There was no official decibel count at the conclusion of Monday's (April 15) first-ever roller derby bout in Whistler, but the deafening roar from the sold-out crowd in the Whistler Conference Centre made it clear which team had come out on top.
The hometown Black Diamond Betties shocked Squamish's Sea to Sky Sirens in their home debut, knocking off their Sea to Sky rivals 157-149 in a come-from-behind effort for the team's first-ever win.
The more experienced Sirens controlled most of the bout, but the Betties made up a big deficit in the final minutes. The Betties took their only lead of the night on the final jam when captain Lori "Princess Slayah" O'Hare put up a number of points with Whistler on a power jam.
The 750-plus in attendance erupted when the final score went up on the board after the game clock hit zero.
"It was amazing," O'Hare said. "I had no legs left in the last jam. I was dying. I kept going back to the bench saying, 'Don't put me in a jam, I'm so tired.' But when we were in the last jam I kept looking at the screens to see if I could see the scoreboard to know where we were at I knew I just had to keep going and keep skating."
Monday's bout was the third meeting between the two teams, as the Betties and Sirens hooked up twice at Brennan Park Arena in 麻豆社国产last summer. Outfits and war paint aside, the Betties looked like a completely different team Monday than the one that was crushed in their debut against the Sirens last June.
"They've totally improved their game. It was a great win for them," said Sirens co-captain Kristi "Roxie Shocker" Anderson. "I really like the fact that they won their first bout on their home turf."
The Sirens appeared on their way to victory early on, leading by as much as 50 in the first half and taking a 97-53 lead into the break. But the Betties began chipping away at the deficit, pulling to within 20 points with 11 minutes to play.
It was penalties that ultimately hampered the Sirens, as they handed the Betties too many power jams late in the contest to hold off the comeback.
"We've got to stay out of the box, that's all it was," Anderson said. "When you're leaving only two blockers out there, it's pretty hard to stop Slayah."
O'Hare and the Sirens' Aileen "Ilean Ufall" Reed were named players of the game for their respective teams.
The atmosphere was electric inside the conference centre Monday and O'Hare said it was thrilling for the Betties to grab their first victory in front of home fans.
"It's the best feeling ever, these people are all our friends and family," she said, motioning to the crowd behind her. "To win in this building was super special."
The two teams have another Whistler bout in the works that will take place at Meadow Park Sports Centre in June.
