Joining Abby on this episode: Roller Derby players Michelle and Cressida, who urge more people to try the sport, and members from the Kent Gymnastics group the DC Diamonds, who have represented Britain at the World Gymnaestrada.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invictus Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:19 up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Abbey Hook and here's what to expect on Monday 5th
00:24 August.
00:25 World Cup wonders! Can Kent's connection make England global champions?
00:33 Rolling with the times! Chatter in roller derby players are urging more people to join
00:37 more inclusive sports.
00:41 And chopping champion! We sent our reporter axe throwing.
00:47 First to the football and of course the biggest news hitting the headlines, the Lionesses
00:51 face Spain on Sunday in the World Cup final, after super striker Maidstone's Alessia Russo
00:56 ended the game 3-1 against Australia.
01:06 These fans were delighted, cheering the England team to victory. There's a huge amount of
01:11 excitement and pressure building ahead of Sunday's game, but where in the county can
01:14 you watch our Kent players strike gold again? Well, Chatham Town FC are hosting hundreds
01:19 at their grounds, so where better to watch than at the home of Kent's highest ranked
01:23 women's team. I'll be there, so I'll see you there.
01:26 But what are your predictions ahead of the game? Another super strike from Russo, we've
01:30 been asking people in Rochester.
01:32 I think 1-0 to England.
01:35 2-1 England I think.
01:37 3-2.
01:38 I think England are going to win it, like 2-1.
01:41 3-0.
01:42 3.
01:43 England win 2-0.
01:45 I'm going to have to go 2-1 England in overtime.
01:49 I think England are going to win 2-0 against Spain, because after the Euros competition
01:54 I think we have the win.
01:56 They're looking fantastic, I think they'll win 1-0. Tight game, but they'll come through.
02:01 I think England will win, and I think 2 for England and 1 for Spain.
02:08 And what about you, what do you think?
02:11 I don't know nothing about football, so I think like him.
02:15 I reckon England will win, during the first half I don't think many goals will be even
02:20 being shot. I think England will win maybe two goals, and the other team maybe one.
02:27 What do you think the score is going to be this Sunday?
02:29 2-1 England.
02:30 Why do you think that?
02:32 Because they're Euro champions.
02:33 Probably a silly question, as you're wearing an England shirt, but are you going to be
02:37 watching the football?
02:38 Definitely, definitely, definitely.
02:40 What do you think is going to happen?
02:41 I reckon the Lionesses are going to put it off.
02:44 They've had some difficult matches, they looked like they were going to lose, but somehow
02:48 that spirit, that enthusiasm drags them across the line, and I can see that happening again.
02:55 Is it coming home?
02:56 Yeah.
02:57 It's coming home.
02:58 Well you heard them, it's coming home apparently. I caught up with one young girl from Paddockwood
03:04 dreaming of becoming a Lioness herself one day, and she's well on her way in fact. She
03:09 plays in goal for Kent and West Kent, taking both teams to victory recently, as well as
03:14 playing in goal for Chelsea. Looking to her inspiration from the county, she's hoping
03:18 for another Russo goal. Here's Emily and her father Kevin.
03:22 Russo, she had a brilliant performance. I'm so happy she got a goal so that she made the
03:26 headlines, especially as she's a Kent girl.
03:29 But at the start of the tournament there were still question marks going into the tournament
03:32 whether she would start as the main player. So she's mostly had to dig quite deep, and
03:38 she's such a wonderful advert for obviously her county and obviously her country.
03:42 I think it just leaves an even bigger statement that they've already left. I think it's going
03:46 to be so inspiring for younger girls and younger boys really. The boys haven't done it either
03:51 in about six years. I think it was 1966 we last got to a World Cup final.
03:56 Yeah, we won it.
03:58 So I think it's going to inspire the younger generation to keep pushing on, and I think
04:03 it's just going to be brilliant for everyone.
04:06 Up next tonight, Chatham is home to a roller derby club known as the Apex Predators, a
04:11 competitive group demonstrating a new and more intense take on roller skating. The club
04:16 is urging more people to try it out, as they say more sports are becoming too gender specific.
04:22 Our reporter Allegra Webb rolled on down to one of their weekly training sessions to find
04:26 out more on this standout sport.
04:28 Lace up those skates and fasten your helmet, as this is no ordinary roller skating disco.
04:35 It may be a sleepy Sunday here in Chatham, but I'm with the Apex Predators, who are here
04:39 to show me their skill, strategy and strength in a high intensity game also known as roller
04:44 derby.
