We’re just one week away from the second edition of Chaos on the Clyde, a two day roller derby tournament featuring four UK teams which will be held at Arc Health & Fitness on 17th & 18th August 2019.
Six years have passed since the inaugural Chaos tournament, so in the spirit of bringing things back, here we are resurrecting our blog to introduce you to our A team captains - Cara Viola and Cardinal Spin - with a wee interview.
Cardinal Spin, leaping the Apex like it’s no big deal…
How did you find roller derby?
Cara: When I was living in Toronto one of my friends suggested that we go watch a match. We had no clue what was going on but we were instantly hooked. After watching a few more games in Toronto I started to figure out the game and signed up to joined GRD when I came home.
Spin: I can’t remember how I heard about it originally - I almost started playing back at the start of 2012 but because of crazy life stuff it didn’t happen and it wasn’t ‘til the start of 2016 that I actually started skating.
Who is your derby hero, or favourite team?
C: Obviously my favourite team is GRD. Outside of this Montreal and Gotham are my other favourites.
S: Hmmm… not sure you want to get me started on this. I’m a big fan of Snowy from Dublin Roller Derby/Team Ireland, Curly Håår from Malmo, Wilhelm from Denver… I love to see smaller jammers slicing up the pack and pinging about. I regularly cheer for all the jammers on track rather than picking sides.
Cara Viola, ready to make the jammer sad
Which game of the tournament are you most excited to watch?
C: I think there will be some great match ups no matter who is playing. As I will be playing the GRD games I won't choose any of those…so I will go for Kent vs Liverpool. Both teams are new to WFTDA but are well established teams so it should be a good one.
S: We’ve played quite a lot against our neighbours ARRD [Auld Reekie Roller Derby] so I’m excited to be able to cheer on their side from the audience this time.
Do you have a derby mantra?
C: Adapt or die. Everything changes so quickly in roller derby that you have to react and change with it.
S: I get super nervous before/during games so I mostly try not to think about it too much to keep my adrenaline down a bit. One of my personal mottos is “find the joy”. I play best if I'm feeling upbeat and positive so sometimes I wander about telling teammates that they’re amazing (and occasionally making them say the same back) so we all get the endorphins flowing.
Share your best derby memory moment.
C: At this point I have been playing for 9 years so it is hard to pick a favourite. Generally though I love the moment when I am able to stop a jammer jumping the apex.
S: I just love playing and scrimming. I love the hundreds of moments and challenges and laughs and little victories on track.
Tickets for Chaos on the Clyde 2 are available to buy online here. Day tickets are sold on a sliding scale from £0-10, weekend tickets are £16, and kids and carers go free.