Who will be Battering to Victory?

Missing glass squares weep onto weathered brown bricks. A subversive sight, blotted harrowingly against a modern London Skyline, one dominated by shards and crystal monuments. Stunning antique cranes point to the power that once crackled within its veins.

Carrying the name of London’s sorrowful sight, one of the city’s most beautifully iconic landmarks, a team have emerged bubbling with vivacity, proud to be the latest instalment in a league which leads European derby and challenges the might of the U.S.

Tomorrow, Kent Roller Girls host the London Rollergirls ‘Batter C Power’ in a bout that sends shivers down the proverbial derby spine.

For KRG coach Ben Tenderizer, there is no doubting the magnitude or difficulty of the contest ahead, excitement emanates from his every syllable.

“It will be our toughest home bout to date for sure, London in any form are a hugely experienced, talented and practiced team, give them an inch and they’ll take the game!”

With both teams preparing for their encounter, readying that game-face snarl, a vivid mutual respect is evident on each side.

As Batter C Power’s Black and Decker informs me, words travel quickly in the derby-verse and regarding KRG, whispers have only been positive.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about Kent from skaters in our Rec League and other people around the UK derby scene. Everyone speaks really highly of them and I know that they work hard and have great training. I am really looking forward to skating against them in what I hear is an awesome venue. They also have pretty amazing uniforms!”

The two teams also share a similar philosophy when it comes to their game-plan for success, though I suspect we will see plenty of surprise tactics from the very first whistle tomorrow.

Black and Decker: “I think working well as a team is always the most important factor, you can have some individual stars but that doesn’t count for much if the whole team doesn’t gel”.

This response shares a similarity with the thoughts of KRG skater Diagnosis Maul’er, who believes “the keys to being successful are simple things like trusting your team mates. I also think you have to trust yourself and believe that you are capable of doing your job on track and doing it well. A little bit of self-belief can go a long way and positivity can help. A lot of games can be won and lost based on attitude. If you keep beating yourself up for something you did wrong in a jam, you’ll keep making mistakes. You need to remain positive and reset in order to stay focused.”

The fluid nature of the London Rollergirls league, in which skaters can move between Brawling, Brawl Saints and Batter C Power depending on selection or choice, makes preparation a more complex issue.

As Ben Tenderizer explains, this system presents an interesting challenge. “It means that any data you collect on the individual skaters is largely irrelevant by the time game day comes, they have such a massive pool of incredible skaters to choose from, 90% of which have their sights set on joining the A-team, the best team in Europe (London Brawling) and use every opportunity to prove themselves as a viable candidate! Also, the ex B-team players bring the experience of their previous games and training with the best players the UK has to offer.”

Kent Roller Girls have had some success bouting in their own arena so far, with consecutive victories over Severn Roller Torrent and the Bourne Bombshells. As Diagnosis Maul’er outlines, playing at Herne Bay High School and hearing cheers from the local community is a boost both when on track and for the league as a whole.

“Home support is invaluable to us. During our first season we played away as we had issues securing a venue. Whilst we are thankful to all the teams that hosted us and gave us the opportunity to play, it was hard. Playing in Kent is super; our supporters are really loud so it’s lovely to hear people getting excited. It can also really help you pick up the pace in a game, you feed off the crowd.

“The town that we bout in has a long history with skating, our venue hosts artistic skating competitions as well as roller hockey, so we have a lot of first timers come to our home games. We want them to enjoy derby and come back so the team really focus on giving it everything, the local community really seem to enjoy it too.”

Doors open to spectators at 1pm tomorrow with tickets priced at £10 on the door. The double header will also feature Team Unicorn (KRG B-team plus guest skaters) vs. Vagine Regime UK, a side consisting of LGBT skaters from across Britain.