04:45 This fast paced sport of endurance was revived in the early 2000s, where self expression
04:49 and showmanship were encouraged through unique derby names or flashy outfits. Established
04:54 in 2013 as a non-competitive team, the Apex Predators have flourished their talent and
05:00 now compete in a variety of tournaments such as Eastbourne Extreme or the Super 7 Smackdown.
05:05 Roller derby is a very strategic game, there's a lot of thinking involved, it's a very mental
05:09 game. It's a bit like chess on roller skates, it's very, very strategic.
05:13 Basically you've got jammers and blockers, the blockers are trying to, they're like the
05:17 defensive players to go in with and they're trying to stop the jammers from scoring points
05:20 and the jammers are trying to get around the track as fast as possible and they score points
05:24 by passing other players, so that's kind of the main game rules. It is a compact sport
05:29 and it can get quite aggressive, quite hitty, but when we're teaching people how to play
05:32 it we always start with the really basic skating skills, those kind of things.
05:36 The adrenaline filled spirit here amongst the Apex Predators is certainly alive once
05:40 that whistle blows. This sport may seem intense at first, but at its heart this game encapsulates
05:45 the fun, camaraderie and teamwork between its members.
05:48 It means community to me, it's a really inclusive space. As a queer person it's actually quite
05:53 difficult to find a space that is completely inclusive, that you feel like you can just
05:58 be your true self.
05:59 Roller derby is for everyone, I think, literally is for everyone.
06:02 Particularly in the current climate of various sports getting less gender inclusive or less
06:07 inclusive to kind of our trans friends, so I think to me it's a very important part of
06:13 the team.
06:14 After watching the game I think I'll keep my trainers on, but I'll sit to find out more
06:18 for the Apex Predators members themselves.
06:20 I do a lot of combat sports anyway, so yeah getting here I'm kind of used to that, so
06:24 being on skates makes it even more interesting.
06:26 I think what drew me to derby was no running. Obviously there's a lot of energy that you
06:33 need for skating, but it's just a lot more fun and it has that sort of like a lot of
06:38 energy that you can burn.
06:40 It's really not going to be throwing you in at the deep end, and if you think actually
06:43 do you know what, playing isn't for me, there are still so many ways to be part of the league
06:47 that just come along and be part of it really.
06:49 With an open day in sight this September, I hope that Apex Predators continue to expand
06:54 their community of skaters and keep on rolling through their future endeavours.
06:58 Allegra Webb for KMTV in Chatham.
07:01 Well I'm very pleased to say that joining me in the studio is Michelle Holliday and
07:05 Cressida Fitzsimmons as well from Allegra's report there.
07:09 Thank you both so much for coming in.
07:10 I have to ask you, it looks like it hurts, does it hurt?
07:14 It can, but it's really good fun as well.
07:18 And I've heard something really quite crazy. The thing that stands out about this sport
07:22 is the names that you choose. These derby names, now what are yours and what do they
07:29 mean, what is it all about?
07:31 I'm Cressida Rex, because I crash a lot, and Rex is just because I like dinosaurs and I
07:36 was kind of just playing on that. You get to have a lot of fun with your derby names
07:39 and yeah, it's really great and you have a great one too.
07:42 And what about yours Michelle?
07:43 So mine is Corset Hurts. Not so much now but I used to do a lot of sewing and I used to
07:48 work with corsets a lot and also I have a lot of tattoos so people often say to me,
07:54 do your tattoos hurt? So I can say, corset hurts.
07:56 Corset hurts, that's brilliant.
07:57 We tend to use a lot of puns.
07:59 Yeah, oh that's brilliant. By the end of this interview you've got to think of one for me,
08:03 I have no idea but I should have come prepared with one. So back to that, it looks like it
08:08 hurts so the aim of the game is to sort of manoeuvre each other over lines and get past,
08:13 is that how you get points?
08:15 In a sense, so each team fields a jammer and it's the aim of the jammer to get past the
08:20 other teams blockers and every blocker that they get past they get a point for.
08:24 Right. And do you get hurt Cressida, do you get injuries?
08:28 You do get hurt but having said that, you go through an intro course, you learn how
08:33 to skate and be safe, how to fall safely. We spend a long time making sure everyone's
08:38 safe. So yeah, sometimes you fall and you have a like, I've had a few bruises.
08:43 Wow.
08:44 We wear a lot of safety gear so you're not allowed to skate without a helmet, mouth guard,
08:49 elbow pads, knee pads and it's just for safety.
