It will be an evening of fast-paced action as roller derby comes to the Summerland Arena on Saturday evening.
The South Okanagan Roller Derby Association team, the Penticton Pistoleras, will face a Vancouver team on July 5 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Vicki Scott, who uses the name Upsy Crazy when competing, is the only Summerland player on the team.
She explained that roller derby involves two teams with five skaters at a time on the course.
One player on each team, the jammer, scores points by lapping members of the opposing team.
The rest of the team members assist their jammer while also hindering the opposing jammer.
Each team’s jammer can be identified by stars on her helmet.
Scott said roller derby is a full-contact sport which also requires a lot of planning.
“It’s a little bit rough and tumble,” she said. “It’s a fast-paced game with a lot of strategy.”
The sport also requires a lot of speed and endurance from the players.
The roller derby season runs from May to July, when the ice is out of area arenas, but Scott said training continues throughout the year.
Among women, roller derby is the fastest growing sport in North America.
She said there are around 100 leagues in Canada, with 50 in British Columbia alone.
The South Okanagan team has faced teams from Kelowna, Kamloops, Revelstoke, Vancouver and Whistler.
She said the sport is growing in part because of the action it provides and in part because of its culture, including the derby names and alter egos for the players.