ZOE Butler is urging people to get their skates on and support a sport which combines athleticism with fun and showmanship.

She is a founder of Herefordshire Roller Skating Club and wants to bolster the number of skaters in Hereford in the hope of forming a rollerderby team in the city.

“Roller derby is a huge sport in the USA and it’s growing in the UK,” said Zoe, who has been playing the sport in Birmingham.

“I was with a team called Central City Rollergirls for three-and-a-half years but, this year, I had to take a step back.

“There was a film a few years ago with Drew Barrymore in it called Whip it and that created a lot of interest.

“It’s a very tactical game and we have 10 girls from Hereford interested in roller derby at the moment.”

Roller derby is a fast, full-contact sport played on skates. The game is based on two teams formation roller skating around an oval track.

Players need knee pads, elbow pads, h e l m e t s and plenty of b r a v e r y .

The team positions are called pivot (captain), blockers and jammers.

Points are scored when the scoring player (jammer) of a given team laps members of the opposition.

“I don’t want to rush our members into skating competitively,”

said Zoe, who lives in Hereford and is the club’s treasurer.

“It’s such fun and such good exercise and offers something as an alternative.”

Zoe, who is also a coach, set up Herefordshire Roller Skating Club, with her friend Sam Bushkes, 14 months ago.

The club teaches basic quad skating with an element of fitness on Mondays and Wednesdays at Aylestone School.

Sam is the chairman and coach of the club. She has skated all her life and used to play roller hockey.

Sam’s mother, Jo Jones, used to run a roller club in Peterchurch.

Zoe said: “We both wanted to build a new club to share and encourage everyone else to try skating and enjoy it as much as we do.

“We realised that Hereford needed a new and fun activity available to everyone.

It gave us somewhere to do what we love.

“Since the new year, we have had great success in the club, with high numbers now attending.

“We have also been awarded Sport England funding to help buy equipment and aid our growth.”

Å There is a ‘Get your Skates on’ day on Sunday, August 14 at Hereford Leisure Centre from noon to 4.30pm.

For more details about skating in Hereford, ring Sam Bushkes on 01432 341441 or 07780 117052; or e-mail: sam@skatehereford.

co.uk