Killer Vee's Derby Blog

Whoops!

2009-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Testing, testing!

I tried to change the name of this blog to reflect that it's more personal and not about Northern California now. By changing the name, I also changed to web address. When you type in the old address, it doesn't bring you to this blog anymore.

So, can anyone who was subscribed to the old blog still able to see this?

2009-10-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Even though I have a game with SCRD against Sacred in November, I feel like the derby season is over and I'm sad.

I keep reminding myself that there is a Sac/Sacred game on November 7th and Red Red Holiday is on December 13th. But what about all that space in between!? Booooooring.

I think every other week a local league should set up a Saturday or Friday night open scrimmage in the offseason. Two or three open scrimmages a month in November and December to keep everyone fresh and to socialize?!

I don't know about you guys, but in my experience, after the last game of the season, the leagues I've skated for often drop practice to once a week until January. I think this is the first year ever I did not want to take a break at the end of the year!

Ok, who's hosting first?

I am an insecure coach..

2009-10-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know I am on the coaching committee for Sonoma? Well, I am! I was briefly on the coaching committee for BADG some years ago but I found I didn't really like to lead practices and often second guessed my instructions so I stepped down from the committee.

But I am giving coaching a second try with SCRD. It works in my favor because my committee work can be done in practice and via email and doesn't require me to drive up to Rohnert Park any more than I already have to. And I have a lot of veteran advice that the girls seem interested in hearing (for now!).

I am still totally plagued with doubts though when I lead practice. I am always a little cautious..."How did that feel? Did you like that drill? What do you want to work on now? Would it be ok if we scrimmaged a little bit, guys?" Not exactly the voice of authority.

I don't feel that I have the creative thought process to develop new drills or strategies and plays. I can recycle the things I already know and I can talk about things I've learned through experience. But it's difficult to think on the fly. I always feel like I'm letting people down if I don't have some new material that gives them a breakthrough moment.

On the other hand, sometimes I'm not so passive. And I haven't learned to walk the fine line of challenging versus mean. Sometimes I get frustrated when people aren't listening or not trying and I might yell "STOP FUCKING AROUND!" Which, in retrospect, doesn't make practice very fun. I'm so used to practices not really being fun and be really challenging. It's hard to come into a new group that doesn't operate with those same standards and try to adjust to a newer, more relaxed style.

I'm tottaly terrified that people are going to either think I'm too mean and too strict or think I'm not giving them enough and they're not learning.

GAAAAAH!

Being in charge is hard.

Luckily, the girls are all very nice and they are not shy about communicating when something is or is not working. I appreciate the feedback. I'm just crossing my fingers that everyone stays patient and open and I can figure out my role and what I can offer.

Any advice, guys?

Website? What website?!

2009-10-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

You want to know a derby pet peeve of mine? Bad or inactive websites!

For my bout previews and recaps, I link to every league I mention. I pull pictures or logos from their websites. I try to look for past scores.

When you have a freaking MYSPACE instead of a website? That is unacceptable! What are you, 13?! You're a freaking business. Be accessible. Have a website.

And what the fuck is up with leagues not putting their scores from their bouts on their website?!? You don't think people might want to know the outcome of your games?

It doesn't do much to encourage the validty of the sport when your game results are an afterthought to your Metal-Themed Team Glamour Shots.

Every league website should have a "Scoreboard" section where they have the official score and date of every bout they have ever played!

I know we have Derby News Network. I know we have Derbymatic. But when your podunk league doesn't submit scores to either of those websites they can't update the scores.

Stop sucking, people. Get a designated web master to update your website monthly, if not weekly. If no one on your league is capable of that, hire somebody to do it. Hell, hire a kid in high school. Kids want the experience, have a lot of the knowledge, and you can probably pay them cheaply. If you can't afford to pay someone, ask someone to do it for free and then put ads for them on the website and in the programs for your bout.

Announcing/Retiring/Sk808

2009-10-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Announcing:

I announced my first bout over the weekend! Battle Born Derby Demons vs. Sonoma County Roller Derby. It was a lot of fun. And I would totally do it again! Any leagues out there need an announcer for a bout? You let me know!

I talked a little too much, said some things that weren't actually true, and sometimes messed up some pronounciation. But it was my first time and I know I'll be better next time! Now I know what to expect!

I was happy I was able to pull out some quick, on the fly jokes every know and then. I was worried I wouldn't know what to say but things just came pouring out.

I almost feel like practicing announcing now! Maybe I'll go home and watch some bout footage I have and announce over it.

Retirement from BADG:

So after skating on two leagues for the season, I decided one had to do. I didn't feel particularly burned out. I just couldn't really deal with paying dues for both leagues and having to cross bridges and drive 30+ miles for every practice. And I was starting to really feel some not happy feelings towards BADG. I just didn't feel like I fit in with that system anymore AT ALL. I didn't feel connected and I didn't feel inspired.

I decided to file for retirement from the league. I'd been skating with them for over 4 years. Our policy had always been that anyone could retire if they maintained 50 % attendance for two years.

But my application was denied! Because I am going to continue skating for another league. I never said I wanted to retire from roller derby. I said I wanted to retire from the BADG league! So, being the little scrapper that I am, I am trying to appeal. I checked the handbook, it doesn't say anything about what you choose to do in your skating career after you leave BADG. And in the bylaws, the wording of a policy can't be changed unless the whole league votes on it (a process that will take probably a few weeks). Therefore, I should be granted retiree status, right? RIGHT!

What I choose to do with another league after leaving BADG shouldn't really be an issue, in my opinion. They are two completely organizations..

Anyways, it's little stuff like that which makes my reason to leave BADG all the more clear. I've been with the league for almost five years. I skated on the travel team for every season except for the last. I've always been overactive in my committee work. I have never had less than the minimum required attendance. I have busted my ass for YEARS. And then to be told I can't be allowed to retire from their league? It just seems spiteful. So I'm leaving because I'm not happy there. Does that mean that everything I've worked for should just be dismissed? This should be a drama-free parting. Sheesh.

On a lighter note...

Sk808:

A open non-team tournament in HAWAII? Ugh, I so want to be there. The tourny itself is only $35 and I have some relatives in Honolulu that I may be able to stay with. I could just never afford the plane ticket. I need to seriously brainstorm some personal derby fundraising activities.

What to do, What to do?

New Blog, New Start

2009-10-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! I moved all my bout recaps and previews a long time ago to my other site at: http://www.examiner.com/x-16869-San-Francisco-Roller-Derby-Examiner

But I miss being able to type freely about my own personal roller derby experiences. So this blog is now just going to be about me and what I'm doing and my opinions.

I encourage you to unsubscribe or un"follow" if that doesn't interest you.

Stay tuned!

2009-07-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already noticed, I have moved my blog to a new site. You can now find my articles on Nor Cal Derby at the Examiner.

Make sure you subscribe to email on my site! That way you'll get an email every time I post a new article!

2009-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountain Roller Girls vs. Sacred City Derby Girls

Sonoma County vs Central Coast

2009-07-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

Sonoma vs Central Coast Preview!

July 11th - DRB vs. SCDG

2009-07-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Derby Revolution of Bakersfield vs. Santa Cruz Roller Girls

This Weekend in Nor Cal Roller Derby

2009-06-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Humboldt Redwood Rollers 98 vs ACDG's Rocket Queens 89

Now I believe that the Rocket Queens are the B team for the Angel City Derby Girls. ACDG is a staple of West Coast roller derby. They are a WFTDA team that has been around for several years. They recently took second place at the all-California flat-track tournament, the Big One. Humboldt is in the midst of their second season. The Redwood Rollers suffered a loss from the B.A.D. Girls Oakland Outlaws last month but regained their confidence with a back and fourth close game with this So Cal team.

Central Coast Roller Derby 90 vs B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls Plan B Team 88

Sadly, this was the last game for B.A.D.'s Plan B. After a loss against Central Coast this weekend and an appearance last month at The Big One, the leagues B team has been disbanded. There seems to not be enough time or resources within the league to keep it going right now.

I wasn't in attendance for the game and I'd rather not repeat the comments I heard about the overall experience for fear of heresy. But a look at the score should tell you how close this game was and how it probably could have gone either way. Sometimes, when a game is a matter of mere points, it's easy to place the blame somewhere. It's easy to look back at that one jam that you thought you were cheated out of points or you thought you shouldn't have gotten that major penalty.

However, you can't go back and have a do-over. You just have to buck up and remind yourself that next time you'll get them. Next time.

Sac vs Sonoma Re-Cap

2009-06-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Sac City Rollers vs. Sonoma County Roller Derby (the Wine Country Homewreckers)
June 20th, 2009 at Cal Skate in Rohnert Park, CA
Halftime Score: 66 - 27 Sonoma
Final Score 120 - 56 Sonoma

As I mentioned in my preview for this game, both teams were desperate for a victory over their friends/rivals. What started out as a close game with lots of tension and passion, soon turned into a glorious revenge victory for Sonoma County. As the younger league of the two, Sonoma was anxious to climb out from underneath the Sac City Rollers shadow. With their hard-fought and definitve win over the team who took fourth place last month at the all-California tournament, The Big One, Sonoma County has made their presence known.

Sonoma County really flexed their jamming prowess on Saturday night. Out of their thirteen players, seven different girls donned the star helmet cover throughout the night. Of those seven jammers, each of them also played within the pack as a blocker multiple times.

The high scoring jammer for SCRD was All On Ya. She scored an impressive 31 points in just eight jams. Hot on her heels was The Teacher who took down 21 points in ten jams and U Wish Trish who scored 22 points in four jams. Trish was able to average 5.5 points per jam which was the highest average for any skater on either team that night.

Also scoring for SCRD were High Roller with 17 points in six jams, Killer Vee with 11 points in seven jams, Scait Riot with 7 points in three jams, and Big Nick with five points in one jam.

Sac employed a shorter jammer roster for the evening with only three scoring jammers out of five. Lil Punk and Purdy Grrrl held it down on the jammer line for most of the night. Lil Punk scored 21 points in 15 jams while Purdy Grrrl scored 17 points in 12 jams. La Lucha managed to nab 18 points of her own in just eight jams. Suburban Slayer and Rock Hell Belch jammed a few times but were kept off the scoreboard.

Both teams were skating down players due to illness, injury, or personal reasons. Sonoma rostered 13 players while Sac had just 12. With fewer skaters, every girl on both teams had to step up and play maybe a little more than they were used to. The heavy-lifters for the visiting Sac team were Spankenstein with 24 blocking shifts and Scandaliz with 21 blocking shifts. Sweet Cheeks and Suburband Slayer each had 15 shifts while H N Icy had 14.

For Sonoma County, our iron woman for the night was Roxy-8-Arrr. With twenty blocking shifts throughout the night, this lady NEVER went to the penalty box. Holy Crap. Pain Galaura and Honey Deluxe had 19 shifts. Scait Riot had 17 turns as a blocker and Rosie Road Rash had 16.

The big penalty offenders for the night were a few familiar faces for the North Bay. Pain Galaura from Sonoma racked up three trips to the box while Honey D Luxe was assessed four total minutes in the penalty box but I believe she was ejected from the game for a gross misconduct trip on Purdy Grrrl in the last jam before she could serve out her time.

For Sac, Spankenstein was sent to the penalty box five times and Purdy Grrrl, Suburban Slayer, and Scandaliz all sat for three minutes.

Penalty wise, the teams were about even. They were both given 12 majors. Sonoma had 50 accumulated minors while Sac had 43. Although Sonoma had more minor penalties, Sac spent more time in the penalty box as Sonoma's minors were spread out more amongst the players who may never have racked up enough minors to serve a full minute penalty.

All in all, it was a great bout to compete in. I can only hope that it was also a fun game to watch. Although I heard rumors that the venue was sold out, the crowd was eerily quiet as their home team dealt out a beatdown. Several times while I was jamming, I had to wave to the crowd to encourage them to cheer. This ain't a chess match, people. We like it when you yell. It makes us skate faster. It makes us skate better.

Sonoma County was lucky enough to have the bout announced by the wonderful and witty Suzy Snakeyes from the famous L.A. Derby Dolls. As hard as she tried, she wasn't able to get the place on their feet and really rocking. What are we going to do, North Bay? I know you've got a reputation for being a mellow hippy area and all but Gosh Dang! Show your girls some love! We've got anoter home game on July 11th against Central Coast Roller Derby. I am daring you to bring your pompoms, bring your megaphone, and bring the noise. Show us what you got and we'll show you what we can do!

Open Mic Post:

2009-06-18T16:26:00.001-07:00

Question:

Why you gotta hate?

Feel free to respond in the comments.

Sac City Rollers vs. Sonoma County Roller Derby

2009-06-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Leagues: Sonoma County Roller Derby vs. Sac City Rollers
Date/Time: Saturday June 20th, 2009 - Doors @ 7:30p, , Bout at 8:30 pm
Location: Cal Skate - 6100 Commerce Blvd. Rohnert Park, CA

These two teams are as close as can be. Physically and spiritually. Last year at RollerCon, the two leagues "married" each other in a derby ceremony. Sac is essentially a big sister league to younger Sonoma County team. Last August, these two leagues faced off on each other in a double-header. A team vs A team. B team vs B team. The end results was one win and one loss for each time. The Sonoma B team, The North Bay Bruisers won their match 64 - 52. The Sac A team won their game against the Wine Country Homewreckers 79 to 70.

