Video: Big hits and bruises as roller derby league comes to town

Wakefield’s roller derby league, Wakey Wheeled Cats, is on tour to encourage more people to strap on their skates and get involved.

Set up in 2009, the league held its first public bout at Dewsbury Sports Centre in summer 2010.

On Saturday they held an open session at Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre, and this Saturday, August 17, they’ll be at Dewsbury Sports Centre.

The league’s recruitment officer Vicki Gray said: “The aim is to spread our practices further afield to show people what roller derby and the Wakey Wheeled Cats are all about. We’ve always had members from Dewsbury and North Kirklees, so it’s going to great for them to be playing on their home turf.”

Roller derby is a full-contact, fast-paced sport played on quad roller skates. Teams of skaters are pitted against each other with jammers scoring points for passing opposing skaters, while blockers attempt to stop them.

The Cats is a female, 18+ league, but the league is also recruiting male and female referees, and non-skating volunteers.

The session was broken down into warm-ups and drills, scenario scrimmaging, and then a game which saw the white team take on the black team.

And at the Dewsbury session, those who come along will be able to kit up and have a try with the help of a trained instructor.

Captain and co-founder Kirsty Quinn said: “It was great to come to Cleckheaton and show a new audience what Wakey Wheeled Cats are all about. We hope to see some new faces at Dewsbury at the weekend, where they can give it a go themselves.”

The Wheeled Cats will be at Dewsbury Sports Centre on August 17 between 12pm and 3pm.

The session will be followed by a bout at Wakefield’s Lightwaves Leisure Centre on August 31.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/WakeyWheeledCats or email [email protected] to register an interest.