LOCO Sarnia – Midnight Matinee

It was under the tightest of cloak and dagger secrecy that the heads buzzed and the mouths whispered. Then with blare and fanfare, Toronto LOCO came to light with the emergence of their facebook page Toronto LOCO Roller Derby.

Vanessa Vansterdamn Winters has been supplying the details of all things LOCO and provided the glimmer of a lede for the story which began like this:

“We are so excited to expand LOCO Roller Derby to Toronto, Ontario! Knuckle Slamwich is a LOCO original and knows how to keep the spirit of fun, fitness and friendship alive. It’s going to be an awesome new endeavour, and a chance for us to show even more people what low-contact derby is all about.”

Then there was silence and it was with bated breath that we awaited the rest.

Then in a flash, the rest of the story was delivered.

LOCO Roller Derby started in 2010 with about fifteen skaters in London, Ontario. Now there are six chapters across Ontario: London, Kitchener, Stratford, Brantford, and now Sarnia and Toronto! LOCO promotes low-contact roller derby which lets more women participate in the sport because it allows for diversity of athletic abilities, commitment levels and doesn’t cost as much to participate in.

Sarnia and Toronto have just opened their doors and are already getting a great response. The Toronto chapter kicks off this Friday under the supervision of President Knuckle Slamwich, who originally started skating with London LOCO.

“So many women want to come out and skate,” says Slamwich. “We’re really excited to bring LOCO’s message of fun, fitness and friendship to the GTA. People want to try low-contact derby. It gives them a chance to play when they might not be able to otherwise, because of time commitment, cost or even past injuries. I have so many people thanking us for getting this started. I know it’s going to be huge!”

Practices will be held on Fridays from 7 – 9 pm at Emmanuel Howard Park Church (214 Wright Ave @ Roncesvalles).

In Sarnia, LOCO chapter President Buffy Bodybag has also had a great turnout and promises to offer the flagship chapter in London some tough competition. “Vegas had better watch out,” says Buffy.

Their practices are starting next week, but the excited skaters already have tee shirts printed and represented the league in Sarnia’s Labour Day Parade. They are also getting a ton of support from the media, including some from Ms. Bad Manners, a London LOCO skater and member of the Violet Femmes, who co-hosts the morning show on Sarnia’s K106.3.

You can find out more about LOCO Sarnia at https://www.facebook.com/LocoSarnia and keep up with the Toronto chapter at https://www.facebook.com/torontoloco.