Through roller hockey, Colombian women are playing rough and taking on the world

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For the women of Corazonistas roller-hockey team in Bogota, the sport provides many different values. For some, it’s an opportunity to represent their country on the world stage, perhaps to study abroad and see the world; for others, it’s a time for oneself, away from the demands of work and motherhood. But for all, it’s a shared passion.

The club belongs to the Colegio Corazonista – a Catholic school where many of the players were first introduced to the sport and for whom they continue to play long after they’ve graduated.

In a country with no ice-hockey rinks, where football and cycling reign, the roller-hockey community is a tight-knit group. The Corazonistas club is one of eight women’s teams spread out across Colombian cities including Medellin, Cali and Manizales. The clubs come together three or four times a year to compete in a tournament and declare a champion – each time alternating cities where for one weekend at a time, the host is the centre of their hockey universe.

The league in Colombia isn’t the ceiling for these players, however. Many have aspirations of earning a spot on the Colombian national team, which in 2019 won back a spot to compete in this year’s World Roller Games (WRG) against the sport’s superpowers, such as Spain and host country Argentina. Colombia’s best showing was in 2012 with a third-place finish.

One player at this year’s national-team tryouts being held in Bogota is 27-year-old Sara Bedoya, who has five world-championship showings and a bronze medal. Still, the most important thing for her is to support newer players.

“The most important thing for me at these tryouts is to help the young girls who are just starting,” Ms. Bedoya said. “Since we all play each other every few months and there’s so few of us in the sport, we all know each other, so it’s important to support one another.

“The stereotype in Colombia is that women can’t play such a rough sport but there’s a lot more to it, a lot of technique and skill.”

Tryouts will continue to take place over a number of weekends in Bogota until August, when the final team will be selected ahead of the WRG in October.

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