On Saturday evening at the Connecticut Sports Center in Woodbridge, the Connecticut Roller Girls welcomed Buffalo’s Nickel City Knock Outs for a skatefest of unparalleled proportion. This was the first bout that I’ve been able to make it to since the summer’s start, but even just walking into the arena I was immediately reminded of how much fun these competitions are. It’s hard to describe the energy of the crowd and the aura of excitement in the room. If you still haven’t made it to a bout, you must.

Enough preamble. Let’s look at the two teams!!

Visiting Connecticut were the Nickel City Knock Outs. They were dressed in blue and yellow and had a strong showing of support in the crowd.

Nickel City Knock Outs

      UnSung #36
      Ruby Revenge #10
      Hyper Bean #667
      B.J. Harmstrong #134
      Legs Luther #102
      B-17 #17
      Notorious V.A.G. #79
      Lamb Chop #71
      Neon Vamp #1985
      Liquid Courage #15
      Sasa Skank #80
      Crazy Legs #24
      Argo #19
      Maggie Dee Sade #140
      R. Rose Selavy #44
      Shear Tara #138
      Ace Bandage #16
      Supernova #007 (coach)

The Yankee Brutals, dressed in sharp red and white, represented our fair state in this match-up.

Yankee Brutals

      Babe Vigoda 56 (Co-captain)
      Paula G. Imnaughty NC-17 (Co-captain)
      Bimbo Slice 24KT
      Bonnie Voyage 505
      Cali Ripskin DV8
      Crash Corpse 6ft
      Dee Nasty 921
      Guns N’ Bruises 2012
      I. Harely Knew’Em 81
      Jean Mutation X2
      Murphy’s Outlaw 15
      Ramona Rotten 77
      Rinko Starr 64
      Amelia Tearheart #99
      Shiny Toy Buns #02
      Fred Perrywinkle (coach)
      Doomcake (manager)

A few of the girls listed above weren’t able to make it to the bout so Pearl Jammer, Black Cherry, and Ether Bunny stood in as substitutes. Also! This was the first time that I have seen Shiny Toy Buns and Amelia TearHeart skate with Connecticut. It’s reported that this was not the first time that either have skated with the team – Needless to say, I’m sad to have missed their initial debut!

As seven pm rolled around, the girls got into their positions for the first jam. Skating for the Nickel City Knock Outs (NCKO) was B.J. Harmstrong. B.J. was a consistent ‘go to’ for the NCKO. B.J. visited the jamming line more than any other skater Saturday (fourteen times) – for good reason too: B.J. was remarkably fast.

For the first jam, Murphy’s Outlaw stood opposite B.J. As the whistles blew, the pack inched forward slowly and the jammers bounded off the starting line. Sadly for the Connecticut fans, Murphy was quickly sent to the penalty box. B.J. took off like a rocket and worked furiously to try and take advantage of an unopposed jam. She lapped through the pack twice for a quick 10 points – a strong first jam for the ladies in blue.

Pearl Jammer rolled up next for the Brutals opposite NCKO’s Notorious V.A.G. Once again, Pearl Jammer proved her strength as a player as she passed through the pack. Hit from the side, Pearl squeezed along the inside of the curve – balancing on a single skate just barely in fair territory (INSAAANE!!!!). She stabilized herself and snagged lead jammer status. This time it was Connecticut’s turn to take control. Notorious V.A.G. was sent out on a penalty, and the Connecticut pack focused all their energy on offense. Pearl, on the strong blocking of Ether, Rinko, and Black Cherry, circled through the pack three times for an impressive 15 points.

Next, Connecticut’s Shiny Toy Buns stole a few points from Crazy Legs who despite claiming lead jammer status, missed the chance to end her jam early.

Dee Nasty kept up the drive against Unsung with five more points. The Connecticut girls were aggressively making a lead – but Nickel City was not to be discounted.

Shortly thereafter B.J. Harmstrong returned to the line – this time against Pearl Jammer. What a match up! These two girls have an uncanny ability to sprint on skates. This time around, B.J. got the upper hand. B.J. snagged 5 quick points, but with Pearl on her tail after her first pass she had to quit while she was ahead.

This bout was very give and take. Nearly all the points were extremely hard fought. We had brilliantly fast sprints and some ferocious blocks. As the minutes ticked by, the teams were trading the lead back and forth.

Finally the Brutals pulled ahead. Ramona Rotten, Pearl Jammer, and Shiny Toy Buns took control for three consecutive jams with 4, 3, and 12 points respectively (great skating, girls!). It was enough to give the Yankee Brutals a 18 point lead going into the second half.

It has been truly interesting to observe different skating strategies over the years that I’ve been watching Roller Derby. One strategy that still baffles me a bit is the super slow pack that crawls forward at the first whistle instead of furiously skating ahead. Presumably the slower speed gives their sprint skaters a shorter break and perhaps a slightly greater likelihood for more points. But as a fan, I can attest to the fact that this isn’t quite as exciting as full speed skating brutality.

Thankfully, the second half had far fewer dragging starts than the first half. In fact, the first four jams of the second half were some of the best fast paced action I’ve seen. It all started with a rematch of Murphy’s Outlaw and B.J. Headstrong. This time, on the successful blocks of Black Cherry and Bonnie Voyage, Murphy was able to skate ahead and earn five more points for the Brutals.

Next, Ether helped clear a path for Dee Nasty who pulled in five points. Black Cherry kept it alive with three more after a beautiful sprint through the pack. And then, Pearl did it again.

Once again Pearl was standing across from B.J. Headstrong. The whistle blew and B.J. and Pearl were head to head. B.J. squeezed the outside of the track around the first corner and snaked by the blockers in red. She thus secured lead jammer status – the Connecticut crowd was crushed!

But then! Out of nowhere, Pearl exploded through the pack and out sprinted B.J. Headstrong. B.J. was forced to end the jam early! It’s true that no points were scored, but sometimes the most exciting jams are those with no score at all. This time around, disaster was averted courtesy of Pearl Jammer’s quads.

Still, NCKO was far from knocked out.

B.J. Headstrong IMMEDIATELY returned to the jammer line. Showing her remarkable endurance, B.J. furiously skated against Dee Nasty and earned 8 more points. Crazy Legs returned to the line next and breathed more life into the stalled New Yorkers. She took advantage of a penalty and took in 18 points (dang!).