08:52 And I suppose you look at any other sport, you've got rugby, I mean football itself,
08:56 that can be, you can get all sorts of injuries but rugby I mean. And I suppose perhaps, I
09:00 don't know, you're going quite fast, what sort of speeds or is it quite close contact
09:04 so you don't actually pick up speed as such?
09:05 Yeah, I'd say it's more close contact. It really depends who's skating at the time but
09:09 it's not a race as such, it's more about contact. Like it is similar to rugby.
09:13 Depends on the jammer.
09:17 How do you get into a sport like this? Why not tennis, why not badminton? Why do you
09:22 go this is for me?
09:23 I mean for me personally, I've never been sporty. One of the things I love about this
09:28 is that anyone can do it, you don't have to be a sporty person. And at the time when I
09:33 was at school, because I was female, I was only allowed to play netball and hockey and
09:38 I didn't want to. I wanted to play rugby. I want to hit people. So for me it's that
09:44 opportunity to actually be able to do something inclusive and do it with everyone.
09:47 And what about you, Chris?
09:49 Do you know, I think I just got a pair of skates during lockdown, like so many people
09:52 did and I was like this is great, where can I go skating? And looked it up, I had no idea
09:56 what roller derby was before I went to the Open Day and I kind of went along and now
10:00 skating without hitting people is kind of dull.
10:03 So cool. And how do you go about actually being competitive? Do you go into tournaments,
10:13 do you have matches, games or are you just sort of between you and your club?
10:17 Yeah, there's lots of stuff that I find on Facebook, finding different games across the
10:22 country on Facebook and there's just different levels. So at the moment I'm a rookie so I
10:25 go to rookie games but then you can move up obviously across that. There was a game recently
10:29 in Eastbourne as well, Eastbourne Extreme, so it's just being involved with that wider
10:33 roller derby community as well.
10:34 Is it quite big up and down the UK? Is there a hub for it in Kent or where else is it big?
10:39 I mean it's definitely growing. It's definitely got bigger over the years. It's still quite
10:43 difficult because obviously we fund it ourselves so if we want to put on a game, you know,
10:48 we've got to pay for the hall, we've got to pay for the first day, we've got to pay for
10:50 everything but it's definitely growing and there is a lot more you can go to now.
10:55 And how do you go about training? Is it just turning up at a club and playing a few games
10:59 and do you train on weekends? Do you go out and leisurely skate? How does it work?
11:03 A bit of everything. So for us we train every Sunday in Chatham if anyone wants to come
11:07 along. We also sometimes do mid-week training. Sometimes we have little skate outs where
11:12 we'll go and skate outdoors and then the games, like we'll put them on, other teams will put
11:18 them on. We work quite closely with Eastbourne so we do games with them.
11:21 Wow, that's so interesting and very lastly, we don't have very long left but the main
11:26 message is that it's inclusive, right?
11:28 Yes, it's for everyone, it doesn't matter height, weight, gender, whatever, just come
11:34 and put some skates on and have fun.
11:35 Come and have a go. Well I think you have by now enticed me, I think I'll be there next
11:40 Sunday, we'll see. Thank you both so much for coming in, it was great to have you, great
11:45 to learn more about this sport that probably no one's ever seen before but hopefully we'll
11:48 be hearing more about. Thank you both so much for coming in. That's all we've got time for,
11:52 we'll be back after this very short break.
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15:03 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now to cricket, and Kent Spitfires
15:11 failed to defeat yesterday as their match with Nottinghamshire Outlaws went down to the wire,
15:16 with visitors picking up the victory by just one wicket. Matt Montgomery hit an unbeaten 92 as the
15:23 Outlaws overhauled Kent's 259 for 9 with only one ball to spare. Hamid Quadri took 4 for 47,
15:30 but a gritty last wicket stand by Montgomery and Dan Patterson, who needed 35 when they came
15:36 together with 5 overs remaining, ended the Spitfires winning run. Kent's defeat sees them
15:41 4-5 in the one day cup and sets up a crucial clash with Essex for Battle of the Bridge.
15:46 It's derby weekend in Kent as Gillingham visit Crawley on Saturday with a chance to stay top
15:53 of the league. Neil Harris's side have won their opening three games of the season,
15:58 beating promotional rivals Stockport and Sutton United. It's left a good feeling around
16:03 Priestfield and speaking on Thursday, Neil Harris said "I'm delighted with the group.
