Rolling in for a night of frivolity at the Royal Hobart Show

SHOW-goers rolled in for Festival Friday at the Royal Hobart Show and it proved a smash-hit for everyone – particularly roller derby fans.

SHOW-goers rolled in for Festival Friday at the Royal Hobart Show yesterday and it proved a smash-hit for everyone – particularly roller derby fans.

Given the miserable early weather, Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania chief executive Scott Gadd was reasonably happy with the crowd, which was expected to swell last night on the back of a bumper night of entertainment culminating in a fireworks display.

“We’ve still got tonight, the wind’s backed off and the rain’s backed off so I’m hoping a few people are going to drift in,” he said last night.

Beth Winter, 14, was one of the Hobart Junior Roller Derby competitors. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Beth Winter, 14, spent time yesterday drifting around the roller derby track inside the Showbag Pavilion in front of a gaggle of enthralled onlookers.

Hobart Junior Roller Derby was invited by the South Island Sirens to demonstrate and promote the sport to show-goers, and it was a success as crowds lined the rink.

The list of reasons why Beth loves the sport could fill a short book.

“Everybody [forms] such a supportive community,” she said. “It fills up my spare time and it’s really fun and I love doing it.

“I love the feeling of skating and working together, it’s really inclusive.”

While she has taken part in roller derby for about three years, Beth is on the comeback trail after a crippling illness forced her to take an extended break.

“I did it when I was younger, but then I got glandular fever and I had to take a two-year break,” she said.

SHOW ESSENTIALS GATE TIMES: 9am-4pm ENTRY: Family: $50; Adult: $18; Child: $10; Under 5: free. PARKING: Corner of Goodwood Rd and Brooker Highway (opposite showground next to fire station). Cost $10. Elwick Racecourse access is off Goodwood Rd. Free parking at the Derwent Entertainment Centre. Metro is running a special bus service and there is parking for bicycles. WEATHER: 13C, showers. PLENTY OF CHOICES: Animal Nursery, all day; Woodchopping Carnival, all day; Dinosaur Petting Zoo, 12pm; Racing Pigs, start at 10.45am; Reptile Education Show, 30-minute shows start at 10am; Bodane Hatten – Magician, 30-minute shows start at 11am.

Beth believes more people would take an interest in the sport if they knew more about it.

“It’s just cool to show it to people, to get people to know about it. It’s not really a well-known sport I’d say,” she said.

Mr Gadd is not expecting a record crowd today given the forecast for more showers, but pointed out that it was the last chance for people to get along.

“We’ll probably get a few in that haven’t managed to make it this week that really wanted to come,” he said.

While the weather has not done organisers any favours, Mr Gadd said it was no different from what was expected.

“Overall I don’t think it’s going to be a record year or anything like that – the weather’s been quite challenging,” he said.

“I would probably be happy with about 40,000 if we were able to pull that off this year.”

Originally published as Rolling in for a night of frivolity at the Royal Hobart Show