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!

Next Recruitment Night: October 9, 2011

I didn't get to really participate in a fresh meat program. Sure, I was considered "fresh meat for the standard three months" but my training was very trial-by-fire.  But I ain't complaining, and it just demonstrates the fact how much our league has grown in the past two years since I joined.

The Hellions have developed a fresh meat training program where we teach new skaters the ropes from the ground up. Based on the WFTDA Minimum Skills Requirements, we teach our new recruits everything about skating roller derby, including:

• how to fall down safely
• how to stop
• how to give a hit
• how to take a hit
• perfecting a derby-style stride

Haven't strapped on skates in a couple years?  Maybe more like a decade or two?  No problem.  The ability to skate comes right back to you.

Come check out the Hellions this Sunday night at Rollarama Skating Center (2710 Hamburg Street, Schenectady) at 7pm. Email hellionsrecruitment@gmail.com if you have questions in advance.

Looking for local groups to join us at our charity bout

We are looking for local organizations to help us underwrite our upcoming charity bout to support breast cancer awareness and research. Like minded organizations can buy/sponsor a "jam" (The game of roller derby is composed of a series of 2 minute jams organized into two 30 minute halves).
We'll make an announcement during the bout similar to "this jam is sponsored by XYZ organization!"

Local organizations are also invited to have a table to provide materials on your organization. You do not have to be an underwriter to have a table at this bout, as long as your organization supports the theme of our event.

Are you another local organization who is hosting a breast cancer awareness event? We'd love to work on a collaboration with you, too!

The event will not be your standard roller derby bout but rather will be an exciting intraleague event in which the rules and ways of play will be determined by the spectators. Along with collecting donations at the door, we will also be inviting audience members to donate a small amount to control the game (e.g., $1 buys your favorite team a point, $3 allows you to put a player in the penalty box, etc.), making it a fun interactive experience.

All profits raised will be donated to TruJoy, a local organization dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness within the Capital Region, and The Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Our announcer Heidi Davis AKA Eloda Sarcasm has walked for the past four years (NYC, Boston, Chicago and Houston) and will do so again on September 22-23, 2012 in Santa Barbara, CA.

We are reaching out to community organizations that may be interested in attending this event and supporting our efforts to raise funds for breast cancer research. Like many of you, this is something that has touched members of our league on a personal level, and we are working hard to promote this cause and let others know what they can do to participate.

We are also looking for local organizations to donate items to be raffled or "auctioned" off during the event.

If you are interested in attending, underwriting, donating, collaborating, or tabling, please contact:
Baby Nuclear at hellionsboutproduction@gmail.com 
and/or
Delinquent Dollie at hellionssponsorship@gmail.com
for more information.

Grand opening of Wheels and Gears Skate Shop today

Kyle Austin - aka Collyde - is hosting the grand opening of Wheels and Gears, the new derby and skate shop today in down Troy. Massacre and I stopped by last night during Troy Night Out to say hello and wish him well. Massacre also made the first purchase ever in the new shop!

Collyde actually started his business in January 2011, however the storefront is a new development. Over the past year, he's been a traveling roadshow of derby gear and supplies, tabling at our bouts as well as traveling out to Central New York for Central New York Roller Derby bouts - he's a sponsor for our leagues as well as the Utica Rollergirls and the Green Mountain Derby Dames. He's interested in working with other leagues - both near and far, so definitely reach out to him to find out about sponsorship.

Collyde doesn't just have derby gear, he can also hook you up with skateboarding and bicycle gear.

Besides the business, Collyde has been involved with roller derby for almost as long as the Hellions have existed. While talking with him last night, he told me he got involved with derby about 5 months after the Hellions started, which would be early 2009. Collyde has occasionally officiated our bouts and has been around in other volunteer capacities as well. Now he's here to support our league and others by providing a local place to buy derby gear.