Within just a few minutes the score went from a comfortable CT lead 74 to 40 to an edge of your seat thriller at 79 to 76. The Crowd provided incredible encouragement to both teams. Ramona finally broke ahead taking advantage of a penalty by Ruby Revenge. Ramona pulled in fifteen points and there was no turning back.

The bout came to a close with Connecticut leading Buffalo 127 to 84.

Statistics!!

Lead Scorers
Yankee Brutals:
Pearl Jammer with 49 points
Ramona Rotton with 24 points
Shiny Toy Buns with 20 points

Nickel City Knock Outs:
Crazy Legs with 40 points
B.J. Harmstrong with 29 points
Notorious V.A.G. with 10 points

M.V.Ps
Sadly, no MVPs were officially awarded for this bout. So, I’ll go ahead and award some unofficially.

For the Yankee Brutals it’s easy to see glory in the incredible sprints of Pearl Jammer and the consistent pivot work of Ether Bunny and Black Cherry, but in my humble opinion the prize for the night should go to Shiny Toy Buns who put it all on the track while on the jammer line. It’s great to see some strong talent in the up and coming skaters!

For the Nickel City Knock Outs, there were two girls in particular who seemed to take the hits again and again without ever giving in: Lamb Chop and Ace Bandage. These two were forces to be reckoned with and deserve great credit for their work on wheels. Awesome!

Penalties
Yankee Brutals
Total minors: 40
Total majors: 16
Penalty Queen: Black Cherry

Nickel City Knock Outs
Total minors: 22
Total majors: 19
Penalty Queen: R. Rose Selavy

Special thanks to all those involved in the running of these events. They are a joy to watch. If you’d like more information on Connecticut Roller Derby, including tickets to their next bout, I encourage you to swing by their website here.

The next bout will be taking place on October 16th against Providence’s Killah Bees.

Great job Roller Girls!

On Saturday, May 8th, the Yankee Brutals truly lived up to their name.

I am by no means a derby expert, but the hits in Saturday’s roller derby showdown seemed especially unforgiving. The Yankee Brutals, Connecticut’s B-team, welcomed the Brick City Bruisers from New Jersey for the first time at the Connecticut Sports Center in Woodbridge. While the glory of a derby bout often goes to the jammers, it was the pack that kept CT strong for this clash.

The bout started with introductions. First, let’s look at the line-up for the Garden State. The girls were dressed in Green and Black and during their warm-up laps looked rather imposing.

Brick City Bruisers

      Pimpstress Jasmine 11-11 (Co-Captain)
      Toni Soprano 4 (Co-Captain)
      Cap’n Jax Peril 619
      Diamond Knuckles 2.84ct
      Don’t Care Bear H8U
      Il Bandito 5-5
      Lovely Bones 20
      Lulu to the Barricades Mai68
      Predator-in-Chief 22
      Renegade Ruby 718
      Sucia Lokita 76%
      Sugar & Spice 29
      Tree Mugger 672
      Yak Attack 16

Welcoming the visitors was the home team, the Yankee Brutals. The local girls came out in red white and blue waving above them an American flag.

Yankee Brutals

      Babe Vigoda 56 (Co-captain)
      Paula G. Imnaughty NC-17 (Co-captain)
      Bimbo Slice 24KT
      Bonnie Voyage 505
      Cali Ripskin DV8
      Crash Corpse 6ft
      Dee Nasty 921
      Guns N’ Bruises 2012
      I. Harely Knew’Em 81
      Jean Mutation X2
      Murphy’s Outlaw 15
      Ramona Rotten 77
      Rinko Starr 64
      Taryn Limbs 4
      Fred Perrywinkle (coach)
      Doomcake (manager)

A warm welcome to Bonnie Voyage and Bimbo Slice who were skating for the first time on Saturday. This was also the first match with CTRG for Taryn Limbs who came over from Suburbia. Finally, welcome back to Ramona Rotten who returned on Saturday after a short leave of absence.

The first few jams of the night were aggressive and quick. First up, CT’s Ramona Rotten faced NJ’s Lovely Bones. The whistle blared and the girls started skating furiously. Right from the beginning the Connecticut pack showed great strength. The furious four in front held Lovely Bones back long enough for Ramona to fire through, securing lead jammer status and scoring four points to New Jersey’s one. Murphy’s Outlaw followed suit with four points of her own.

Cali Ripskin approached the jammer line next against Yak Attack. Despite, Cali’s unfortunate early trip to the penalty box, CT didn’t suffer a substantial setback. The CT pack held back Yak, refusing to let Jersey take advantage of its powerjam. Yak was forced to end the jam without any points for her team.

Lovely Bones replaced Yak at the jamming line for the next jam but once again the CT pack held strong. Bones made it through, but not before Cali had a chance to return to the bout. Paula and Jean Mutation gave Cali the seconds she needed to match Jersey point for point by aggressively knocking Bones once (shown above) and then again knocking her down and out.

Well done ladies of the pack!

Next, Murphy out sprinted Il Bandito as jammer for 10 points and then just two jams later came back as a blocker to take out Brick City Bruiser Il Bandito. Such versatility!

The two teams were fairly close in points until Ramona and Dee Nasty snagged 8 and 10 points respectively late in the first period to solidify an impressive lead. As the first half rolled to a close, the score showed 53 to 32 in favor of the girls in blue.

The second half saw Connecticut’s lead widen. Murphy’s Outlaw started the period with 9 points. Shortly thereafter Bonnie Voyage pulled in 5 of her own. The team was skating well together. Kudos must be given to Jersey Jammer Lovely Bones who showed great skating ability as she evaded a series of tough hits in the 8th jam of the second half. The maneuverability of these women on their skates can be truly remarkable.

New Jersey was unable to recover from Connecticut’s strong showing. As the last few seconds ticked away the scoreboard showed Connecticut ahead 106 to 72. Way to go Brutals!

Statistics!

Lead Scorers!

Yankee Brutals
Murphy’s Outlaw 39 points. 7 leads in 8 jams
Paula G. Imnaughty 26 points 2 leads in 6 jams
Dee Nasty 15 points 3 leads in 8 jams

Brick City Bruisers
Il Bandito 36 points 6 leads in 13 jams
Lovely Bones 18 points 4 leads in 11 jams
Yak/Diamond 9 points each 1/5 and 2/5 leads/jams respectively

Penalty Queens!

