International Roller Derby Coming to Cicero

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Fernando Regueiro wants you to know that the Chicago Red Hots’ match Saturday night in Cicero against Roller Derby Guadalajara won’t be like the old roller derby. There aren’t good guys and bad guys, there isn’t dirty play and the athletes aren’t playing characters.

It’ll be two teams facing off in an important event for the sport – the first sanctioned international game.

“It’s just a very important match in general for the branch of roller derby that we play,” said Regueiro, one of the owners and the general manager of the Red Hots. “Right now there’s a big movement in the derby community to make it into more of a real sport and to organize the sport.”
The Red Hots are well along on that path.

About 2 1/2 years ago, the Red Hots’ discipline of roller derby were accepted by USA Roller Sports – the governing body of roller sports. Then a year later, they were approved by the International Federation of Roller Sports as an official discipline.

“We are in this new wave of teams that play under the sanction of the US Olympic Committee, the USA Roller Sports and the federation,” Regueiro said. “So it’s very important for us because this is the first ever international game between two different countries under this sanctioning. We’re really excited to have that happen here in Chicago where roller derby started.”

Now the sport will break more ground Saturday night when the Red Hots host Mexico’s reigning national champion.
Regueiro said the match came about after some of his players went to Mexico City and Guadalajara to train other and less-experienced players. That created a bond between the athletes from the two areas, and when the Red Hots were building their schedule for this year, Roller Derby Guadalajara expressed an interest in playing here.

“We’re very excited to have them,” Regueiro said.
That feeling is mutual.

“It’s going to be amazing,” said Vale Lopez, a member of Roller Derby Guadalajara.

“Everybody in Mexico is asking and paying attention to this.”

The match starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. It will be played at Cicero Stadium, 1909 S. Laramie Ave, in Cicero. For more information, go to www.redhotsderby.com and to purchase tickets visit http://redhotsderby.brownpapertickets.com/.