Which is the greatest Roller Derby nation? Teams from 13 countries have gathered in Toronto, Canada to smash that conundrum this weekend and Smarty Pants of the Texas Rollergirls is there strapping her skates on as part of Team USA.

She is part of the inaugural Roller Derby World Cup, organized by Blood & Thunder magazine. The first bout in the four day extravaganza is at 5pm EST (4pm Central) tonight. Team USA first take to the track at 9pm EST, 8pm Central tonight for a ‘stars versus stripes’ exhibition bout. However, they get their first real fight tomorrow at 12.40pm EST, 11.40am Central, when they face Team Scotland (oops, by which we obviously meant their first bout was versus Team New Zealand at 6.50pm Thursday.)

And, yes, we know that it may be tough to get a last-minute flight to Toronto, but the good folks at Derby News Network will be streaming the event all weekend.

This article appears in November 25 • 2011.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.