Halifax roller derby squad headed for OUTtv

A Halifax roller derby team will soon be featured in a six-part documentary series on OUTtv.

The Halifax Harbour Grudges of Spryfield had their season last year followed for Jumping the Apex, set to premiere Thursday, July 16.

As members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, they had an exciting season last year, and are members of Halifax-based roller derby league the Anchor City Rollers.

Player Kaitrin Doll says the series was a really interesting experience.

“It’s six parts about roller derby in Halifax. We were a travel team with Anchor City, and the show allowed us to highlight changes that went on, new people who came in, and some of our challenges and triumphs last year,” she said.

A documentary filmmaker with close ties to the time became interested and soon started shooting practices and the innerworkings of the team.

“We certainly never realized what this would turn into. As a team, we just felt it would be fun and cute to have footage of us playing,” she said.

“As things progressed, we were told it was pitched to OUTtv and they were interested. When we found out it would be a TV show, we were all blown away.”

Doll has been playing nine years and calls roller derby one of the most transformational things.

“It really changed the trajectory of my own life. Anything is possible in the realm of roller derby, and when you get into the culture it’s so captivating,” she said.

“I’m not surprised people are interested in learning more about the sport. I see people get connected, fixated and obsessed with this. It’s an amazing sport.”

Many roller derby players see local actress Ellen Page’s film Whip It as a great gateway to the sport.

“If you talk about the sport, people really got a good idea of what it was like from that movie. It’s different than what we do a bit, but it’s amazing. Having Ellen Page – a local, queer actress … It really is a huge thing,” she said. “It definitely helps to see someone queer representing a sport that is a home for so many queer players.”

She says roller derby started as rock’em sock’em play, and was very sexualized. But things have now changed.

“It evolved to be about physicality, and has become so inclusive. People who are non-binary and gender diverse are so welcomed and accepted. But given the current climate and focus on Black Lives Matter, we must look inward,” she said.

“We must find a way as a sport to see we uphold white supremacy, and continue to be more inclusive, hear voices of BIPOC players, and do more. We continue to work to address systemic racism in our spaces, and we want to continue to evolve.”

When she and her partner moved to Halifax from Ontario two years ago, they had been playing for a long time. It was strange to claw their way back into the WFTTA with the Halifax team.

“We learned so much from the community and got to share what we knew. Halifax roller derby is a unique space, and we wanted to step in and step up how we could,” he said.

“The journey and the changes that happened to the team are documented in the series. It’s cool to see this team on-screen. They had a reputation for singing and dancing, and we just had to balance that with a competitive spirit. We found a way to stay true to our values, be inclusive, and also win.”

Six-part series Jumping the Apex premieres on OUTtv July 16 and will also be available on their streaming platform.