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Chilliwack teen to represent Canada at Junior Roller Derby World Cup in France

‘It’s 10 years of a dream,’ says coach about Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, a.k.a. ‘Cleo Passya’
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Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

A Chilliwack teen will be representing Canada when she heads to France for the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in the summer.

Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, who goes by the derby name ‘Cleo Passya,’ made the roster for the open division team.

“It’s crazy,” the 16-year-old said. “I’m really stoked. I’m super excited.”

She’s part of the 35-member Team Canada which has both a female division and an open division. There are 20 players in each division with a bit of an overlap as five skaters will be playing in both divisions.

“Roller derby has been predominantly female and a lot of the teams like to stay all-female… but she was OK with playing co-ed,” mom Tanya Granneman said.

Team Canada will be joining seven other countries for the 2023 Junior Roller Derby World Cup which will be held July 28 to 30 in Valence, France.

Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, (black shirt) is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, (black shirt) is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Tanya said it’s “an amazing opportunity” for her daughter to represent the whole country and she’s worked hard to get to where she is today.

Cleo has been skating for 10 years. She began when she was just six years old, skating up and down the alley at her Vancouver home. She got skates after watching the roller derby movie Whip It. About four months later, a junior derby league started up in Vancouver and she joined.

Two years later, they moved to Chilliwack where she’s been skating with Fraser Valley Fury Junior Roller Derby (formerly NWO Junior Roller Derby) ever since.

READ MORE: Photos of Chilliwack’s junior roller derby versus Seattle in 2020 (Cleo Passya, with pink hair, is seen in photos 12, 13 and 15)

Up until just a few years ago, Cleo had been small and short for her age.

When she was younger, she had to get extra lightweight wheels because her skates made up 20 per cent of her body weight.

“After the first two seasons, she was still the tiniest,” Tanya recalled.

But, she kept skating.

Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, (black shirt) is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, (black shirt) is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Cleo is so dedicated that she, along with five other teammates kept the junior league alive during the pandemic. For two seasons, they weren’t allowed to make physical contact with each other on the track – it was all practising footwork, said coach Suzanne ‘Trixi’ Gardiner.

Also during the pandemic, Cleo had a growth spurt.

“She went from a small child to an adult,” Tanya said.

When they were able to return to playing full-contact roller derby, for Cleo, it was like she was in a different body and there was a “whole lot of new learning,” for her, Tanya said.

There are two things Cleo loves about roller derby. One, is that people of any height and any size can play.

She also likes that it is not a common sport.

“I like the fact that it’s not one of the mainstream sports. It’s not something you first think of when you say ‘I play sports,’” she said.

Team Canada tryouts were held in October in Springbrook, Alberta for the western skaters and in November in Kitchener, Ontario for those out east.

It was the second time she had tried out for Team Canada. The first time was three years ago when she was 13. She didn’t make the cut back in 2019, but the experience was valuable and she knew what to expect the next time around.

Skating four days a week – including practices with the adult league in Chilliwack – Cleo’s hard work paid off.

She was sitting in class one day when her mom forwarded the email to her saying she made it to the Team Canada Junior Roller Derby roster.

“I didn’t believe it for a little while,” Cleo said.

And then it sunk in.

“‘Oh… I’m on a national team right now,’” she recalled thinking.

Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Her mom said she’s very proud of her daughter, and always has been.

“She’s a really vocal kid, so that’s part of her charm and why she made Team Canada. She’s a leader,” Tanya said. “She gets on the track and she is very track-aware. She knows the game. She’s done it so long and she yells everything – it’s that running commentary of what’s going on.”

Cleo agrees.

“I’m a person who’s really communicative when I’m on the track. If I’m working with a team, I can figure out what’s going on and I can direct people where to go,” she said. “I’m very observant while on the track, and I have a generally loud voice for it.”

Her coach said Cleo is very motivated and determined.

“It’s 10 years of a dream,” Gardiner said. “She had a goal in mind and she conquered it… mission complete. I’m super proud of her.”

Cleo is also the one to encourage her fellow players, her coach added.

“She’s super supportive of all our new skaters and her teammates… she’s always there, always a team player,” Gardiner said.

Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Cleopatra Granneman-Mason, 16, is seen at practice with her roller derby teammates. She will represent Canada in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in July. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Cleo and her mom are now fundraising, not only for the trip to France, but also for two other trips to practise with Team Canada. The young skaters will be getting together for a tournament in April in Toronto and again in May in Calgary.

Tanya and Cleo set up a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $6,000. Cleo, who’s an artist, is also selling shirts with her digital artwork screen printed on them.

To support Cleo, go to gofundme.com/f/cleo-play-derby-in-france. Those interested in buying a T-shirt can email Tanya Granneman at tanya.granneman@gmail.com.


 

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Email: jenna.hauck@theprogress.com
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Jenna Hauck

About the Author: Jenna Hauck

I started my career at The Chilliwack Progress in 2000 as a photojournalist.
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