Sheffield teenager set for 'unique' roller derby world cup event
A Team GB roller derby skater from Sheffield is fundraising to be able to compete in the Junior World Cup in Australia this summer.
Tom Halsall, aged 17, from Upperthorpe, first got involved with the “unique” sport through the Sheffield Steel Junior Rollers team at the age of eight, and is now hoping to take part in his second World Cup in July.
Roller derby, which Tom describes as like “rugby on skates but someone is the ball”, features two teams of five skaters on an oval-shaped track.
The aim is for the four defensive ‘blockers’ to stop the opponent’s nominated ‘jammer’, who scores points by overlapping the opposing team.
“There’s not many sports on skates like it,” Tom told The Star. “It’s really interesting and engaging, and it’s also got a really good community.”
The fundraiser for the event is to cover the costs of Tom and an accompanying adult to the competition in Brisbane, Australia.
“All of the skaters have to be self-funded,” Tom explained. “Because roller derby is such a small sport, there isn’t really much ability from within to make sure all skaters can go to Australia.”
At time of writing, the GoFundMe page has raised £1,305 from 31 donors. The target total is £1,500.
He added: “I’m incredibly grateful for the amount of people that have donated - I was not expecting quite so much.
Having represented Team GB in Paris in the 2023 competition, Tom reflected on it as an “enjoyable” few days, particularly meeting those from the other national teams.
That journey was however more “convenient” than the anticipated £5,000 costs of travelling to Australia.
He hopes the additional funding will “fill in the gaps and help us get there” for the “once-in-a- lifetime” experience.
“Being able to test my skills against international teams and being able to will be quite a big thing. I really am looking forward to it,” he said.
“It’s also the perspective of going to Australia as an opportunity for personal development by going the furthest I’ve ever gone in my life.”
In the future, he is “aiming to continue on for a long time” in the sport and hoping to progress “quite far”.