Photos from March 2 bout

Check out some photos from our March 2 season opener against the Green Mountain Derby Dames (Burlington, VT).  I was actually home sick with the flu for this bout - bummer :(

Hellions and Green Mountain lined up to start a jam.
Photo by Sean Childs

Baby Nuclear lined up as the Hellions jammer, sporting a hockey helmet and bandana - intimidating!
Photo by Sean Childs

Check out more photos by Sean Childs on his facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.612504025431435.1073741826.100000155297353

Another photographer, Bob Donlon also took some shots are our bout.  You can view his photos on his smugmug page: http://galleries.bobdonlon.com/Other/Roller-Derby/2013-0302-HellionsOfTroy/

While we didn't win the bout, it was still a good time and a learning experience for the Hellions.  We had a packed house -- a great start to our season!  Thank you to everyone for coming out. 

Lastly, one special thing about this bout: it was our first WFTDA sanctioned bout! When we play other charter teams from WFTDA leagues we are able to be ranked amongst the other WFTDA leagues in the world.  I think we need to play one more ranked bout before we are eligible for rankings.  Anyway, even though we lost, it was really awesome to see our name on the WFTDA website after the bout.
Final score: Green Mountain 228 - HoTRD 110.

My Two Year Bout-aversary

I almost forgot - the bout I played in on May 12 against Rideau Valley was my two year anniversary of my first bout against the Utica Roller Girls (May 8, 2010).  In 2011 I bouted the same weekend (May 14), against Garden State.

November 2009 in Philly for 2009 Champs

I joined the Hellions in September 2009.  The first practice I showed up to was actually at Frear Park... it was right before we moved to Rollarama.  It was also the end of their season, and there were no bouts even scheduled until April 2010...it was 6 months before I could even think about playing in a game.

For those 6 months I trained and learned the game.  I watched a lot of roller derby and really fell in love after attending the 2010 WFTDA Championships in Philadelphia.  We didn't have the formal fresh meat training we have now.  Our league has grown a lot in the past 2.5 years.  Remember when I said we didn't bout for 6 months when I joined? Things somehow changed after that... from April 2010 to November 2011 we had at least one both every single month with the exception of two.  22 bouts and two tournaments in 18 months.)

It's also strange to think I've been the league manager for over a year, having been elected in early 2011 and now serving my second term.  I love being part of this growing league.  We earned our WFTDA Apprenticeship in October 2011 and we're working towards completing the requirements for full WFTDA membership. I will say that's our biggest accomplishment during my tenure with the league. Followed up by our third place finish at Empire Skate Showdown in September 2011.

I have personal goals and goals for the league...but on that subject, I'm not gonna talk about it, I'm gonna be about it.  Here's to another amazing year as a Hellion.

Hello Denver

Packing last minute.

This isn't a total derby update, just a little post about my first day in Denver, the day before the 2011 WFTDA Championship Tournament started.

The second weekend in November I attended the 2011 WFTDA Championships in Denver, CO.  Even though I got my tickets to Championships back in August, this was kind of a fly by the seat of my pants trip. I wasn't 100% sure I was going to get my time off from work approved, so I put off buying plane tickets as long as possible. I thought I might not get to go period.

I also wasn't sure where I was going to stay.  Everything came together barely three weeks before the tournament - it turned out Jonny Malice of Capital District Trauma Authority was moving out to Denver November 1 -- taking the "long" way there but arriving just days before Championships, so he invited me to stay with him for the weekend.  Putting that one thing in place ended up being a catalyst, because two days later my time off from work was approved and by the end of the weekend I had my plane tickets booked.

So fast forward.  I flew out Thursday morning. It was my first time flying solo but I did a good job catching all my flights and finding the right gates.  I love looking out airplane windows. I always try to look for baseball fields. Here's a shot of Colorado at the beginning of our descent into Denver. No baseball diamonds, but lots of squares.

Malice picked me up from the airport and we grabbed some lunch with his dad who, who made the road trip out with him (he flew back to Albany on Friday morning). It was really important to me to get to Denver a day before the tournament started because I knew I wanted to see at least a little of the city and they surrounding area.

Luckily, we found the perfect place to check out that afternoon: Red Rocks Amphitheater and Park. The Amphitheater is amazing. There were a lot of people exercising on the stairs, and we saw some other derby people checking it out, too. I heard Gotham flew out to Denver a week early - I wonder if they did any training there? It also reminded me of Roarshock, who is also praising plyometrics.

