Catch live streaming derby this weekend

Not of the Hellions, unfortunately (although you can check out this DNN archive of our match against Montreal from this past summer)...but it's the final weekend of WFTDA Playoffs - North Central Region edition.

My favorite North Central team? The Minnesota Roller Girls! I caught them once East Coast Extravaganza. I love 'em! I have one of their stickers on my helmet >:) BTW, they have two skaters heading to Toronto in December to represent USA Roller Derby at the Roller Derby World Cup!

Starting at 9am Eastern, you can catch the action at http://derbyaccess.com/.
(At 1pm Eastern, make sure to catch Bout 4: #3 Minnesota RollerGirls vs #6 Mad Rollin’ Dolls!)It's the best roller derby the North Central region has to offer. Check it out, so you can estimate how teams will faceoff against the other regions at Championships in November (including New York's own Gotham Girls).

You can also stream the video on your iPhone. (The derby access link above can be used on any other mobile phone though). I've watched some of the games on my phone (when I was on the road), and the quality is great.

Lastly, Derby News Network is providing supplemental live coverage throughout the event. Happy viewing everyone!

2010 WFTDA Championships - Day 1 - In Pictures

Below are photos from Day 1 (Friday, November 4) of the 2010 WFTDA Championships hosted in Chicago, IL. All photos by either Nicole Flaherty (Doc Bi O'Hazard) or Marcie Pry (Short Temper). Photos from Day 2 and Day 3 to come.

Demanda Riot of B.ay A.rea D.erby (B.A.D.) races up to assist her jammer in the first bout of the day - B.A.D. vs the Texas Roller Girls.  Photo by Nicole Flaherty.

Demanda Riot and Burly Bot of B.A.D. Photo by Nicole Flaherty.

View from the top of the seating area. There was not a bad seat in the house. B.A.D. vs the Texas Roller Girls. Photo by Marcie Pry.

WFTDA Championships - Seeding Announced

On Tuesday October 12 WFTDA representatives drew the order of which teams will face-off for the first bouts of the championship tournament.  The tournament is a single elimination, advantage seeding, pool play structure.  In the first round (Friday) the top seeds (East: Gotham; West: Rocky Mountain; South Central: Kansas City; North Central: Windy City) get a bye, while the number 2 team from a region faces a number 3 team from another region.

A bye means that the top teams do not play until Saturday.  The number 2 and 3 ranked teams will duke it out on Friday to determine who will advance:

http://www.mnrollergirls.com/

The Texas Rollergirls (South Central #2) will take on the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls (West #3); the Minnesota RollerGirls (North Central #2) will take on the Charm City Roller Girls (East #3); the Philly Roller Girls (East #2) will take on the Mad Rollin' Dolls (North Central #3); and the Nashville Rollergirls (South Central #3) will take on the Oly Rollers (West #2).

http://www.nashvillerollergirls.com/

Yikes!  I do not know who I will root for in the Minnesota / Charm City game.  I've liked Minnesota for awhile, but have been loving Charm City since Eastern Regionals.  I'll also have my eye on the Nashville Rollergirls.  Mr. T's mother lives in Nashville and I'll be visiting there over Thanksgiving.  But they have to take on Oly!

Check out this video of the seeding announcement.  It just makes me love WFTDA even more because you can tell that the organization, while well established, is still so very much grass roots.

Recap: North Central Regionals

The weekend of September 10-12 was the beginning of this year's Big 5 WFTDA events.  The first of four regional tournaments leading up to Nationals.  The North Central Regionals: Thunda on the Tundra!

On Friday, I was excited to hear that my favorite midwest derby team, the Minnesota Rollergirls, easily won their first bout of the day (while I was at work, so I missed it).  Friday night, I did get to watch them play the #2 ranked Detroit Derby Girls on Derby News Network (DNN).  What a game!  It was neck and neck through out.  Not sure anyone saw that coming, but I was excited!  Read more about Day 1 here.

Note Mr. T's Yankees t-shirt and my London
Rollergirls shirt.  You know who we really love.

Saturday and Sunday I was in NYC with Mr. T visiting his sister.  We went to a Mets game on Saturday (they won, woohoo!)  Mr. T actually loves the Yankees but we got hooked up with these seats so who doesn't love a baseball game?

So, while the Mets and Phillies fans were sweating over who would win the second game of the series, I was desperately checking DNN/twitter/facebook/anything to figure out who was playing who and who was winning.  Minnesota had to play Madison, WI, another tournament favorite, to make the top three.  Again, another close game but Minnesota came out on TOP!  WFTDA Day 2 Recap.  Sunday, however, Minnesota would have to take on Chicago's Windy City Roller Girls - tournament favorite and #1 going into it all.

Far left: derby booty.

Sunday we went to an art reception at New Rochelle.  I knew Minnesota didn't play Windy City until later in the evening, so I enjoyed the afternoon.  As we were getting on the bus I knew it was about that time.  I figured out I could get play-by-play text updates on DNN, so using my dying iPhone, between dozing off on the bus, I caught bits of the game.  Windy City ended up winning the tournament, but Minnesota will advance in the #2 position.  Sweet!  Full WFTDA tournament recap here.

The next play off tournament takes place September 24-26 - Eastern Regionals in Westchester!  It's Derby in the Burbs hosted by Suburbia Roller Derby.  Luckily, I will be there in person!

Oh, by the way, one cool derby website I discovered that weekend: Roller Derby Inside Track!  Pretty new, but lots of good articles already.  It also features one of the most interesting people I follow on twitter: @CoachCaesar.  Check it out!