2008/01/29
2008... wherein i optionally use the shift key
i predict that 2008 is going to be the year that makes or breaks derby. like it or not, the economy is looking like its going to take a bit of a hit. at least for the beginning part of the year we are all going to see financial impact both personally and league wise due to the fallout from the so called "housing crisis." this is already apparent in the stock markets taking some serious 'correction' level downturns both domestically and internationally. this in turn will lead to companies taking measures that will end up trickling down to us derbians in some manner or another. for sure it will likely impact attendance figures as pocketbooks get tighter, disposable income becomes scarcer and outings to events like roller derby bouts will become harder to financially justify. Luckily for us, most of our bouts have admission prices that are a fraction of other sporting or entertainment events, making roller derby the affordable way to go out and be entertained. And if the Screen Writers Guild continues to strike through the year, there will be fewer reasons to stay in and watch the next reality tv shows, or even go to the movie theaters. it all adds together to either bring us misfortune or fortune. I fear for the smaller leagues trying to gain footholds this year. i wonder about cities that have more leagues than they can handle - how will they handle things as the economy changes? Add in the increase in gas costs, and you also see travel from derby teams decreasing due to increased costs, and a bleak outlook forms. I hope i'm wrong.
This weekend I got to attend a meeting the the governing body for all roller sports in the United Kingdom. The BRSF (British Roller Sports Federation) is the umbrella over all aspects of skating here in the UK. Roller Hockey, Artistic, Street/Leisure, Speed Skating, all aspects are part of the BRSF and it was great to be involved in bringing a new facet to the organisation...Roller Derby! The president of the BRSF had recently been to his first bout in London at the recent London Roller Girls match, he had tried to go with an open mind and wasn't sure what to expect as certain people had spoken disparagingly about the scene as a whole. However, he was blown away by what he witnessed! I spoke at great depth with him and he told me that the skill, organisation, entertainment and professionalism all made him see our sport in a new light, and one that makes him really keen to get all the UK leagues and our own organisation the UK Roller Derby Association (still in it's infancy) to become part of the BRSF. The meeting itself was SEVEN hours long! as there was so much to cover from the different federations present. Everyone had a lot of input and we learnt a lot from the heads of the federations that have been down a path we are presently travelling where receiving funding, getting your sport recognised and getting everything safe and legal for your players is of paramount importance. Being for 18+ only we manage to side step a lot of the problems other federations have as they have to go through rigorous child safety checks when dealing with minors which is something to think about for the future if ever we get to the stage of having junior/pee wee derby leagues! Myself and Betty Machete attended as referee/player representation for the whole of the UK and everybody seemed interested and pleased by us making an appearance to represent our arm of the skating world and although some peoples knowledge of derby may be only as much as a few "fight compilations" on youtube with time and effort we can show those people exactly what were about as the existing leagues grow and get stronger everyday and new ones pop up all the time. One of the signs of this is certain UK skate shops now stocking derby skates, Black Widows, 265's etc not just an array of Bauers and "fun" pink disco quads! and this cuts down on the lead time for our newbie's having to wait for international shipping (and groaning when they see the import duty) on those precious boots that have had to sail across the ocean to our shores from your part of the world. It's great to think that one day Roller Derby here in the UK will be a well known and established sport here in the UK and local councils etc with be queuing up to provide venues for the local populations fix of girls on wheels unleashing hell on a Saturday night. A way off yet, but at least were on the way to getting there! 