Yankee Brutals!
1st half
Paula and Harley 3 trips

2nd half
Jean Mutation, Paula, and Harley 2 trips

Brick City Bruisers
1st half
Bandito and Predator 2 trips

2nd half
Sugar, Sucia, and Pimpstress 3 trips

MVP’s

Yankee Brutals: Murphy’s Outlaw
Brick City Bruisers: Il Bandito

Congratulations to Murphy, Il Bandito, and all the players. Saturday’s bout was a pleasure to watch. Also, great job to the scorekeepers, organizers, and helpers – we fans know yours isn’t an easy task. We look forward to the next home bout on June 5th against Central Mass. If you’d like more information on all the Connecticut Roller Girl events, check out their webpage here.

On Friday night Connecticut’s daughters of the derby revolution came together at the CT Sports Center to face up against their first international opponent: Montreal’s New Skids on the Block. Unlike their most recent bouts, which have focused on CT’s secondary team the Yankee Brutals, this match-up would require the furious skating skills of CT’s elite: The Stepford Sabotage. With their matching pink and green uniforms, the Connecticut girls presented themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

Let’s take at look at the line up for the home team

      Luciana Pulverotti 110R (Captain)
      Eleanor Bruisevelt 33 (Assistant Captain)
      Black Cherry C-4
      Chelsea Grin 777
      C. Mya Rage 86′d
      Doomcake 13
      Ether Bunny 2KO
      Girl Fawkes 5NOV
      Milla Lowlife 40oz.
      Miz ConsepJen 7
      Murphy’s OUTLAW 15
      Parker Poison 3
      Pearl Jammer GO
      Pepper Grind-Her 10
      Revengela 1-2-3-4
      Violet Riot 911

Montreal’s The New Skids on the Block, dressed in black, had driven for 8 hours for a weekend of derby. Their match with CT was the first of three, the second on Saturday against Washington DC, the last against New York’s Suburbia.

      Cheese Grater 289
      No Holds Bard 2X4
      Lyn-dah Kicks 75
      Beater Pan-Tease 1976
      Trash N’ Smash 118
      Romeo 222
      Wrath Poutine 30
      Georgia W. Tush 40
      Lady J 88
      Rae Volver 39
      Smack Daddy 3X
      Bone Machine 1111
      Izzy Skellington 182
      Jess Bandit 8
      Iron Wench 516
      Lil Mama 12
      Ewan Wotarmy 7734
      Beals on Wheels 89
      Karla Shnikov AK47
      Nameless Whorror 202

After introductions, the girls skated up to their starting positions. The first jam saw Chelsea Grin facing Iron Wench at the jammer line. The girls stood posed for speed, but at the first whistle the pace proceeded at an unusually slow clip. It appeared that Montreal was purposefully limiting the speed of the pack to give their fastest jammer the greatest opportunity to pull points.

The unexpected strategy seemed to catch the girls in green off guard. Iron Wench quickly sped through the pack getting lead jammer status and circled through the pack twice scoring nine points for her team before Chelsea could recover from an early hit by Canadian Nameless Whorror.

Eleanor Bruisevelt faced Ewan Wotarmy next and pulled in eight points for the Sabotage after Ewan found herself sent to the penalty box for cutting the track.

Stepford’s momentum was a bit erratic at the start. In part, their drive seemed to falter each time Iron Wench had the star on her helmet. Iron Wench followed her nine point first jam with fifteen points in her second and thirteen more in her fourth. Black Cherry and Pearl each stole lead jamming status from Iron Wench once during the first half (Pearl off a beautiful whip by Miz ConsepJen,) but Iron Wench still pulled in 49 points in the first half. Forty Nine Points!

At half time the score was 78 to 40 with the New Skids on the Block in the lead. The girls from Montreal were proficiently keeping our jammers away from the lead jammer position. In the first half, the New Skids were awarded lead jamming status for 11 jams compared to just 8 for the Stepford.

The crowd had not given up on the hometown girls as they returned for the second half to fight back against the visitors. Eleanor brought some life to Connecticut after she returned from a penalty with a vengeance to outskate Ewan Wotarmy 14 to 10 in the fourth jam.

Next up, Milla LowLife maintained Stepford’s momentum against Georgia W. Tush. She sprinted off the starting line holding hard along the inside of the track. Her speed let her sneak through the pack to quickly secure lead jamming status. She followed with two more laps, scoring eight unopposed points for Stepford.

The New Skids on the Block, however, were not to be outperformed. Iron Wench and Ewan Wotarmy followed with seven and six point jams respectively. The Connecticut blockers did their best to limit the damage, but the points continued to accumulate for Montreal.

The packs were playing especially hard in this bout. Collectively between the two teams, this bout saw 69 trips to the penalty box. All of the girls were taking a serious beating on the track. Their ability to keep skating hard after such jarring blows stands as testimony to their hard training.

As the final jam came to a close, the score showed the visitors ahead 151 to 93. This was a brutal bout that showcased the passion these women have for their sport.

Statistics!!

      Lead Scorers:
       The New Skids on the Block
            Iron Wench 77pts (9 leads in 13 jams)
            Ewan Wotarmy 32pts (5 leads in 7 jams)
            Georgia W. Tush 19pts (5 leads in 9 jams)

       The Stepford Sabotage
             Milla LowLife 39pts (5 leads in 9 jams)
             Eleanor Bruisevelt 34pts (2 lead in 9 jams)
             Black Cherry 13pts (3 lead in 5 jams)

      Penalty Queens:
       The New Skids on the Block
             Ewan Wotarmy: 6 Trips
       The Stepford Sabotage
             Chelsea Grin: 6 Trips

      MVPs!
            Iron Wench
            Luciana Pulverotti

Special thanks to all those who help make these bouts a truly entertaining experience. Special kudos to the organizers, the refs, and the CT Roller Derby sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about roller derby I encourage you to visit the CTRG website located here.

After months of waiting the day finally came on Saturday for the 2010 CT Roller Derby season opener. To cheer on the Roller Girls may have been their largest crowd yet. With 15 minutes to game time the long line for entry curved its way around the Connecticut Sports Center. Inside, derby enthusiasts squeezed together to try and find enough room to watch the action. Action they wanted, action they got. On Saturday the fourteen Connecticut skaters that make up the Yankee Brutals faced tough opposition: the Backyard Bullies from Westchester County.

Let’s take a closer look at the teams. First the Hometown Heroes.

