Roller derby athletes from Calgary and Lethbridge earn lead roles on Canada's junior team

As a teenager, Jenna McLean read a lot of Harley Quinn graphic novels, where she'd see the DC Comics character whizzing around a roller derby track.

The sport intrigued her, and she started doing some research to see how she could get involved, even watching footage of high level players to learn what she could.

Then, after watching Whip It, the 2009 film focused on roller derby, she was hooked.

"The general vibe of the sport was really interesting to me because it's so tough," she said. "It was just like a whole new world."

McLean became a jammer — the player who scores the points — and is now a team captain with the Calgary Roller Derby All Stars, going by the name "Ferris Bruiser."

Earlier this month, she found out she had been chosen by the Junior Roller Derby Association of Canada to act as assistant coach on the national junior roller derby team.

"I'm super excited and proud of myself for accomplishing that … I'm still trying to like, wrap my head around it," she said.

Joining her as assistant coaches are Raina (Raina Terror) Owen from Saskatoon and Christine (Freddie) Manders from Waterloo, Ont.

The team's head coach is Caroline (Coach Meow) Reimer, president of the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild for the past decade. She also acted as assistant coach for the 2020 national team, but the pandemic caused the cancellation of that year's tournament.

"It's a combination of exciting and terrifying at the same time," Reimer said in an interview on the Calgary Eyeopener. "It's a huge honour to be able to fill the boots of the predecessors that went before me. But I'm excited to get working with my assistant coaches and start selecting a team."

WATCH | Earlier this year, athletes with the Calgary Roller Derby All Stars