Who knew that we had roller derby in our neighborhood — as close as Edmonds Community College — this Saturday night, and that one of the founders of the Everett-based Jet City Rollergirls lives in Edmonds!

You can take in all the action at Edmonds Community College’s Seaview gym, when the Rollergirls’ all-star travel team, the Bombers, takes on the visiting Tucson Saddletramps in a battle with regional significance.

The No. 12-ranked Bombers are aiming to upset No. 8-ranked Tucson and improve their chances of advancing to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Western Regionals for the first time. The Saturday double-header, starting at 5 p.m, also features the Bellingham Betties versus the Silicon Valley Dot.Kamikazes.

We’re told that seating capacity is limited and games regularly sell out, so don’t delay. Tickets and information can be found at www.jetcityrollergirls.com.

Jet City is Snohomish County’s only all-female, flat-track roller derby league, founded in 2006. (One of the founders is Edmonds resident Cheryl “Sassypants” Morris, although she no longer competes.) The league is open to women over 18 and is a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. The league is made up of four home teams: the Camaro Harem, CarnEvil, the Hula Honeys and the Pink Pistols. These teams face off against each other and also work together to form the Jet City Bombers, the league’s all-star travel team that participates in regional and national tournaments with other members of the WFTDA. The teams are completely volunteer-run and players are unpaid.

For the uninitiated, roller derby is a full-contact sport based on two teams roller skating around an oval track while simultaneously playing offense and defense. Points are scored by one player, called a “jammer,” legally passing players from the opposing team. Modern roller derby is predominantly female, is not staged and many leagues are entirely volunteer-operated.

In the first quarter of 2010, the Jet City Bombers were ranked by the WFTDA for the first time. They entered the rankings at No. 12 in the West. In June, they were listed as “on the bubble” by Derby News Network following their success at the Midwest Brewhaha tournament in Milwaukee, WI. There the Bombers defeated the Arch Rival Roller Girls of St. Louis in sanctioned play. The Bombers also participated in sanctioned games at the Wild West Showdown, a tournament in Bremerton, where they beat Pacific Roller Derby of Honolulu and were narrowly defeated by Duke City of Albuquerque.

Jet City’s home teams will conclude their third season on July 10 with a championship bout between the Pink Pistols and CarnEvil and a grudge match featuring the Camaro Harem versus the Hula Honeys. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com, Play It Again Sports in Lynnwood, Gorditos in Everett, and Fast Girl Skates in Seattle. Adult tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door (if not sold out). Tickets for children ages 6-12 are $8 advance, $11 at the door, and children 5 and under are free.