the North, the crew often have to hit the road to compete. Sudbury’s Nickle City Roller Derby now has one team, but still, to compete with the likes of the Tri-City Roller Derby in Kitchener or the Ottawa Valley Roller Derby crew, travel is on the menu.
Which is why many of the leagues organize events and tournaments so teams can get more bang for their buck. Teams often fundraise as well to help cover costs, and the league is currently working on attaining not-for-profit status to help attract more sponsors to the team.
For now, since the team is relatively new, they are honing their game closer to home with teams who have a similar experience level. However, there are many places to go from here. The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body of women’s flat track derby and represents more than 400 member leagues on six continents. So, if the Bombshell Bobbers feel like moving on to bigger events, the opportunities are many.
Roller Derby’s popularity goes through ebbs and flows. Games were broadcast on the radio as early as the late 1930’s. About ten years later, CBS broadcast the sport from New York. Over the decades many cable channels aired the sport. Now teams can be seen on many YouTube channels or streamed through the WFTDA’s website.
See: Step aside Skinny Minnie. Hello Pinky N Da Pain, as Roller Derby comes to North Bay
“It used to be kind of like wrestling,” Gates said, more of a spectacle than an athletic event. “Now it’s more of a sport, having undergone a drastic change over the last 20 years. People want to play and compete at higher levels.”
And the fans love it. And derby names still inspire terror and awe amongst mere mortals. Gates’ is Cunning Stunt, and you’ll also find Destroyer or TerminateHer (get it?) on the back of jerseys. New players are still called Fresh Meat, so some of the traditions remain.
One thing paramount to the team is the camaraderie and friendship within the group. Gates kept referring to how kind team members were, and how inclusive a community the team has become. “Family” kept coming up, and Gates emphasized that for many, the friendships developed are more important than the competition.
“We all have so much love for it,” Gates said. “It’s so much fun, with such an amazing group of women that I probably never would have met if I hadn’t played derby. There’s a place for everyone on our team,” she emphasized, “it doesn’t matter what your skill level is.”
Indeed, the league is always looking for new members, and the team has regular practices at Callander’s Community Centre on Monday and Wednesday evenings. On Thursday evenings, they practice in Astorville. For those interested in trying out, reach them through their Facebook page and they’ll let you borrow some gear to give it a try. They are also looking for referees as well.
“Come out to practice and give it a try,” Gates invited, and who knows? You might have what it takes to be the next Bombshell Bobber, rocking the jams and blowing the minds of derby audiences throughout these Northern lands and wherever that flat track may lead.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
