Ben Hall's wife encouraged him to try roller derby - now he's represented Australia

Port Kembla’s Ben Hall has brought home silver from the World Skate Championships in Italy – no mean feat, given the 43-year-old only picked up the sport in 2017.

“I got into roller derby because of my wife,” he said.

“She joined Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby and I came along with very clear intention I would referee and not play because I get too competitive.”

In February of 2017 he went to his first training session and never looked back.

Ben said what first attracted him to roller derby was the opportunity to play on the same team as his wife.

He also rates the technical aspect of the sport.

“I’m about 115 kg; I’ve played union and other contact sports, but the skates change the dynamics,” he said.

“It levels the playing field. Women can stop me on the track when I’m going full pace; being larger doesn’t guarantee dominance.

“It’s about core strength, balance and skating ability; it’s very technical. And how many sports do you get the opportunity to play with your wife?”

Ben said his competitive streak was kept in check thanks to a supportive coach and the positive roller derby community.

The road to representing Australia wasn’t an easy one, however.

In 2019, aged 38, Ben was encouraged to try out for one of two Australian sides.

He was elated to find out he made the training squad, but unfortunately was cut months out from the competition.

The heartbreak was intense.

In 2022 he was encouraged to try out for the other Australian side and once again he was selected.

Ben was ecstatic to learn there would be no cuts – the squad selected was the squad that would play in Argentina.

Then the pandemic struck.

The Roller Derby event was cancelled, but the team decided to keep fit and wait and see.

The biennial competition was postponed again in 2023, but the team stayed positive and kept fit.

When the games were announced in Italy, they were ready.

Despite the wait Ben said he was still overwhelmed when the reality sank in.

“The honour hit pretty hard when we received our jerseys; when I put it on everything just hit me,” he said.

“I’m still very emotional about it, the relief of having made the team, physically having the green and gold jersey with the Australian coat of arms.

“It’s not something you get given; you earn it every step of the way. It’s got an Indigenous design on it and being Indigenous myself adds to all the extra feels of being able to represent my country and my people, the Narungga people from the Cape Yorke Peninsula.”

Ben said when the squad arrived in Italy they were immediately impressed by the quality of the stadium and track.

Then it was time to get prepared for the double round-robin against China, India and the USA.

The US were the team to beat. The undefeated side was gunning for their third world championship, but the Aussies’ first match was against China.

“They came out of the gate so quick, it was a bit of a shock,” Ben said.

“It took us a few minutes to compose as a team and put our strategies into play before we clawed back and beat them with a solid margin.”

Next was India. New to the competition, Ben said there was some friendly support from the Aussies to help the Indian team familiarise themselves with the ruleset.

Then the USA.

“You hear all the time how big and strong and fast they are, and they’re good, but when I took to the track that day against them I felt I could compete against them with my own skills,” Ben said.

“The realisation I’m here, I have the green and gold on and I can compete against the best, that was huge.”

Despite going down to the US in their first match-up, the Australian team were reinvigorated and ready to tackle the next round. They took out China and India again for a crack at the gold medal.

“Standing out there, ready to go as first pack on the track against the mighty US, seeing and hearing all the support we had from friends, family members and the women’s team in the crowd was incredible,” Ben said.

“We came off the track holding them to two or three points which was a significant improvement on the first two matches. We had a number of little things we wanted to achieve as we went through the game and achieved every single one of them.”

Ben managed to score points against the dominant side – a huge personal win.

Unfortunately, when you’re up against the best in the world it’s tough, but Australia went down fighting.

“Every time we threw something new at them they’d take a moment, assess it and change it up,” Ben said.

“Once the game was over, we were elated to win the silver. It’s something that will be in my memories for a very long time.”

Now he’s back in Australia Ben said it’s time to take off the skates for a while and step up on the home front to give his wife, Alice, more time for her own playing and training.

He’ll still be active in the roller derby scene, although maybe in the officiating space for a while.

He said the experience taught him it was always worth trying something new – and it was never too late to achieve a dream.

“Without Alice none of this would have happened,” he said.

“I have three amazing children; I love them, and I can’t wait to spend more time with them.

“I’m just so happy for the support I’ve received from my family, friends and even my workplace. I’ve had phenomenal encouragement and support.

“I’d encourage anyone to get out there and have a go.

“The friends you’ll make trying something new and the journey you will go through is worth it every single time.”