Betties seek additional skaters

Wanted: a few tough women (and men) who aren’t scared of a few bruises.

The Garnet Grit Betties, the Wrangell-based roller derby team, is looking for skaters to fill out a small roster, according to Katie Robbins. The team currently fields about seven or eight skaters, and while that’s enough to cover one session, called a jam, the team would really like additional players to give the team a competitive edge and allow them to travel and take on teams in Sitka, Petersburg, and Ketchikan.

“Down the road, we’d love to compete against other teams,” she said.

In order to get there, the Betties must roughly double the number of team members to 14 and recruit two additional male skaters to serve as referees for travel.

Competition in the sport entails moving a scoring player, called a jammer, around a standardized track to lap members of the opposite team. The other members of the team, called blockers, must help their own jammer while trying to block the other team’s jammer from lapping them, according to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association web site.

The team is also looking into relocating from their current home, at the old gym, to the high school gym. In order to do that, they’ll have to procure some insurance.

Newcomers need not fear a new sport, Robbins said.

“For people who are not up to speed with the skills and knowledge, we’ll do shorter bouts, so they can give it a try,” she said.

The team practices twice weekly. Practices last about two hours, and the club has equipment available for loaning to new players.

Anyone over the age of eighteen is encouraged to contact Katie Robbins.