A pair of local roller derby players and best friends will be lacing their roller skates and donning their helmets and elbow pads in France next summer, after successfully trying out for Canada's junior roller derby world cup team last fall.
Airdrie residents and Rocky View Junior Roller Derby players Rylee Stilborn (14) and Meira McEllistrum (13) found out in early December that they were both selected for the 35-player Team Canada roster that will compete at the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in Valence, France from July 28 to 30.
Stilborn, who has played roller derby since she was just five years old, said she was ecstatic when she learned she'd made the Canadian team, following a tryout in Springbrook, Alta. in October. She said she had to immediately call her best bud and Rocky View teammate, McEllistrum, to see if she made the squad, too.
“I kind of screamed and started crying,” Stilborn said. “I had to ask Meira if she made it because we’re best friends.”
McEllistrum shared similar sentiments upon finding out her selection for the national team.
“I was very shocked… and a little nervous,” she said.
Stilborn (who also goes by the roller derby nickname of 'She-Hulk') said most of the Canadian team is from Alberta, with representation from Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Calgary, and Airdrie. But she added some of the players are from Saskatchewan, B.C., Ontario, and New Brunswick, making it a true national team.
Another Rocky View Roller Derby player who cracked the roster is April Willie, (nickname is 'April Sours') who plays on the same team as McEllistrum and Stilborn, but lives in Calgary.
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members, comprising four blockers and a jammer. The two teams roller-skate counter-clockwise around a track, while the jammers attempt to score points by lapping the opposing team’s blockers. The blockers, meanwhile, try to prevent the other team’s jammer from passing.
Stilborn said she likes how roller derby is still a niche sport, yet very inclusive to anyone interested in trying it.
“It’s also fun to body check people and the skating is really fun,” she said. “Everyone is super nice because the derby community is really small. You make good friends from it, and it’s very inclusive.”
McEllistrum (nickname is Tank) has played derby since 2017, and said her favourite aspect of the sport is the frenzied atmosphere of a roller derby match.
“It’s just fun to hear the crowds go crazy,” she said.
Once in France, Canada will compete against teams from U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, and Great Britain. There’s also a “Team World” which is comprised of players from other countries.
In the lead-up to the tournament, the Canadian team will meet twice to practice together – once in Toronto in April, and then again in Calgary in May.
At just 13 and 14 years old, respectively, McEllistrum and Stilborn will be among the youngest players at the tournament – but that doesn't faze the local teens.
“We think it’s fun – I’m excited about playing with guys who are 18 years old, Stilborn said, adding this will be her first time travelling to Europe so she is looking forward to the opportunity to do some sight-seeing as well.
To help raise funds for the upcoming trip, Stilborn said a bottle drive is being held at the Airdrie Walmart parking lot on Jan. 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Airdronians are encouraged to drop off their holiday empties.
Stilborn noted the national team is still seeking corporate sponsors, and a GoFundMe page for the team can be found at bit.ly/3WCQ94r