16:08 They're pushing each other all the time. They know all their attributes and work hard to be in the
16:14 group." Now for this weekend's games. Tomorrow the Blue Boys will travel to Crawley in what is a top
16:22 of the table clash, with the home side sitting third, two points below the Duels, who currently
16:27 sit top with three wins from three. In the National League, Ebbs Fleet took luck to continue their
16:32 promising start to the season with a 300 mile round trip to Gateshead. A win on Tyne's side
16:37 would be the Fleet's third in four games. Dartford will look to get their first win of the season in
16:42 the National League South against Farnborough on Saturday. Maidstone will go to Yeovil in search
16:47 of back-to-back wins. On Tuesday they beat Braintree 2-1. That's something Dover will need
16:52 to do themselves when hosting Braintree on the weekend if they're to bounce back from a midweek
16:56 defeat to local rivals Tunbridge, with the Angels themselves having a tough task at fifth place at
17:02 Chippingham tomorrow. And finally, in the Istvan League Premier, Chatham could make it three wins
17:06 from three as they travel to Cheshunt. Their last win was at the expense of folks in Invicta,
17:11 who welcome Enfield Town to the Fulham Stadium, while Margate will hopefully get back to winning
17:16 ways when they face Concord Rangers away from home. And next, with our sport focus of the week,
17:24 a summer basketball camp hosted by Kent Crusaders is inspiring the next generation of athletes in
17:30 Kent. It began with just a men's team and now the club has nine National League teams and two
17:35 academies. Their team motto is passion, determination and growth. Well, Naomi
17:40 Grinnaway took a look at what they got up to. There was running, there was jumping and heart
17:48 thumping action. Three things which happen weekly here at Chatham Grammar School, where these young
17:54 basketballers make their mark. This year's summer camp is hosted by Kent Crusaders, a local
18:03 basketball team, the aim to teach members of the community how to play the team's sport. An
18:09 opportunity for many to sharpen their boarding skills, but also to learn invaluable life lessons.
18:20 Nearly 22 years ago, a local club, Kent Crusaders, began the mission to teach young people how to
18:26 play basketball. Now, I'm no professional, but what I've seen today, they've been switching
18:31 those hoops like it's nothing. With over 100 participants, the summer camp is truly a one
18:37 of a kind experience. And for some attendees, the skills they gained will stick with them for a
18:43 lifetime. I would say I'm more comfortable with dribble moves and going finishing now than I was
18:49 like two years ago. My shot, I was working on it for the past year and I was going every other
18:58 for a month doing 500 shots a day. It was a commitment, but I can now shoot, so it made a
19:05 big difference to my game. They push you to your limits, but they don't want to overstress you and
19:10 they understand that everyone has a different element and feeling of how the game should be
19:14 played. My dream has always been to be a professional athlete in basketball, so that's
19:19 my main goal. Obviously, the sport you can't play forever. Once you get into your 30s, late 30s,
19:25 people usually retire, unless you're like LeBron James, he keeps going. But after that,
19:32 we'll see where it goes. Point guard, which is basically where I'm like the creator and the
19:37 shooter. So like I help like make the right passes. Apart from honing their basketball skills,
19:44 the camp offers various team building exercises from playing friendly matches to crafting three
19:49 pointers and layups. For me, sport is really, really important for young children. Through
19:57 the sport, through basketball, we teach a lot of life lessons, I believe. We talk about attitude,
20:02 how you can use sport in the workplace. And just, yeah, like for me, it's about meeting new people,
20:10 enjoying yourself, having fun. And I say learning life through sport.
20:14 It's clear that the camp has not only improved many basketball abilities,
20:20 but also people's confidence and sportsmanship. Naomi Greenaway for Invicta Sports.
20:26 Next tonight, Kent Gymnastics Group, the D.C. Diamonds, have represented Britain at the World
20:34 Gymnastrada. The event this year, hosted in Amsterdam, is the world's largest celebration
20:40 of the sport. They were joined by 20,000 participants from 50 other nations to create
20:45 a spectacular festival of gymnastics at the event. Earlier this week on Kent Tonight,
20:50 I spoke to some members of the group, Josie, Phoebe and Debbie. What was it like competing
20:56 on the sort of world level for Britain? We were very proud to represent our club and our country,
21:02 and it was an amazing event to be part of. Josie, what was it like for you? It was very scary. I was
21:09 scared and nervous at the same time, but also it was really exciting because you got to see everyone
21:13 else perform, and it was like, wow. I suppose it spurs you on as well, seeing everybody in that
21:17 place. Debbie, have you done many competitions like this before? Not on this scale. This is a
21:24 huge, huge event. It's a once in four years kind of thing. So the next one isn't until 2027.
