Roller Derby is returning to Saskatoon for another season with a new twist.

The Saskatoon Roller Derby League’s A-team, the MindFox will compete in the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association. The first internationally sanctioned bout against the Winnipeg All-Stars is slated for Saturday, Apr. 7, at Archibald Arena.

The sport grew quickly from the dozen Saskatoon women who took up Roller Derby in 2007 to over a hundred participants. MindFox member Melody Lynch said players come from all walks of life, including teachers, parents, nurses, bakers and biochemists.

Lynch indicated she was frightened and intimidated when she first took up the sport but fell in love with the game very quickly.

“I put on some skates and immediately I was hooked,” said Lynch who has adopted the nickname “MelRazor” while in action. “It’s a place where you can go and escape and have this kind of, alter ego and it builds your confidence and it’s a really great community to be part of.”

Lynch said fans have also learned to enjoy the contests which are physically demanding featuring a lot of body contact, but also have some flair.

“You still see some of the fishnets, the alter-egos, the personalities, I think a lot of it is personality, honestly and just the level of endurance and athleticism required.”

Lynch said the local league was excited to gain entry into the flat track association which will improve the quality of the sport in Saskatoon.

“We’ll have the opportunity to bring in more teams, not only from across Canada but from the United States as well and be able to just compete at that higher level,” said Lynch.

The season-opening event is titled “Open Season”.

“It has a hunting theme, open season, so it’s going to be a really great event, really exciting, “ said Lynch

The event gets underway at 4 p.m., with the Bridge City Bruisers taking on the HWY14 Speedbumps in a Junior bout, followed by a co-ed 6 p.m., matchup between the Killa Bees and HWY14 Bulldozers.

The MindFox vs Winnipeg showdown is slated for 8 p.m. Tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com.