Contributed by Melinda Peterson
January 12th, 2019, opens the home game season for local roller derby league Boom Town Roller Derby! BTRD will be hosting the Petersburg Ragnarok Rollers for the first time in a regular season game. The two teams have battled previously in 30 minute bracket games during the United We Roll Alaska State Roller Derby Tournament, but have never gone head to head in a full length game. BTRD has been training hard and is anticipating a challenging game against the team from Southeast Alaska.
Going into Season 8 home games, we recently inquired of Head Referee Web Stalker exactly how many games he has refereed. Stalker, who has been officiating since October 2009, and has been Head Referee for Boom Town since January 2015, says he has lost track of his total number of games, but estimates between 50 and 60 just in the time he has been with Boom Town. Officiating roller derby in Alaska takes a hard-working, dedicated crew. The very low number of trained referees and non-skating officials (NSOs) locally in the Valley and Anchorage means that it takes officials from all local leagues to complete an officiating staff for any game. Skaters often cross-train as referees and NSOs to supplement an officiating crew for a game they are not rostered to play. Officials often travel with their teams for away games, usually within Alaska; Boom Town considers ourselves very fortunate that both Web Stalker and NSO Catydid were able to travel with the team to Hawaii in May 2018 for sanctioned games.
On November 17th BTRD traveled to Anchorage to play Rage City’s Sockeye Sallys, putting a tick in the Win column for BTRD, with a final score of 220-92. Boom Town jammers displayed tricky footwork and powerful pushing to start the game with Lead Jammer status in the first jam, putting up the first points on the board, with no change of points lead throughout the game. The Sockeye Sallys posted up a strong defense against Boom Town jammers as well as providing a bruising offense for their slippery jammers that were stuck behind green walls of doom. BTRD came away from the game with purpling “derby kisses” and the strong feeling of a game well prepared for and executed.
Has the infectious Derby Bug bitten you? You can always be part of the action as a member of Boom Town Roller Derby. New league member intake will be held Sunday, January 6th, 2019 at 10 a.m. in the Mat-Su Borough Community Gym in Palmer. BTRD is always accepting new volunteers, officials, and skaters. Volunteer opportunities include medics, bout volunteers to help set up for games and tear down afterwards at the Menard Sports Center, and much more. Officials (skating and non-skating) and new skaters will all begin practices immediately in January. Visit the Boom Town Facebook page @boomtownrollerderby or email recruitment.btdd@gmail.com!
Home games are played at the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla, with doors opening at 6 pm. Tickets may be purchased in advance on Brown Paper Tickets, or at the event. Games start at 7 PM.
