Five questions with roller derby teammates from Buenos Aires

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Tomas Borzi is the captain of Argentina's men's roller derby World Cup team. The 26-year-old IT worker is a blocker, sports jersey No. 1752, and his roller-derby nickname is Triske. Leonardo Lamatta is one of his teammates, and a government social worker. Mr. Lamatta is also a blocker, wears No. 1618, and goes by Mingo on the track. The two men from Buenos Aires are in Calgary this weekend, competing in the 2016 men's roller derby World Cup. They sat down with The Globe and Mail's Carrie Tait to talk about the quirky sport.

How did you get into roller derby?

Mr. Borzi: A co-worker invited me to train with him because he saw me arriving to work with roller blades. I started four years ago. It is a really inclusive sport. For example, in the fierce match [Tuesday night], the other team had two women playing. … The community spirit makes people come because you feel like you are part of something bigger.

Mr. Lamatta: I started roller derby three years ago because a friend of mine started a new team and he invited me to train. I was really curious about it. … There's no discrimination or machismo going around the sport like there is in other sports such as soccer or basketball. The gender politics [in roller derby] are really positive and understanding, so that's what pulls [some] people into roller derby in Argentina.

Is it popular in Argentina?

Mr. Lamatta: It is growing. The main sport in Argentina is soccer. That's what gets all the attention, all the media, everything. But roller derby is getting a name itself. There are more fans, more followers, more teams, more leagues. There are now about 10 teams in the country and it has only been around for about six years in Argentina. It is a really young sport and it is growing so fast.

This is your first time at the World Cup. What do you think of it?

Mr. Borzi: It has an amazing spirit. The people encourage us. And not just the Canadians. When you see other people with skates on their back, you say hi and you start talking with them. When you travel to another city [for roller-derby games], you can send an e-mail or start talking with a local, and they invite you to train, to drink, into their homes. It is a passion we share – it is smaller than soccer, but it is a really nice community all over the world.

What are your expectations for Team Argentina here?

Mr. Lamatta: In the first World Cup [in 2014], we got seventh place with only eight skaters. Now, we have a full roster [of 20 people] with coaches. We've been working for two years. Being here is already a success; to be able to play with teams that we used to watch on the Internet – teams we admire so much. Now, we get the chance to be equals. To play with them, to play against them.

Six months ago, we never thought we would be here. Some of us got our plane tickets just a month ago or a week ago. We weren't sure how this was going to work, so it is pretty amazing.

Do you have sponsors?

Mr. Borzi: Yes, they help us raise funds, to help any of the skaters who need money to help pay for their flights or their visa for Canada [and other expenses]. One is Bonanos [a skate company from Mendoza, Argentina]. It is really important for a brand such as that to be on our clothing and be seen here.

The other is Centermat. It is a company that sells construction products such as bricks. With its help, we have uniforms.

Mr. Lamatta: The owner knows that in Argentina if you're not a soccer team, you don't get any money. That happens with handball, with volleyball, hockey. So, knowing that, the owner decided to help us.