Team Canada Junior Roller Derby teams to battle at World Cup in France

By Lethbridge Herald on July 21, 2023.

Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild PHOTO Roller derby skaters often play under a roller derby nickname. Derby names are indicated in brackets. Left to right: Lethbridge Team Canada World Cup participants Mackenzie Heidinger (Medusa), Jesse Leger (Cheshie), Kyira Franklin (Clawless), Abigail Reimer (Super Fly), Myra Moore (Shredher). Inset: Jasper Davis (Golden Eagle) and Audrey May (Audzilla).

There will be no shortage of representation from the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild as a part of Team Canada at next weekend’s Junior Roller Derby Association’s World Cup in Valence, France.

Team Canada will have athletes from the local guild including Mackenzie Heidinger and Myra Moore competing for in the female division.

Audrey May, Jesse Leger, Kyira Franklin and Jasper Davis will be in the open division and Abigail Reimer will be competing in both divisions.

The roster has 15 in each division.

Davis was named a captain of the open team yesterday.

“Pretty amazing,” said Caroline Reimer, who’s Lethbridge’s head coach and is Canada’s head coach, on the seven from Lethbridge that are attending the World Cup.

“The selection process is a little bit different. So I had no power over the kids that came from Lethbridge. So that was them impressing the other three coaches enough to represent. So for me as a coach that’s  priding that my kids are that good and they can represent a nation. Like their skills are right up there.”

Team Canada was selected last December and made up of players and coaches from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick.

Reimer is feeling excited and terrified all in the same breath to lead Team Canada.

“I’m taking the best kids from Canada to France to compete in a sport that they love,” said Reimer.

“If anything they’re going to go and play smart, they’re going to go play safe, they’re going to have fun and have an experience for the rest of their lives that they can talk to their kids about, their grandkids about, their friends about and I’m really proud to give that to them. To be where we’re at, we’ve given these kids all the tools that they can have. Their home leagues have help prepped them. We’ve only had two practices, nationally. Yes, Canada’s so expensive to travel within. So our kids have only played together twice before we hit the tarmac in another continent.”

Team Canada has been watching the other teams and doing some scouting.

“So, we’ve been watching who’s made the teams,” said Reimer.

“We’ve been kind of preparing for what it’s going to look like. The US is the top contender, hands down. They have way more experience and they have way more teams. So in Canada, we’re pretty scattered. In the US, they get to have champs (national Championships), which they just did last weekend.  So these kids are trained for high level, high intensity things, where many of the other countries, we just don’t have that.”

Reimer thinks Canada can bring home medals.

“They have to work together and they have to leave it all on the track,” she said.

“There’s no I can’t do it. It just isn’t going to happen. You have to believe in yourself and that’s the big thing for these kids. They have to believe in their ability and they have to trust their teammates and they have to trust the coaches that we know what’s best going into it. And in the end, win or lose or draw, I’m going to be proud of those kids because they’re going to give me 110 per cent.”

This is Heidinger’s first World Cup.

“I don’t think it’s quite sank in yet,” said Heidinger.

“It kind of just feels so like, ‘Who would have thought I would go to France for  a sport?’ Like four years ago, when I first joined, I’d never thought I’d be here I guess. So it’s just crazy to me.”

She doesn’t know what to expect going in.

“ I’m just kind of along for the ride and I’m going to play as hard as I can,” said Heidinger.

“And hopefully we come out with a medal, and have fun and just do our best I guess.”

The Junior Roller Derby World Cup is from July  28-30 in Valence, France with eight teams competing.

Matches can be seen on Youtube and more information can be found on the  Team CanadaJunior Roller Derby Facebook page 

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