Canada Roller Derby – In 2019 Canada Roller Derby is expanding its operations to include a Sport Development branch as well as management of the men’s national team, Team Canada Men’s Roller Derby.

Canada Roller Derby background and organization
Canada Roller Derby was incorporated in 2017 as a membership-based non-profit organization with a mission to develop the sport of roller derby; to build and develop national teams of the highest calibre; and to build an organization to support and grow the sport across Canada and serve as the de facto organizing body for the sport in Canada. The organization began as an initiative of the national women’s team, Team Canada Women’s Roller Derby. Its plans for expansion began with community consultation which led to a strategic plan that included goals of creating development programs, helping to build a network with provincial roller derby organizations, and possible alignment of the men’s, women’s and junior national teams.

With these new developments, Canada Roller Derby now includes three branches within its Performance division: Sport Development, led by Head of Sport Development Jessica Paternostro; the Team Canada Men’s Roller Derby national team, led by Head Coach Bethany Fisher; and the Team Canada Women’s Roller Derby national team, whose coaching staff will be hired in 2019. Each branch coordinates with a centralized Operations division and reports to a volunteer Board of Directors active within the roller derby community.

Sport Development branch
Addressing the organization’s mission to develop the sport of roller derby, Canada Roller Derby has engaged former Team Canada Women’s and Men’s Coach and Team Canada skater Jessica Paternostro as Head of Sport Development. Paternostro is responsible for overseeing the creation of programs for coach-, officials-, and athlete development and certification. Her first initiative is to develop a roller derby coaching certification program. Says Paternostro, “Coach development is an area that is lacking within roller derby in Canada. This is why I’m excited to work alongside our national and existing provincial organizations to develop a coaching certification program. I hope to foster a community of practice for all Canadian coaches to ensure the growth of this wonderful sport.”

Team Canada Men’s Roller Derby
In November 2018 Team Canada Men’s Roller Derby announced a 32-person training roster for the 2020 Men’s Roller Derby World Cup, scheduled for 9-12 July in St. Louis. Head Coach Bethany Fisher is supported by Assistant Coach Alicia Biggley and Line Coach Alexandra Evans. All three coaches skated for Team Canada Women at the last Roller Derby World Cup. In previous editions of the Men’s Roller Derby World Cup, Team Canada Men placed third in Birmingham 2014, fourth in Calgary in 2016, and fifth in Barcelona in 2018.

Team Canada Women’s Roller Derby staffing
While no date has been set for the next Women’s Roller Derby World Cup, Canada Roller Derby has launched a search for coaches and a manager to lead the national women’s team in the next World Cup cycle. These coaches will have the challenge of building on the women’s bronze-medal result from the 2018 World Cup in Manchester.

Canada Roller Derby staffing and AGM
In its current hiring process, open until 15 March 2019, Canada Roller Derby is seeking applicants for Team Canada Women’s Head Coach, Assistant Coach, and Team Manager. The organization is also seeking key administrative staff to realize the organization’s expanded operations: the General Manager and a Sponsorship & Marketing Manager. As a young non-profit organization operating within a community-driven sport, all positions are volunteer for now. The job description package is available in the ‘News’ section of the organization website at http://canadarollerderby.com.

The next Annual General Meeting for Canada Roller Derby will be scheduled for 12 May 2019 in Ottawa, with an option for attendance via teleconference. Nominations will be open until 1 May 2019 for all positions on the Board.

Canada Roller Derby information
Website: http://canadarollerderby.com
Sign up for the Canada Roller Derby newsletter here.

Team social media feeds          
Facebook:  @TeamCanadaRollerDerby, @TeamCanadaMensRollerDerby
Twitter:  @TeamCanadaRD, @TCMRollerDerby
Instagram: @teamcanadarollerderby, @teamcanadamensrd