2008/01/28
Mom, Dad . . . I Play Roller Derby
My mom wouldn't let me play outside when I was kid. I couldn't go snowboarding till I was 18, and every skateboard I ever brought into the house always mysteriously disappeared. So I may have been a little accident-prone, but I also had an overly protective Jewish mother whose goal in life was to keep me in one piece. So how the heck was I going to tell my mother I was trying-out for roller derby? My Dad's only comment when I was showing him clips on youtube.com was, "so. . . where's the ball?" His eyebrows furrowed, expressing genuine confusion. Surprisingly he was totally into to it. He loved the name I had chosen, and professed himself a die-hard fan of the sport. Most girls I know who skate have similar reactions from their parents. They are either curious as to when the ball comes into play or they agonize over the potential reality of serious injury. When I did finally tell my mother, she had a hard time understanding why I would want to do this. Why would I want to put myself in harms-way? What could I tell her? That I had this insatiable need to get my ass beat and to kick-ass. What was she going to do? Ground me? Take away my skates? Forbid me from ever seeing my derby-sisters again? Then it dawned on me . . . I'm not 14 years old and this is not like the time she took my rollerblades away. I'm a 26 year-old woman and live 4 hours from my hometown, so it's not like I wasn't going to play if she disapproved. I had built a very large mountain out of a very small molehill. It was the guilt. Knowing that if I never told her I would feel guilty for keeping something from my mother, and if I did tell her I could potentially risk her disapproval and therefore forever live my life secretly burdened by guilt. What is up with this power my mother wields over me? Any Jewish kid will tell you that we have been culturally conditioned to be compliant. When one steps outside that realm, a little dark cloud starts to form over your head and slowly churns it self into a full blown thunderstorm I like to call guilt. I digress. I felt like I was coming out of the closet but instead of professing my love for another woman, I was confessing my devotion for my roller skates. She's come to accept it more then I thought she would. Of course she has yet to see the game played, and more importantly me in the game. Surprisingly she does really like some of the strings that come attached to derby. You know, cool names, cute outfits, getting to hang out with your girlfriends four nights a week. The perks. I could easily understand any parents concerns about their adult children taking up an extreme sport. It's not like I'm playing Crockett, I'm knocking bitches around and getting my ass handed to me on a regular basis. It's fair to say I am not the first rollergirl who felt like I had to out myself to my family. Becoming a rollergirl really is a change of lifestyle. I was essentially telling my parents, you may have thought that I was like this, but I'm really like that. In some weird way roller derby kind of helped my parents understand me, and in some ways helped me understand myself. I am ruff and tumble, I like to physically challenge myself and push my own limits. This is who I am and this is my life . . . on skates.
~Raven Von Kaos Labels: Family, roller derby
2008/01/27
MRD uses Derby Luv artwork for promotion!
 The rollergirls of Maine Roller Derby are having a fundraiser, and I was proud to be asked if they could use the Derby Luv original arwork, now used on our wallpaper, as art on their flyer. Good luck with the fundraiser, MRD and I am glad you are reading Derby Luv! Labels: fundraising, roller derby, roller derby art
Raven Von Kaos joins Derby Luv!
Raven Von Kaos plays on The Lost Girls, a team in the Santa Cruz Rollergirls league in Santa Cruz, CA. She has a degree im journalism, and I am proud to announce she is joining Derby Luv as a volunteer blogger along with myself, Georgia W Tush, Jersey Bloodhound, Spike, and Chet Wisconsin. Learn More abour Raven, and watch out for her on the track as she plays her first season, and here on Derby Luv! You'll get to meet some of her Santa Cruz rollergirls soon, and watch out for more Rollergirl interviews and new bloggers on Derby Luv! Thanks to all my co-bloggers and to all of you that are reading, as Derby Luv is really exploding this year. Please remember to shop at the Derby Luv merch store or our skate shop, because I'd really like to get to RollerCon this year and have a Derby Luv Canadian VS US teams scrimmage! Labels: Derby Luv, rollergirls
2008/01/25
The adventures of breaking in skates Part II
