Bought my tickets to the 2011 WFTDA Championships

*deep breath*

I bought my 3-day pass to the 2011 WFTDA Championships - Continental Divide and Conquer.

I'm going to Denver in November.

Happily, my girl Ursula Udders is heading to the mile high city with me. Who else has plans to go?

The tournament will be held in the 6,500 seat 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, CO, the home of the Denver Roller Dolls.

I did some blogging about Nationals last year: my thoughts on Nationals 2009 in Philly, when I finally decided to go to Chicago (note: last year I didn't buy tickets until October), and then some pictures from the first day.

Next stop... plane tickets.

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.

2010 WFTDA Championships in Chicago: Know Before You Go

Featuring Field Reporting from Hellions Announcer Eloda Sarcasm

Lucky for me, Eloda Sarcasm and Ida Feltersnatch have already landed in Chicago and have spent most of the day there. They've checked into the hotel, have ridden the L, and have thoughts on the weather. Here are some notes I got from Eloda today.

If you do not have a lot of luggage, arriving from the airport, I suggest the train. The 3 day pass is $14. The ride in was nice, and commuter heavy the closer you got into the city. Best part beside the price? Traveling along at a decent speed while cars are at a standstill on the highway.

• From O'Hare Airport take the Blue Line to the Monroe Street stop (subway station). Follow the flow of traffic traffic 1.5 blocks down Monroe Street to the Hotel, which is between State and Wabash.
• From Midway Airport take the Orange Line to Adams and Wabash - it's 1/2 block from the Hotel.

Peacock imagery throughout the hotel.

The is no free wifi at the hotel. It is $15/day. There is a business center and a super close Starbucks with free wifi. There is no little coffee pot in the room (which I have come to take for granted), but there is a Starbucks in the street level lobby, and one just down the street.

This hotel has probably never seen anything like derby in its halls, and I cannot wait to watch staff take it all in. If you have an irrational fear of peacocks, cancel your reservation and stay somewhere else! For realz.

You cannot check in until, the earliest, 11am, and that is NOT a sure thing. It's all based on room turnover. You can leave your bags upon arrival to get out and explore, then they bring them to your room upon check in.

The architecture here is gonna blow your mind. The ornamental iron and rooftops are amazing.

It's chilly here so be prepared.

Also, bring your swimsuit - there's a pool on the 7th floor of the hotel! (7th floor?!)

Also, here's the lowdown on the UIC Pavillion from a skater from Cincinnati on rollerderbyinsidetrack.com.  If you're like me and didn't nab a VIP pass before they sold out, fear not:

There isn’t a bad seat in the house! You will not be able to sit on the floor, at least not your behind. All fans with VIP seats, will have floor access and a metal chair near the track. Personally, I prefer the stands to the track-side chairs. You’re closer to the beer, bathrooms and like I said…there is not a bad seat in the house. Bring your wallets, beers are $9, but there was a decent selection of quality beers.

See y'all this weekend!

Derby Bracket Contest

Screencap of contest.

This has been floating around Facebook... it's a 2010 WFTDA Championships bracket contest from Dave Wood Photography. From the facebook page:

On the weekend of November 5-7, 2010, twelve of the best roller derby teams in the world will come together in Chicago for the Uproar on the Lakeshore Championship Tournament. The bracket has been announced -- all you have to do is predict the winners and you could find yourself the winner of some quite lovely prizes. Hop on over to the contest page and submit your entry!

It looks like the photographer is based out of Denver, CO.  Check out his website for some artistic/action derby photography (under portfolio > roller derby).

Well, what are you waiting for? Enter the contest here: http://davewoodphotography.com/derbycontest/

It's free to enter and your winning bracket selections will put you in the running for prizes from Heartless Wheels, Sock Dreams, fiveonfive Magazine, Savage Skates, Wicked Skatewear, and Dave Wood Photography.

Update: Need something to base your picks on? Check out the Championship Preview from Roller Derby Inside Track. Great run down on all the teams participating.

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.

Got My Tickets

Look what I got in the mail today...

Less than 3 weeks away until the 2010 WFTDA Championships!  Are you going?

I'm going to Nationals!

Or should I say, the 2010 WFTDA Championships. Last month I pondered the feasibility of traveling to Chicago to see the best teams play my favorite sport. Well, I worked things out and booked my plane tickets to Chicago a few days ago. I also bought my 3-Day Pass to the event - General Admission only... looks like VIP seating is all sold out. Dang! But that's an extra $45 I can be spending on deep dish pizza!

The last of the four Regional tournaments, South Central, is finishing up this weekend, and then we'll know all 12 teams who will be headed to Chicago the first weekend of November. Of course I'll be supporting Gotham - I <3 NY. But I am also excited about Minnesota, Charm City, and B.ay A.rea D.erby.  B.A.D. intrigues me because I remember seeing a bunch of their girls at Nationals (not playing) last year. Demanda Riot sat in front of me for a few games...I remember admiring her dreads. She's got an unforgettable look. I also saw some of them skate at ECE back in July. It's awesome that they made it this year.

I've never been to Chicago before. I'm flying in early Friday morning and leaving Monday afternoon, so hopefully I'll get to see some of the city. Any recommendations for places to visit? The event is being held at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.

2010 WFTDA Nationals

I'm trying to figure out if I can attend WFTDA Nationals this year in November.  I've basically been waiting since LAST November when I attended Nationals in Philly.  I was barely part of the league 2 months when I decided to go on that crazy adventure.  But it was so fun and amazing because so many people from my team made the trip down and we saw lots of great derby.

My first Philly cheesesteak.

This year it's in Chicago, hosted by the Windy City Rollers.  I've been pining over the $300 round trip airline tickets on Southwest.  Then there's the option of a 13+ train ride... or a 15 hour drive.

Derby is so big in Philly,
they have posters at bus stops!

Getting autographs at last
year's Nationals.

Then there's the cost of the tournament + food + souvenirs.  And taking off time from work.  And the fact that I may be traveling out of State for Thanksgiving.  But I've never been there before, so there's another reason to go!

Lots of options to weigh, but I hope I can make it out to Chicago.  Will I make it to Uproar on the Lake Shore?  Stay tuned to find out.

Tell you one place I do plan to go, however: Derby in the Burbs - the Eastern Regional Tournament hosted by Suburbia Roller Derby - Friday, September 24 - Sunday, September 26.  I think after I attend that tournament, I'll decide if I really need to go to Chicago.