So as you can see, these are two evenly matched leagues.

This Saturday the re-match will be fierce. While the girls like each other very much, NO ONE wants to be on the losing side of this one. It's a pride thing, I guess.

Personally, this will mark my public debut as a skater for Sonoma County. I can honestly say I'm more nervous about this game than I normally am when it comes to my B.A.D. home team games. I have actually, in all these years, never played Sac in a full length game. I also have never played a game as a member of Sonoma County. I have no idea what to expect. That's a big part of why I'm doing the dual league duty. I do like this feeling of the unknown.

For Sonoma County, they are coming off a rough 114 - 69 loss to Chicago's "The Outfit" back in May. This season, they have also suffered a surprising loss to Emerald City (113 to 79) but notched a win against Santa Cruz (167 to 56).

Sac was victorious this year over Central Coast Roller Derby (111 to 97). They lost to Silicon Valley Roller Girls in April (97 - 84). At the annual tournament The Big One in May, Sac took 4th place.

Sac City Rollers Roster: Fastlane Fanny / H N ICY / La Lucha / Lil' Punk / Mazal Tough Cocktail / Pro Pain / Purdy Grrrl / Rock Hell Belch / Scandaliz / Spankenstein / Stinger / Suburban Slayer / Sweet Cheeks

Sonoma County Roster: All On Ya / Big Nick / Bushido / D.Enforcer / High Roller / Honey Deluxe / Killer Vee / Lady Sparks / Pain Galaura / Rosie Road Rash / Roxy-8-ARRR / Scait Riot / The Teacher / U Wish Trish

This weekend in Nor Cal Roller Derby

2009-06-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend in Northern California! There were four different local leagues bouting at three different locations.

June 13th, 2009:

Santa Cruz Roller Girls 100 vs. Silicon Valley Roller Girls 131
I've heard Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was in attendance. Rad. I don't know any game details but I heard Silicon Valley was holding it down all night and had up to a 50 point lead or more at some points in the game. Dang! SVRG on the come-up!

Pikes Peak Derby Dame 167 vs. Sacred City Derby Girls 70
I don't know any details on this game. Please share some stories, Sacred!

Oakland Outlaws (B.A.D.G.) 108 vs. San Francisco ShEvil Dead (B.A.D.G.) 44
In the last few minutes of the first half, ShEvil jammer Knock Knock went on 15 - 0 run to bring the score to within 14 points (Oaklandlead). In the second period, Oakland regrouped and just blasted through holding ShEvil to just ten points for the half. No fights, no injuries, no major stoppages. First game under 4.0 was a success in my opinion. Everything seemed to just run smoother and faster. Now if only we could figure out why our crowd keeps getting smaller and smaller...

Splitting time between two leagues

2009-06-11T12:27:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't heard, I am now skating with Sonoma County Roller Derby. It's not been a secret but I haven't been telling everyone I know either. Since I'm rostered for an upcoming bout with them against Sac, I figured I should take the time to discuss my dual-league decision.

Yes, I said dual-league. I am still a skater with the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls. I am still playing on the Oakland Outlaws and I have no plans to change that.

However, I am not longer playing for the B.A.D. All-Star team. In the beginning of the season I left the team for personal reasons. I had thought that maybe I would try-out at mid-season and finish up the year back on the travel team. After being on the All-Star team for three consecutive years, I felt I needed a little time off from the intensity of national competition and travel and training. Once I took a few months off from the travel team, I realized I didn't actually want to rejoin the team later on in the season. Sure, I missed playing teams from different cities. I missed being able to compete against someone besides people in my own league. But, again, for personal reasons I decided not to go back. Something just didn't feel right. I didn't have the same kind of motivation. I didn't feel any connection or chemistry.

Oddly enough, I was plenty motivated and interested in my regular home team the Oakland Outlaws. We've played two home games (against ShEvil Dead and the Wrecking Belles) and two away games (Port City and Humboldt) and are currently sitting pretty with three out of four wins for the season. Even with the one loss to the Richmond Wrecking Belles, I wasn't devastated. I was happy during the game and proud of the hard work we put in. I felt lighter without the extra pressure of the All-Star team.

Still, I enjoy playing. I like to be involved. I've been a longtime supporter of the Sonoma league. My sister skated with them and my boyfriend John often refs for their games. I often participated and organized scrimmages against Sonoma and B.A.D. teams. I like the atmosphere of their league and I always have fun around them.

At some point, a few of the girls joked that maybe I should skate for their travel team now. I laughed at first. But then I thought about it. What is there to hold me back from playing on two leagues? B.A.D. passed a bylaw last year that allowed a skater to play on another league as long as the skater wasn't on two WFTDA all-star teams.

So I decided to go for it!

Sure, the distance and the extra committment is tough. But so far, it's totally doable. Although it takes me an hour to get to Rohnert Park for Sonoma practice, on weekday nights it would take me about 45 minutes in traffic to get to my regular practice. For both practices I have to cross a bridge ($4 for the Bay Bridge, $6 for the Golden Gate Bridge). It is a little pricier in the gas mileage to get to Rohnert Park versus Oakland. But as I have family in that area, I'm trying to coincide family dinners and visits to take the sting out a little. I'm also always trying to subtly encourage my Bay Area leaguemates to carpool with me to Sonoma so we can share the costs. What I really need is a derby girl in Marin who wants to carpool up!

It may also seem like it's too much practice to handle. But I do a rotating system. One week I go to one Sonoma practice and two BAD practices. The next week I'll go to two Sonoma and one BAD practice. Maybe the third week, I'll just do one of each. That way I'm still clocking five - six practices for Sonoma and six for BAD. Also, each league allows their skaters to accumulate two or three extra credit practices per month so really my claimable totals are over 50 % for each league. Not so bad, right?

I'm still doing committee work and flyering for both leagues. So far, I'm able to get by. I just need to be able to monitor my level of committment and make the best out of the time and energy I can offer to both sides.

It helps that I'm feeling really good about everything right now. Things with the Outlaws are running smoothly as usual. And I've felt completely welcomed into the Sonoma fold. I have a lot of fun at their practices. It's funny cause I thought that all roller derby teams would be the same. But the practice dynamic is completely different! I can't say that I prefer one teams way over the other. It's nice to have the variety. I've spent the last four years essentially doing the same thing with the same people week in and week out. They always say that the definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By throwing a new pattern and a new style into my derby routine, I think I'm improving in my skills and mindset.

I am finding it difficult to match my attitude toward the specific group attitude. Sonoma tends to be more laidback and unusual while Oakland tends to be more tightly scheduled and regimented. I've been struggling to switch to a more mellow, fun-loving mood in Rohnert Park. I need to remind myself to let go a little and have some fun. Back in Oakland, I sometimes find myself wanting to do Sonoma warm-ups and drills when I'm supposed to be digging hard and fast and non-stop whistles. Then I have to remind myself to get serious and stop smiling at everyone. Ideally, I'd love to blend the two but I'm also enjoying having the best of both worlds at the moment.

I'm looking forward to the next few months as I continue to play within the BAD league this summer and I'm also looking forward to playing Sac, Central Coast, and others as a Wine Country Homewrecker. There is a possibility that Sonoma may end up playing a BAD team later on this summer. If it's Oakland, I will not skate for either team. Maybe I could announce instead. If it's the All-Star team, I also would not play as I consider that a conflict of interest. However, if it's Richmond or San Francisco...I'm not quite sure what I'll do. I think I'd like to play them as a Sonoma player. Would that be considered disloyal? I already play against them all the time as an Outlaw. Isn't it the same thing but a different uniform? Hmmmmm. I'll have to chew on that for awhile.

I'm not sure what to expect from my decision to play both sides of the Bay. I'm sure some people will think it's cool, some people will think it's lame, and most people won't care at all. I'm hoping everyone falls into that last category. It's just roller derby! We're all here for the same thing: To play, to party, to have fun, and to make friends! If you can afford the time and the driving and the work to be in two organizations, I say there's nothing wrong with that! Bring on the derby!

SVRG vs. Santa Cruz - June 13th

2009-06-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Event: Knock Her Socks Off
Leagues: Santa Cruz Derby Girls vs. Silicon Valley Roller Girls
Teams: SCDG Boardwalk Bombshells vs. SVRG Dot.Kamikazes
Date/Time: Saturday June 13th, 2009 - Doors at 6 pm, Bout at 7 pm
Location: San Jose Skate - 397 Blossomhill Road San Jose, CA

If my online sources are correct, these two teams have only met once before for an official game. I'm sure they've spent a lot of time informally scrimmaging each other as they are close in location but this Saturday's game will be an intense rematch from ther March 2008 bout in Santa Cruz.

After a dramatic and controversial night, the Santa Cruz team was able to pull out a victory with a 66 to 56 win. I recall hearing that last time these girls met up, there was a honest to God fight during the game. Something you don't see often anymore. There were also some reports about vandalism, questionable reffings, tempers flaring, etc etc. But the girls made up and seem to get along swimmingly now.

As it's been over a year since that bout, both teams have changed considerably. Heck, Santa Cruz even went through a whole business change with a new name, logo, and structure!

Santa Cruz has honed their jammer line-up this season and tightened up on their aggressive, re-engaging defense. Look for Candie Hooligan to put the points up on the board with help from her teammates. So many girls on Santa Cruz step up to jam and block that I couldn't tell you who else on the team will be jamming. I'm sure you'll see appearances by Sheila, Raven Von Kaos, and Pippi Hard Socking. Hell Louise and Lulu Lockjaw will probably be taking names and kicking asses in the pack as blockers. Maybe a little Lulu jamming action too?

Silicon Valley is also sporting a solid jammer line although their rotation is a little more definite. Smashleigh, Smach Dahlia, and Terribelle Demise will do most of the heavy lifting as jammers. I'm guessing Rot Wheels and Pia Mess will be holding it down as jammer killers while Lizapalooza and Mistits will take their aggression out on the Santa Cruz pack.

All in all, it will be a hard-hitting bout. The packs are going to be going after each other. I'm sure there will be some beautiful jammer moves but I also predict a little penalty trouble for both teams.

I won't choose a favorite and I won't predict an outcome. I love both of these teams and count friends on both sides. My only complaint is that I'll be unable to watch the fun unfold as I'll be playing in San Francisco that night. Someone better text me the dang scores..

Now...if only we could combine the two bouts afterparties? That would be epic. Hell, maybe I'll even come down and party in San Jose afterwards instead!

Silicon Valley Roster: Booty Vicious / Donna Diggler / Fesity Irish / Juice K'Tore / Lizapalooza / Mistits / Pia Mess / Rot Wheels / Skooter Over / Smack Dahlia / Smashleigh / Steffen Razor / Terribelle Demise / Undie Taker

Santa Cruz Roster: Brawley Parton / Candie Hooligan / Cleopatra Catastrophe / Eden Yourheartout / Foxee Firestorm / Hell Louise / Kicken Red Vixen / Lulu Lockjaw /
Pippi Hard Socking / Raven Von Kaos / Rowdy Roughrider / Roxy Scarmichael / Shamrock N. Roller / Sheila Princess of Power

Summer Sizzler and a piece on burn-out

2009-06-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Event: Summer Sizzler

League: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls

Teams: Oakland Outlaws vs. ShEvil Dead

Date/Time: June 13th, 2009 - Doors at 6:30 pm, Bout at 8:00 pm

Location: Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, CA

I'm beginning to feel like I keep repeating myself over and over again. I was sure I had written a blog post about the last time ShEvil and Oakland played each other back in February but that was before I started this website. When your league only has three teams and you have to play each team two to three times a season, EVERY season....it all starts to run together.

While this is the second and probably last time that the Outlaws and ShEvil will meet this season, they have played each other umpteeth times before. In their earlier match-up this year, Oakland won 123 - 52. In 2008, Oakland also took the wins and both bouts against the SF team (96 to 70 in July 2008 and 103 - 66 in April 2008).

These original two teams have been sparring against each other since B.A.D's very first bout in October 2005. In the inaugrual opener, the ShEvil Dead won. Throughout 2006 and 2007, the teams traded victories and losses. While the scores from those seasons are no longer accessible online, I remember that both teams seemed to win and lose to each other an equal amount.

While the teams were once evenly matched, a lot can change in four seasons. With the 2008 addition of our third team, the Richmond Wrecking Belles, the skaters from the original two teams were re-distributed. Since then, it seems like ShEvil has not been able to recover their formerly solid reputation. One roadblock is the high turn-over rate on the team. In the last month alone, the San Francisco team had lost three veteran skaters (Motley Cruz, Messy Jessy, and Bliss Bomb'her) to early retirement. Both the Outlaws and the Wrecking Belles have also recently lost more skaters to retirement or fatigue in the last few weeks as well.

We all know roller derby takes a serious toll on our personal and professional lives. With practice three to four times a week, league meetings, committee meetings, committee work, bouts, fundraisers, and travel, the brave women who play have a lot on their plate. There comes a time, usually in the middle of the season, where people to start to drop out. We often refer to it as burn-out. Despite the desire to play, the reality of your private life snaps back into view and many people find that they just can't keep up anymore with the demands of their hobby.

In January, the B.A.D. girls had three teams with 21 - 22 people on the roster. We also had a pool of ten or so skaters who were not yet placed on a team since all three were full. Just six months later, we have under sixty people. Not even enough to have all three teams hit their maximum allowance for players on a team.