Quick re-cap: I bought some very tight riedell 595`s with a new probe nylon plate. Alright, so I definetly reccommend not lacing the first two sets of holes in your skates if they are tight! Day 2 on new skates (League Practice): They already feel much better. The leather is not as stiff, and my feet felt good. I was having issues however, with the new plates! I felt unstable, and I was having a hard time tightening the trucks to make them the same. So the boots felt better, but I felt like an awkward teenager on the plates. Keep in mind that they`re a size smaller than my previous plates. Day 3 on new skates (Free Skate with way too many pre-teens): My new skates are starting to feel like a dream! Going to free skate gave me the time to play around with the plates to see what worked best for me. My stride began to feel more extended, and I stopped feeling like I was going to tip over. The leather around the ankle continues to feel stiff on my ankles, so I think im going to massage the ankle area a bit tonight to loosen up the leather. Finally, the height on the counter stopped being a pain in the ass, so that`s a good sign as well! The best news so far? Not one single blister!! helll yeah! Georgia W Tush Labels: roller skating, training
2008/01/23
 Estro Jen took some time to sit down with Georgia W Tush and tell us about VIa Derby and her involvement with Roller Derby. Did you know you can pass 9 Roller Derby Leagues in an hour drive in California? How about that Estro Jen founded Via Derby, and also is into training skaters, fundraising for leagues and promoting Roller Derby as a whole to the entire world? Read the whole story! [This post was previouslyy the entire article by Georgia W Tush and has been edited by Nia Capps for space considerations] Labels: interview, marketing, merchandise, roller derby, training, WFTDA
2008/01/22
Hooligal from the London Rockin Rollers has created a new derby blog for International Roller Derby. She is looking for roller derby related people to blog about international roller derby related things. Check it out! http://interderby.wordpress.com/ And yes, I do spend too much time on the roller girls yahoo group. xo, GWT p.s. I'm going to NYC soooooon! so excited!
2008/01/21
Howdy from across the pond derby lovers and a very Happy New year! This is two firsts for me in one go, my first "real" blog and my first attempt at writing any thing sober other than a bail bond form in the morning after a night in chokey, so hold tight cos here we go... I'm Referee Chet Wisconsin of the Central City Rollergirls which is a newly formed league here in Birmingham, in the centre of the UK...to be involved in the conception of a new league is almost as fun as the conception of a child without the 18 years of maintenance payments. It's our third month in existence and it's great to be involved in buliding a league from the ground up, with a dedicated group of girls who I'm proud to be associated with...not sure if the feeling is mutual when they have to carry me naked, drunk and swearing out of many a nightclub, strip joint, libary or church function. Things are going well though, recruitment is our main priority and the inquiries are coming in thick and fast, it seems "skating" as a whole is currently in vogue over here and a Roller Disco (the first one since 1980 something, when I was in my prime, has just opened in the main town where we all live and we have been lucky enough to become it's offical marshals, benefiting the league financially and giving us the chance of a 6 hour free skate every other Thursday evening!  As you may know, we don't possess a fantastic climate over here so the whole culture of skating isnt as ingrained as it is in the USA, with your outdoor rinks and smooth concrete stretches to skate on! It seems it wasn't always this way though many years ago skating rinks were readily available as my father was a regular attendee as was my car mechanic (whose father was a professional speed skater and used to race in Europe regularly) although skate culture may not be as in your face as in the states theres a strong sub-culture of jam skaters, speed skaters and now derby players all trying to push it back to where it belongs to the forefront. This weekend was quite a packed one for our league as it was the third ever Roller Derby bout taking place in the UK, I have been lucky enough to be present at all of them, the first was the London Roller Girls intra league match back in September '07, then was Birmingham's turn as my old league took on the London Rockin' Rollers and now it was the turn of the London Roller Girls again as their team pink and team black meet in a grudge match to settle the score from last time. I was lucky enough to be able to attend RollerCon '07 and witness scrimmages close up for the first time ever, much more exciting than 320 x 240 youtube videos! But to watch "UK" derby is a great thing as it's very interesting to see how an audience with very little or no frame of reference for the sport get's so into it and how far the UK team had come since I last saw them play. A great time was had by all and the majority of the UK leagues made an apperance to support their derby sisters, the UK presently has around 10 leagues in various states of existence. Then Sunday saw our practice day ran by our awesome drill coach Trophy Wife of the Terminal City Rollergirls in Vancouver, BC. Trophy is such a dedicated dame she travels over two hours to come skate with the CCR and has been inspiring and instilling the girls first hand with all the knowledge and techniques only a true player would know. So I hope to write more about the growth of our league, opportunities and antics that will ensue till we enter our first bouting season sometime in the future and maybe even hook up (not in that way) with some of you gals and guy's if you ever come across the pond and just "have to" bring those skates with you! until next time, Stay Sexy!Chet WisconsinReferee Central City Rollergirlshttp://myspace.com/centralcityrollergirls
OSDA Smorgasbout & Philadelphia Inquirer
Representatives of OSDA leagues on the East Coast gathered together Saturday January 19 th in Deptford, New Jersey for the OSDA & South Jersey Derby Girls first annual Smorgasbout. The game had a food theme as members of OSDA leagues were combined to create two co-ed teams, the Licorice Whips & the Teriyaki Terrors. The game served as a showcase for the OSDA as members of the Penn Jersey She Devils, Richmond Derby Demons & the South Jersey Derby Girls and even a special guest player from Jersey Shore brought their A-games with them. The score went back and forth with both teams battling for the lead but at the final buzzer, it was the Licorice Whips taking the game with a score of 62 to 50. The action was so intense that at one point, yours truly who was announcing was taken out by a few few flying roller girls. Fans where also treated to music during the intermissions by band Cheesy & the Crackers and some delicious baked goodies that were for sale. Congratulations to the South Jersey Derby Girls for hosting a great event. For extra added OSDA goodness, OSDA league the Penn Jersey She Devils & their coach Judy Sowinski made the Sunday Sports section of the Philadelphia Inquirer the next day. The full page features coverage of Judy's long career in Derby, the She Devils and OSDA. A companion piece covers the history of Philadelphia's former Professional Roller Derby team, the Philadelphia Warriors. All in all, a good weekend for OSDA. And with many of the OSDA leagues starting up their seasons, it just looks to get better & better. Hope to see you all soon at a game. Ken Labels: osda
The Derb...
hey kids, Spike here. I just wanted to post a note saying hi to everyone and see what sorts of topics everyone was curious to hear about from my perspective. I've got some articles planned as well, mainly around my thoughts on various topics we all know and love... but more on that later. This is just the first dance. There's plenty of time to come...
2008/01/20
The adventures of breaking in a new pair of skates
I've noticed that there have been many inquries on the roller_girls forum about breaking in skates. I thought it would be fun to give a play-by-play of the breaking in of my skates journey over the next few weeks. New skates: Boot: Riedell 595 Size: 5.5 wide toe/narrow heel Plate sure grip probe (nylon) Plate size: 4 Old Skates; Boot: Riedell 125 Size: 6 Plate: Powerdyne nylon plate Plate size: 5 I wanted to upgrade to a new skate that I would be happy with forever, and not want to upgrade from ever again. After months of drilling Sarah from Fastgirlskates.com and Lisa from Rollergirl.ca, I decided to go with the 595's instead of the 265's. As a smaller jammer (and blocker), I wanted a light skate that would help me gain speed and agility. I tried on a pair of 265's with an aluminum plate, and they felt too roomie (of course they could have been too big of size), and heavy for me. Also, they seemed very wide. I was thinking about switching to an aluminum plate, but the plates available in my price range were too heavy. Therefore, leading me to the Probe nylon plate, which was recommended as an upgrade in nylon plates. I also went down a half size in my skate, because I wanted my skates to be as tight as possible without being way too small. This led me to a smaller plate as well. ***I also have some teammates who love the 265's, so don't forget that it is different for everybody! So I recieved my skates a few days ago, and got them ready to go! I added a set of wheels (blue fugies and red flat outs, shoe laces, and tried