No one in Yukon is old enough to remember the Klondike Gold Rush, but there’s bound to be good memories made at the Klondike Gold Krush.
The Yukon Roller Girls will host the Fairbanks Rollergirls in a roller derby bout by that name in Whitehorse on June 3.
“It’s been quite some time since we last played them, so we’re super excited,” said YRG president Christy “Crack-Her” Huey.
It has been a while. The YRG haven’t faced the Fairbanks team since defeating them at the United We Roll Roller Derby Tournament — the Alaska state championship — en route to winning the championship in 2013. The first-ever YRG bout in Whitehorse was between the two teams in 2011, with YRG taking the win then too.
Next month’s bout will be the YRG’s first of the year. They lost 220-76 to the Sea to Sky Sirens from Squamish, B.C., last September in Whitehorse — their first at-home bout in three years.
It’ll be a chance to see some rookies in action. Five YRG skaters will be competing in their first official bout, including Huey.
“There’s just a sense of excitement all around,” said Huey. “I’d definitely say we’re a little bit nervous, but our team is wonderful and our veteran players are so supportive.
“We’re just going out to have fun and whatever happens, happens. We’re all just really engaged in the sport and love playing the people that we’re playing with. The chance to expand our skills and play with other people is going to be so much fun.”
Though the YRG didn’t enter a team at the United We Roll championship at the start of the month in Wasilla, they made their presence known. Three YRG — Lindsay “Bonanza Babe” Agar, Andrea “Honey Badger” Badger and Amanda Couch, a.k.a. “Couch” — competed for the Juneau Rollergirls, helping them win the state title.
The June 3 bout will take place at the Mount McIntyre Rec Centre. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the whistle blows at 7 p.m. Tickets will soon be available at Well Read Books and Molotov & Bricks Tattoo. Kids under 10 get in free with a donation for the Whitehorse Food Bank
For more information, or to volunteer, find the Yukon Roller Girls on Facebook.
“We are still looking for volunteers, so if there are people interested in helping out in any way — it takes a lot to put on an event like this,” said Huey. “We have a pretty small league right now, so the more people we can get involved the better.”
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com