Unlike professional sports, we can't pick up a free agent from another league or call up someone from the minors. Whoever is on your team is what you've got to work with. In instances like this, where a large amount of girls are suddenly gone, there doesn't seem to be enough time to bring the newer, greener girls up to speed to adequately replace the older talent. And all the remaining skaters are much more pressed for time as they have to takeover the roles that their former teammates left behind.

So what do you do? We have try-outs every year and always take on more than we have room for. But year after year we end up short for players again. How do you avoid losing a quarter of your league every season? Is committee work optional? I don't see how it could be! Everyone needs to put in their share to make sure these DIY organizations succeed. Perhaps what is needed is for someone to be employed by the league in order for a lot of the work to be taken off the skaters shoulders. But in this economic climate, who can really afford to do that?

I'd love to sit and ponder some more about the best ways to beat the burn-out, but honestly, my brain is feeling a little fried today from all the derby message boards and my last two back to back practices. Besides, I need to do my chores that get routinely ignored on practice nights.I know you know what I mean! :)

Oakland Outlaws Roster: Bad Ass Mofoe / Bonnie Doom / Flash Morgan / Frank N Hurter / Jane Hammer / Jennacologist / Killer Vee / La Chica Mala / Lemmy Chokeya / Polly Puredread / Roughhouse Rhonda / Sharon Needles / Sinnocent / Taxi Scab

SF ShEvil Dead Roster: Belle "Right" Hooks / Boo YaYa / Kimfectious / Knock Knock / Luv U Longtime / Mexican Jumping Mean / Minnie Peril / Sassy Slayher / Skatzophrenic / Sugar Pusher / the Dakota Kid / Windigo Jones / Zipp Gunn

Nor Cal News

2009-06-01T19:01:00.001-07:00

A few things happened (or didn't happen) this weekend.

In the beautiful Lake Tahoe area, the newly formed Santa Cruz travel team the Beachflat Betties played the Tahoe Derby Dames on Saturday night. The unofficial final score was 151 to 72 Santa Cruz!

Also in Nevada, The Richmond Wrecking Belles of the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls ventured up to Reno to play the Battle Born Derby Demons. Unfortunately, BBDD has an outdoor venue and the forecast called for rain all weekend. The game was canceled because roller derby really shouldn't be played in a puddle. Ruins the bearrings.

The Sac City Rollers attended the American Cancer Soicety's "Relay for Life" event in Sacramento while the Silicon Valley Rollergirls participated in "Walk Now for Autism."

2009-05-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

Bay Area Derby Girls to host Frock Swap AND challenge style scrimmage on Friday June 5th, 8PM - 11PM at DRY ICE in Oakland, CA. Registration will start at 8, and scrimmaging will start at 9PM.

Bring Black/White shirt to skate in - if you have one w/ your number on the back, that's even better!

Bring your clean, tired duds to swap - **anything shiny gold will be snatched up promptly i'm sure!** - any leftover items will be brought to charity, by a BAD member.

$5 flat entry, even if you're not skating - if you ARE planning to skate -bring insurance information, full protection (helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads and MOUTHGUARD) water bottle (Snack bar will be open for purchases as well)

Remember, no drinking, no drugs, no douche bags!

Please register here!

May 23rd - Oakland Outlaws vs. Redwood Rollers

2009-05-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Holy. Mackerel. I had a good time last night!

Two weeks ago, I came across a semi-panicked email from Humboldt Roller Derby. They had a double-header planned in 14 days and the visiting team scheduled to play their A team just canceled! I casually mentioned it to my Oakland Outlaw teammates that night and shockingly, they all jumped on board immediately. I can't stress how impressed I am that we rallied fourteen girls to drive five+ hours up to Eureka on a holiday weekend with less than two weeks notice. Those girls are champs!

And I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are *so* glad we made that trip up. The Humboldt league was hospitable and welcoming! All the women and men in the organization were very friendly (even the coach despite any misunderstandings. ha!). The sell-out crowd was loud and enthusiastic. The announcer was on point and outrageous. The whole thing was pleasantly surprising.

Did you know that Humboldt gave each of us a redwood tree to take home and plant? Did you? Did you know we each got four drink tickets for the after party? Did you? Did you know they made cupcakes? Did you know they gave us all framed bout posters? Did you know they gave us chili dogs after the game? DID YOU?! It was awesome.

So, on to the game. Oakland had no idea what to expect. We had never seen the Humboldt girls play before. We had a mixed roster of veteran players and rookies. A few of the girls had never been in a real, live bout before. We were confident that as a unit, we'd all excel together.

First jam in and things are not looking so good. Sissy Jr. flies out of the pack for the Redwood Rollers and puts up four points and calls it before Jane Hammer can get out and score. Uh-oh.
The Outlaws had a little bit of trouble adjusting to the floor. It was similar to the polished concrete floor that we skated on in Stockton. But it was much better than that one! While we weren't slipping all over the place, it was very hard to get speed and feel comfortable crossing over in the turns. When you have to adjust the normal speed of your game, it takes a while to get the timing and strategy back down. Coupled with that was the surprising ferocity of the Humboldt girls hits. While I was jamming, I wasn't grippy enough on the floor to be able to cut away when I saw a hit coming at me. There was no escaping, you just had to take it and struggle to stay upright. As a result, I am very sore and bruised up today.

But Oakland got it together and started picking up the points. At halftime the score was 55 to 27 Oakland. The second period was even more hard-hitting than the first. The penalties started racking up on both sides. Several jams went without a jammer. More than half of the jams in the second went on with one or more blockers in the box for each team. Tensions started to run a bit high. In the end, Oakland took the win with a 115 to 65 score. Everyone seemed happy that the game was over and thrilled that we all had fun with no drama! It's refreshing to finish a game with everyone smiling.

On an embarassing note, I'd like to use this space to apologize for a mini-tantrum I threw. In the last jam I was called out on an elbowing major that I didn't think I deserved (still don't think I deserve it actually). I was incensed! I threw my mouthguard on the ground (like 20 feet!), literally stomped my feet, and cursed more than once. Luckily it was too loud in the venue for anyone to hear me. That is lame behavior. I am known for being loud and volatile and "passionate." I had been working on keeping my emotions in check and had been doing very well. I hadn't had a tantrum since Western Regionals last year! I went 8 months! EIGHT MONTHS! *sigh*

Anyways, thank you to the Humboldt league for being such generous and nice hosts! I'd love to come up again sometime and I highly recommend any other teams in the area take Humboldt on! It was a great experience.

2009-05-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I've been lagging. This blog stuff is hard to keep up with. In the last few weeks, I took in a few games. There were a couple games I wasn't able to attend. Since most of the games involved teams that I'm not on, I don't have any access to their stats or official rosters. The games I did attend, I wasn't able to take notes. So I think I'll just address each bout with a few opinions and a scattered fact here or there.

May 9th - B.A.D. All-Stars vs. Rat City All-Stars:

This was a heavily anticipated re-match. Both of these WFTDA teams are ranked within the top ten of the nation. They've played each other several times. Because of their rankings and their history, DNN allowed Kitt Turbo, Mandi Festo, and myself to do a live text broadcast with live streaming video courtsey of Moose Ondaluce. Careful with that link, you may need a Kitt Turbo translator.

For the bout, I was mainly focusing on the Rat City pack as Mandi watched BADs pack and Kitt Turbo watched the jammers. I couldn't tell you how the game went overall. I couldn't tell you what I thought of the reffing. I can't speculate on the jamming. I didn't see any of it. It's incredibly hard to take in everything you're seeing and figure out what you want to broadcast and then actually type it in. Not to mention, I am a hunt and peck typer. And I had to publish and respond to viewer comments as well. It was tough business but I'd love to give it another shot sometime.

A few things stood out in my memory. Taxi Scab, an important blocker for Bay Area, suffered an injury during warm-ups and had to sit out the whole game. Liza Machete, BAD's resident tough girl, was ejected from both periods for too many majors. Camen Getsome was ejected for Rat City in the second period for also having too many majors. BAD played primarily in the front of the pack while Seattle clearly preferred working in the back. Apparently, both teams had complaints about the reffing. Not surprisingly, both teams were very pentalty heavy.

The final score was 182 to 117 Rat City.

May 16th - Sonoma County Homewreckers vs. The Syndicate (of the Chicago Outfit)

It's not often that you see a non-WFTDA team travel a couple of thousand miles away to play another team. But I'm sure glad that Sonoma made the trip out to Chicago! I was lucky enough to be able to accompany the team out on their trip. I loved being able to support the team in person but I was also very happy to see my former leaguemate Terra NuOne as well as recent Sacramento transplants Daddy's Girl, Gaygan, and Photon Pixie. All four of those girls skate for the Syndicate. Is there a Northern California exodus to Chicago roller derby? Am I next? Hmm...

Right off the bat, Chicago started laying the boom. They hit hard, they hit fast, and they hit often. Sonoma definitely had their work cut out for them after the first four jams resulted in three jammer majors for their struggling team. In the derby world, the first five to six jams are often referred to as "The Ten Minutes of Terror." It's when you go into a game not knowing what to expect and then getting *rocked* by the other team. But it's only ten minutes because by that point most teams are able to reassess the situation and get a grip. Sonoma was behind for the whole game but they were able to start putting up some points and tightening up their defense. At one point in the second period, the score was separated by only 15 points. However, Chicago started pulling away in the latter half of the second period.

The final score was 114 to 69 Chicago. In the end, I personally felt that Sonoma had the more individually talented team but that Chicago had the teamwork and the strategy down more. As for who won the afterparty? Actually, I kind of think I won it for once! I shut the bar down which is a rare occasion for me. I also somehow convinced a bunch of girls to show their boobs which is an even more rare occasion! And I didn't pee my pants or throw-up or cry! And technically, since I wasn't skating, my "afterparty" included the six pack I drank during the bout. So yeah... I win!

May 16th - 17th - The Big One Tournament

I wasn't there since I was off partying in Chicago. I am not the least bit surprised to hear that the San Diego Derby Dolls ran away with the win. They went undefeated all weekend. Angel City took second place as the L.A. Derby Dolls took third and the Sac City Rollers skated away with fourth place. Defeated in the first round were: Bay Area, Central Coast, Sacred City, and OC.

For a more detailed account of the teams and the tournament, you can read my preview of The Big One here.

May 16th - Santa Cruz Harbor Hellcats vs. Brentwood Brawlin' Betties

Santa Cruz won 171 to 98. That's all I got!

2009-05-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

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?

Events Other Than The Big One...

2009-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

In other Nor Cal derby news...

In Stockton, the Port City Roller Girls will be hosting the Battle Born Derby Demons from Reno on Saturday May 16th, 2009.

Also on May 16th in Santa Cruz, the brand spanking new Antioch-based team the Brentwood Brawlin Betty's will be bouting for the first time against the Santa Cruz Derby Girls new B team, the Harbor Hellcats.

Sonoma County Roller Derby will be heading all the way out to Chicago this weekend to battle the Chicago Outfit's travel team the Syndicate on Saturday night.

On Sunday May 17th, the Silicon Valley Roller Girls will be hosting a free outdoor exhibit in Roosevelt Park in San Jose.

The Big One - May 16th - 17th, 2009

2009-05-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

This week the Angel Ciy Derby Girls will be hosting the second annual "The Big One" in El Segundo, CA. It's essentially an all-California flat track roller derby tournament that will determine a "Champion" of California. Last year, the tournament was hosted in Davis, CA by the Sac City Rollers and the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls. The B.A.D. All-Stars took home the trophy, while Sacred City took second and ACDG took third.

Competing this year are some new and old faces for the tournament. Coming back for a second shot at the trophy are: Angel City Derby Girls, Central Coast Roller Derby, Orange County Roller Girls, Sac City Rollers, and Sacred City Derby Girls.

This years newly invited teams are the San Diego Derby Dolls and the famous banked-track league the L.A. Derby Dolls. The B.ay A.rea D.erby girls will also be attendance this year but the reigning champions will be sending their B travel team, Plan B.

The eight teams competing were pre-ranked by every participating league prior to the tournament. Their seeding determines who they will play on Saturday during the qualifying rounds. Their rankings are as follows:

1. SCDG Sacrificers

2. ACDG Hollywood Scarlets

3. B.A.D.G. Plan B

4. OCRG Orange Crushers

5. SDDD Wildfires

6. CCRD All-Stars

7. LADD Ri-ettes

8. SCR All-Stars

The tournament begins on Saturday with the eight teams placed into two groups. Group One includes Sacred City, L.A., Bay Area , and San Diego. Group Two is Angel City, OC, Central Coast, and Sac City. Each team will play the other three teams in their group in 30 minute mini-bouts. The top two seeds from each group will advance to the semi-finals on Sunday. Oddly, it seems that there will be two semi-final full length bouts on the second day, but then only a championship bout to follow. How will they determine 3rd and 4th place if the two non-winning semi-final teams don't play each other?

So on to my opinion. Group One looks.... rough. Those are four very established leagues. Sacred City was last year's second place winner and is coming into the tournament ranked as #1. Though Plan B has only played one game (a win against Santa Cruz last year), they are certainly very strong. Stronger than last year, I would say. L.A. and San Diego are well known for being banked track skaters but the Wildfires crushed AZRD earlier this year and fought a tough battle against a top 10 WFTDA team, Duke City last month with a 77 - 71 Duke score. The Ri-ettes have had recent wins against KCDC (a Kansas City and Duke City hybrid team) and Oil City.

