Rough hits and fast skating are normal fare at the North Peace Arena, but nothing like fans saw at Fort St. John’s first-ever roller derby bout Saturday night.

The Energetic City Roller Derby Association hosted the doubleheader Rink Rash Bash, a rookie mixed-bag style bout, and introduced the sport to hundreds of fans from around the region.

The 160 fans in the rink-side seats had to watch carefully as bodies flew from the track, while another couple of hundred people sat in the stands, waving pom poms and bright signs cheering on their favourite derby girl.

“I’m so proud to say I’m from here,” said DaKine, a.k.a. Destiny Hensel.

“The crowd was super loud. We went to Edmonton a couple of months ago and it was just as loud as Edmonton and there’s half the people here, so I got right stoked.

She said there was a little added pressure competing at home.

“I had to impress people I already knew.”

As the first event of its kind in Fort St. John, the derby girls put on a small demonstration as the announcer explained how the jammer scores points by passing opposing players and the blockers try to keep the jammers from passing them.

Fans were encouraged to cheer when they saw a crash. And the crowd did not disappoint as the North Peace Arena housed some of the loudest fans this season.

“This is amazing. I have always said if we get 100 people in the stands, that’s a success, whether you make or lose money because it’s 100 people that get introduced to derby,” smiled ECRDA coach Ashley Large during halftime of the first bout.

This was Bella Bomb a.k.a Jen Clay’s first bout and the ECRDA member from Dawson Creek said it was a fun experience.

“I was nervous, but as soon as you have your first fall, it’s all gone.”

The doubleheader bout saw Black Death take on Red Rum and the Black Bruisers and the Rashberries compete in the second bout. Ladies came from E-Ville Roller Derby from Edmonton, Rated PG Roller Girls from Prince George and the Grande Prairie Roller Derby Association and Peace Region Roller Dolls from Grande Prairie. Referees from the Rated PG Roller Girls and the Oil City Derby Girls helped out with the Fort St. John bout.

“It was really nice learning about how other people play,” said Hot Wing a.k.a. Marina Lehner of the E-Ville Roller Derby League.

“Everyone has different ways that they say things, so it’s nice to be exposed to that.”

DaKine added that she's gained a lot of friends by travelling around the region to compete in bouts.

The ECRDA members hope that more people will join the organization after seeing this first event.

“I want people to see it as a sport, not entertainment, it is entertaining, so is hockey, so is soccer, they’re all entertaining, but it’s a sport first and I want people to realize that the people that do this really work really, really hard. A lot of these girls have put in a lot of hours, to get to this, their first game,” said Large.

Derby girls have to pass a their benchmarks, which tests their abilities in various skills like sliding and endurance, before qualifying to compete. They have to skate the track 25 times in five minutes to even be able to play in a bout.

The ECRDA doesn’t have enough benchmarked girls to field a complete team of their own, but they’re getting close. Their goal is to get a enough women for a few teams so they could host bouts without having to travel as much.

Hot Wing said it’s a great workout and a lot of fun and encouraged more women to join their local league.

“Any skill level can start and play roller derby, you don’t have to be that good on your skates. It’s like a sisterhood, they’ll teach you everything you need to know and it’s just a really fun time. Yes sometimes you get hurt, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s really a lot of fun and everybody always feels amazing after a bout, or even after a practice.”

Besides raising awareness for roller derby, the Rink Rash Bash also collected donations for the Fort St. John Salvation Army Food Bank.

The ECRDA will host another bout in July in Taylor. For more information, e-mail ecrda@hotmail.ca or visit their Facebook page.