The Amphitheater is build right into the mountain. We were there at sunset and it was so beautiful. There was a hiking trail (a little over 1 mile) so we checked that out, too. Here's some pictures:

This is at the top of the amphitheater. That's Denver in the distance.
My scarf blowing in the wind haha.

Red Rocks!

On the trail.

After the hike we headed to Boulder to have dinner and take a walk around. Boulder reminds me of Burlington, VT. At the bar where we had dinner there was football games on every TV - not just NFL but also college.  It appears Boulder is kind of a big college football area. We also saw a quick segment about Championships on the TV?? I think it was a news interview. Exciting!!

The weather all weekend was perfect. It was 60 degrees and sunny every day.

So that concludes my first day in Denver. I do plan to write more about my trip - and of course the tournament - so tune in for that. I am so happy that I was able to go after all!

WFTDA Apprentice League!!!

We did it! We were accepted to the Women's Flat Track Derby Associate as an apprentice league! This has been our goal since our inception an my personal focus for the past year as the application coordinator. I did tons of research, met a lot of people, did a lot of traveling, and worked hard with my amazing team to show the derby world that the Hellions kick ass. And with the proper guidance, we'll be even more amazing.

On Thursday, October 27, 2011, the WTFDA announced this quarter's group of accepted leagues:
http://wftda.com/news/apprentice-leagues-october-2011

From the WFTDA website, the Apprenctice Program is

Designed to act as a WFTDA 101 tutorial, the Apprentice Program matches new leagues with an established WFTDA mentor, who guides her apprentice through WFTDA processes and requirements, and offers advice about league-specific issues. The curriculum can include everything from league formation to how to become ranked and qualify for WFTDA-sponsored tournaments. Upon completion of the program, apprentice leagues will have the knowledge and league recommendations to apply for full WFTDA membership.

A long road led us to where we are today. I want to say thank you to the following who helped and inspired us along the way:

The Long Island Roller Rebels - you've always inspired us. Thank you for visiting us for a fun practice night. Thank you for the scrimmage opportunities. And thank you for hosting the Empire Skate Showdown, which gave us a chance to shine this year.





Central New York Roller Derby - the team we admire, and strive to be like. We learned so much from you this year and love working with you. We saw how much you grew as a league since being accepted as a full WFTDA member last year. We want to follow in your footsteps!

Our officials - We would not be the well-rounded league we are without The "Argue-nots", our refereeing and non-skating officials staff. Many of them are on the path to become Certified WFTDA referees. Our acceptance into the WFTDA Apprentice Program will help them with this cause because we'll be bouting more WFTDA leagues ourselves (for them to officiate!)  It's a great relationship.  Our officials are also amazing representatives of the Hellions, as they travel pretty much more than anyone to attend and volunteer at away bouts - seemingly every weekend.  We love you Team Zebra!  Thank you for spreading the good name and good nature of the Hellions!

Our announcers - Ida Feltersnatch and Eloda Sarcasm.  These two women are the reason I have such an awesome appreciate for WFTDA in the first place.  They brought me on my first derby road trip to the 2009 Championships, a derby experience I'll never forget and one that shaped my attitude about being part of the larger derby community.  Ida and Eloda call in to the Derby Deeds early and often to keep people on top of our adventures - of which we have so many.  And like Team Zebra, Ida and Eloda are constant travelers, always spreading the good word of the Hellions.  Oh, and by the way - they BOTH became AFTDA Certified this year.  Like the all the Hellions and the refs, they want to be part of their great organizations in the field of roller derby.

Thank you to all the WFTDA Leagues we bouted in 2011 - Queen City, Green Mountain, Providence, Garden State, Montreal, Connecticut, Roc City, Maine, Hudson Valley and of course our match up against Gotham's Wall Street Traitors at Empire Skate Showdown.  We learned something new every game - either from on the track or off the track at the after party. ;)

And of course, thank you from ME to all my amazing league. Team work makes the dream work. We did it!

The Hellions after our bout in Montreal this past summer.  Look at that strategically placed WFTDA banner.
It was meant to be!

I thought 2011 was the year of the Hellions - but the best is yet to come!

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!