Prior to checking the schedule I would put the top four teams to go into the semi-finals to be (in nor particular order): Sacred, BAD, ACDG, and San Diego, with L.A. being a very close number 5. Sadly, the top four won't even be close as only two of those teams can make it out of their first group. The seeding seems a little lopsided, that's all I'm saying...

Group Two will play out the way it should according to the rankings though. ACDG will dominate, Central Coast will probably take second. Sac and OC I think are pretty evenly matched but I think Sac might actually get the upper hand in a bout against OC.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending the tournament this year :( But I'm sure you guys will all tell me how awesome and crazy and fun it was. Good luck to all the teams, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

B.A.D. All Stars vs Rat City!

2009-05-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Event: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls All-Stars vs. Rat City Roller Girl All-Stars
Date and Time: May 9th, 2009 - Doors at 6:30 pm, Bout at 8 pm
Location: Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco CA

On Saturday night the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls are hosting their first inter league bout in San Francisco! They will be taking on the notoriously fast and hard-hitting Seattle team, the Rat City Roller Girls.

The last time these two teams met was in June 2008. Rat City started off the night with a commanding lead. At one point in the first half, B.A.D. was down by 45 points. But they rallied back and the game ended in a much closer 93 - 88 win for Rat City. In their previous match-up, Rat City beat the Bay Area team 112 - 25 at the 2007 WFTDA Western Regional Tournament. The two teams also played against each other in a 2006 mini-bout at Bumberbout. Not surprisingly, Rat City also won that one with a score of 68 - 13.

I'm sure that B.A.D. would absolutely *love* to notch their first victory over the Seattle crew. Though they have fallen to Rat City three times before, B.A.D. is currently ranked #1 in the WFTDA Western region while Rat City is ranked #5. This bout can go one of two ways: B.A.D. can get their first win against the legendary Rat City and assert their position at the top of the west, OR, Rat City can win and launch their 2009 comeback campaign to regain their status as the most feared team on the West Coast.

The teams look a little different since the last time they squared off. Though neither team is fielding any rookie skaters, their rosters are noticeably different. B.A.D.G. is skating with only eight girls from their 2008 team. Rat City is skating with just six players from last years bout against Bay Area.

The notorious trio of blonde sisters (Blonde N Bichin', D-Bomb, and Femme Fatale) have moved on to either retirement or the Oly Rollers. But the team has filled out their roster with the worthy additions.

On the B.A.D. side, they lost last years skaters Pia Mess, Mandi Festo, Killer Vee, and Racey Lane. Luckily they were able to add veteran skaters Friskie Meow, Diva Negativa, Polly Puredread, Jane Hammer, Astronaughty and Nina Beretta.

No matter what the outcome is in this game, the people of the San Francisco Bay Area are the ultimate winners. This will be the first time that the casual and/or die-hard local fans will get a real look at top-tier nationally competitive roller derby. I, of course, am rooting for a good night for the B.AD. Girls...but a close, exciting, unpredictable game wouldn't be so bad either :)

B.A.D.G. Roster: Astronaughty / Brawllen Angel / Burly Bot / Demanda Riot / Diva Negativa / Friskie Meow / Jane Hammer / Liza Machete / Lusty Malice / Nine Beretta / Polly Puredread / Sassy Slayher / Taxi Scab / Velveteen Savage

R.C.R.G. Roster: Anya Heels / Astroglide / Carmen Getsome / Darth Skater / Deadly Aim / Georgia O'Grief / Hideous Braxley / Juliet Bravo / Katarina Whip / Rebel Belle / Summer Assault / Swede Hurt / Valtron 3000 / Wile E. Peyote

May Day Massacre Re-Cap

2009-05-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Event: May Day Massacre - May 2nd, 2009

SF ShEvil Dead vs. SVRG Dot. Kamimazes
Halftime Score: 49 - 40 SVRG
Final Score: 127 - 65 SVRG

The re-match between these two familiar teams was sure to be interesting. There were some big pile-ups, some questionable non-calls, some jammer theatrics (just call the damn jam already! Enough with the dramatic slow arm waving...Pia Mess!), and a miniature fight!

In the sixth jam of the second half, ShEvil Dead captain Kimfectious tackled SVRG jammer Terribelle Demise after she had collected her tenth point in a runaway jam. Kimfectious literally put both of her arms around Terribelle's waist and pulled her to the ground. Justifiably angry, Terribelle Demise jumped up and gave Kimfectious a little shove. This resulted in game expulsions for both players as physical contact like that is strictly prohibited.

So..I got really mad when that happened. I was pissed about the tackle take-down because it was just so stupid and pointless. She had already collected the points, she was already out of the pack. It was just a bad display of sportsmanship. On the other hand, if someone had done that to me, they would have gotten more than a one-handed shove. And I understand how that may seem hypocritical. But I personally feel that sometimes retaliatory play is alright. Just because I didn't start the shenanigans, doesn't mean I have to lay there and take it.

Moving on...

Coco Motion was the high scoring jammer for ShEvil. She had 36 points in ten jams. Rookie jammers Belle Right Hooks had 15 points in six jams and Knock Knock took 14 points in ten jams. Five other SF skaters wore the star for the reamining nine jams of the game but they were kept off the score board.

For Silicon Valley, Terribelle Demise and Smashleigh both captured 33 points during the game. Terribelle Demise skated in only five jams before her early second period expulsion while Smashleigh skated in nine jams. Smack Dahlia had 26 points in ten jams and Pia Mess had 22 points in seven jams. Booty Vicious scored eight points in her sole appearance on the jammer line and Mistits collected a five point grand slam after a jammerless jam forced the blocker to don the star for one shift.

The final score was very similar to the score the last time these two teams met up (126 to 55 ShEvil), but the winners were switched. Congratulations to the Dot.Kamikazes for their marked improvement.

-----

Sacred City Disciples vs. SVRG Killabytes
Halftime Score: 78 - 18 Sacred
Final Score: 148 - 44 Sacred

The second bout of the night started off with a little scare as Sacred player Wrench Wench went down in the third jam. I'm not aware of what her official injury is, but from my seat, it was definitely an ankle injury. I could almost guarantee it was broken from what I saw. I hope she is doing well and recovers quickly from whatever injury she received.

The Disciples offense was on fire from the get go. Her Meechness set the tone for the game when she stormed out with a nine - zero score for the first jam. The Killabyte's jammers struggled against Sacred's hard-hitting and relentless blockers. With the exception of Her Meechness, the Sacred jammers usually always called it off after the first scoring pass. So although the SVRG jammers were able to fight their way out of the pack, often the jam would be over before they made it back for a scoring pass.

Sacred jammers Her Meechness and Rosie Rampage were like runaway trains in the second game. Meech scored 56 points in 11 jams and Rosie Rampage took 52 points in 12 jams. Rosie Rampage actually gained lead jammer status 11 times out of those 12 jams. That's...hold on, let me get my calculator... 92 %! Rosie and her coach seemed to have worked out an interesting strategy. Whenver Rosie gathered lead jammer status but the opposing jammer also came out of the pack around the same time, Rosie would call the jam and then skate right back to the jam line and go again. She wanted to score on her own terms, it seems.

Sacred had only two other jammers for the entire game. Jenergizer Bunny scored 21 points in five jams and Pink Devil scored 19 points in 11 jams.

While the Disciples only used four jammers, Silicon Valley jammed seven different women! Double Easy was the highest scoring out of the bunch with 17 points in ten jams. Zootown Throwdown gathered nine in ten jams and Booty Vicious had seven points in six jams. Lizapalooza took four points in two jams, Spankin Firecracker had four points in three jams, and Cyntax had three points in jams. Scooter Over, who jammed in both games for the night, was held off the score board in her two jams against Sacred.

Sacred's B team The Disciples extend their winning status to another game this season. Congratulations to them as well!

SVRG Double Header

2009-04-30T18:22:00.001-07:00

Event: May Day Massacre
Date and Time: May 2nd, 2009, Doors at 6 pm, Bout at 7 pm
Location: San Jose Skate, 397 Blossom Hill Road 95123
Teams: SVRG Killabytes vs Sacred City Disciples & SVRG Dot.Kamikazes vs. SF ShEvil Dead

A double-header! Now there's something you don't see often in Northern California. Knowing how hard and demanding putting on one bout together is, I can't imagine how much work it takes to have two games in one night. But luckily, as a fan, I just get to sit back and watch twice the roller derby!

Dot. Kamikazes vs ShEvil Dead
Saturday night will be a rematch between the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls's home team the San Francisco ShEvil dead and Silicon Valley's A team, the Dot.Kamikazes. They played each other back in October and SF came out with a decisive win with a score of 126 to 55 score.

The SF line-up is noticably different this time around. They will be without jammers Exquisite Corpse and Miss Moxxxie who retired last year. They are also missing blockers Sassy Slayher and Terra NuOne, who transferred to the Chicago Outfit.

However, the SF teams rolls deep with several veteran players and a healthy crop of 2009 rookies who have been steadily increasing their skill and knowledge of the game.

While former SF player Pia Mess will be playing...she'll be playing for Silicon Valley! Pia left B.A.D. last year and has concentrated her efforts in coaching and playing for SVRG who is closer to her home. SVRG is fielding a roster much like the one from October. Almost all the players listed have been skating with the San Jose team for a bit and have a lot of experience.

S.F. ShEvil Dead Roster: Belle RIGHT Hooks / Bliss Bombher / the Dakota Kid /CocoMotion / Kimfectious / Knock Knock / Luv. U Longtime / Messy Jessy / Mexican Jumpin Mean /Minnie Peril /Motley Cruz / Skatzophrenic / Sugar Pusher / Windigo Jones

SVRG Dot.Kamikazes Roster: Rot Wheels / Smack Dahlia / Lipstik Bandita / Mistits / Smashleigh / Terribelle Demise / Skooter Over / Lizaplaooza / Undie Taker / Feisty Irish / Donna Diggler / Pia Mess / Juicy K. Tore / Steffen Razor

Killabytes vs. Disciples

It's often hard to compare two teams who have never played each other before. Sometimes you can look at their individual playing histories and see if they played the same team at some point and judge how close the game may be by how close their scores were against the same team. As far as I can tell, the Killabytes have only played one game as their team is newly formed. So that's out! Back in May 2008, the Disciples played SVRG's A travel team, the Dot.Kamikazes. SVRG breezed through that game with a 123 to 57 win. But it's been a long year and these two teams have changed a lot.

In 2009, the Killabytes won in Fresno against the Valley Fever Roller Derby 150 to 94.

The Disciples have won their last two games. They played the Battle Born Derby Demons in April and won 121 to 52. In October 2008, the Disciples squeaked out a victory against Port City's travel team with a 63 to 44 win.

Sacred City Disciples Roster: Moto Bella / Va Va Voom / C-Notch /Wrench Wench / Whirlda Hurt / Judy Jettison / ChaCha Picante / Pink Devil / Jenegizer Bunny / La Lochahontas / Atilla the Honey / Frida Bandida / Rosie Rampage 1200 / Her Meechness 1209

SVRG Killabytes Roster: Aim de kill / Steph N Razor / Lizapalooza / Scooter Over/ Postal Cervix / Zootown Throwdown /Dirty 30/ Spankin Firecracker / Cyntax / Double Knuckles/ Double Easy/ Bootyvicious / Mauly Anna / Cole Cocked

This week in Northern California...

2009-04-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

...

There are only two bouts to speak of this weekend. Humboldt Roller Derby will be traveling to Chico to play the Nor Cal Roller Girls. Redding Roller Girls will be hosting the Tahoe Derby Dames.

Silicon Valley Roller Girls will be hosting a fundraiser at Jack's in San Jose: http://www.svrollergirls.com/flyers/20090425_jacks.jpg

Sacred City Derby Girls will be doing...something..at Festival de la Familia in Sacramento: http://www.festivaldelafamilia.org/

Sac City Rollers will be joining the Rubicon Brewing Company for "Women in Brewing": http://www.rubiconbrewing.com

Is your league up to something this weekend? Let us know!

Sonoma vs Santa Cruz Re-Cap

2009-04-19T12:40:00.001-07:00

Leagues: Sonoma County Roller Derby vs. Santa Cruz Roller Girls
Teams: Wine Country Homewreckers vs. SC All Star Travel Team
Date: April 18th, 2009 @ Cal Skate in Rohnert Park, CA
Halftime Score: 103 to 29 Sonoma
Final Score: 167 to 56 Sonoma

I've been tooting the Sonoma County horn for a little while now, but I am ready to publicly say that I think 2009 is the season that Sonoma County will shake-up the rest of California. Unfortunately it looks like the Homewreckers only have games scheduled against Sac City and B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls for the rest of the season. But if they perform well, they will definitely make their mark on the West Coast roller derby scene.

In the beginning of the game, it looked like Sonoma may have some penalty trouble for the night as they skated down one or two players for the entire first four jams. However, the team quickly righted themselves and after that, the penalties for both packs were pretty even.