21:31 So we thought now's the time. Time was right. So we thought we'd have a go. And, oh my God,
21:38 what an experience. It's absolutely amazing. Amazing. And a club from Kent on the world
21:42 stage. How did you get there? How did you go about competing in something like this?
21:46 We like doing a lot of display gymnastics. We're doing the British Gymnastics Gym Fusion events.
21:52 So when we came across this on the British Gymnastics site, we looked at it. It seemed
21:57 like a brilliant opportunity. So we just went for it, didn't we? We just thought, let's give it a go.
22:03 We can see some of your performance there on the screen. What was the support like from your
22:09 friends back home, your family, everybody sparring you on? Yeah, we had some parents come out to us,
22:14 and other Great Britain clubs were there as well, supporting each other. We all supported each other
22:20 and cheered each other on. Amazing. And a really key part of what you did, which I found fascinating,
22:25 was that you had sign language in your routine. We should shortly be seeing some of that on the
22:29 screen as well. Why was that so important to incorporate that? That was more me.
22:34 As teenagers, they are prevalent to bullying, social media, and our whole routine was about
22:42 girl power and bringing everyone together. And the song that we used sign language for,
22:48 I felt that we needed to stand still and be fully inclusive. It was just very poignant.
22:55 Everyone in the crowd was just watching it. But you don't expect it, do you? No,
23:01 we only saw one other team do that for a fully inclusive event. It was staggering,
23:06 the support we got. And everyone came up to us afterwards and said that they'd really enjoyed that.
23:11 Amazing. Really successful. Was it tougher than you thought, girls? Was it tougher competition,
23:17 more daunting? What did you take away? It was a fun experience. We all support each other.
23:25 We didn't really know what was happening. But as soon as we got there, it was fun.
23:31 Sort of gelled and just went back to what you know best, I suppose. And just lastly,
23:37 we don't have long left, I'm afraid. But what was one of the standout moments for you, Debbie,
23:42 watching the girls do this? I think it was on the first day arriving and going to the parade,
23:46 ready to walk to the stadium. And everyone was there from every country. And it was just,
23:52 oh my God, it's just the sense you can imagine what the Olympics must be like in that sense.
23:59 Everyone, the sense of camaraderie, everything, everyone was, you know, mucking in together. And
24:04 it was just so friendly, high-fiving. Amazing. Well, hopefully the next time I'm talking to you,
24:08 it is at the Olympics or in 2027 after you've gone again. Incredible achievement for the team.
24:15 Well, finally, for our team tryout segment of the show, we sent our reporter Gabriel Morris to try
24:21 axe throwing. Clues in the title, it involves launching an axe at a target. I'll save you two
24:26 minutes. He wasn't any good. But here's his report. So we're just going to run you through
24:31 some safety procedures first. First and foremost is an axe is a very, very obviously dangerous
24:37 weapon. When you're holding the axe, you essentially become the axe. Axe throwing,
24:42 it's rising in popularity in the UK. A new business has just opened in Maidstone. And Paul says it's
24:49 fairly simple as well. Put your hand flat, drop your hand right to the bottom. So your hand is at
24:54 the base in a fist. A lot of people hold it like that. It won't help. In a fist, you're going to
25:01 extend your arm out, try and keep it as horizontal as possible. And then bring it back over your ear,
25:08 head and then bring your arm back to vertical and you're releasing there. Well, that's the expert.
25:16 Bring on the novice. So I'm going to have a go myself now, see if I'm any good at axe throwing.
25:22 I'm not too confident in myself. That was so bad. OK, so second time lucky. Let's see if I'm any
25:29 better. Well, a few attempts later, Paul taught me a different technique. And that's all part of
25:35 the learning process. There we go. Eventually, a different method. We eventually got there.
25:44 Anybody can do it, essentially. If you can throw it from point A to point B,
25:50 we can teach you how to do it. The history of the sport is a bit of a mystery, but some say
25:56 it originates from hunter gatherers. Others say fine kings. But today it's in Maidstone.
26:03 We're creating jobs, we're creating fun. We're what online retailers can't do. The whole world
26:08 seems to have moved towards online shopping. You can't throw an axe for a computer.
26:13 Well, after 10 minutes of practice, who's the expert now? Gabriel Morris for CAME TV in Maidstone.
26:21 Not quite a bullseye though, Gabriel. Well, that's full time on today's episode of Invictus
26:27 Sport. Don't forget, if you play sport in Kent or you're part of one of the county's long list of
26:32 sports clubs and you want to join us here on the sofa next time, then please do get in touch.
26:37 That's all from us this evening. Have a lovely weekend. See you next week.
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