Central New York Roller Derby announces 2012 season

CNYRD announced their 2012 season this week!  Check out their season here: http://cnyrollerderby.blogspot.com/2011/09/2012-save-dates.html

CNYRD, out of Rome, NY, achieved full WFTDA member status in 2010 - t we are hoping to follow their footsteps!  HoT has played CNYRD several times, and we also do the occasional scrimmage swap. We <3 them... time to start planning some roadtrips to beautiful central New York.

Eastern Region Play-offs: Nightmare on 95 Day 1

I've got thoughts on three of Friday's bouts for you.

In the first game of the tournament, the Dutchland Derby Rollers took on our friends from Maine Roller Derby (we're playing their B team next week!). I think it was a surprise to a lot of people, but Team USA rostered skater, V-Diva, recently transferred to DDR from Lehigh Valley. Maine did well but Dutchland took the win- their next bout would've been against Gotham (#1 tournament seed) later in the day - except they chose to forfeit. Read about that over on derbynewsnetwork or pretty much any facebook wall of someone related to roller derby.

The London vs Carolina game was one I had been looking forward to. I saw London play Providence Roller Derby, and I thought they were pretty great! Last year at Regionals (back when it was "Regionals"), Carolina played Montreal, winning by only a couple points. In my mind, this was sort of an international rematch for Carolina.

Carolina literally facing of vs London

London ruled the game with smart trapping and super recycling from their blockers; and beautiful footwork by their jammers. Even with hard strikes to the hips driven by Carolina, the London jammers would rarely take a tumble, and more like do some sort of spin-around move and stay on their feet. I actually saw this move from a couple jammers this weekend, including Charm City's CC Bang Bang.
Carolina interesting strategy of starting facing the jammers. From the crowd, it seemed intimidating. I'm curious about this strategy - I'm sure we'll be hearing about it.
The final score was London 160 - Carolina 67.


Montreal vs. Steel City
So, first of all you had to wonder - is the whole league wearing unitards under their jerseys, like the coaches? Or are those just pants?
This was a low scoring game for the first 10 minutes, with a score of score 16 Steel - 6 Montreal. Steel inched up to about at 25 point lead, but in the final jams of the period, Montreal nearly shortened the gap to 49-41 - still a quite low scoring game.
Soon into the second period, we saw the first 1 point lead change.  Midway into period two, the Steel City jammer was unable to take advantage of a powerjam due to what appeared to be an equipment malfunction seconds into the jam. A minute passed as she attempted to adjust her kneepad (?) and shortly the Montreal jammer was back on the track.
Steel City's defense endeavored to be ruthless: with big girls Athena and Bonecrusher in the back of the pack, it was nearly impossible to get around them. I'd like to rephrase myself and say that they were big girls... with incredible endurance and jammer stopping hits. By the end of the period, Steel regained the lead and took the game 134 - 88.

Next bout: Saturday August 27

I am shivering with anticipation!  The Boston B Party, of the Boston Derby Dames, is headed to our lil' city for a night of HoT derby action. The B Party, Boston's "B" level travel team is part of a league whose "A" team is ranked #6 in the East according to WFTDA 2011 Q2 Rankings.  Gulp. We are ready for the challenge!!

I've seen Boston play quite a few times and I know their girls are super fun.

Coming to the bout?  Say so on Facebook.
Buy your advance tickets here: tinyurl.com/bostonsmashparty
As always, look for our ad in next week's Metroland!

Guest post by Miss Ida: What is AFTDA?

Derby has its fair share of acronyms: HoTRD, CDTA, WFTDA, MRDA, NSO, LJ, JTO, etc

Miss Ida with CDTA skater Up End Atom.
Photo by Pete Rodriguez

It really goes on and on.

Announcing WFTDA Easterns 2010 with Rev Al Mighty of
Providence (Steel City vs. Charm City)

Sometimes it stands for a league's name like "HoT RD" is the Hellions of Troy Roller Derby. Sometimes it's a team like CDTA is the Capital District Trauma Authority (who skates under the league of Capital District Men's Roller Derby - CDMRD). It could also be a governing body like the WFTDA is the Women's Flat track Derby Association and MRDA is the Men's Roller Derby Association. Or it could be a certain type of official like a NSO is a Non Skating Official, those amazing people holding up the white boards and writing down important information on a clipboard. It could even be a specific move or status, LJ is Lead Jammer and JTO is Jammer Take Out, something most blockers strive for!