em on. Within seconds I thought I was doomed, and was convinced that I bought a pair half a size too small. I felt as if my big toes were being smushed into the side of the skate. Once I tied my skates my toe felt a bit better, and the skates sure felt tight. After a while of rolling around my apartment, my feet began to feel numb. Again, the feeling of making a huge mistake overcame my thoughts once again. I did some research on the net, and realized that many who got the 595's had the same problem. Apparently, they are a real bitch to break in. There were a few suggestions however, of how to speed up the breaking in process. Some suggestions: -skip the first one or two lace holes at the toe of your skate when lacin' em up. -massage the leather while your doing something like watching tv -use baseball mitt or mink oil to soften up the leather -take the insoles out at first -take your skates to a cobbler I skipped the first two sets of lace holes, massaged the leather for a while, and took out my insoles. Before practice I bandaged up my ankles and was ready to go. When I started skating, the size of the boot was not a problem. It felt perfect! One thing I did notice though was the counter, which is the part of the boot that protects your ankles. I found that it was a bit higher, and much more stiff. I also found a difference in the plate size. I have yet to figure out the science and the art of tightening trucks, which led to some awkward adjustments in my skating. So basically, stiffness was my main issue tonight, and hopefully it will improve every time I get back on those skates. No blisters yet, and I hope to keep it that way! More breaking it updates coming soon. Georgia W Tush Labels: roller skates, roller skating
2008/01/18
First Aid training for derby
I know that the majority of leagues have some sort of first aid responder at each bout. This is very important, because I have seen some gnarly injuries at bouts. Many of them have involved broken bones, and have been super gross! However, I find that there are often more injuries that occur at practices, in comparison to games. Is your league prepared for first aid emergencies? This could be as simple as supplying ice or a cold pack to an injured skater. Often skaters get a mad case of fishnet burn, cuts and bruises, and the odd punch in the face (accidental of course) at practice. It is neccessary to have people around that know how to properly handle minor incidents. My league is working on supplying a first aid kit for each team. This will allow us to have a first aid kit at both league and team practices. Personally, I think the three most important first aid supplies you need are GLOVES, ICE PACKS, and GAUZE. Anytime there is blood make sure you use gloves! I don`t care if it`s your derbiest of wives, always use gloves when coming into contact with blood. If your fellow skater has taken quite the tumble, there is never any harm in applying ice. Make sure you wrap the ice, and do not apply it for too long. Finally, use sterilized gauze on any bloody mess..but don`t forget to clean the wound beforehand. Currently, I am setting up a first aid course for my league. We`re going to be holding a sports related course (with derby in mind), for any of our league members that are interested in being our delegated first responders. This is to ensure proper care, and to avoid the `crowd around`. You know when your on the ground, open your eyes, and have 20 heads looking down on you asking if you`re ok? yeah, that. Anyway, I just thought you guys should keep these things in mind. It`s important to look out for one another, and not get crummy first aid treatment in the process! Georgia W Tush, Livesaver, derby girl, and annoyed at french keyboards p.s. i made my own blog! http://ilikesnacks.blogspot.com/ Labels: first aid, injuries
Introducing Spike! DL's newest edition
 Photo: 2008 Saugen PhotographySpike has been following roller derby since its renaissance in Minnesota in 2004. In 2005 he joined the ranks of the striped shirt wearers managing the Minnesota RollerGirls penalty box. As his skating skills progressed he joined the ranks as a pack referee and left his glorious penalty box managing days behind him. In 2007 spike became the MNRG Head Referee.
He has helped manage the MNRG all-stars as well as officiated dozens of bouts both intraleague and interleague. He's travelled thousands of miles to watch roller derby, including both Dust Devil tournaments, Bumberbout, 2007 WFTDA Nationals and others.
He helps represent his league as a WFTDA Referee Rep and facilitated the first WFTDA referee conference at the 2007 New Orleans WFTDA Conference.
He loves flat track roller derby and his rollergirls, and sometimes feels like a big brother to 80+ women.
