The Sea to Sky Sirens are back.
After packing Brennan Park Arena and thrilling hundreds of fans with their brand of roller derby action last year, the Sirens will again heat up the summer with four home dates.
"We're ridiculously excited for the year to start," said Amanda "Lightnin' McHater" Dittus. "Everyone's been training so hard so that we can put on the best bouts we possibly can and we've got lots of new rookies with a ton of talent."
The Sirens have been riding a wave of momentum from last year after continually improving in their rookie season, including ending the campaign with a 158-129 victory over the Sunshine Coast Roller Girls on July 16. During the winter and fall, the Sirens ran an introduction to roller derby program that Dittus said was successful.
"We had six to eight girls continuously coming and some of them ended up joining the team," she said. "During the class we teach girls how to skate, fall, be safe in packs and basically everything else you need to learn to play."
The Sirens hope to continue the program in the fall of 2012 and Dittus pointed out that thanks to the program, the team now has a full roster of 21 players. The roller derby craze has extended north to Whistler and the Sirens have become a big sister of sorts to the brand new Black Diamond Betties team.
"We're going to be co-hosting our season opener and closer with the Betties," Dittus said. "There's no feud yet but we've been practicing together and have helped get them going."
The Sirens' season opener will see them take on the Betties on June 2 at Brennan Park Arena. The next home date will be June 23 when the Harbour City Rollers from Nanaimo come to town, with Chilliwack's NWO here for a bout on July 7. The team's final bout of the year will see them take on the Betties again on July 21, with a special co-ed bout featuring the Vancouver Murder men's team to finish off the night. Doors for all bouts open at 6:30 p.m., with the opening whistle at 7:30 p.m.
Dittus said the Sirens have upped the spectator capacity for home bout this season from 500 to 800. She noted that several fans were turned away at the door and the Sirens hope to accommodate everyone with increased floor seating. There will be halftime entertainment again this year and also a full food concession.
Advance tickets for all games are available at Agnes Jean Boutique, the Diamondhead Fish Market and through the Sirens website (www.squamishrollerderby.ca). Tickets cost $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