One acronym you might not be familiar with the AFTDA. Now, it looks pretty close to WFTDA and there is a reason for that. AFTDA stands for the Association of Flat Track Derby Announcers. Sadly not a lot of skaters even know such a thing exists...but we are hoping to change this!

Taken from the AFTDA Website:

If you have ever been to a flat track roller derby bout, watched one on TV or even caught one of the multiple on-line streams then chances are you've heard exceptional play by play, witty banter and a detailed explanation of the rules and strategy employed by the skaters on the track. If this is the case then you've heard an AFTDA Member hard at work. We are the sports broadcasters for the fastest growing sport in the world, Flat Track Roller Derby!

The members of the AFTDA strive to improve their knowledge of an ever changing game, increase their level of professionalism and ensure a good time is had by all. The AFTDA members are lovers of Roller Derby and their enthusiasm shines through in the voices you hear while at most sanctioned roller derby bouts. Certification tests have been developed to ensure that each announcer has a deep understanding of the rules, methods and hand signals employed during a roller derby bout. While they make it seem easy while on the mic, these announcers have dedicated their time and their efforts on bringing the highest level of play by play, sponsor marketing, crowd education and fan enjoyment possible to each and every bout.

Wait. Did that blurb up there say something about a test and rules? Oh yes! AFTDA members are the best of the best! We aren't just on the mic talking about pretty girls skating in circles.

We take this gig seriously.

AFTDA members are expected to know the most up to date WFTDA rule set. All 43 pages, including hand signals. It's a lot to know but if the announcer doesn't know it how are they going to explain it to you?

ECDX 2011 calling with Sashion Victim (Providence Roller
Derby vs. DC Rollergirls)

The certification test is given several times a year and mostly at large venue events, like the Big 5 Tournaments and the East Coast Derby Extravaganza put on bu the Philly Roller Girls every Summer (or as I like to call it: Roller Derby Summer Camp) ECDX is where I passed my certification test with a 98! I was pretty excited to say the least!

The AFTDA also has a Code of Conduct. You might be wondering why announcers would need a Code of Conduct for....Well, say you are a jammer and just reentered the track from the penalty box. Not one blocker has turned around to see you and all of a sudden the announcer calls out "Jammy McJammer is out of the box and about to pass through the pack!" Suddenly everyone turns around and sees her! D'oh! Not ok. This is a serious NO-NO in announcing and, conveniently enough, is addressed in the COC (another acronym). Derby announcing isn't like major league sports. Derby generally takes place in smaller venues and spectators and skaters alike can hear our announcing. The announcer’s job is to explain what just happened, not predict the future.

The AFTDA strives to make sure announcers do not:

• give away jammer position
• coach from the mic
• talk about a strategy that a team is about to try

Good announcing should have nothing but a positive impact on the bout. Educate and entertain, that’s my motto. Bad announcing can get you punched at the after party!

The AFTDA has a Board of Directors (BOD, I told you there are tons of acronyms). the BOD is made up of our Regional Representatives including the Eastern Rep, Boston Derby Dames very own Pelvis Costello.

I have known Pelvis for quite some time now, and I have to say he is one of my AFTDA derby announcing heroes. He is very witty and I dare say the master of pop culture references. He is also very knowledgeable about the sport. He was so very understanding and patient with me as I learned the ropes at my first WFTDA Regionals last year.

Working with one of her annoucer idols, Mr.
Jake Steel of the LIRR at ESS 2010.

Another one of my AFTDA announcing heroes is Long Island's Jake Steel.  He has been with LIRR (Last one, I promise.) since they first started up. I am proud to say the majority of my clever derby lines come from this man. He single handedly wrangles all of the announcing for the Empire Skate Showdown, New York’s roller derby tournament. That’s a lot of work and don't think we don't appreciate you for it Mr. Steel!


I have a very long list of announcing heroes so I won't subject you to all of them. But please keep in mind the next time you are at a bout and there is a good announcer who is speaking clearly, explaining the rules, is witty and doesn’t piss off the skaters. That might not be your average run of the mill announcer calling that play by play. You might be in the presence of an AFTDA certified announcer!

See you track side!

Ida Feltersnatch
Certified AFTDA Announcer
Ida on AFTDA
Ida on Facebook

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.

Greetings from Massachusetts

Hey y'all. Greetings from Massachusetts! We made it - hell, high water, or snowstorm could not stop us last night.

