In a world where it鈥檚 usually male athletes who take centre stage as their girlfriends cheer from the sidelines, those gathered at the roller derby event this weekend could catch a glimpse of the opposite.
Instead of being relegated to the bleachers, it was the women who were the stars of the show while their significant others were the ones whooping in the audience.
It was an experience not lost on Amber Turnau, who skates with the 麻豆社国产Sea to Sky Sirens.
鈥淚 think it was amazing to have the kind of support we have from our community,鈥� said Turnau with a chuckle. 鈥淲omen鈥檚 sports in a lot of ways, you know, sometimes take a backburner.鈥�
It was an occasion made a little more special by the fact that it was the first home game the Sirens had played in about a year. It was also the first time the Sirens hosted a tournament in Squamish.
And while the players didn鈥檛 get the result they wanted, placing fifth out of eight, they still managed to fight hard.
鈥淲e had some pretty tough competition,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was fast and furious right to the bitter end.鈥�
Turnau said the team鈥檚 jammers 鈥� who are responsible for scoring by passing the opposition鈥檚 skaters 鈥� often went the extra mile to put points on the board.
But the Sirens struggled to put up a consistent defensive front, often having difficulty deflecting offensive plays from the opposing teams.
Part of the challenge, Turnau said, was related to a new set of rules being piloted at the tournament that are intended to make the game more spectator-friendly.
The new shorter 20-minute rounds 鈥� games are normally one hour 鈥� can take a little getting used to, she said.
A new scoring system also had jammers winning one point every time they passed everyone on the opposing team by 20 feet, as opposed to the normal system where points are awarded for every single opposition member a jammer passes.
Nevertheless, the Sirens took the tournament as an opportunity to work on some aspects of their game, such as improving methods for recycling skaters to the front of the pack.
For the next game, Turnau said, the team will continue to address any weaknesses they saw in this tournament, and will also continue with some mental preparation exercises.
Of the mental exercises, perhaps one of the most well-known is the mantra 鈥� the practice of repeating a phrase over and over again in one鈥檚 mind.
When prompted for her personal mantra, Turnau replied with a chuckle.聽
鈥淐over the line,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 the most important thing.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a term in derby...which is a line crusher,鈥� Turnau added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I aspire to be. Someone who doesn鈥檛 let the jammer through.鈥�
Catch the Sirens on their next game on July 22 at Brennan Park Recreation Centre. Those interested to lace up some skates and join the team can visit facebook.com/Sea.to.Sky.Sirens.
