Now that winter is over, women’s roller derby action is heating up for the 2012 season, which kicks off in Cranbrook on Saturday, May 12 with the Rival Revival event.

The debut bout will feature the Invermere Killer Rollbots going head to head against the Cranbrook Mountain Town Maulers.

The East Kootenay Roller Derby League — comprised of teams from Invermere, Cranbrook, Fernie and Kimberley — started up last May. The league’s inaugural exhibition match took place last August when Invermere suffered a tough loss to the Maulers. The team has been hard at work mastering their skating and derby techniques over the winter and are heading to the Rival Revival with the aim of defeating their Cranbrook-based opponents. The bout will be a double header with the Fernie Avalanche City Roller Girls competing against the Kimberley Bavarian Barbarians.

The hard core flat track action will take place at the Memorial Arena in Cranbrook on Saturday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with the first whistle scheduled to blow at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for six to 12 year olds, and free for children under five, while season tickets are available online at www.eastkootenayrollerderby.com. Also visit the website for information on upcoming games and team events.