MEDIA RELEASE

The Paradise Roller Girl’s Honey Badgers captured the number two spot in last week’s Battle of the Islands two day roller derby tournament on Oahu where eight teams from across Hawaii clashed in a frenzy of non-stop skating action.

The Honey Badger’s were defeated in the exciting final moments of the championship bout by host team Pacific Roller Derby, whose three point lead at the end of last play was just enough to give them the win.

“The championship game came down to the last jam. Everyone played really hard and left everything on the track.” Honey Badger ‘Smash Yo Face’ Stacey said. “When you see that kind of effort it’s hard to be upset about a loss.”

The final score of the bout was Pacific 157, Honey Badgers 154. The only other loss for the Big Island team came in the first bout of the tournament where they were also beat by Pacific, 177 to 151.

The Honey Badgers quickly made up for their early tournament loss though, upsetting the Garden Island Renegade Rollerz in bout 5, 150 to 33. The Honey Badgers went on to secure a spot in the finals after smashing the Maui Roller Girls 109 to 49 in bout 9.

Maui Roller Girls finished third place in the tournament after beating the Renegade Rollerz 68 to 40 in bout 7.

Dawn ‘Paige Forbidden’ Hawkins, a newer member of PRG skating for her first time with the Honey Badgers said the tournament opened her eyes to the different skating styles and techniques of the other derby teams.

“Battle of the Islands was a great opportunity to learn new skating skills by watching and playing with other skaters,” she said.

Hawkins and the rest of the Honey Badgers wouldn’t have been able to travel to Oahu without the support of the local community whose donations and pledges during the Sept. 9 Skate-A-Thon in Hilo helped to pay for some of the team’s travel expenses. About $1,900 was raised from the fundraiser.

Paradise Roller Girls’ next bout is Oct. 13 at the Afook Chinook Civic Auditorium in Hilo. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

Paradise Roller Girls is a women’s flat-track roller derby league located on the Big Island of Hawaii. PRG’s mission is to promote a healthy, athletic lifestyle in their community through the alternative sport of roller derby.

— Find out more:
www.paradiserollergirls.com