Missfits of Mayhem are on their way to Crossfield.
On Sept. 14 and 15, Central Alberta Roller Derby Association’s (CARDA) travel team, the Missfits of Mayhem (MOM) will be in Crossfield participating in the first ever Iron Woman tournament.
Regina (Diesel Duchess) Robertson, president of CARDA, said that this tournament is unlike anything CARDA has been part of before and she is very much looking forward to it.
“It’s the first of its kind,” said Robertson. “It is going to be awesome.”
The Iron Woman Tournament will feature two days of derby matches.
On Saturday, each team will play three 30-minute matchups to determine seeding in the second day of the tourney.
Sunday’s games will have traditional time lengths and be governed by standard roller derby rules.
Rules for Saturday’s bouts will be very different from the normal derby rules and not just because of the shortened game time.
One match will have skaters playing without a lead jammer, meaning jams will always last the full two minutes.
Another game mode will only allow two substitutions between jams.
Finally, the last game mode will have skaters traveling in a clockwise direction rather than the usual counter-clockwise direction of roller derby games.
Robertson said that this year, CARDA has struggled throughout the season.
She mentioned there had been many injuries forcing players to take time off to heal as well as other factors that have affected how much time many players have had on the track.
As such, while Robertson and the rest of CARDA are looking forward to the Iron Woman tournament, she is a bit worried as to how well they will perform.
“I’m excited to go but I’m a little bit nervous for our team because we are ill-prepared,” said Robertson. She added that some of CARDA’s skaters have been off since the beginning of June.
“We’re a little out of shape, compared to what we used to be.”
Because Iron Woman is a non-sanctioned tournament and CARDA does not need to worry about the rankings, Robertson said it is ultimately a different incarnation of MOM that will be playing in the tournament.
She said the team will be playing under the MOM brand, but any player who is benchmarked and willing to go will be participating and not necessarily only the elite players who usually make up the team.
While a tournament this late in the year would usually serve as a wrap-up for CARDA’s season, Robertson said the event is being treated more like a kick-off for CARDA’s new league format.
Starting Oct. 5, CARDA will be switching to an inter-house winter-league.
Robertson said the switch is being made in an effort to remedy the difficulties CARDA has finding teams and maintaining players and volunteers in the summer when many people are away on vacation or have other commitments.
She added the last few games scheduled for CARDA teams needed to be cancelled due to insufficient numbers.
As part of this new winter league, CARDA will be introducing the CARDA Cup, which will have the four CARDA house teams featured - Mia Dolls, Rez City Rollers, Vexy Beasts and Heartland Rollergirls - competing with one another for a league title.
Games will be held once every six weeks throughout the winter with the championship bout being held on June 7.
CARDA’s elite travel team, Missfits of Mayhem, will still be playing games outside of the league as usual, said Robertson.
She added house teams might have exhibition games outside of the league if invited as well.
As CARDA will be losing their usual venue, the Blackfalds Multiplex, to hockey in the winter, they will be using different venues for the winter league, alternating between Stettler and Wetaskiwin, which are also part of CARDA’s large geographical region, said Robertson.
She added there is a chance CARDA may return to Blackfalds for matches in the summer, but it is unknown at this time.
Robertson said CARDA is eager for the new winter season to start, as this summer season has not been the best for them.
“We are looking for a fresh start.”
CARDA’s first game in its all-new CARDA Cup league is between the Vexy Beasts and the Heartland Rollergirls and will be held in Stettler on Oct. 5.