Like everyone else, he has opinions about how derby should go, but his views don't necessarily reflect the opinions of MNRG or WFTDA. tell me about yourself in a few sentences.
did that already
who are you?
some doofus.
how and when did you get involved in derby and with MNRG?
see above
what do you love about RD?
the skating, the fact that i get great exercise out of something fun and most definitely the great people involved in my league.
i've seen that infamous photo of the RWA on the net. what is it like to ref in st paul in front of 2000+ people compared to any other place?
its a trip. we've all gotten used to it so its actually more strange to not have that constant noise during a bout.
what kind of gear do you use?
crappy protec elbow pads, way old but loved salomon wrist guards, EVS knee pads (LUV EM!), ProTec helmet, Riedell 265 boots with Laser Plates and Bones Reds bearings and Devil Ray wheels
where do you see RD in 5 years?
not much different. 5 years is too short of a time for RD to completely take off, but in 5 we'll be starting to either die off or have gotten some serious media footholds.
best advice you can give the derby community in 5 words or less?
dont take it seriously. seriously. Labels: MNRG, refs, Spike
2008/01/15
Rumour has it that Ellen Page will be starring in Drew Barrymore's upcoming film Whip it, based on fellow derby gal Shauna Cross` novel, Derby Girl. FilmSchoolRejects.com interviewed the writer, and she explained, Any word on casting for the movie?
Rumor is the lead could be played by an actress whose name rhymes with “Shmellen Shmage.” (Translates to: Ellen Page?)
But what do I know? I'm just the writer. http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/whip-it-screenwriter-dishes-up-the-dirt.phpThis is good news, because Ellen Page rocks. She generated a lot of buzz from her performance in the film Juno, and did a great job in the film Mouth to Mouth. She is also plays Mr. Lahey's daughter in Trailor Park Boys, perhaps one of the greatest television shows ever made. http://www.trailerparkboys.com/index.php. If you have not seen this show yet, you can come over to my place and watch the series on dvd. My prediction is that the film Whip It will bring loads of angst filled pre-teens to our bouts. However, opening night will be full of 18+ rollergirls. Can you tell I do not really have any real derby news to talk about these days? Cheers, Georgia W Tush Labels: roller derby movie
2008/01/06
Roller Derby (TORD) on CBC Sunday
I just finished watching a piece on CBC Sunday about Roller Derby. They were present at the Chicks Ahoy vs Gore Gore Championship game in Toronto. It was a great piece and look at roller derby, and they talked alot to G-Force, a Chicks Ahoy jammer that I met at one of our MTL Roller Derby games last year. Toronto is the largest league in Canada (and maybe North America) with 6 teams. My favorite part though was seeing my teammates, Bon-Bon Scott and Trash N Smash as well as our head ref Null PTR Ref, in the crowd. MTLRD is awesome, and I was happy with the CBC look at roller derby.... The shots of the game were cool and I hope to see mre press like this across Canada in 2008. Good for CBC for taking a look at roller derby and that was great press for TORD. Way to go! Labels: media, roller derby
2008/01/05
And so it begins...
Alright, so perhaps one of my new year's resolutions will be to write more derbyluv posts. Honestly though, I have been sitting on my tush for the last month. Thus leading to my next resolution, to get back into shape. Mostly, so I don't feel like I'm going to die after 20 laps. There was far too much snacking that took place over the holidays, and not enough derby. On to much more important things... Roller Con '08 dates have been announced! July 30th to Aug 3rd! So book your seasons around it ladies, because ya better be going!!! And please reserve a spot for me on your hotel floor, because my travel expenses this year seem to be far greater than my income. Since we already have our calenders out, these other exciting dates should also be reserved. I swiped them off the WFTDA site. East Coast Extravaganza hosted by the Philly Rollergirls in Philadelphia, PA
June 21 to 22, 2008
WFTDA Western Regional Tournament hosted by the Houston Roller Derby in Houston, TX
October 3 to 5, 2008
WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament hosted by the Mad Rollin’ Dolls in Madison, WI
October 10 to 12, 2008
WFTDA Championship Tournament hosted by the Rose City Rollergirls and Rat City Rollergirls in Portland, OR
November 14 to 16, 2008 later skaters, georgia w tush Labels: bouts, rollercon 2008, WFTDA
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