{"id":21938,"date":"2017-11-14T18:08:17","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T18:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=21938"},"modified":"2017-11-14T18:08:17","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T18:08:17","slug":"keeping-tiger-bay-brawlers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/11\/14\/keeping-tiger-bay-brawlers\/","title":{"rendered":"On a roll: Keeping up with the Tiger Bay Brawlers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IT\u2019S been a hectic few months for Cardiff\u2019s all-women roller derby team.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Back in spring &#8211; midway through their British Champs season &#8211; it looked like the Tiger Bay Brawlers would have to shut up shop, leaving Cardiff Central Youth Club for Cardiff House of Sport.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eight months later, they\u2019re still in CYCC. For how long, nobody knows but the Brawlers haven\u2019t let this uncertainty slow them down. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After finishing third in the British Champs Tier 1, the team has its sights set on the world rankings. Once Christmas is out of the way, of course.<\/span><br \/>\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JovxWoJ6CQc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JovxWoJ6CQc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cYou need to prevent burnout,\u201d says management committee member Laura Kemp. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s an amateur sport. We\u2019ve all got families and jobs and things to go home to.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She\u2019s explaining why the Tiger Bay Brawlers have decided <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to take part in the British Roller Derby Champs next year, instead focusing on their international ranking.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It must have been a tough decision to make &#8211; after all, finishing third in the top tier of Europe\u2019s largest inter-league flat track roller derby tournament is no mean feat.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Brawlers beat Leeds Roller Dolls, Bristol Roller Derby and Birmingham Blitz Dames to finish in the top three and were pipped only by Middlesbrough Milk Rollers and London Rollergirls.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BVHOpOXlPrr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BVHOpOXlPrr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BVHOpOXlPrr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Tiger Bay Brawlers (@tigerbaybrawlers)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They also worked hard last season to keep up in the international Women&#8217;s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) rankings.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re currently 88th in the world tables, out of almost 400 teams &#8211; although this changes frequently.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe try and aim for four or five WFTDA ranked games a year,\u201d Ms Kemp says. \u201cThat can sometimes literally be to keep up rankings &#8211; because if you don\u2019t play, other people are playing.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt\u2019s a super-complicated system,\u201d she adds &#8211; and a quick glance at the WFTDA ranking guide confirms that yes, it certainly is.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Is this why roller derby is still struggling to make it into the UK mainstream? Partly, says Ms Kemp. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe problem is twofold,\u201d she explains. \u201cBecause it\u2019s a women\u2019s sport, we don\u2019t get covered a lot &#8211; and if we\u2019re covered, we\u2019re in the features pages rather than the sports pages.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22056\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22056\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-22056 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1024x582.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1024x582.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-770x438.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1536x873.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-500x284.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-293x167.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1400x796.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22056\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22056 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1024x582.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1024x582.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-770x438.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1536x873.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-500x284.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-293x167.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3-1400x796.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-3.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> The team practises blocks, falls and dodges in the Thursday and Sunday training sessions. Photo: Paul Jones Photography Cardiff<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The fact the team are on skates also makes people less inclined to take it seriously, she believes.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, a few minutes into the Brawlers\u2019 Sunday training session, it&#8217;s clear this is one very serious sport.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first half of the three-hour session is given over to drills: improving agility, getting used to being low, then practising blocks, falls and all manner of moves. After that, they\u2019ll split into teams and move onto gameplay.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even the drills are wince-inducing, though. \u201cYou do get battered,\u201d says Ms Kemp. \u201cI think a lot of people don\u2019t realise there\u2019s such a physical element to it.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Brawlers take two months off each year &#8211; July and December &#8211; to try and avoid injuries and burnout. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This means the team is on something of a wind-down right now. But with seven members (Angie, Dos Santos, Evans, Kemp, NiKilla, Pip Gray and Thrill Collins) on the Team Wales roster for February\u2019s World Cup, they\u2019ll be entering 2018 with a bang.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p><script async=\"1\" defer=\"1\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_GB\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v8.0\" nonce=\"YafeNcag\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/posts\/1881853381854954\" data-width=\"750\">\n<blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/posts\/1881853381854954\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\">\n<p>We are super proud of our very own Thrill Collins who has been announced as captain for Team Wales Roller Derby!&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/\">Tiger Bay Brawlers<\/a> on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/posts\/1881853381854954\">Wednesday, 18 October 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The new year also marks the start of a new beginners\u2019 training programme.