Alicia Lock is planning to LockDown the competition tonight.
Known as LockDown when she costumes up with the Rated PG Roller Derby girls the 41-year-old pivot will try to devise a winning strategy for the bout with the St. Albert (Alta.) Heavenly Rollers at the Prince George Roll-A-Dome at 7 p.m.
"Basically, I'm the leader of the pack so it's my job to call out the strategies during the jam," said Lock, who warns opponents not to let her five-foot frame fool them. "I'm small, but I'm mighty, and I have a loud mouth."
The pivot is recognizable during a bout by the stripes on her helmet. A jammer, also known as the main-point scorer, has stars on her helmet, while blockers have plain headgear.
The jammer scores the points by passing opposition team members, after they complete a non-scoring pass through the pack to establish themselves as the lead jammer. A point is scored each time the jammer passes an opposition team member.
Unlike other sports where video is readily available for teams to get a sneak peek at their competition, Lock said, the Heavenly Rollers are a mystery. In roller derby, teams schedule bouts putting out a vast email to other teams looking for games assuming travel is possible on the date.
Lock said she expects the Roll-A-Dome to be rocking with enthusiastic fans. Rated PG's last game packed in more than 490 people.
"When you walk in there the energy is absolutely high," she said. "People are excited and on the edge of their seats and the place stays filled until the end, unlike some other sports around Prince George when things aren't going very good. We've had our butts kicked by 100 points but the fans still stayed until the very end."
Roller Derby was in its heyday during the 1970s, faded from view in the 1980s and began its modern resurgence in the early 2000s at the amateur level. By September 2011 there was more than 1,000 amateur leagues on every inhabited continent.
"It's different," said Lock. "We're not quite like the 70s where it was like all about elbows and mean-throwing; it's actually a sport. It's an entertaining, yet a physical sport."
Games consist of two 30 minute periods and are broken down into two-minute jams with 30-second breaks in between. The lead jammer has the option of calling off a two-minute jam anytime. During the 30-second breaks teams can change lines, most teams have six line combinations.
Lock said she was hooked on the sport after attending the first Rated PG game four years ago and a few days later attended her first Freshmeat practice. In March, after a couple months of practice, she played in her first bout at CN Centre.
"It was amazing," she recalled. "I remember we only played two lines and with the energy, the fans and everything I was hooked. It's rugged, entertaining and fun."
Tickets for Saturday's bout are available at Handsome Cabin Boy Tattoo, Books & Company or at the door starting at 6 p.m. Adults can watch the bout for $10 while the cost for children under 13 is $5.
"Rated PG is not only for Prince George, but it's also parental guidance so it is a very family friendly atmosphere," said Lock. "We're very tactful."