Today I'm adventuring in Salem with Ida and Eloda, and then we are going to the Boston Derby Dames vs. Montreal New Skids on the Block bout! My first time at a Boston home game. Montreal is one of my favorite teams - they're so fun - check out the video in this post. I don't know a lot about BDD, so I'm not sure how I want to call this bout. Based on Montreal's performance against Jet City (MTL 121 - JET 110) a couple weeks ago, Montreal might be able to sneak by. Their game against Rat City was even closer (MTL 110 - RAT 103). Although, it looks like historically BDD has come out on top. I think it will be a close game!

Check out DNN's preview of the game here: http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/2011/02/preview_24_montreal_faces_13_boston

Sorry for the quick post, but it's time to head to breakfast!

2011 Winter - Spring Season

Wondering about the next time you can check out some Hellions action? See you in January!

We've got a fun season coming up. Hopefully debuting some new girls in our home bouts, and taking on some challenging teams away. One bout I'm excited for: Green Mountain Derby Dames up in Vermont. Skiing anyone? Happy we're taking on WFTDA leagues - I love learning more and more about the organization when we get to play teams who are members. Still got my eye on the prize for the Hellions - one day!

All home games take place at Rollarama in Schenectady. Hope you're able to make it out to a bout (or three!) this season!

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!

The Point of No Return

Written with help from Hellions Head Ref, Miranda Wrights

A few nights ago at practice, we were discussing the strategy of "poodling" with the fresh meat. "Poodling" is when you take a player (usually a player who will be a jammer soon) with 3 minor penalties, and force them to get their 4th minor (4 minors equals a trip to the penalty box). When penalized at the very beginning of the jam, they go straight to the penalty box. They leave with minors at zero and start jamming with a clean slate. You wouldn't want to send a jammer our to jam if she has three minor penalties. One minor infraction and she's wasting time in the box. Dang!

How do they get their fourth minor? They start the jam out of play—like in front of the pack line or behind the jammer line. Since the only jammers can start behind that line, an astute ref sends the poodling player to the box with her 4th minor when the whistle blows.

However, a clever poodler uses the “Point of No Return”, a special spot on the determined based on the location of the penalty box. 7.3.2 of the WFTDA Rules states "When a skater is sent to the penalty box, she must immediately exit the track and skate to the penalty box in the counter-clockwise direction." Counter-clockwise is “derby direction”. If she has skated past the penalty box, she can’t turn around, skate clockwise, and try to enter the penalty box. She must skate all around the track and legally enter the box.

The Point of No Return is the point just after the last seat in the penalty box—beyond that is considered "past" the penalty box. Since time is of the essence—a blocker wants the shortest distance before this point.

What’s the best strategy? When the penalty box is between the pivot and jammer lines, poodling behind the jammers is the shortest distance to the box.

If the box is at turn three (about a quarter track behind the jammer line) then poodling behind the jammers isn't ideal. The poodler can’t skate clockwise to the to the box, even though it's the shortest distance. Instead they would have to go all the way around the track. Remember, you have to enter the box from a counter-clockwise “derby” direction.

So a strategic player starts as close to the box as possible without getting on the wrong side of the Point of No Return. Time is of the essence when you are sent to the box: your minute in the box does not start until your butt is in the seat!

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.

Jerry Seltzer's Blog

I recently came across Jerry Seltzer's roller derby blog. His father, Leo Seltzer, "invented" roller derby (in one way or another - there's a LOT of history and important characters in roller derby's history). Leo made the sport and spectacle popular through his impressive booking and promoting skills.

http://jerryseltzer.wordpress.com

Jerry has been writing his blog since June 2010 and it's a very personal insight to his life growing up with derby and what his thoughts are on the current incarnation. Jerry is in his 70s, so that also offers a unique perspective.

It seems like he's really proud of the newly found legitimacy of the sport. Periodically he'll reflect on derby's triumph's:

"Several things were apparent that I had not seen before: the conditioning of the athletes, the legal viciousness of the blocking, and the complete comprehension of the complexities of the game (say that fast!).....I had so many different thoughts: I wished my father had been able to see this amazing match and how his dream of legitimacy in Roller Derby had proved itself." -Jerry Seltzer, 10/4/10

I also read that he'll be at the 2010 WFTDA Championships in Chicago in November. Maybe I'll get a chance to meet him! 

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.