Yankee Brutals

Babe Vigoda #56
Paula G. ImNaughty #NC-17
Anita Chainsaw #992
Cali Ripskin #DV8
Crash Corpse #6ft
Dee Nasty #921
Guns N’ Bruises #2012
Girl Fawkes #5Nov
I. Harley Knew’em #81
Jean Mutation #X2
Murphy’s Outlaw #15
Pam Terror #9
Pepper Grind-her #10
Rinko Starr #64

This was Pepper Grind-her’s first bout since her return to derby and it was great to see Fawkes on skates again after her injury in Pittsburgh last year. Welcome back Pepper and Fawkes!

The visiting team, the Backyard Bullies, was founded in 2007 by former CTRG Slim Fast and Suffah Kate. The team’s close proximity means a lot of crowd support and perhaps the making for a great rivalry.

The Backyard Bullies

Anya Nerves #3.14
Auntie Climax #39
Crash Sprawldisplat #810
Hot Ta’ Wally #451
J.Knee Bones #77
Kickin McNuggins #6
Lil eve L #DV8
Milkstud Piglet #2%
Rita Wayward #86
Robin Graves #R1P
Sasha B. Otch #417
Satan’s Cheerleader #667
Slash Borden #40
Smashing Pumpkin #1979

This bout had strong potential. Both teams are somewhat young and fairly evenly matched. At 7pm Hitman Hank welcomed the crowd and the action got underway.

Things started quickly for the Backyard Bullies, who captured the first two lead jamming statuses. Connecticut seemed a bit disorganized at the onset and after Jean Mutation had an unfortunate introduction to the penalty box early on, Slash Borden capitalized and gained a strong 10 point lead in the second jam. Her blockers were holding Anita Chainsaw back with brutal efficiency. Rinko Starr had slightly better luck gaining the first lead jammer status for the girls in blue off of a beautiful block by Girl Fawkes that sent Backyard Bully Rita Wayward to the ground.

The girls were fighting hard for control of the jams. Dee Nasty and Sasha B. Otch raced it out in the fourth jam, Sasha forcing an early conclusion to Dee’s control of the track. Hot Ta’ Wally began her night with four more unanswered points for the Backyard Bullies.

Things were looking grim for the Yankee Brutals.

It was only the 6th jam of the bout as Pam Terror rolled up to the jamming line, but I couldn’t help but fear that if Pam couldn’t pull in a few points that the rest of the bout might be difficult to watch. Shame on me for doubting the competitive drive of the home town girls. Pam’s skates ignited and she circled twice before having to end the drive. Co-Captain Paula G. ImNaughty kept up the momentum tying the score at 14 as Westchester’s Lil Eve L struggled to recover from the aggressive shoulders of the Yankee Brutal’s defense.

As the first half progressed, Suburbia showed greater group solidarity. Few jammers slipped through the wall of the well organized heavy hitting New Yorkers, though their tactics were also sending more of their team to the penalty box. The point gap grew. Suburbia secured a healthy lead. As the girls skated off to rest up during intermission, the score was 67 to 25. Could Connecticut pull it together in the second half?

It’s always enjoyable when the derby organizers find an entertaining show for intermission. What’s certain is that when it happens, it’ll be anything but a typical intermission. This month we met CT Combat, a martial arts group based out of Oakville, CT. Two students demonstrated basic fighting techniques with their instructor. The combat demonstration was followed by a rollerskate roll-off with the crowd competing to win a giant chocolate roller skate!

Does that need repeating? A giant chocolate roller skate. Awesome!

When the girls returned to their benches, the crowd was ready for more action. Pam Terror started the second half with the star on her helmet pulling 7 points away from New York. Cali Ripskin, who has been skating less than a year, came up next and kept things going for Connecticut with nine more points. The jams of this second half were far more even. But their new spirit wasn’t enough to break the healthy lead that New York had built up in the first half. Halfway through the second period the score stood at 63 to 100 when Murphy’s Outlaw began her run as Jammer. The opposing jammer, Sasha B. Otch found herself on the way to the penalty box early in the jam along with two of the New York blockers.

Murphy Outlaw had an amazing opportunity!!! The Connecticut team had a full skating team on the track while Suburbia only had two blockers to slow the tide. The Connecticut blockers rolled to a virtual stop letting Murphy work her magic. 17 points later the Connecticut crowd was screaming in support. 20 points separated the teams. Pam Terror did her part next by dropping that lead from 20 to 16. Sadly for the hometown fans, that would be the end of the comeback. Sasha B. Otch finished the bout with an aggressive final jam taking the final lead jamming status and ending the bout by dramatically tapping her hips. The end score was 89 for the Yankee Brutals and 113 for the Backyard Bullies.

It was a great night for both teams and their fans. This was one of the most riveting roller derby bout’s I’ve seen. The roller girls were skating hard and both teams showed great strength in adapting to their opponent’s strategies.

Top Scorers!
Backyard Bullies: Slash Borden #40 with 26 points
Yankee Brutals: Pam Terror #9 with 35 points

Interestingly, by my notes the Yankee Brutals actually claimed more lead jamming positions than their rivals (17 for CT vs NY’s 16). The ability of the Backyard Bullies to capitalize on there fewer opportunities and not sacrifice any points while they controlled the track overcame their more regular appearances in the penalty box. Milkstud and Sasha both had 5 trips to the box! Hot Ta’ Wally and Auntie Climax were right behind them with 4 trips each. Meanwhile CT’s biggest offenders were Murphy’s Outlaw and I Harley Knew’em who both only had 3 trips out.

The next time we’ll be seeing the skaters, CTRG’s Stepford Sabotage will be taking on Montreal’s New Skids on the Block on Friday March 5th. If you’re looking for more information, head over to the Connecticut Roller Girl’s website here.

Great job to all the skaters!!

On Saturday night the Connecticut Roller Girls amassed once again at the CT Sport’s Center, this time to do battle against visiting team The Utica Clubbers. Unlike many of the recent bouts where the Stepford Sabotage has been in the spotlight, this bout highlighted CT’s second team: The Yankee Brutals.

The crowds came in huge numbers to watch the girls skate. In all the bouts I’ve watched, few have been as tightly packed as this one. With 15 minutes left before game time, the bleachers were full. But the crowd kept pouring in. The anxious fans didn’t have to wait long. As 7:00pm rolled around, M.C. Hitman Hank strolled out and started the night. First to be introduced were the Utica Clubbers.

