A Carnduff woman is bringing roller derby to southeast Saskatchewan.

Breck Harris is president of the S.E. Sask. Roller Derby Association. One team is already being assembled: the Hillbilly Hurt. Eight to 10 people are already involved with the team, which includes the female roller skaters, plus men who will be coaching or refereeing the team.

Harris said they need between 16 and 20 skaters per team. They also need some volunteers. And they are looking for a place to practice.

“We won't be playing games for probably a year,” said Harris. “We'll be training and practicing.”

Most of the people on the roller derby team are from Carnduff. They also have prospective players from Estevan, Bienfait and Oxbow.

Each player needs their own equipment, Harris said, and they use traditional roller skates as opposed to in-line skates.

Regina and Saskatoon are the Saskatchewan communities that offer roller derby. There are also teams in Manitoba, Alberta and North Dakota that the Hurt could play, Harris said.

A gymnasium-sized venue would be needed for their practices, she said. They also require a cement floor or a hardwood floor, with a flat surface. If the venue isn't being used, Harris said they would create some kind of a track for their practices.

But if other groups need the facility, Harris said there would be minimal set-up and take-down efforts.

Harris also helped start a roller derby team in Red Deer, but she moved to Carnduff shortly after the club’s inception.

“There's a wide variety of girls involved,” said Harris. “It's just a really fun sport. It's a good workout. Everybody's allowed to play, whether you're big, small or tall.”

Five players from each team are on the roller derby surface at one time – four blockers and a jammer. The blockers try to knock down the opposing team's jammer. The jammer wants to lap the opposing team's blockers. For every blocker the jammer laps, the jammer earns a point for her team.

Each player also has a nickname. Harris is known as “Billy Rock.”

It's a full-contact sport, but elbows, trips and hits from behind aren't allowed. Physical contact is to be above the knee and below the shoulder.