This week photographer Sarah Blais travelled to The Bunker in Downsview Park, where girls were warming up for a doubleheader night on wheels. Meet the Toronto Roller Derby girls…

Bala-Reina, aka the bullet queen (in Spanish), is a 26-year-old derby girl who rides for the Chicks Ahoy! team. Apparently in order to get your derby name approved, you’ve got to enter it into a world database so that nobody (worldwide) has a similar one. This keeps everyone unique– just like their outfits. The bullet queen is in her second season now, and loving every moment of it. Her day job? Full-time nanny. She wears fishnet stockings to her games in addition to the protective gear (helmet, mouth guard, wrist guards, kneepads, and elbow pads), her name, and her number. To cover (or not cover) your legs? Pants, shorts, skirts, leggings, fishnets, capris– everything’s game. This is where the girls’ personal style comes into play.

Bellefast is a 29-year-old Irish derby girl from Bradford, who plays for the Death Track Dolls. It’s her first year on a team and her second year on rollerskates. When she isn’t skating at derbies, she’s works in customer service at a box factory. She rocks the star pants and Irish socks to show her personality (and nationality). The last thing she made to eat was Quinoa salad, and the last song she listened to was “Chant Down Babylon.”

Renny Rumble is a 28-year-old forensic accountant that also casually owns a Roller Derby Shop! The shop is geared towards the newer girls who they call “fresh meat.” She likes to dress up her Smoke City Betties shirt with customized matching blue pants (that sparkle) and a sweet blue helmet. She rocks Velcro covers on her skates to prevent the laces from getting caught on anything.

Draculaura is a 31-year-old Gore Gore Rollergirl. The girls on this team stick to a leopard print onesie and fishnet stockings. Draculaura mentioned that it’s quite common to come home with scrapes and bruises after a game– especially when your legs are barely covered. When she isn’t on the track, she’s at the Winners’ head office managing stores’ inventory levels. It’s her third year at the derby, and definitely not her last.