It’s roller-skating meets demolition derby, it’s fast and it’s furious and Swansea has its own team – the Swansea City Slayers.
The Slayers, an all-female outfit, include in their lineup such colourful names as Death n D’kay, Dropp Deadd and Flo The Impaler.
They are appealing for more players for their full-on, full contact sport as they build towards their first competitive games.
The Slayers were started a year ago on Facebook and founder member Chloe Lees says their numbers have almost doubled since then but they’re still on the look out for new recruits for a sport that’s not for the fainthearted.
Chloe, 24, who is manager of The Works bookshop in The Quadrant Shopping Centre, said members were now training for four hours a week with the aim of taking part in their first matches.
She said: “The beauty of the sport is that you can be any shape or size to play but you do need to be over 18 because it can be tough.
“In fact, unlike some other sports, it can be a bit of a bonus if you are a bit bigger because you can block people better. Even if you don’t think you are that fit and healthy, the training is brilliant for getting your stamina and general fitness up.”
Chloe, whose roller derby name is Death n D’kay, added: “People shouldn’t be put off by the roller skates either. I had hardly put a pair of skates on in my life when I first started and although I fell over a bit at first, I was surprised at how quickly I picked it up.”
Chloe first became interested in the sport, which started in America in the 1920s, through her sister, Jodie Gallagher, aka Eve n Deadlier, who plays for Nottingham team Hellfire Harlots.
The Slayers use Ty Coch College and the Neath Sports Centre and players skate round a track with the game consisting of a series of two minute countdown ‘jams’ and lasting an hour.
At the start of each jam, each team sends five players on to the track, one jammer, who is the point scorer, three blockers, who are the defence, and one pivot, who is the lead defender.
The jammer aims to make it through the pack of skaters and complete a full lap to re enter the pack once again. Once they have re-entered, they score a point for every opposing skater they pass.
The blockers in the pack have to try and stop the opposing jammer from getting through while helping their own jammer to make it round the lap. They do this by pushing the opposing players out of the way or knocking them to the ground under the strict rules of the game.
In the last five years, the sport has been growing in popularity in the UK and the Slayers was set up after Chloe put out an appeal on Facebook.
When fellow founders Miranda Podger, now known as Flo The Impaler, and Gemma Blair, Dropp Dreadd, responded, the trio met up in the pub and decided to find somewhere to train. They now have 20 members but the Slayers are looking for even more.
Chloe said: “It is quite a brutal game I suppose but that is half the fun and we train hard so you get stronger and stronger at taking the hits.
“We have had people get injured but nothing too serious and nothing more than any other sport.
“We wear a lot of protective gear too – knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads, mouth guards and a helmet.”
Chloe said Roller Derby had been instrumental in getting her back into sport and exercise.
She said: “I didn’t do anything at all before Roller Derby but I really love playing it. It is such a good laugh and quite a social thing too. The team has become really good friends.”
She added: “It is an empowering game for women to play, it is lots of fun and I would encourage anyone to give it a go.”
The Swansea City Slayers are planning a recruitment drive on June 4 at Sin City nightclub and music venue on Dillwyn Street, Swansea, with live music and much more. Go to www.swanseacityslayers.com to find out more.
The team train at Neath Sports Centre from 3-5 pm on Saturday and at Ty Coch College from 9-11 am on a Sunday.
