Ss TJCHASEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM photo Jammer Sarah Saturday (left) of the Riot Girls jumps past blocker Lamb Baste-Her of the Bad Reputations at a roller derby event. Derby back for eighth season Terminal City Rollergirls opener this Friday night By ALI CRANE pring is around the corner and that means the Terminal City Rollergirls are ready to kick off their 8" season of roller derby with their April 5 home opener at Ker- risdale Arena. Roller derby is a contact racing sport where one member must try to lap the opposing team while defenders try to stop them. It's an action-packed, fast-paced event that keeps you on your toes, said Terminal City Rollergirls media direc- tor Jenna Hauck. “Our league has been around since 2006,” said Hauck, who goes by her der- by name Hydro-Jenna Bomb. “We were one of the only leagues around back then, but the sport has grown im- mensely in the last five to six years alone.” The game has also seen a large growth in its fan base, with attendees cheering on teams like the Faster Pussycats and Public Frenemy, who will go head-to-head in the first match of the season. The second game of the opener will see the Riot Girls go up against the Bad Reputations. “It’s aggressive, fast, and fun,” Hauck said. “There will be music, announcers, food, and drinks. It’s noisy and it’s visu- ally stimulating.” Kaitlen McDermott, a.k.a. Violet De- terrent, is captain of Pubic Frenemy and was inspired to start the sport after seeing the Drew Barrymore movie Whip It. “It looked like a lot of fun,” said Mc- Dermott, whose team drafted nine rookies into its 20-person roster for the upcoming season. “Our team gets along really well and we're always empowering each other. We all have become really close.” The new rookie skaters have been training hard for three months and are ready to showcase their skills. “Everything awesome that you think it is, it will be,” said McDermott. “Tt’s a real sport with real rules and we do take it seriously, even though it’s a lot of fun.” Tickets can be purchased in advance online: $15 for adults, and $10 for kids aged 6-12. Tickets at the door are $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Children five and under are free. DERBY Season Schedule APRIL 5 Kerrisdale Arena, Vancouver APRIL 27, MAY 4 & JUNE 15 Royal City Curling Club, New Westminster JULY 11 & 12 Minoru Arena, Richmond Source: Terminal City Rollergirls Facebook page Gruelling race returning to Whistler after 20 years PHOTO submitted The Great Snow-Earth-Water Race was established in 1975 as a means to get “older” kids active Competitors in the Great Snow-Earth-Water Race face the elements and a tough course this May By EDRICK DUDANG doors Festival will feature the re- turn of the Great Snow-Earth-Wa- ter Race on May 18, after a two-decade hiatus. The event, which starts at noon and finishes at 6 p.m., is a team relay race with six timed stages. A competitor from a five- or six-per- son team skis down Whistler Black- comb then passes a baton to a team- mate who mountain bikes down the valley. Next, a runner carries the baton to the edge of the River of Golden Dreams, where two teammates then paddle through the river and Green Lake in canoes. Finally, a teammate cross-country bikes to the finish. Since a five-person team is allowed, a player is permitted to do two stages of the race, according to a press release. T® year’s Whistler’s Great Out- Teams must have at least two women or two men. Whistler Blackcomb spokeswoman Michelle Leroux said that the race is a great fit for the festival because it showcases Whistler’s flexibility as a re- sort. “Tt’s a unique type of year where you can actually do all of those sports, so we decided to bring it back,” she said. Leroux said that while all the stages of the race are challenging, the canoe- ing stage is the most difficult. “[Canoeing] down the River of Gold- en Dreams will be trickier because it is in the spring and there’s a lot of run- offs, so the creek is running fairly quick,” she said. The race has changed dramatically since the ‘90s. The skiing route has changed and the race now features mountain biking, which was unheard of in 1994, Lereoux said. Whistler Museum’s collections man- ager Bradley Nichols said that while he didn’t attend the Great Snow-Earth- Water Race 20 years ago, he is entering this year’s event and is currently scout- ing teammates. “Tam pretty excited,” he said. Canucks face stark Statistics Vancouver hockey team has a one-in-two-hundred chance of taking a playoff spot after lucklustre year By LAUREN COLLINS New York Rangers at Rogers Arena tonight, but support for the home team is down as their chances for mak- ing the playoffs have all but disap- peared. Vancouver has six games left until the playoffs, but mathematically the 20-place team has just a 0.5-per-cent chance of qualifying. When the Ca- nucks last played the Rangers back in November, they lost 5-2. Rob Williams, sports editor at Vanc- ity Buzz and creator of “Rob the Hock- ey Guy,” a Canucks blog, said there’s a chance the Canucks could win tonight, but it’s only 50-50. “[The] Rangers are decent, but not a powerhouse,” he said in an email. He said the Canucks have “very little chance” of qualifying for the playoffs. “They were expected to be an aver- age team this year. Then they got inju- ries and fell off a cliff.” Criminology student Paneet Pattar is not a fan of the Canucks and he said they have “no chance at all.” “The Canucks just suck. That’s all I can say,” he said. In the past 10 years, the team has made the Stanley Cup playoffs seven times, but has only made it to the finals once. Dietetics student Quinton Perry is going to the game tonight and said he is excited, but would like to see the Rangers do well too. He said this season has been a “write-off” for him. “A lot of injuries have happened this season and unfortunately [Canucks head coach John] Tortorella’s style of coaching isn’t the most offensively-gift- ed style,” Perry said. “There hasn’t been a lot of star power in the lineup.” Vancouver, Dallas and Phoenix are fighting for the two remaining playoff spots, but Vancouver will be playing some strong teams in its final games. “They need to win their last six games and hope that Dallas goes 4 [wins]-4 [losses] and Phoenix goes 3-3- 1,” Williams said. “Canucks are a me- diocre team right now, so it’s very un- likely that they will win six in a row.” T: Vancouver Canucks play the LAUREN COLLINS photo Langara arts and sciences student Reza Haghi still supports his team.