KAPA‘A — Tammy Nator captialized on the Pilgrim jammer being sent to the penalty box, but the effort came up short Saturday at the Kapa‘a inline hockey rink. The Garden Island Renegade Rollerz hosted a special Pilgrims and Indians Inter-Regional
KAPA‘A — Tammy Nator captialized on the Pilgrim jammer being sent to the penalty box, but the effort came up short Saturday at the Kapa‘a inline hockey rink.
The Garden Island Renegade Rollerz hosted a special Pilgrims and Indians Inter-Regional bout on the eve of the Thanksgiving week, drawing a good-sized crowd to check out the action.
Tammy Nator herself had just exited the penalty box after being sent there for disputing the rink official on an earlier incident.
She was joined seconds later when the Pilgrim jammer was called for an infraction, and as the petite Indian jammer swept the rink and scored, the Indians drew to a 30-31 deficit, closing the gap established earlier by the Pilgrims.
“These are girls from the same club, but broken down into Pilgrims and Indians for the bout,” the rink announcer said, taking half of the spectators to cheer for the Pilgrims.
Among the spectators was a visitor from Colorado who said he was a roller derby coach and when he saw the notice, had to come and check out some Kaua‘i roller derby action.
“Right now, it’s snowing and ice in Colorado and everything is set for hockey so we have a hard time finding a place to play,” he said, inquiring into how long roller derby has existed on Kaua‘i. “But roller derby is one of the fastest growing sports and there are a lot of people who want to play and see the sport.”
Following more see-saw action for the lead, the half arrived with the Pilgrims regaining a 53-47 lead after Saki2U, one of the leading Pilgrim jammer responded to Tammy Nator’s efforts.
“We’ll be hosting a team from the Outer Island, maybe in February,” one of the skaters said during the break. “But after this, we’ll be in the Lights on Rice parade as well as the Waimea Christmas parade. We love parades almost as much as we love roller-derbying.”
The G.I. Renegade Rollerz are dedicated to providing an opportunity for women athletes to achieve their maximum potential, athletically, intellectually, and socially through the sport of roller derby, states its website.
Visit www.girenegaderollerz.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
