SKY HIGH: Ricky Moss will be out to score points for Australia in the first men’s international bout in Australia in Sydney. Dave Noonan COMPETITORS in some sports show off their number in the list of past players of representative teams.
If men's roller derby takes off in Australia and they do the same, Toowoomba's Ricky Moss will have the distinction of having a single-digit number.
Moss will tomorrow night represent Australia in the first men's international bout in the country when the, Wizards of Aus as they are known, take on New Zealand in Sydney.
Roller derby in Australia has enjoyed a renaissance over the past few years but men's competition has lagged somewhat behind women's leagues, especially in Toowoomba.
Moss is the driving force behind a Toowoomba men's team - the Highland Hunters - but not many people know of their existence.
The Hunters, who train twice a week out of the Wilsonton Public School, have to travel to Brisbane to compete and formed after initially starting up under the banner of the Toowoomba City Rollers with the women's squad in 2009.
"Half way through last year we started to club up. We were part of the girls' league but it just didn't work out so we started one up," Moss said.
"Not many people know that we have a men's team in Toowoomba because we haven't been able to have a bout in Toowoomba."\
But Moss is flying the flag for Toowoomba men's roller derby.
The 31-year-old will be part of the first Australian team this weekend and he will play the role of jammer.
The job of the jammer is to score points for the team and is generally filled by a fast skater.
Moss is that as he topped the scores in the Australian team's agility testing.
The head men's coach of Toowoomba PCYC Gymnastics attributes that to his 13 years experience in gymnastics.
Moss travelled to Sydney yesterday and will train with the Australian team in a bid to best prepare for tomorrow night's maiden international bout.
The Australian team is already familiar with one another though.
"We all know each other. It's a pretty close community," Moss said.
This first international bout comes ahead of next year's World Cup and is bound to provide the Australian squad with more information on how it can prepare for the major international tournament.
"Hopefully it all pans out pretty well because we've got the World Cup in July 2014. As soon as this is over they will look at who will be in the squad to go to England," Moss said.
And he thinks Australia could have it over the old Trans-Tasman rival tomorrow night.
"I think they're a little bit behind us in roller derby," he said.
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