The Utica Clubbers are a newer team having formed in late 2007 in Central NY. Nine girls came out to play supported by their coaching staff led by player Little Bastard (#5).

The ladies of CNYRD:

A Lee Thal Vixen #91
BamBam ThunderJam #54
Farmer’s Slaughter #36D
Grrrl Next Door #69
Gutshot #56-89
LadyDieMentia #3
Mean Squeak #27
Murder Antoinette #999
Slay West #13
Vy O Later #921

Dressed in pink, the Yankee Brutals came out for their introductions next with a few new faces in their ranks. Let’s say hello to the hometown heroines:

Babe Vigoda (co-captain) #56
Paula G. Imnaughty (co-captain) #NC-17
Anita Chainsaw #992
Cali Ripskin #DVB
Crash Corpse #6ft
Dee Nasty #921
Guns N’ Bruises #2012
I. Harley Knew’em #81
Jean Mutation #X2
Murphy’s Outlaw #15
Pam Terror #9
Rinko Starr #64

This was the debut bout for Cali Ripskin, Crash Corpse, Dee Nasty, and I. Harley Knew’em. This was also Jean Mutation’s first bout back after an extended leave. Welcome back Jean!

After the obligatory ‘derby how to’ for all the first time visitors, the action got underway. Utica’s Gutshot rolled up to the jamming line to oppose Murphy’s Outlaw. On the first whistle, pivots I. Harley Knew’em and Farmer’s Slaughter started the pack off. On the second whistle, Gutshot took got a quick few steps ahead of Murphy’s Outlaw. Not one to be left behind, Murphy’s Outlaw stayed close as Gutshot expertly weaved through the pack. As the jammers came around for their first scoring pass, it was all Gutshot could do to sneak one quick point and end the jam before Murphy’s Outlaw had a chance to follow suit.

The jams proceeded in this fashion for much of the first half. It seemed like a perpetual give and take. The Utica Clubbers would get a point, and the Yankee Brutals would be right behind them to get the next point. As testimony to this, the girls traded off lead jamming status with almost eerie balance.

(note: data presented here came from my unofficial notes)

Especially noteworthy in the first half was Gutshot’s taking advantage (with 12 points) of a late end of jam call by Murphy in the 4th jam and Farmer’s Slaughter’s exceptional skating in the 6th as she screamed past the pack along the outside edge of the track pulling in four points. Connecticut had its own moments of glory, my favorite being Paula G’s remarkable resistance to a strong hit by Slay West in the 16th jam. Slay came barreling around the first corner and dropped her shoulder right into Paula’s side… but Paula had braced for it and instead of Paula going down, Slay careened off balanced and fell to the ground. Paula took advantage of her downed opposing jammer and scored four points for the girls in pink.

The first half ended with 53 points for the Yankee Brutals and 51 points for the Ultica Clubbers.

The second half was an entirely different game. The Yankee Brutals put Pam Terror on the line and while Utica was focused on getting Gutshot past Paula G, Pam came out of nowhere, took lead jamming status, and snagged 4 more points for her team. Perhaps it was these early points from Pam that turned on Utica’s aggression… but from that jam onward the ladies of central New York found themselves heading to the penalty box with an unfortunate regularity. Jammer Mean Squeak got sent out on a penalty jamming against Rinko Starr… and then right after she got back in, she cut the track and was sent out again! Not a team to pass up an opportunity, the Yankee Brutals hit hard and hit strong. They snagged lead jamming status for the first 5 jams of the second half and widened the score gap from a nail-biting two (53 to 51) to a dominating forty (91 – 51).

The blocking support for the jammers was essential for Connecitcut’s break-away. I Harley Knew’em, Babe Vigoda, and Cali Ripskin each had key moments where their shoulders cleared the way for their approaching jammer.

As the clock ticked down those final seconds the Utica Clubbers got back a little life, though it wasn’t enough to recover from Connecticut’s onslaught.

End score: 115 to 81

Statistics!

Most Valuable Players!
Yankee Brutals: Murphy’s Outlaw
Utica Clubbers: Farmer’s Slaughter

Penalty Queens
Connecticut:
Pam Terror: three trips
Guns N’ Bruises: three trips

Central NY:
Mean Squeak: five trips

I had the pleasure of attending the after-party at the Westside Bar and Grille on Whalley Ave in New Haven. It’s great to see the social side of the roller girls and the camaraderie between them. I Harley Knew’em got up on the mic and thanked Utica for visiting and applauded everyone’s support. It’s truly a wonderful group of people AND, you can join them if you’re so inclined. The CT Roller girls are having try-outs this Thursday November 12th. If you’re interested in getting additional information you can e-mail info@ctrollerderby.com

Or, just head over to CTRollerDerby.com

Great job to all the players and supporting staff. Saturday was a huge success.

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of heading down to Woodbridge, CT to watch the Connecticut Roller Girls take on the Boston Massacre in a double header. Boston is very highly ranked by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), so it was expected that CT would need some serious umph to tip the score to their side. But if the Greeks could push back the mighty Persian Empire at the Battle of Salamis, then perhaps so too could the Connecticut girls hold back the crushing tide of Boston at the CT Sports Center.

The First Bout!

The first bout put the Boston B Party up against the Yankee Brutals. There were a few new faces on the track; let’s look at the teams.

The Boston B Party.

The Boston B Party skaters are the B team for Boston. They have a seemingly inexhaustible number of players, including captains Mona Mour and Killary Clinton both of whom have skated (and skated very well) as substitutes with Connecticut before. As the players were introduced, DJ E-Bomb pumped out the team’s theme song: You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party.

Mona Mour #2/14
Killary Clinton #2008
Varga Bomber #B-17
Britknee Breaker #10-4
Bully Mia #2000 flushes
TaKillya N. Lime #42
Dreadnought #40k
Lil’ Paine #451Ëš
Xena Paradox (sum of 1/(2^n) where n = 1 -> infinity)
Jennasaurus Wrecks #R04R
Hayley Contagious #104ËšF
Lil’ Orphan Fannie #888
Trish Squish #18
Miss Mary Smack #3.2.1.
Ivanna Shankabitch #27

The Yankee Brutals

This was the first bout for Connecticut’s B team the Yankee Brutals. Though small in number, they put everything out there on the track. Lead by co-captains Flora Goodthyme and Paula G. Imnaughty, both of whom have shown notable versatility on the track, the skaters came rolling out in pink outfits to the sweet tunes of bagpipes as played by Connecticut’s Major N’ Fraction.

