Sunday, May 24, 2009


Roller Derby....it's everywhere.

This weekend my home team The Oakland Outlaws made a last-minute trip up to Eureka, Ca to play the Redwood Rollers (of Humboldt Roller Derby).

Since the Memorial Day drive from my house to Eureka took about six hours, I had a lot of time to sit in the backseat and ponder roller derby (thanks for driving, John Diss!). As we passed through the upper part of Sonoma County, I saw exits leading off to Lake County. My family owns a vacation home in Clearlake and I actually spent a few years in junior high living there. I jokingly asked John if he thought there would ever be a Clearlake Roller Derby league. We were sceptical.

A little while later, we made it up to Willits which is in Mendocino County. We decided to make a pit stop and get some food and stretch our legs. While browsing around a health food store, John and I overheard two of the cashiers talking..

"And even the referees have funny names! Like Jerk Diggler, like Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights!" (not an exact quote)

Diss and I just looked at each other knowingly. There's only one sport they could be talking about. Being the nosy little eavesdropper that I am, I asked if she was talking about roller derby.

And that's how I met Half Pint, a skater with the new Mendocino County-based league the Mendo Mayhem! We talked a little bit and she informed me that they were having a promotion bar night in a few weeks. At a bar in Lakeport. So it lookes like roller derby is coming to Lake County afterall!

So now we have leagues in: Humboldt, Redding, Mendocino, Sonoma, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Tahoe, Stockton, Fresno, Merced, Santa Cruz, Antioch, Chico, Modesto, and Sonora!

Did I forget anyone in Northern California?

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