The clang of skates, the crack of contact, and the roar of a crowd filled Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sports Centre Friday night as Capital City Chaos rolled into town.
Hosted by Victoria’s Eves of Destruction roller derby league, the three-day tournament has turned the West Shore into a hub for some of the best flat track talent on the continent.
Ten teams from as far north as Anchorage and as far south as Seattle are in town through Sunday (June 8), including clubs from Vancouver, Red Deer and two squads from Victoria.
For the first time, the Chaos tournament has grown into a three-day event, expanding to welcome the largest slate of teams the league has ever hosted. It's a feat that’s had co-organizer and Eves charter co-captain Quinn MacDonald skating on adrenaline all week.
“We’re just super stoked,” MacDonald said. “This is the most teams we’ve ever had, and some of the best derby in Western North America. It’s huge for local derby and really putting us on the map.”
A lifelong skater, MacDonald has been in the game for 15 years – ever since she first heard about roller derby in Port Alberni and showed up at her mom’s urging. “It was love at first skate,” she said.
Each match is a high-octane hour of skill and contact, split into two 30-minute halves and broken down further into two-minute “jams.”
Points are scored when a team’s jammer breaks through the pack and laps opponents, all while blockers throw and take hits to help – or hinder – the score.
But derby isn’t just a whirlwind of whistles and speed. For MacDonald and many others, it’s about the people.
“We’ve brought around 200 people to Victoria this weekend, and a lot of them have never been here before,” MacDonald said. “Teams love coming to this city. It’s exciting to show it off and to show off what we do.”
One of those doing just that is Violet Criminal, with the Eves of Destruction since 2016.
Criminal first saw the sport in action nearly a decade ago and became hooked.
“I came to a game and was obsessed,” Criminal said. “At the next season opener, I was like, ‘No, I can do this.’ I bought skates, trained myself for two weeks, and challenged the fresh meat test.”
That “test,” once a cheeky name for the league’s skill assessment, is now part of a months-long training program designed to keep skaters safe and ensure they’re ready for the rigours of full-contact play.
Today, Criminal is a fixture on the Eves’ A-team and playing in one of the highest-calibre tournaments around.
“Derby has a way of becoming the biggest thing in your life,” Criminal said. “The sport is amazing, but the community, especially here in Victoria, is even better. It’s just a massive part of my world now.”
For all the flying hits and fast corners, both MacDonald and Criminal say derby still suffers from misconceptions.
Once considered a spectacle or stage show, modern flat track derby – governed by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) – has evolved into a fast, strategic, and highly athletic sport.
“We still hit each other, sure,” Criminal said, “but there’s so much athleticism and game smarts involved. It’s not just performance – it’s serious sport.”
And if someone’s curious? Don’t wait, they both say.
“It’s the best adult community I’ve ever been a part of,” said Criminal. “You learn about your body, about confidence, and about being part of something bigger. Just do it.”
The final game of the weekend will take place on Sunday, June 8, at 3:30 p.m. The full schedule can be found here.