Even though they were skating in a diminished pack in the beginning, the Sonoma jammers set the speedy, slick tone for the night as they picked up a 34 to 4 point lead in just the first ten minutes of the game. Sonoma's jammers are well know for being fast, agile, and impossible to knock down. I know it throws teams for a loop when they play in the Rohnert Park rink against them. The floor there is very fast and many blockers aren't used to the tempo that Sonoma sets. I know that Santa Cruz got themselves in a little bit of trouble with at least four jammer trips to the box in the first half. But it seems that they adapted to the floor later on as only one jammer went to the box in the second period.

On the Sonoma side, there was a friendly rivalry brewing between jammers The Teacher and Phantom Payne. Phantom Payne barely won the inside competition as she came out with 51 points in nine jams. The Teacher kept right up with 50 points in 10 jams. Phantom Payne captured six lead jammer calls with Teacher taking seven. As you can see, these two powerhouse jammers are neck and neck with each other and their team definitely benefits!

All On Ya jammed seven times and picked up 14 points. She picked up an impressive five lead jammer calls. For most of the second period All On Ya worked in the pack as a voracious blocker and at the end of the night, she was rewarded with an MVP trophy for her team.

A pleasant surprise for the night came in dedicated blocker Scait Riot when she donned the jammer cap three times and ended up with an incredible 26 points. In the second to last jam in the second period, she scored 20 points which definitely pumped up the crowd.

Also scoring for Sonoma was High Roller with a consistent 22 points in three jams and U Wish Trish with four points in one jam. D. Enforcer and Lady Sparks took a turn but were kept off the scoreboard.

The scoring superstar for Santa Cruz was jammer Candie Hooligan. Candie participated in 14 jams and took in 32 points and five lead jammer calls. With more than half of her teams points, Candie Hooligan received an MVP award for Santa Cruz.

While Sonoma concentrated mostly on three super-star jammers, Santa Cruz spread out the jamming duties a little more. Kicken Red Vixen had 10 points in three jams, Sheila Princess of Power had seven points in eight jams, Shamrock N Roller had four points in two jams, and Lulu Lockjaw took three points in seven jams. Pippi Hardsocking also jammed three times but was shut down in the scoring department.

One thing about this game that made me so happy was how clean and controlled everyone was. The reffing was near flawless (mark that down, you won't hear me say it again). The jams were quick and clean. There were only two jams in the entire night where no lead jammer was called. There were no dirty plays, no temper tantrums, no drama. Everyone just did their job and kept their cool.

Not only that but there were no weak links! I tried to take notes on all the big hits or the containing of a jammer and my notebook quickly filled up with names. I marked down big hits for D.Enforcer, Big Nick, Pain Galaura, Rowdy Roughrider, Raven Von Kaos, and Pippi Hardsocking. I had jammer take downs noted for Lulu Lockjaw, Brawley Parton, Eden Yourheartout, and Honey D. Luxe. I noted jammer containment and re-engagement by Scait Riot, Roxy 8 Arr, Hell Louise, Rosie Road Rash, and Foxee Firestorm. Everyone was involved and everyone played a role.

All in all, this was a very classy game. I have major respect for Santa Cruz. I know it's easy to get demoralized when things start to go haywire. But it really feels like they came out after halftime with a renewed mentality and purpose. They were able to cut down the points Sonoma scored almost in half in the second part of the game. Every team suffers a big loss at some point or another. It truly becomes a learning experience and it reflects the mental strength of your team if you can calmly take stock of what happened and then shake it off at the after party (and there was plenty of shaking at the Karaoke bar after party!).

Upcoming games for the team teams are:
Sonoma vs The Outfit in Chicago on May 16th
Santa Cruz vs ? on May 16th in Santa Cruz

Sonoma County Roster: All On Ya / Big Nick / D.Enforcer / High Roller/ Honey D. Luxe / Lady Sparks / Pain Galuara / Phantom Payne / Rosie Road Rash / Roxy 8-ARRR / Scait Riot / Seam Ripper / The Teacher / U Wish Trish

Santa Cruz Roster: Brawley Parton / Candie Hooligan / Cleopatra Catastrophe / Eden Youheartout / Foxee Firestorm / Hell Louise / Kicken Red Vixen / Lulu Lockjaw / Pippi Hardsocking / Raven Von Kaos / Rowdy Roughrider / Roxy Scarmichael / Shamrock n Roller / Sheila Princess of Power

Nor Cal Weekend Scores

2009-04-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Scores for the weekend of April 18th - April 19th 2009

Port City Roller Girls 82 vs. Derby Revolution of Bakersfield 38

Sonoma County Roller Derby 167 vs Santa Cruz Roller Girls 56

Sacred City Sacrificers 148 vs Slaughter County Roller Vixens 82

Sacred City Disciples 121 vs Battle Born Derby Demons 52

B.A.D.G. All-Stars 138 vs A.C.D.G. Scarlets 82

2009-04-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Are you guys trying to kill me?

How many bouts are happening this weekend?

I had every intention to write a pre-view of everything happening on saturday but I just realized it's Friday afternoon and it's probably pointless. So let's just do a little summary.

1. Port City vs Derby Revolution of Bakersfield

BeBe Brewski is back in Stockton and playing for her old team. The new Bakersfield league with the not-so-new players is missing Ima Blowbya but is rejoined by Bonecrusher who took some time off last season. Port City had lost to the original BRG in 2007.

2. Sac City Rollers vs. Central Coast Roller Derby
Should be a good match-up in Sacramento! I think Central Coast will pull out the win though.

3. Sacred City Sacrificers vs Slaughter County Roller Vixens

I don't know much about Slaughter County (Washington) but I loooooooove Sacred! Slaughter County narrowly beat Emerald City a few weeks ago. Emerald City, as we know, narrowly beat Sonoma last month. Though Sonoma and Sacred have never had an official game, their recent scrimmage was a very tight score. I'm calling the game for Sacred but I know it won't be easy.

4. Sacred City Disciples vs Battle Born Derby Demons

Part Two of the Sacred City double header! Don't know anything about the Reno team and can't find any scores on their website! Which reminds me...put bout scores on your websites or myspaces people! Let the public know how you did even if they couldn't make it out that night!

5. Sonoma County Roller Derby vs. Santa Cruz Derby Girls

I'm going to be at this game and attempt to take notes! I'm not allowed to pick a side (which is probably a good thing!) but this should be a GREAT game and I'm super excited for it.

I should have all the scores for you guys by Sunday! Have fun at whatever bout you end up watching!

BADG vs. ACDG

2009-04-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Leagues: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls vs. Angel City Derby Girls
Teams: B.A.D. All-Stars vs Hollywood Scarlets
Date & Time: April 18th, 2009 6:30 pm
Location: Toyota Sports Center - El Segundo, CA

Who doesn't love a good old fashioned Nor Cal/So Cal rivalry? No matter what the sport, these two regions love to battle each other. At any sporting event in the Bay Area, the crowd loves to taunt "Beat L.A. , Beat L.A. !" whenever a Los Angeles team is in town. Flat track roller derby is no exception!

The B.A.D. Girls All-Star team has met with ACDG's travel team twice before. Their first bout was in October 2007 where the long-established Nor Cal league absolutely dominated the Los Angeles crew in a 126 to 8 (yes, EIGHT) victory.

Their second meeting was in April 2008 for the first annual "Big One" tournament in Davis, Ca. The two teams played a 20 minute mini-bout in the first round. BADG again took the win with a 53 - 12 score and eventually win on to win the tournament and ACDG took home third place.

The B.A.D. Girls travel team has been laying low since their fifth/sixth place finish at the 2008 WFTDA National Tournament in November. Before that, they notched wins against Sacred City, Duke City, Rose City, Tucson, Minnesota and Houston in the past year. This will be their first bout of the season.

In March alone ACDG's all-star team skated away with two clear-cut victories against the OC Roller Girls (161 to 69) and Arizona Roller Derby (137 to 62). They are currently ranked sixth in the WFTDA's Western Region.

The teams look a little different now than their previous meetings so it's hard to tell if this game will be another BADG blow-out or if the So Cal team has caught up to their older derby sisters. The only skaters from the Bay Area who have previously played ACDG both times are Sassy Slayher, Taxi Scab, Liza Machete, and Lusty Malice. Polly Puredread, Velveteen Savage, and Burly Bot have played one game against the Scarlets.

Suprisingly missing from the BADG roster is blocking maniac Demanda Riot. The team is also missing several of their core veteran members from last years team who have either retired (Miss Moxxxie, Mandi Festo, and Kitt Turbo), moved on (Pia Mess and Diane Rott), or are currently on a break (Killer Vee and Racey Lane).

BADG is happy to welcome back blocker/jammer hybrid Polly Puredread who was on maternity leave for much of the 2008 season. Filling out the rosters for the all-stars are long-time league members Diva Negativa, Nina Beretta, and Golden Skate Warrior. Though they may be new to the travel team, they are far from rookie skaters.

It appears that ACDG also has a lot of new faces on their team as well as this author recognizes just a handful of names from previous games. Some of these new faces are actually transfers from other leagues like Cherrylicious (Charm City) and Nutcase (Prison City). But the veteran team members who stand out are Estro Jen, Diesel, Hard Cora, Ms. D'Fiant, Holly Caust, and VaVaVa Gina. Notable missing from the roster is jammer Fighty and players Dia Blow and Dutchess Von Damn.

The people in El Segundo on Saturday night are definitely in for a show. A WFTDA sanctioned game among two teams in the same region is always a reason for the skaters to perform their best. Also skating that night is the ACDG team the Rocket Queens vs Inland Empire.

BADG Roster: Astronaughty / Brawllen Angel / Burly Bot / Diva Negativa / Friskie Meow / Golden Skate Warrior / Jane Hammer / Liza Machete / Lusty Malice / Nina Beretta / Polly Puredread / Sassy Slayher / Taxi Scab / Velveteen Savage

ACDG Roster: Alotta Trouble / Cherrylicious / Diesel / Estro Jen / Felony Friendly / Go-Go Gidget / Hard Cora / Holly Caust / Ms. D'Fiant / Nutcase / Selacidal / Shiv / VaVaVa Gina

SVRG vs SCR re-cap

2009-04-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Event: Spring Beating April 11th, 2009
Leagues: Silicon Valley Roller Girls vs. Sac City Rollers
Halftime Score: 57 to 54 SCR
Final Score: 97 to 84 SVRG

You would think that since this bout was the first bout of the season that I wasn't playing in or working at, I would have lots of notes and observations since I had nothing to do but watch. You thought wrong! I brought neither a pen nor a piece of paper. Because I am dumb. And totally new to this "re-cap" thing.

Part of the reason I didn't retain any useful information is because I was yelling my fool head off the whole game. Poor Matty was stuck between me and Lulu Lockjaw during the bout. I bet his ears are still ringing.

I was shouting and hollering so much because it was such a *close* and frustrating game. While I don't have an official scoring report, the game was rarely ever more then ten-ish points apart. Sac had the lead, then SVRG had the lead, then Sac, then SVRG, etc etc.

I say the game was frustrating because it seemed like on both sides there was a lack of team unity. A lot of players playing as individuals. And when it's a team of individuals on the floor, individual holes open up and disciplined play goes out the window. I know that SVRG is still relatively new to the scene but Sac has been around literally twice as long. I personally felt that both teams needed more work on their defense. It was, at times, painful to watch. Nothing makes me cringe more than to watch a jammer just shrug off a little hit and move on out while the player trying to stop them ends up on the floor. The only thing that makes me cringe more is watching a blocker trying to coast across the rink to try and tap a sprinting jammer. You need to move your feet when a jammer is approaching! No sliding!

But enough about that! Let's talk about the good! Smack Dahlia. How tall is she? Sheesh. I'd have to say, unofficially of course, that she got the most points for SVRG. She jammed about ten times and got around 33 points.

Lil Punk was SCR's main point-scorer in the first period. She got 31 points in 6 jams for the first half. I don't know what happened to her in the second period, but Purdy Grrl took over the scoring lead with 16 points in 6 jams.

In the pack, veteran skater Pia Mess put on a hell of a show for her San Jose fans. She was probably the stand-out blocker when she was in the pack and she also did well as a jammer. She had hard hits and continuous force-outs. On the Sac side, I'd say most of the heavy-lifting was done by Spankenstein and Stinger. Spanky was frequently the only SCR player remaining at the front of the pack trapping the opposing jammer.

There is just one more thing I want to say. The last jam. SCR's jammer Purdy Grrl is in the box, I think Smack Dahlia is jamming for SVRG. It's literally the last jam. It could go up to two minutes even after the time on the clock has ticket off. SVRG is ahead before it starts by maybe 6 points. Something like that. Smack's doing her thing, trying to get some points, and Purdy Grrl is released from the penalty box. And she starts....TO PLAY DEFENSE IN THE PACK?! WHAAAAAAAT?!

It is the last opportunity in the game to score points. The other team already has the lead. The only thing you can do is try to score in an attempt to maybe tie the game or win it. It is not impossible! To go out there and play defense as a jammer in the last jam with just a 6 point deficit is....insane.

Remember Nationals last year? When BAD was down 19 points in the last jam against Philly? And Kitt Turbo scored 19 points and the Philly jammer went to the box? And everyone thought the game was tied at 103 - 103? THINGS LIKE THAT CAN HAPPEN! Don't play as a defensive jammer in the last jam when you have even the slightest chance of making a comeback. Ever.