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the moment, the Brawlers offer two Learn to Skate sessions a week, on a Thursday and Sunday before main training sessions.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cPeople are welcome to come to Learn to Skate for as long as they want to. It\u2019s quite relaxed,\u201d Ms Kemp says. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But this course will be a more structured feeder into the main team, teaching skills week by week.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And what else is on the cards for next year?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe\u2019re aiming to host at least four home games &#8211; a mix of WFTDA ranked games and unranked ones against local teams,\u201d Ms Kemp says.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Brawlers\u2019 B-team has recently reformed too, so they will likely be taking part in a few tournaments.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p><script async=\"1\" defer=\"1\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_GB\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v8.0\" nonce=\"AIcqtAyg\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/posts\/1861505650556394\" data-width=\"750\">\n<blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/posts\/1861505650556394\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\">\n<p>More cracking photos from our B team game vs. Bridgend Roller Derby on Sunday&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/\">Tiger Bay Brawlers<\/a> on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TigerBayBrawler\/posts\/1861505650556394\">Tuesday, 3 October 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aside from that, it\u2019s a case of moving up in the world rankings. \u201cRoughly between March and September we\u2019ll play one game a month,\u201d she says.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But after September, things are a bit up in the air.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A petition to save Cardiff Central Youth Club last year failed to gain enough signatures to guarantee its future &#8211; and while the Brawlers have the venue until September, it\u2019s unclear whether they\u2019ll be able to carry on training here after that.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe have no idea what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d says Ms Kemp.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cOur best bet is to hope that someone can take [CCYC] over and run it as a sports venue, but at the moment we\u2019re uncertain.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t even know we were going to get the hall until September.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The team had hastily planned to pack up and move the thousands of plastic floor tiles they bought last year with a Sports Wales grant and laid painstakingly by hand.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe have to do everything ourselves. We sweep the floor ourselves, wash it down, pick bits up and shift it when it gets bubbles\u2026\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The men\u2019s roller derby team (SWS) also trains here, and they help out with the maintenance. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIdeally it would be nice if we had our own little venue,\u201d says Ms Kemp.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22055\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22055\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-22055 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1024x515.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1024x515.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-770x387.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1536x773.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-500x252.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1400x704.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22055\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22055 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1024x515.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1024x515.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-770x387.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1536x773.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-500x252.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2-1400x704.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/11\/ForFayeDobson-M-2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> The physical nature of the sport means it is strictly 18+. Photo: Paul Jones Photography Cardiff<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tiger Bay Brawlers might not have a promised home for this time next year, but it\u2019s hard to see them breaking stride, which is reassuring, as it\u2019s clear roller derby plays a huge part in the team\u2019s lives.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEspecially for women and girls, it\u2019s such an empowering sport.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cRoller derby prides itself on being inclusionary. It doesn\u2019t matter what your background is &#8211; it just celebrates women for what they can do.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And in this case, that\u2019s a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lot.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IT\u2019S been a hectic few months for Cardiff\u2019s all-women roller derby team. Back in spring &#8211; midway through their British Champs season &#8211; it looked like the Tiger Bay Brawlers would have to shut up shop, leaving Cardiff Central Youth Club for Cardiff House of Sport. Eight months later, they\u2019re still in CYCC. For how long, nobody knows but the Brawlers haven\u2019t let this uncertainty slow them down. After finishing third in the British Champs Tier 1, the team has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":22057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5152,1291,5153,2402,450,2404,4451,5154],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-21938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-british-roller-derby-champs","tag-cardiff-2","tag-cardiff-central-youth-club","tag-roller-derby","tag-splott","tag-tiger-bay-brawlers","tag-wftda","tag-womens-roller-derby"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>On a roll: Keeping up with the Tiger Bay Brawlers - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/11\/14\/keeping-tiger-bay-brawlers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On a roll: Keeping up with the Tiger Bay Brawlers - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"IT\u2019S been a hectic few months for Cardiff\u2019s all-women roller derby team. Back in spring &#8211; midway through their British Champs season &#8211; it looked like the Tiger Bay Brawlers would have to shut up shop, leaving Cardiff Central Youth Club for Cardiff House of Sport. Eight months later, they\u2019re still in CYCC. For how long, nobody knows but the Brawlers haven\u2019t let this uncertainty slow them down. 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