State of Skate: Seven Colorado skaters make Team USA for Roller Derby World Cup

Frida Beater, here scoring the final points in the 2010 WFTDA Championships, is one of seven Colorado skaters representing Team USA at the Roller Derby World Cup.

​Seven of the 28 skaters on the Team USA roster for the first-ever Roller Derby World Cup in Toronto in December are from Colorado. The lineup, announced yesterday, includes five skaters -- Amanda Jamitinya, DeRanged, Frida Beater, Psycho Babble and Urrk'n Jerk'n -- from the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club (2010 Women's Flat Track Derby Association champions) and two skaters -- Heather Juska and Tracy "Disco" Akers -- from the Denver Roller Dolls; Mile High Club (hosts of the 2011 WFTDA championships in November).

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to represent the very first Team USA," says Akers. "The tryouts were pretty intense, and I'm still in shock that I made it."

5280 Fight Club and the Mile High Club are heading into the Bridgetown Brawl WFTDA West Region Playoffs next month in Portland, OR as the #2 and #3 seeded teams, behind the Oly Rollers from Olympia, WA. Akers says she's not surprised to see so many of her local friends make the cut for Team USA.

Photo by John Becker, courtesy Denver Roller Dolls

Tracy "Disco" Akers is one of seven Colorado skaters representing Team USA at the Roller Derby World Cup in December. In 2010 she won Top Blocker honors for the Denver Roller Dolls' Mile High Club.

​"Colorado's a roller derby powerhouse, and this really solidifies that reputation," Akers says. "We have a lot of talent in our state and I think it's awesome that there's so many Colorado skaters on the team."

The Roller Derby World Cup will be held in Toronto, December 1-4, featuring teams from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden and the U.S.

So, can roller derby fans look forward to Team USA whooping up on everybody else?

"I think there could be some very strong competition, actually," Akers says. "Australia, England and Canada are going to be really big competitors, and I have skated with some of the Scotland girls and skaters from other countries... some of these girls are newer to the sport, but they're definitely catching on fast."

They'll have their work cut out for them, as DerbyNewsNetwork.com reports:

"A glance at the roster shows that versatility was a key factor in selections; the overwhelming majority of the 28 skaters are well-known as standout jammers on their teams but are fully capable of devastatingly effective play in the pack. Nearly half (12, to be exact) have played on a WFTDA-championship-winning team (2008's Gotham, 2009's Oly or 2010's Rocky Mountain); 19 of the 28 have played in a WFTDA championship tournament."

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