Congratulations on your victory, SVRG! I'm optimistic that the remaining games of the season will be less nerve-racking than your season opener. And I will see you on May 2nd when you take on the San Francisco ShEvil Dead!

April Foul's Bout Re-Cap

2009-04-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

League: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls
Teams: Oakland Outlaws vs. Richmond Wrecking Belles
Halftime Score: 51 to 48 Richmond
Final Score: 120 to 104 Richmond

It's very hard for me to review a game I was playing in. Especially since I am not on the winning team! Sure, I want to talk about the times I felt I got jobbed by a ref. Sure, I want to point out things the other teams did that I didn't think was right. Sure, I want to complain that I don't think some of the scoring was accurate.

But at the end of the day, these are still my league-mates and my league refs. It's personally very, very hard for me to be objective and not let my emotions cross-over in my writing. And I would be foolish to turn this into a rant. So I will keep this as brief and as official as I possibly can. I have to keep reminding myself that this was a tough, close, emotional game for everyone involved. The score was often no more than a handful of points apart. Somebody had to eventually win. So what if it's not me? I'm ok with that! Or at least, I'm learning to be ok with that.

So here's just the facts (and maybe a little bit of opinion too!):

The big scorers for the night were Brawllen Angel for Richmond and Jane Hammer for Oakland.

Brawllen had an impressive 56 in points in 17 jams, averaging 3.29 points per jam. She received lead jammer 11 times out of those 17 attempts earning her a respectful 65 % and only took a seat in the penalty box one time in the entire game.

Jane Hammer took home an equally impressive 45 in 15 jams, averaging an even 3.0 points per jam. Hammer garnered only five lead jams out of her 15 tries and was sent to the penalty box twice during the game. One wonders if Hammer could have scored even more points if she participated in as many jams as Brawllen Angel did and received more lead jammer calls and less time in the penalty box?

Also scoring for Richmond were: Golden Skate Warrior (33 points in 11 jams), Velveteen Savage (20 points in 8 jams), and Astronaughty (11 points in 10 jams).

Jamming for Oakland was: Killer Vee (26 points in 13 jams), Burly Bot (24 points in 16 jams), and Polly Puredread (11 points in 1 jam).

Oakland blocker Taxi Scab had an impressive night in the back of the pack. She skated in 31 jams and came out a +25 for the night. Her teammates Roughhouse Rhonda (+4) and Deadly Nightshade (+3) also came out with plus ratings in 28 and 25 jams respectively.

The Richmond blockers with the most effective play were long-time local favorites, Roxie the Riveter and Demanda Riot. Demanda is well known in the international derby community. She skated in a staggering 37 jammers and ended up with a +24, despite sitting in the penalty box five times.

Roxie the Riveter, who has been with B.A.D. since it's inception, did the best out of all blockers on Richmond. She was +29 in 15 jams and only sat in the penalty box one time. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no fluke! She was also the most effective blocker in their last game versus the S.F. ShEvil Dead. She is certainly a quieter skater who is horribly underrated and underappreciated.

To take a page from my fellow blogger, Elwood Bruise, I'd like to announce the Truly B.A.D. Girls of the game:

1. Liza Machete. With seven majors and 10 minor penalties, Liza was sent to the penalty box TEN times in 37 jams!

2. La Chica Mala. Mala had five majors and 12 minors in 38 jams. She saw the penalty box eight times that night.

3. Golden Skate Warrior. Though there may have been other players who ended up in the penalty box more than GSW, she was sent off five times in only 11 jams. Four majors and four minors.

Well! That's it! Congratulations to the Richmond Wrecking Belles! We'll get you next time....

Help Needed

2009-04-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

I need a slogan.

I'm planning on being in Chicago next month to see Sonoma take on the Outfit. Since I will be one of the few people in the crowd cheering for the visiting team, I want to make it really well known that I am a California derby girl.

So I'd like to make a custom shirt. With a catchy slogan. And that saying could be the official slogan for this blog.

But I can't think of anything! Seriously. The only thing I have so far is "Nor Cal does it better." Which is....blah.

Please submit any suggestions you may have in the comments!

Spring Beating: SVRG vs. SCR

2009-04-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

Event: Spring Beating

Leagues: Silicon Valley Roller Girls vs. Sac City Rollers

Teams: SVRG Dot Kamikazes vs. SCR Punishers

Date: April 11th, 2009

Time: Doors at 6 pm, Bout at 7pm

Location: SJ Skate 397 Blossom Hill Road San Jose, Ca

This bout marks the 2009 Season Opener for home team SVRG. However, their A travel team the Dot. Kamikazes started their own season with an away game is Paso Robles, CA against the WFTDA league, Central Coast Roller Derby. The final score for that bout was 80 - 55 CCRD.

Sac's travel team, the Punishers, have not yet played this 2009 season.

SCR Roster: Minnie Malice / H N ICY / La Lucha / Spankenstein / Destruct-O / Mazal Tough Cocktail / Lou Syd Scream / Sweet Cheeks / Scandaliz / Lil' Punk / Stinger / Purdy Grrrl / Fastlane Fanny

SVRG Roster: Smack Dahlia / Smashleigh / Savannah / Lipstick Bandita / Rot Wheels / Donna Digler / Terribelle Demise / Mistits / Pia Mess / Lindsay Lohanded / Lizapalooza / Steffanrazor / Bootyvicious / Skooter Over

Nor Cal Weekend Scores

2009-04-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

Scores for the weekend of April 4th - 5th, 2009

B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls: Richmond Wrecking Belles 120 vs. Oakland Outlaws 106.

Santa Cruz Roller Girls: Beachflat Betties 130 vs Lost Girls 101

Silicon Valley Roller Girls and Valley Fever Roller Girls: SVRG Killabytes 150 vs Valley Fever 94

SCDG vs CCRD Re-Cap

2009-04-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

Leagues: Sacred City Derby Girls vs Central Coast Roller Derby
Date: March 28th, 2009
Final Score: 103 to 48 Sacred

**This re-cap was written by Sacred's very own Mathemortician. There were some edits done by Killer Vee**

CCRD and Sacred have always had a really great relationship. They have met on the track twice: once in 2007 and again on March 28, 2009. Both games resulted wins for Sacred City with the 2007 bout having a 122 - 56 win.

Central Coast came with some strong teamwork and smart pack playing. They lead with Lacey Thunderware in front and Berta the Hurta in the back of the pack, which is a strong combination. Regular jammers Hillfire, Resident Vixen and Pow Ow played predominantly in the pack, which was a surprise as Sacred expected to see them donning the jammer star. However, Hill Fire did jam frequently in the first period. After gathering 4 cutting the track majors, Hill Fire spent the second period playing the role of the pivot.

Central Coast jammers were: April Fool's (15 points in 4 jams), C. J. Hooker (10 points in 11 jams), Ivantor (9 points in 7 jams), LoMag (6 points in 3 jams), Hill Fire (4 points in 11 jams), and Resident Vixen (4 points in 3 jams).

And for Sacred: Her Meechness (25 points in 8 jams), Rosie Rampage (22 points in 7 jams), Cash Money (22 points in 10 jams), Candy Crusher (19 points in 11 jams), Mugshot Mary (12 points in 6 jams), and Gangstalicious (3 points in 1 jam).

This was Mugshot Mary's first game this season after recovering from an injury last year. Rosie Rampage and Her Meechness both stepped up their performance after a difficult time navigating Orange County's pack at the Sacred season opener in February.

Notable heavy hitters were Shadow Soldier, Mathemortician, and Vava Voom for Sacred and Berta the Hurta and Mac-Attack from Central Coast. Slingshot had a solid night as a defensive pivot for Sacred as well. Overall, it turned out to be a defensive blocker's game with low scoring and many shut out jams.

CCRD Rosters: April Fools / BadAss Blondie / Berta The Hurta / CJ Hook-Her / Hill Fire / Ivanator / Lacy Thunderware / Lo Mag / Mac Attack / Metal Mellisha / Pow-Ow / Resident Vixen / Submiss / Zona Hussy

Sacred Rosters: Candy Crusher / Cash Money / Chica Loca / C-Notch / Frida Bandida / Gangstalicious / Her Meechness / Mathemortician / Mugshot Mary / Rosie Rampage / Shadow Soldier / Slingshot / Teenie Meenie / VaVa Voom

April 4th, 2009 April Foul's Bout

2009-04-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

League: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls

Teams: Oakland Outlaws vs Richmond Wrecking Belles

Date: April 4th, 2009

Time: Doors at 6:30 pm, Bout at 8:00 pm

Location: Fort Mason Center Herbst Pavilion in San Francisco, CA

Grudge match! The last time these two teams faced off was in November 2008 for the season championship. The Outlaws pulled out the win that night with a 90 to 79 score in a close back-and-fourth game. In the 2008 season, the two teams met three times. Both teams won one of those battles before going into the Championship. In this current match-up, Oakland is looking to solidify their championship winning status as Richmond is looking to settle the score.

Since the Wrecking Belles 2007 rookie season, they have been known for their quick and aggressive defense. A large part of the B.A.D. all-star team blockers are taken from Richmond's core starting blockers (Liza Machete, Demanda Riot, Velveteen Savage, and Lusty Malice). Anytime you play against Richmond, you are guaranteed a very physical and very frustrating game.

Last season, Oakland was more well known for their independent jammers and their stellar scoring streaks. The leagues top two jammers last year were Oakland players Kitt Turbo and Burly Bot. This season, Kitt Turbo is retired and Burly Bot is now being helped out on the jammer line by up and coming all-star Jane Hammer and ex-pack player Killer Vee.

To say that both teams are excited about this game would be a gross understatement. This bout will set the tone for these two rivals for the rest of the year. Both teams are looking to prove themselves on Saturday night and whichever team gains the win may also gain the momentum for the rest of the season. It's sure to be an exciting and unpredictable bout.

Oakland Roster: Bad Ass Mo' Foe / Brick Shields / Burlybot / Deadly Nightshade / Franknhurter / Jane Hammer / Jennacologist / Killer Vee / La Chica Mala / Lady K.O. / Lemmy Chokeya / Polly Puredread / Roughhouse Rhonda /Taxi Scab

Richmond Roster: Astronaughty / Brawllen Angel / Chantilly Mace / Demanda Riot / Diva Negativa / Friskie Meow / Golden Skate Warrior / J Crush / Liza Machete / Luda Kris / Lusty Malice / Nina Beretta / Roxie the Riveter / Velveteen Savage

Santa Cruz vs. Santa Cruz

2009-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

League: Santa Cruz Roller Girls
Teams: The Lost Girls vs. The Beach Flat Betties
Location: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
Date: April 4th, 2009
Time: Doors at 5:30, bout at 6:30

HEY SANTA CRUZ! STOP HAVING THINGS WHEN I HAVE THINGS! God dang, guys. Our first three events of the season have directly conflicted with each other. Even your away bout on the 18th is on the same night our travel team plays ACDG in So Cal. SHEESH.

Anyways.

Two of SCRG's three home teams will be playing each other this Saturday. The Lost Girls and The Beach Flat Betties. I don't know the history between these two teams but I do know the roster!

The Beach Flat Betties:

Lulu Lockjaw - Captain

Roxy Scarmicheal - Co Captain

Allda Rage

Blonde Claude Van Damme

Cinzilla - Injured

Foxee Firestorm

Kicken Red Vixen

Kiki Clash

Mojo Vixen

Pippi Hardsocking

Rowdy Roughrider

Shamrock N Roller

The Lost Girls

Eden Yourheartout - Captain

Raven Von Kaos - Captain

Candie Hooligan - Co Captain

Brawley Parton

Cleopatra Catastrophe

Hallie Pena Popper

Hell Louise ( Countess Weezy)

Liv N Letdie

Pigeon

Pixi Painful

Salt Ann Battery

Sheila Princess of Power

SVRG vs Valley Fever

2009-04-01T18:58:00.001-07:00

Leagues: Silicon Valley Roller Girls v Valley Fever Roller Derby
Teams: SVRG Killabytes v VFRD
Date: April 4th, 2009
Location: Fresno, CA

Silicon Valley's brand-spankin'-new B team, the Killabytes, will be traveling to Fresno this weekend to battle the Valley Fever Roller Derby.

The Valley Fever girls, as I understand it, are a brand new league that was born from a split league. From what I hear, this is their first bout as a league. The event is appropriately named "First Blood." Some of the girls are on the roster seem to be former Smog City skaters but most of the names are unfamiliar to me.

Now, when it comes to Fresno...I got nothing. I didn't even know there was a split! Apparently the original Fresno league Smog City is now defunct and there are two new leagues in that area, the Valley Fever and No-Town.

Huh. Interesting.

Silicon Valley's team, the Killabytes, are playing their first bout as a team. They are technically the traveling B team for the league but the roster includes some skaters from their A team, the Dot Kamikazes.

The girls are being currently being coached by veteran B.A.D. retirees Pandamonium and Pia Mess along with current B.A.D. All-star Brawllen Angel. Also rounding out the coaching for the San Jose team is Denny aka Left Turn Only. So they've gotten plenty of wisdom and advice from these four. LTO and Pandamonium will be bench coaching for the team this weekend in Fresno.

