About 50 women gathered in downtown Kelowna at the Sunplex Arena for a two-day roller derby training camp.
The sport is currently resurging across the province and the country.
Lesley McDonald, president of the Canadian Woman’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association (CWRDA), says the number of leagues nationally has jumped from 12 to 54 in the past few years.
Right here in the Okanagan, six new teams have recently emerged.
Many women say there is a renewed interest in the sport because of its inclusive nature.
Women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds participate in the contact sport.
Many women say it cultivates a feeling of sisterhood while also emphasizing female empowerment.
“It is a lot about women empowerment,” said Cecilia Hanley, a roller derby player. “You can come in here and you can be a rock star.”
“You can be whoever you want and there are so many different types of personalities coming together to work as a team,” said roller derby player Nadia Carabella.
However, both women stress the larger message of the sport is how women are capable of doing anything they put their minds to.
The training camp ends on Sunday with a rookie rumble at 6:30 pm followed by a co-ed battle at 7:15 pm.
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