Flora Goodthyme #1-900
Paula G. Imnaughty #NC-17
Babe Vigoda #56
Guns N’ Bruises #2012
Murphy’s Outlaw #15
Rinko Starr #64
and visiting skaters from the Long Island Roller Rebels
Amaretto Sourpuss #214
Tailgunner Flo #152
Violet Knockout #4
Chest Blockwell #7

The bout began with an aggressive start for the ladies of Boston. Cheered on by their mascot (skater Anna Wrecks Ya wearing a huge tea bag costume) Lil’ Paine got the ball rolling with a fast grandslam against Paula G. Boston held on to their momentum despite losing a few key opportunities for lead jamming status, pulling in a whopping 39 points after the first five jams. CT did what it could to resist. Chest Blockwell was, unsurprisingly, blocking very well and aided Murphy’s Outlaw and Flora Goodthyme in narrowing the score a little bit in the first few minutes of the bout. There hard work was kept in check though by the remarkably consistent skating of Boston jammers Lil’ Paine, Killery Clinton, Haley Contagious and Mona Mour.

While the halftime score of 100 to 24 may have suggested otherwise, Connecticut certainly was not without life. Special kudos to Amaretto who showed great aggression and also Rinko who got a beautiful lead in the 12th jam off of an assist by Violet Knockout.

The second half proceeded much like the first. Interestingly, the teams were closely matched in regards to who was getting lead jammer status. Over the course of the bout, Boston only had 4 extra leading opportunities. It seemed the shortcoming of the girls in pink was not necessarily speed off the starting block as much as a difficulty in stopping their opponents once their wheels hit the track. I counted 12 grand slams (some had multiple laps in the same jam) for the Boston girls in the first half alone.

In particular, it was fun to watch Lil’ Paine and Killary jam. Their maneuverability was awesome! Both seemed to skate through the Connecticut pack with little resistance. At one point, I thought Killary had found a weakness in the inside edge of Connecticut’s defense, as she seemed to repeatedly skirt her way through around the corner, but then CT closed this inside gap and Killary found a new opportunity on the outside edge! It was an impressive example of mobility on skates. Also noteworthy, CT’s Rinko Starr secured another beautiful lead jammer status off of a great whip in the second half. Unfortunately, I didn’t note the number of the skater who performed the whip, but it was critical for Rinko’s advancement.

The bout ended with a Boston victory of 166 to 38.

Statistics from the first bout!

Lead Scorers:

Boston B
Lil’ Paine 65 points in 15 jams (10 lead)
Killary Clinton 51 points in 13 jams (6 lead)
Haley Contagious 28 points in 4 jams (2 lead)

Yankee Brutals
Amaretto Sourpuss 21 points in 10 jams (5 lead)
Murphy’s Outlaw 8 points in 6 jams (3 lead)
Flora Goodthyme 4 points in 8 jams (4 lead)

MVPs!
Boston: Lil’ Paine
Yankee Brutals: Flora Goodthyme

The Second Bout!

The main event matched up CT’s Stepford Sabotage against the #5 in the Region, Boston Massacre. The girls warmed up in the intermission and then got down to business. Let’s look at the teams.

Boston came out in strong force with 14 women listed in the roster:

Anna Wrecks’ Ya #101
Pina Collidah #77
Mrs. Dash #360Ëš
Harlot Fevah #99
Harley Quinn #9669
Lois Carmen Dominator #011 (awesome name!)
Etta Maims #B-52
Maude Forbid #7:1
Pussy Venom #28
Maura Buse #34B (also, awesome name!)
Shellby Shattered # -0
Claire D. Way #1984
Kitty Twister #138 Captain
Krushpuppy #(843) Captain

These women looked forceful, but could Connecticut push back? CT’s Stepford Sabotage was coming in with slightly fewer skaters.

Black Cherry #C-4
Chelsea Grin #777
C. Mya Rage #86′d
Doomcake #13
Ether Bunny #222
Milla LowLife #40oz.
Miz ConSepJen #7
Parker Poison #3
Revengela #1-2-3-4
Violet Riot #911
Luciana Pullverotti #110r
Pearl Jammer #GO Captain

The bout started with Pearl Jammer and Claire D. Way skating up to the starting line as jammers. It looked like both teams were putting their best jammer up first. Both Pearl and Claire started off with speed, but Claire’s pack support was a bit superior and she snagged a quick 4 points. Krushpuppy and Maura Buse continued Boston’s fast and furious drive with 8 more points and 4 more points respectively for the beantown girls. Things were looking dire for the hometown. Hope was lifted briefly for the girls in green when Black Cherry snagged lead jammer status in the third jam. The crowd cheered loudly as Cherry blew kisses to her fans, but to the crowd’s dismay the status was revoked when it was determined that the ref had awarded her lead jammer status erroneously.

As the officials figured out what went awry, DJ E-bomb kept the crowd amused with hilarious music. A few of the girls in the pack got their groove on, dancing to DJ E-Bomb’s tracks. Chelsea Grin’s dance moves in particular caught the attention of a Boston fan next to me, who said aloud: “I love 777.”

When the action resumed, Boston continued their relentless drive. Boston skater Lois Carmen Dominator (LCD) was doing a beautiful job blocking the Connecticut jammers. On numerous occasions she single handedly kept the CT jammer at bay. This freed up three Boston blockers and allowed them to focus on clearing a way for their jammer to pull points. By the end of the ninth jam, Boston was leading 71 to 0.

Finally, Pearl caught a break. Skating against Maura Buse, Pearl hit the track hard. As she skated through the pack two of the Boston blockers were sent to the penalty box. Pearl took advantage of the situation and earned the first 9 points for her team. Doom and Parker did a great job supporting Pearl’s drive, but it certainly wasn’t enough to slow the Boston Massacre. At the end of the first half, Pearl’s points were the only points scored for CT. It was 112 to 9.

The second half started off a bit better for CT. Chelsea grabbed lead jammer status and a single point in the third jam, and Black Cherry followed with 4 more. But… that was the end of Connecticut’s luck. Shortly thereafter Boston laid down the law and kept the Sabotage scoreless from there out. The Boston defense was just extraordinary. They were so skilled at slowing the CT skaters and yet still playing defense for their own team. It’s this dual role that makes roller derby particularly exciting for me. To switch from an offense to defense strategy on a dime must be extremely difficult.

