BLAST OFF: Leanne McCulloch (left), Julie Walters and Sharon Tilston.
HOW do you take an already adrenaline-fuelled sport involving a smash-up derby like motto and make it even more crazy, more action packed?
Throw in a half-pipe, of course.
The Orange Roller Derby took to the Orange Skate Park on Sunday in a bid to help the sport, one of the fastest growing in the country, boom in Orange.
Orange Roller Derby head Leanne McCulloch said the training session at the skate park was as much about getting together for to practise as it was about taking the sport to another level.
“We had a blast,” McCulloch said.
“We were right out of our comfort zone but you can forget fear.”
On hand to help out at the session was former Canberra Roller Derby instructor and referee Brad Hearn.
B-Rad, as he is known in roller derby circles, said getting away from the flat tracks on the regular roller derby circuits and into the half-pipes at local skate parks would make the Orange girls better skaters.
“I suppose a lot of the roller derby girls haven’t really done anything like this for maybe 20 years, and then they’re only used to it on a flat surface with people giving them the occasional bump here and there,” he said.
“Some of the steps in the park are a metre high, so it’s a bit steeper and you’ve got to be conscious about shifting body weight forward and back to maintain balance.
“It’s a good challenge for the girls.”
McCulloch agreed.
“As roller derby girls it’s good to hit up the skate park,” she said.
“It gives us that confidence which as a skater is pretty important. It teaches you to be a bit smarter too.”
The session isn’t likely to be a one off either, with Hearn already signalling his intention to venture back to Orange to help train the city’s roller derby faithful.
He said a trip to the Millthorpe skate park could be on the cards, especially with the group virtual nomads in Orange.
“It’s just hard for them to maintain any players without a constant venue,” he said.