Good luck to both new teams in their bout this Saturday! I'm sure I'll have a brief score update for you by Sunday :)

Oakland Outlaws @ Port City Roller Girls

2009-03-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

Event: Bad Luck Bout - March 21st, 2009
Halftime Score: Oakland Outlaws 63 v Port City Roller Girls 18
Final Score: Oakland Outlaws 97 v Port City Roller Girls 50

In the first ever bout between long established Nor Cal leagues B.A.D.G. and P.C.R.G., the Oakland Outlaws took home a hard fought victory for the Bay Area.

I believe both teams went into the game not knowing what to expect. One thing is for certain though, Port City may have had a slight advantage with their experience in skating at the Stockton Fairgrounds venue. Their bout facility doubles as their practice space and the surface is polished concrete. I can personally say that I have never felt anything like that floor before. It felt like I was skating on an ice rink with my wheels instead of blades. I tried to wear outdoor wheels to gain some more stability and traction during the first period, but I found that the outdoor wheels slowed me down so much that I couldn't increase my speed and felt like I was skating through sand. At halftime I changed me wheels to regular indoor Tuners. While I was able to skate much faster I struggled on the turns because I couldn't control my skates on the slippery floor as I attempted to cross over. Now, I have skated in a lot of different places and skated on several different surfaces. I usually pride myself on being able to adapt to a new situation without needing to modify my equipment. But that Stockton floor? That was something else.

Oakland was stunned in the first minutes of the game, trying to figure out this slippery floor and this unfamiliar Stockton team. On the completion of the fifth jam of the game, the score was tied at 10 - 10. However, the Outlaws got it together and roared back for the remainder of the first half by scoring another 53 points and holding Stockton to only 8 additional points, making the halftime score 63 to 18 Oakland. Outlaw captain and pack blocker Polly Puredread made her only appearance on the jam line in the first half and scored a commanding 13 - nothing jam against Razor Grrl.

In the second period, the scoring was much more balanced. The Outlaws scored 34 points while Port City kept the pace with 32 points. Most of those Port City points were scored by the tag team duo of Jamn Jewlz and 2Quick who combined to score 28 points. Jewlz took the brunt of the work in that second half scoring 19 points in 8 jams while 2Quik took 9 points in 4 jams. The Oakland team spread the wealth a little more and earned their points with five scoring jammers.

The highest scorer trophy for the night was awarded to Oakland jammer Jane Hammer. She scored a total of 33 points in 10 jams, averaging 3.3 points per jam. The next highest scorer was Jamn Jewlz who had 27 points in 13 jams, averaging just over two points per jam.

Also jamming for Oakland was: Killer Vee (18 points in 8 jams), Burly Bot (16 points in 9 jams), Sharon Needles (16 points in 6 jams), Polly Puredread (13 points in 1 jam), and Brick Shields (1 point in 1 jam).

Also jamming for Port City was: 2Quik (18 points in 9 jams), Razor Grrl (2 points in 6 jams), Tess T Rossa (2 points in 1 jam), and Evil Angel (1 point in 2 jams)

Oakland blocker Taxi Scab was awarded MVP for the night. La Chica Mala took home a trophy for outstanding blocking for Oakland while Pomp Adorable was trophy-fied for Port City.

Oakland Outlaw Roster:

Billie Bones / Brick Shields / Burly Bot / Flash Morgan / Jane Hammer / Jennacologist / Killer Vee / La Chica Mala / Lady Kiss Off / Lemmy Chokeya / Polly Puredread / Sharon Needles / Sinnocent/ Taxi Scab

Port City Roster:

2Quik / Boppin / Dominant Dolly / Evil Angel / Jamn Jewlz / Mad Muggin Moe / Malevolent / Nacho Mama / Pomp Adorable / Razor Grrl / Sydney Vicious / Slam Her Time / Tank Her Bell / Tess T Rossa

Sonoma v Emerald City

2009-03-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

Leagues: Sonoma County Roller Derby vs Emerald City Roller Girls
Date: March 21st, 2009
Location: Eugene, Oregon

I was wrong! The first time of many, many more predictions that will go horribly wrong!

The Eugene girls took this rematch with a final score of 113 to 79. While I have heard rumors as to what went wrong for our local North Bay girls, I can't speculate as to what happened. I'm sure it was a hard fought game with a lot of emotion driving the plays. Their last game against each other took place nine months ago and literally came down to the last jam with a final score of 93 - 92 Sonoma. With such a tight game last year, I'm sure both teams wanted to make a bold statement.

Ahhhh, well. Sonoma, you still have my heart. Better luck next time, right?

Sacred vs Central Coast

2009-03-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Teams: Sacred City Derby Girls and Central Coast Roller Derby
Date: March 28th, 2008
Time: 7 pm
Location: Roller King 889 Riverside Ave Roseville, CA 95678

Dang. I am going to miss this bout. My beloved San Jose Sharks are approaching the last few games of their season and I have tickets to the game on Saturday night. Although I love roller derby, I love me some hockey! It pains me to choose between my two sportly loves, but it must be done. I have weekend upon weekend of derby coming up and hockey is quickly closing in on the end of the season.

I do regret not being around to watch Sacred take on Central Coast. Sacred is a team that I have supported since their first game. They had one of the quickest uprising out of any league I know. They were accepted into the WFTDA when their organization was less than one year old. Currently they are unofficially ranked 28 in the WFTDA. I say unofficially because as of this quarter, the WFTDA only ranks the top 10 teams nationally. Within their Western region, Sacred is ranked 5th place. In California, the Sacramento team is currently going into the state tournament, The Big One, ranked number one after taking a hard-fought second place to the B.A.D. All-Star team in last years tourney.

For 2009, Sacred is just getting started. They racked up their first win in February against the OC Roller Girls with a score of 101 to 80.

Sacred has a deep bench of veteran players even after the departure of some of their most well-known players. Expect to see top jammer Candy Crusher cranking out the points along with help from Cash Money, Her Meechness, and Rosie Rampage. Ex-BAD player Mathemortician is sure to be spending a lot of time blocking in the pack. She seems to hardly need a break. And watch out for Shadow Soldier! Man, that is one player who truly makes me skate in the opposite direction when she's lining up for a hit.

Central Coast is also an up-and-coming WFTDA California team. Currently unranked nationally, they are going into The Big One ranked # 5 in the state. Last year they took fourth place in The Big One after winning round robin mini-games against Port City and the OC Roller Girls.

This season, CCRG has already notched three wins out of their three games. In January they battled Visalia (133 to 109) and Bakersfield Derby Revolution (117 to 36). In February, the Central Coast girls took on the Silicon Valley Roller Girls and cranked out a 88 to 50 win.

Jammers to watch out for from CCRG are Hill Fire, Resident Vixen, and April Fools (she of the tube top jersey fame!). Notable blockers are the heavy hitter Berta the Hurta and tenacious and experienced blocker Lacy Thunder Ware.

I am certainly rooting for a Sacred victory but I predict that this game will be very, very close. I think the skill gap in California roller derby is rapidly closing and this game may be a testament as to how our less established leagues may be poised to take over the top ranks.

2009-03-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to update! Oakland v Port City! Sonoma v Emerald City! Oakland v Richmond preview!

However, dear readers, I am in Mexico on vacation. While I'd love to sit and reminisce about bouts past with you, I have margaritas to drink and sand to lay on.

But I'd like to let you know about a little fundraiser the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls are having. If you go to any Pasta Pomodoro location on Monday March 23rd, 20 % of your total bill will be donated to the B.A.D. Girls. Just bring in this flyer with you!

So get your eat on and help out our league! It's as easy as....eating pasta!

SCRG 128 vs L.A.D.D. 122

2009-03-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz Roller Girls All- Star Team vs. L.A. Derby Dolls Sirens
March 14th, 2009 @ Santa Cruz

Though I wasn't in attendance for last nights Santa Cruz vs. L.A.D.D. match-up, I've heard a little bit about it.

At half time I received a text message touting an impressive score of 94 to 54 Santa Cruz! My anonymous texter felt that L.A.D.D. was being held back by frequent cutting the track and 20 Feet majors.

However! The final score ended up being 128 to 122 Santa Cruz! What a surge by LA! They more then doubled their points in the second half of the game.

So, Santa Cruz. How'd it all go down?

For more detail, check out this on the game that was published on the front page of the Sports section!

B.A.D.G. March 14th Bout

2009-03-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Event: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls: Shamrock N Roll March 14th, 2009

Final Score: Richmond Wrecking Belles 164 v S.F. ShEvil Dead 66

Ok, readers. I'm going to be honest here. I do not intend to have this super professional journalist-style of writing. I'm just going to give my opinion on the bouts I see, which may or may not be a popular idea. So, here we go.

This was a weird bout. I was working the door up until halftime, so I didn't see the first half. Due to the acoustics in the building, I couldn't hear the announcers during the first period either. I have no idea what went on. At halftime the score was 68 to 44 with Richmond taking the lead.

I say the bout was weird because the atmosphere just didn't feel the same. We sold about 200 tickets less than we usually do. I know that's probably due to the bout falling on St. Patrick's Day weekend. People had prior plans to be vomitting in the gutter over on Broadway Street which kept them away from the roller derby.

But we still had 1000 people in the place. That's nothing to sneeze at. However it just was not as loud as we're all used to. There were times during the second period where I was cheering and the person seated in front of me, kept turning to give me the stink eye. Seriously? You're at a bout! You're supposed to embrace the raucous activity. It's not like we were at a poetry reading and I was like "YEAH! YOU READ THE SHIT OUT OF THAT STANZA! MAN, DID YOU SEE THAT RHYME?! THAT WAS HUGE!"

I wonder if the calmer audience had any effect on the players? I know that a lot of players draw motivation from the crowd and get more aggressive and faster as the audience gets louder and louder. Even though I was working a shift during the first period, I quizzed my friends on what went down. The general consensus is that even though Richmond had the lead at the end of the first period, ShEvil Dead was the team that came out swinging. Multiple people commented that the struggling SF team played more unified than they ever have while Richmond was lacking their normal dominating energy for the first half.

This season, ShEvil lost their top two jammers Miss Moxxxie and Exquisite Corpse to retirement. In addition to that, two veteran players were recently injured are were unable to play. Blocker Windigo Jones broke her hand at the February 21st bout against Oakland. A week later, longtime blocker and ShEvil dead coach, Motley Cuz also broke her hand in practice. With those set-backs, it had to feel a little discouraging. But SF apparently fought hard to maintain a tight 24 point different in the first half of the game.

I also heard that Richmond was experimenting with players in different positions than they normally play. Blockers were stepping up to fill out the jammer roster. Brawllen Angel, who was a dedicated jammer last season, was out blocking in the pack.

In the second period, Richmond started to get it together and change up their line-up. Previously dedicated jammers went back to jamming and blockers went back to blocking. With each jam they started to pull away more and more. However, I couldn't help but notice how often Richmond was playing with skaters in the penalty box. They rarely had a full line-up in during the second period When you have a thirty point lead, a fourty point lead, a fifty point lead...how are you still committing so many penalties? When you have a comfortable lead and you're not feeling desperate, you shouldn't play desperate. They are a very physically dominating team! It's easy for them and it's hard for me to watch them let their control slip.

In the end, Richmond took the victory. I'd like to think that the ShEvil Dead took home a moral victory though. The team is currently in a rough transition period. The rookies of the team are certainly stepping up but I think they just need a little bit more time to gel together.

I really enjoyed seeing Sassy Slayer go back to jamming in this game for the ShEvil Dead. Sassy is a fantastic jammer. I know she is even better as a blocker in the pack, but watching her jump and fight her way through the pack is always fun.

Making her roller derby debut last night was SF player Knock Knock who took turns jamming and blocking. It is no small feat to take all-star player Liza Machete off her feet in a bout. To be able to do that in your first game ever is something to really be proud of.

I also really liked watching Golden Skate Warrior jam for Richmond. GSW is coming out in full force in 2009! Although she didn't have much playing time last season, she recently made the travel team and will surely see much, much more time on the track this year.

Now ShEvil gets some much needed time off. They unfortunately had to play two bouts in three weeks when normally we get atleast 4 to 6 weeks in between games. Their next bout will be in San Jose against the Silicon Valley Roller Girls. This bout will be a rematch of last seasons bout which resulted in 126 to 55 ShEvil Deads victory.

The Richmond Wrecking Belles will play the Oakland Outlaws on April 4th. This will also be a rematch as these two teams faced off in the 2008 season championship. I, for one, am equal parts excited and terrified.

Sonoma County Roller Derby Appreciation Post

2009-03-12T15:33:00.001-07:00

This is not a bout preview post. This is a straight-up "I-love-this-league-and-feel-that-they-should-get-some-props" post.

Sonoma County Roller Derby. Some people hear Sonoma County and think "Where?" Others think "That place with all the farms?" And yet others may think "Isn't that part of wine country?" Answers: Yes.

As a onetime Sonoma County resident (Cotati, whatwhat!) and sister of a retired SCRD player, you may consider me biased. I did grow up in the nearby area and learned to skate at Sonoma's home rink Cal Skate in Rohnert Park. I did have and attend many birthday parties there. I frequently partook in Red Light, Green Light. I still squeal when I walk into Cal Skate as a grown-up and try to tell anyone walking in with me for the ten thousandth time that "This is my rink!" So, maybe just a little bit biased.

I feel like because it's a little far north than a lot of Bay Area people like to drive, the Sonoma County Roller Girls get overlooked. I don't think many people in the roller derby community realize how talented the team is. I honestly feel that they should be playing the top leagues in the state. I would love, LOVE to see a Sacred vs. Sonoma bout.