Claire concluded the bout against black cherry, pulling 10 points right at the end. The underdogs just didn’t have it for this match up, but there will always be next time. Final score? 230 to 14.

Statistics for the second bout!!

Lead Scorers:

Boston Massacre:
Claire D. Way 101 points in 12 jams (10 lead) < - Wow.
Krushpuppy 52 points in 5 jams (4 lead)
Mrs. Dash 28 points in 5 jams (4 lead)

Stepford Sabotage:
Pearl Jammer 9 points in 10 jams (2 lead)
Black Cherry 4 points in 4 jams (1 lead)
Chelsea Grin 1 point in 2 jams (1 lead)

MVPs!

Boston: Anna Wrecks' Ya
Connecticut: Chelsea Grin

Great job to all the players. It was an aggressive game and great to see CT challenged on such an intense level. In other exciting news, WFTDA announced the rankings for the regionals in North Carolina in September. CTRG got in at a #10 ranking!! Great job girls! Boston got in at #5.

If you’d like more information on Connecticut’s or Boston’s leagues check out their websites here:

CTRollerderby.com

BostonDerbyDames.com

On Friday night I had the pleasure of attending Connecticut’s roller derby double header. Expectations were high. Connecticut’s travel team, the Stepford Sabotage, took on Westchester County’s Suburban Brawl in the first half, while Austin’s Texecutioners traveled 1,800 miles to put NY city’s own Gotham Girls to the test.

For a recap of the Connecticut bout, please go here!

The Sabotage vs Suburbia bout set the stage for what was sure to be one of the most exciting roller derby showdowns in recent New England history. The Gotham Girls, rated number one nationally, had driven up from New York to meet up with Austin’s own Texecutioners who are rated number one in the south central region and number four nationally. As the women took their warm up laps it quickly became apparent that yes, this would be one very impressive showing of skill on skates.

Gotham:

Ana Bollocks
Barbara Ambush
Bonnie Thunders
Brigitte Barhot
Donna Matrix
Fisti Cuffs
Ginger Snap
Hyper Lynx
Kandy Kakes
Pepierschnitt
Polly Gone
Surly Temple
Suzy Hotrod
Sweet Sherry Pie

The Texecutioners:

Belle Starr
Bloody Mary
Bullet Tooth Tracy
Crackerjack
Curvette
Desi Cration
Friction VixXxen
Lucille Brawl
Molotov M. Pale
Olivia Shootin’ John
Rice Rocket
Shank
Vicious Van Gogo
Kat A. Killzem

The Gotham Girls were dressed in an imposing black – a perfect contrast to the stark white uniforms of the Texecutioners. New referees took their place in the center of the track as the girls rolled to the starting line. The bout started with Bloody Mary of the Texecutioners opposing Bonnie Thunders of the Gotham Girls. Bonnie was easily identified on the track by the bright yellow lightning bolt which extended down her thigh.

Right from the beginning the Texecutioners got hit with a penalty. What would become a frequent frustration for the southerners, the jammer was sent to sit down for one minute. With the full Gotham fury focused on offense, the Texecutioners had little success in holding back Bonnie Thunders. She took in ten quick points for her team.

The second jam started and Bloody Mary charged back in from the penalty box. She quickly got ahead of the pack but, due to another foul, didn’t get lead jammer status. It didn’t stop her though. This time Bloody Mary got help from Rice Rocket and the others in the Texas pack who held back Gotham jammer Suzy Hotrod. Nine points into the jam, Bloody Mary was still going strong but Suzy finally broke through the line and ended the jam.

This bout was just getting started.

The next three jams went to the Texecutioners. Lucille Brawl, Olivia Shootin’ John, and Bloody Mary kept whittling away at the scoreboard. But the Gotham girls were always right behind to limit scoring potential. The energy of the teams and staff was especially apparent as Texecutioner Assistant Coach, Coach Koolaid, shouted from the sidelines, motivating and directing the team to perform. The teams were keeping close. After a short run of lead jammer status for the Texecutioners, the Gotham girls came back equally as strong. Bonnie Thunders was almost overpowering. She pulled another 10 points in the 13th giving a six point lead to her team. Bloody Mary returned with patient consistency and took in five points. The minutes drew to seconds in the first half when, once again, Texas made a few too many fouls. Texas girls were sent to the penalty box and what was moments earlier a 1 point game became a 16 point game when Suzy Hotrod lapped her opposing blockers three times for 15 points. The crowd, which was, as expected, full of more NY fans than TX fans, exploded into cheers. The first half ended with the New York Gotham girls ahead 43 to 27.

This particular bout was broadcast over the internet. Shortly after the intermission Bettie Mercury walked by and mentioned that there were 1,100 viewers online. Eleven Hundred! I think it’s safe to say that these women can draw a crowd.

The Texecutioner’s position looked grim at the start of the second half, but the girls were clearly not ready to give up. Bonnie Thunders of NY started with yet another sting for NY. She scored four points for her team widening the score gap to 20. But the TX consistency was hard to beat. Texas snagged nie of the next 11 lead jamming status. Lucille, Rice Rocket, Bloody Mary, and Olivia collectively scored 37 points which included a 9 point jam by Olivia as Fisti Cuffs got sent out on a penalty. With only a few minutes left in the bout the Texas team had a 15 point lead. But then things took a turn for the worse for the southerns. Their aggressive playing resulted in two consecutive jams with three of their players in the penalty box. Bonnie Thunders first tried to take advantage but was held to six points in what could only be described as superhuman skating by Rice Rocket and Bullet Tooth Tracy. But the tide could not be held back much longer. In the next two jams Suzy Hotrod and Bonnie Thunders brought in 25 points for the ladies in black. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Gotham put Bonnie, their star jammer, back into play. She snuck through the pack, secured the lead jammer status and the Gotham fans erupted!

Final score – Gotham 84, Texecutioners 76.

Statistics!

MVP
Gotham: Kandy Kakes
Texecutioners: Bullet Tooth Tracy

Lead Scorers
Gotham:
Bonnie Thunders 51 points in 18 jams (11 lead)
Suzy HotRod 31 points in 12 jams (4 lead)

Texecutioners:
Bloody Mary 29 points in 12 jams (5 lead)
Lucille Brawl 21 points in 10 jams (8 lead)
Olivia Shootin’ John 21 points in 13 jams (6 lead)

Great job to all the players! If you’d like to learn more about Connecticut roller derby, check out the website here.

