Left to right: "Cheshie" Jessie Curran, "Shredher" Myra Moore, "Clawless" Kyria Franklin, and "Medusa" Mackenzie Heidinger were among the Lethbridge athletes who competed at the 2023 Junior Roller Derby World Cup in Valence, France. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge roller derby skaters win bronze at world cup

Aug 4, 2023 | 11:55 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A group of local roller derby athletes did well at a global tournament.

Two Canadian groups competed in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in Valence, France this past weekend.

The female division team captured bronze after defeating Team World 340-67, while the open division squad finished fourth after falling 194-342 to Australia.

Part of the open division team, “Cheshie” Jesse Curran joked that she was surprised they did as well as they did because many of the other countries’ athletes were so much bigger than them.

It was the first time that Curran competed at the world level.

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Due to the country’s geography and limited funding, the Canadian crews had notably fewer opportunities to practice together than some of the other competing teams.

The Canadians had seven months to prepare for the World Cup competition and only met up in person twice.

Curran said, “I feel like not seeing each other often really let us know we had to get together in a short amount of time, which really brought us closer together because we didn’t waste any time getting to know each other.”

For “Clawless” Kyria Franklin, she said it was her second time being part of Team Canada but her first go at the world cup.

“It was a lot just to be able to something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” said Franklin. “I think it’s one of the best things I’ve done out of my whole derby career – well, it is.”

Lethbridge was one of the most well-represented cities on Team Canada with seven members and Alberta sent more players than any other province or territory.

Curran said competing at this high of a level was a nerve-wracking experience but one that she and her teammates were able to get through together.

“I’m glad that I had my friends – it definitely made it more comfortable and easy to get to know the other people because you went to get to know the other people with the people you already knew,” said Curran.

The local roller derby athletes now get a month off before practices start again.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

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