The past year has seen Western New York’s first and only all-female, all-volunteer flat track roller derby association rise through an exhilarating but injury-plagued first season, closing with a grueling away game against the rival Steel Town Tank Girls of Hamilton, Ontario. Over the summer the league hosted a boot camp to recruit new skaters, nearly doubling their numbers. This group of roughly 70 women (read “70 rough women”) includes four teams: the Suicidal Saucies, the Nickel City Knockouts, the Devil Dollies and the newly formed Sub-Zero Sirens. Last season the Suicidal Saucies held off all challengers to scrape an undefeated season, with the Dollies beating them in one period of the final round-robin tournament but losing on overall points. The Knockouts, by an equally narrow margin, went winless for the season, and are hungry for redemption, with 12 new recruits joining eight veterans for the new season. The “New Year’s Bash” kicks off the season with the Devil Dollies vs. Nickel City Knockouts, followed by five more bouts in the next four months to complete their second season. For sports fans who may be getting a bit discouraged this season, the roller derby is a sure bet that the hometown team wins. For a full schedule, see www.qcrg.net.

Saturday, January 5 at 7pm. The Rainbow Rink, 101 Oliver Street

N. Tonawanda (693-1100). $10/presale

(qcrg.net); $15 at door; $5 for kids under 12