For information on Gotham, please head on over to their website here; and for information on the Texecutioners, you can check out their website here.

It’s probably worth noting that the Texas girls kept up their tour and followed up Friday’s bout with a win against Charm City and another against Boston. Well done Texas!

On Friday night I had the pleasure of attending Connecticut’s roller derby double header. Expectations were high. Connecticut’s travel team, the Stepford Sabotage, took on Westchester County’s Suburban Brawl in the first half, while Austin’s Texecutioners traveled 1,800 miles to put NY city’s own Gotham Girls to the test.

The bout logo and tagline.

Tickets were in high demand and crowd came in force to support their favorites. Stepford was up first. The girls in green were welcoming back a few players. It was great to see Black Cherry (back after two bouts) and Chelsea Grin (back after… a year? I think?) skating again. The CT roster was full and I’m certain that the extra players were a welcome relief to their taxed teammates deep into the 30 minute periods.

Sabotage:
Black Cherry
Chelsea Grin
C.Mya Rage
Doomcake
Eleanor Bruisevelt
Ether Bunny
Milla LowLife
Miz ConSepJen
Parker Poison
Revengela
Violet Riot
Luciana Pulverotti
Pearl Jammer

Suburbia roller derby, based out of Westchester County, NY was kickstarted by former CT skaters Slim Fast and Suffah Kate. Slim Fast last skated with CT in June of ’07. It was great to see her wearing skates again. The girls from Westchester came wearing camouflage skirts and bootie shorts.

Brawl:
Domestic violet
IV Drop
Ann Sane
AWOL
Brawl Stanley
Dina Sore Jr.
el Pass-o
Hard-Core Vette
Pony Girl
Slim Fast
Smashing Pumpkin
Suffah Kate
Taryn Limbs
Vixen von Bruizen

As the crowd cheered, Pearl Jammer and IV Drop took their positions at the jammer starting line. Ether and Domestic Violet wore the pivot caps. The whistles blew and the girls took off. IV got a quick lead off a block by Dina Sore Jr. and snaked to the front of the pack. Unfortunately, her efforts were tainted by a foul so she didn’t score lead jamming status. She did however, have the opportunity to loop around and snag three points before Pearl had a chance to take lead jammer status and cut the jam short.

Hard-Core Vette rolled to the tape next for Suburbia against Milla. Milla pulled a grand slam. One player for suburbia was sent out on penalty in this second jam which paved the way for a beautiful 10 point jam by Elle. Parker, Miz, and Chelsea did a great job of slowing down the pack so that Elle could make the rounds. Pearl and Milla stretched the streak with 13 and 5 points respectively in the following two jams. Milla seemed to pause at the completion of her grand slam in the 5th jam. It was hard to tell if she was giving her team recoup time or trying to run down the clock in the midst of Stepford’s comfortable 30 point lead – though it seemed a bit early in the bout to be running the clock. The lost time did not come back to bite the girls in green in the first half. They kept the pressure on Suburbia widening the point gap.

Suburbia made a bit of a tactical error in the 11th jam. Pearl was sent out on penalty; Hard-Core Vette was skating as an unopposed jammer! Connecticut’s pack (also less a blocker on penalty) kept close for a moment and then took off! Unexpectedly, Suburbia took up the chase. Had they held back they may have been able to initiate an out of play call on the Sabotage. Blockers must be within 20feet of the pack in order to initiate a block. Oftentimes the pack will split as one team tries to slow the pack and the other team tries to speed up the pack. During normal play the pack operates in a balance between these two extremes, but when a girl is out on penalty the out of play rule allows the fully represented team to force the speed of the pack. In this case, Suburbia had an opening to slow the pack down dramatically to let Vette get some big points, but with her team chasing Stepford, Vette couldn’t make it around fast enough.

The first half ended with a score of 72 to 17 in favor of Connecticut.

Both teams were alternating through a consistent core of jammers. Suburbia saw regular play by IV, Hard-Core Vette, Smashing Pumpkin, and Dina Sore Jr.; Stepford called on the regulars Pearl, Milla, and Elle with the occasional Chelsea and Doom. Interestingly, Milla was played far more in the first half than the second. She really was on fire. At one point, one of my close friends gushed “Milla LowLife is, like, Kamikaze today” as Milla astonishingly chased down lead jammer Domestic Violet.

The second half started with Elle and IV Drop. I must admit, midway through the first two jams of the second half I was distracted by Pam Terror as she came around offering cupcakes for 2 dollars. I got a chocolate star cupcake with a fun sprinkled frosting. As I gluttonously finished my delicious cupcake I suddenly heard an overwhelming wave of cheering. I looked up to see a Suburbia player on the ground and Black Cherry blowing kisses to the crowd. I have no idea what happened – but I’m certain it was epic.

Pearl was in rare form in the 8th jam of the second half. I swear once she sprinted off the starting line she didn’t slow once. With the likes of Miz and Revengela in the pack, gaps seem to form miraculously in front of the jammer. 12 points later the girls in green had a lead of 78. The bout wound down with consistent performances by all the girls. IV Drop should be commended for her extremely strong start in the 13th. Doomcake ended Connecticut’s evening taking lead jammer status and throwing up her patented fist pump as the time ticked to zero. The final score: 124 – 38

Statistics!

MVP’s
Stepford: Pearl Jammer
Suburbia: Suffah Kate

Lead Scorers

Stepford:
Pearl Jammer 58 points in 12 jams (7 lead)
Milla LowLife 38 points in 10 jams (5 lead)
Eleanor Bruisevelt 19 points in 6 jams (3 lead)

Suburbia:
Dina Sore Jr 11 points in 8 jams (2 lead)
IV Drop 10 points in 8 jams (4 lead)

Penalties
Stepford:
Miz four visits
Chelsea 3 visits

Suburbia:
Hard-Core Vette 3 visits

To read about the Gotham Texecutioners bout, click here!

Great job to all the players. It was great to see Slim Fast and Suffah Kate bring their team to CT for this extreme night. The CT girls will be at it again on July 25th at the Connecticut Sports Center in Woodbridge. If you’d like more information on this upcoming bout or any other facet of CT roller derby, check out the website here.

For information on Suburbia’s Roller Derby, check out their website here.