On a Thursday evening at the Lethbridge Exhibition west pavilion, 25 women are roller-skating around and around.

They’re all warming up for roller derby.

A typical practice starts up with a meat grinder.

They call it the “meat grinder” where everyone skates the track while Cherri Blaster is yelling out directions like “elbows in, elbows in!” and “left leg only!”

The fresh meats are the newcomers to derby, the derby girls in training.

Martina Emard, fresh meat coach, also known as Cherri Blaster to her derby mates is an instructor at the Lethbridge College.

She showed up to practice sporting a worn Van Halen tee with three quarter length neon green spandex.

 “We are progressing really fast,” says coach Shannon Dooley A.K.A. Shananagins.

One week when there was a fresh meat practice 25 of them showed up while there were only ten so far faithful derby girls.

Roller derbies are a growing trend since their rebirth in 2000 in Austin, Texas.

Coach Shananagins started with the Deathbridge Derby Dames in April while fresh meat coach Cherri Blaster started in March.

Kalimity Lain, team member of Deathbridge Derby Dames, tried roller derby in Calgary with a friend.

She ended up moving to Lethbridge, found out about derby here and said, “Oh my God, Oh my God, sign me up!”

Now Kalimity Lain and her husband are on the team together.

Deathbridge Derby Dames’ first bout of the season is on Oct. 23 at the exhibition against Medicine Hat’s Gas City Rollers.