The league has a two-tiered team system that a lot of leagues are favoring recently. Specifically, an A travel team, The Wine Country Homewreckers, and a B travel team, The North Bay Bruisers.

In 2008, the Homewreckers played Port City (Stockton), San Diego Derby Dolls, Nor Cal Roller Derby (Chico), Sac City Rollers A team(Sacramento), Emerald City (Oregon), Bakersfield, and Smog City (Fresno). For their travels all-around the state they were rewarded with a promising 5 wins out of 7 games, losing only to Sac City and San Diego, by 9 and 1 points respectively.

Last season the Bruisers played Silicon Valley, Ventura, Sac City B team, Central Coast B team, and the Nor Cal Roller Girls (Chico) losing only to Silicon Valley in a 92 - 75 match.

So these girls as a combined league have a pretty solid record. 12 games, 9 wins, and no blow-outs.

Though they haven't had any official bouts for the 2009 season yet, B.A.D.'s home team The Oakland Outlaws recently scrimmaged Sonoma at their rink last month. And we lost. By like 30 points. I'm sure my sister Rollella will be able to post the actual score in the comments. Thanks for rubbing it in, Sis. I like to say that we didn't field our absolute best team possible for the scrimmage but my sister likes to point out that Sonoma didn't either. It's a sore subject for us.

Part of the reason that Sonoma has been so succesful is that they have a naturally talented group of core jammers. The Teacher is well known for being their starting jammer and occassionally jamming back to back when needed. She may be the face of their team (and the voice, the high-pitched voice) Other jamers include: Phantom Paine aka PePe and new jammer All On Ya. PePe is again, a total natural. She skates fluidly and quickly. She doesn't struggle with penalties and she always looks composed and graceful. All On Ya was a bit of a surprise to me. She came out of nowhere! She's super aggressive as a jammer. Also jamming for the Homewreckers is longtime and consistent point scorer High Roller.

In the pack, Sonoma has some really noticable good blockers. The first that comes to mind is their pivot Scait Riot. She is the kind of positional defensive body blocker that someone like me has to yell "CAN I GET A LITTLE HELP UP HERE!?" while jamming. Her one-on-one play is tremendous.

Another noticable blocker is league founder D.Enforcer. Watch out for her cause she hits hard! She's tenacious and her shoulder hurts me.

Pain Galaura and Roxy-8-Arrrr are two more players who hound the jammer. They primarily play in the back of the pack and their both on the lookout for that big, take-out hit.

All in all, they are a league to watch for. If your league has a schedule opening and you're looking for a challenge, consider inviting Sonoma. Also, I guarantee you they party/celebrate as hard as they play.

Coming up for them:

Monday March 16th: rematch scrimmage with the Oakland Outlaws at Cal Skate in Rohnert Park.

Saturday March 21st: Wine Country Homewreckers are playing the Emerald City A Team in Eugene, Or. I predict a solid Sonoma victory.

Saturday April 18th: Sonoma home-opener vs Santa Cruz Roller Girls! OMG OMG OMG. Do not make me choose between these teams. Just don't!

Saturday May 16th: Sonoma vs The Chicago Outfit in Chicago! I am coming to this bout!!!!

Santa Cruz Roller Girls lauch new YouTube channel

2009-03-12T15:08:00.001-07:00

Now why didn't I think of this?

The Santa Cruz Roller Girls just launched their own YouTube channel.

The channel just went up yesterday and so far there are only three videos on it. Since they will be having their season opener this weekend, I anticipate a lot more videos to come.

May I make a suggestion? Can you add other videos people have uploaded regarding your league? I always liked this one:

Sac City Rollers: Friday Night Fights

2009-03-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

League: Sac City Rollers
Teams: Sweaty Betties vs. Rude Girls
Date: March 13th, 2009
Time: Doors at 7pm, Bout at 7:30 pm
Location: Foothill Skate Inn - 5700 Auburn Blvd Sacramento, CA

A bout on a Friday night? Inconceivable! I wonder if an event on a Friday night has anything to do with their new venue. All the Sac games I have been to were at the Davis Indoor Sports Center in Davis, CA. Rumor has it that the D.I.S.C. is no longer (Sac, I feel your pain. Our own roller hockey rink practice space has been sold and we will lost it next month. I guess a recession is not a good time for roller hockey!).

But hey, you found yourself a new venue which is *not* easy to do.

Apparently the Sweaty Betties were undefeated all of last year. I'm not too surprised seeing that they have Lil Punk as a jammer. Lil Punk is fast and slippery. I also see that they have Photon Pixie. Now when I've seen her play, she generally works the back of the pack. I think she is well known for riding people all the way out and/or knocking people straight to the ground. I have heard from more than one jammer that Photon is a nightmare to try and pass. The team also included Spankenstein who is a long, long time member of SCR.

Speaking of nightmares, is that Nikki Nightmare I see on the Rude Girls? Nikki is fully saturated in the derby culture. You see her at bouts, parties, rollercon, tournaments. If someone is strapping their skates on, she's there! It appears she is coaching the Rude Girls which I'm sure is a great asset for them to share her knowledge and experience. Purdy Grrl is another longtime Sac girl with a solid reputation as a fast, clean jammer.

I have only ever seen the Sac girls play as an all-star team or separately in pick-ups and scrimmages. While I'm familiar with girls on both sides, I'm not sure I could properly predict a winner. But since I always support the underdog, I'm going to throw my support behind the Rude Girls. Pick it up, pick it up, etc etc.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it out to Sac for this event...unless someone wants to drive? I love carpooling!

Santa Cruz vs L.A. Derby Dolls

2009-03-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

League: Santa Cruz Roller Girls and L.A. Derby Dolls
Teams: Santa Cruz All-Stars and L.A. Sirens
Date: March 14th, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium

All right, this is another bout I can't tell you much about. Now do you see why I'm going to need some help with non-BAD content?

I was really looking forward to going to this. I love the Santa Cruz girls. I love the L.A. team. I love season openers. But it was not to be as I have a different bout to attend this night.

I haven't seen the Sirens play in a long time. Hell, I haven't made it down to L.A. for a dolls game in over a year. I don't know who's playing. But I do know who is not playing: Lacey from "Rock of Love," Kath and/or Kim from "Kath and Kim," or those two dudes from "Psych." Though they have all filmed segments with the Derby Dolls in the past year and I've seen all of this on TV.

So I just looked at the Sirens website. V. Lee and Mila Minute are on this team? Oh snap! I know they're good jammers.

But I know Santa Cruz is good too. I recently skated on a Red Red Holiday team with Raven Von Kaos. And we totally won. So keep that in mind, L.A. My friend Lulu Lockjaw is a badass jammer who wears tiny, tiny shorts. Sometimes shiny shorts. And I'm pleased to see now that they have Hell Louise, an old school transfer from the Sac City Rollers.

All in all, I can't make any predictions. The Sirens are primarily a banked track league from my understanding. I don't know how much experience they have against flat-track teams. Santa Cruz has been racking up exciting wins in their last season. And those SC girls really....man...ok. They do all kinds of park skating. And outside scrimmages. And I think they're kind of more hard core than I am.

Again, if anyone from L.A. or Santa Cruz wants to chime in, please do. Unfortunately their wins and losses aren't recorded on FlatTrackStats.

I am super bummed that I am missing this game. I better get some dang text message score updates frequently! No offense, L.A.D.D. but GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SANTA CRUZ!

The Oakland Outlaws vs Port City Roller Girls

2009-03-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

League: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls and Port City Roller Girls
Teams: Oakland Outlaws and Rough and Ready Betties
Date: March 21st, 2009
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: San Joaquin County Fairgrounds Bldg#1 1658 South Airport Way Stockton, CA

B.A.D.G.'s home team the Oakland Outlaws will be playing Port City's Rough and Ready Betties in Stockton next weekend.

I don't think a Port City team and a B.A.D. team have ever squared off against each other before. In fact, I am sad to say that I don't know enough about Stockton to write an accurate write-up.

Here's what I do know:

This is Port City's home opener. They don't lose much at home, if at all.
They have a pretty well known 1-2 punch in the jammer rotation in skaters 2Quik and Jamn Jewlz. Other longtime and notable players are Vin "Spin" Dekate, Na-cho Mama, Hott Sake, Sidney Vicious, and Slamher Time. I am unaware of who will be in the line-up. If any Port City players wanna comment and leave more detail, be my guest.

On the other hand, I know Oakland very well :) This game marks the season debut for Burly Bot (formerly Grr Lee Burly) and Lemmy Chokeya who were not rostered for the Oakland home opener last month. The jammers for this team will most certainly include a solid rotation from Burly, Jane Hammer, and Killer Vee (who sucks.).

Speaking of debuts, two Outlaw rookies will be playing in their first team bout that night. Billie Bones and Sharon Needles.

In addition, the roster includes veteran blockers: Jennacologist, La Chica Mala, Flash Morgan, Brick Shields, Sinnacent, Lady Kiss Off, Taxi Scab, and Roughhouse Rhonda. Bench captains for Oakland are Polly Puredread and Chesty Gillespie.

I wish I could provide more of my valuable, timeless, and near perfect insight (har har), I really don't know what to say about this bout. These teams have never met and from what I can tell, have no games against a similar team to compare. But...all I can say is "GO OAKLAND!"

-Killer Vee

Bout Preview: Richmond Wrecking Belles vs S.F. ShEvil Dead

2009-03-10T20:05:00.001-07:00

League: B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls
Teams: Richmond Wrecking Belles and S.F. ShEvil Dead
Date: March 14th, 2009
Time: Doors at 6:30 pm, Bout at 8:00 pm
Location: Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco

This Saturday night bout showcases two of B.A.D.'s local home teams, San Francisco vs. Richmond. ShEvil Dead vs. Wrecking Belles. Zombies vs....uh... Belles!

Just three weeks ago, the scrappy SF team took on B.A.D.'s 2008 season champions the Oakland Outlaws. With a 123 - 52 defeat, it gave the Zombies something to think about in the coming weeks before their match with Richmond.

At the end of last season, SF said goodbye to many longtime players: Miss Moxxxie, Terra NuOne, Pia Mess, Exquisite Corpse, Delia Hardknox, Sgt. Bashin' Butter among others. With the recent draft of the leagues new skaters, the Dead are fielding more rookie skaters than the other two teams in the league. Those fresh blood skaters on the bout roster include: Belle Right Hooks, Trixie Pixie, Booyaya!, and Knock Knock. They also picked up an original B.A.D. Travel Team skater Skatzophrenic who recently came out of retirement.

These new skaters have definitely wowed their more experienced leaguemates! I can say from personal experience that they make the opposing jammers job very difficult. With veteran guidance from jammer/blocker superstar Sassy Slayher and all-star players/coaches Motley Cruz and Kimfectious, the team is shaping up to be harder, faster, and more aggressive.

What can you say about the Richmond Wrecking Belles? They have a pretty damn good track record. Although they eventually lost to Oakland in the 2008 Championsip game (90 -79), they went *undefeated* in their first year as a team in 2007.

This year Richmond has a slightly different line-up than their fans may be used to. They lost their beloved skaters Cutthroat Cathy and Mandi Festo to retirement. They also lost frequent jammer Diane Rott to...Germany. We miss you, Rotty! For their first game of the season, they will also be without star jammer Racey Lane.

But Richmond fans should not fret! With last years mid-season addition of Sacred transfer Brawllen Angel and frequent jammers Friskie Meow and Golden Skate Warrior on the roster, their jamming rotation is flush with talent.

With hard hitters Liza Machete and Demanda Riot in the Richmond pack, this bout is sure to be full of big blocks and a ramped-up audience!

Faces to look for:

Teeny, tiny SF jammer Trixie Pixie! She is fast and elusive.
Big hits from SF blocker Messy Jessy.
Wardrobe malfunction from the always-stylish Coco Motion!
Super aggressive tenacity from Wrecking Belle Velveteen Savage.
Slippery jamming from Astronaughty.
All-over awesomeness from Sassy Slayher and Demanda Riot.

Tickets for this bout are still available for this bout at http://www.bayareaderbygirls.com

First Post! First Post!

2009-03-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to NorCalRollerDerby!

I'm not sure how to start off this inaugural post for the new blog. It's a little intimidating. Maybe introductions are in order?

I'm Killer Vee and I play with the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls. I've been skating with the league since June 2005. In the last four years, I've watched the sport of roller derby EXPLODE! I remember when B.A.D.G. was the only flat-track league in the state of California (with the banked track league the L.A. Derby Dolls being the first to bring back derby on the West Coast).

Since that time, we have seen leagues spring up all over the state/country/world. While there are other and more throrough, and professional sites around that go into far greater detail (I'm looking at you, DNN!), I wanted to create a place where I could talk about and read about the local home teams. Leagues like: BADG, Sacred, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Sac, Silicon Valley, Port City, Humboldt, Tahoe, Reno, Central Coast, etc.

Ideally, I'm hoping that people will follow the blog and start to contribute their own content. I'd love to see previews and recaps of all local games. Pictures and video! Stats! Promotion! Other....uhhh....stuff!

I know it will take a while to get off the ground but spread the word to your leaguemates! The 2009 season has basically just begun. Let's get cracking!

-Killer Vee

PS: I am not good with the internetz. Don't expect anything fancy.