While we were in the store last night, Collyde and his daughters were getting busy for their big opening day. (BTW, Collyde says he is accepting applications for employees, although his daughters said they'd be happy to work for gummi worms"). He did have time to show us around the space, and like I said, Massacre made the first purchase at the store.

Like most buildings in downtown Troy, the space has some unique features. The inside has some punk-y exposed brick, and Collyde is also working on bringing out the subtle features of the various moldings. He did some paint work to bring out a molded design on the wall. Check it out -- it's very "Troy".

Collyde's business knowledge of the derby world's needs is growing. I like to shop around, but from my research, I've found that his prices are comparable with places I might order from online. Now that there's a local shop, derby girls (and guys) can get what they need right away.

Collyde and Massacre talking about bearings.

Another cool feature Collyde added to the store: an old fashioned cash register.

Collyde administering his first transaction.

Mmm, Beirut.

Check out the grand opening of Wheels and Gears today, October 1, 2011, in downtown Troy. Tomorrow's store hours are 1:00pm - 8:00pm. By the way, the shop is right next to Beirut Restaurant - yum! Collyde told me proximity to Beirut may have been a contributing factor to picking his location. Sounds and tastes good to me.

WHEELS AND GEARS

186 RIVER ST.

TROY, NY 12180

What I'm doing today...

Gotham Girls Roller Derby bootcamp!
Headed down to NYC ... NOW!

Six hours of roller derby training with New York's (and the Eastern Region's) finest.

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.

Mark your calendars: upcoming charity bout - October 15

More information is coming soon (believe me, I'll dedicate a whole blog post to it!) but I want to point you all in the direction of the Facebook event for our upcoming Charity Bout on October 15 to get the initial details NOW.

Skate for a Cure: Hellions of Troy Roller Derby Charity Bout 
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161897177231506

This won't be your average roller derby bout. With Hellions on both teams, on the fly rule changes, and every few jams skated by our derby brothers of Capital District Men's Roller Derby - fans are in for a rowdy night of awesome roller derby and charity.  Proceeds from the bout will support breast cancer research and awareness.

Catching up on bout recaps: Hurricanes vs. Earthquakes 8/27/11

So... we were supposed to have an epic game against the Boston Derby Dames Boston B-Party... but then Hurricane Irene decided to ruin our party!  Due to impending weather circumstances, Boston was unable to travel to our location on August 27 ... so we had to make due somehow.  It was too late to cancel the bout. So, in a matter of hours, we pulled together two intraleague teams (with help from 5 other local derby players) and the concept of “Team Hurricane” vs. “Team Earthquake” was born.

Team Hurricane in black; Team Earthquake in pink. Photo by Space Chalky

Me in front of the White House. I ended my
vacation early to make this bout happen.
Kinda...not really. Dumb hurricane.

I wasn't actually rostered to play in the Boston bout, as Massacre and I were on vacation in Washington, DC and Baltimore that week for some baseball and roller derby. However, due to Irene, that weekend's baseball games were cancelled, so we decided to head back up to Albany a day earlier.

"Cool," I thought… "we'll be able to catch the Hellions play tonight!" 

Little did I know we would watch from the track. While I was riding back up to Albany in the car, I communicated with Baby Nuclear, our bout production manager, and Doc Hazard, one of our coaches. They were two people who really made this bout happen! The first phone call began with "we have a situation" and the last simple text message I received about an hour from Rollarama was "I think we're all set! Wear pink!"

The hurricane poured on us the whole ride back up to Albany…until exit 25, for beautiful Schenectady, NY where the sun was actually still shining. A good sign.

With solid rosters for both teams, Doc Hazard bench coached Team Hurricane and Roarshock made his Hellions coaching debut with Team Earthquake. For the most part, Team Hurricane lead in points scored, but the point spread was never too wide. The game ended with a score of 141 Hurricanes - 121 Earthquakes. The hurricanes dominated that weekend.

Delinquent Dollie, Sally Mae Hurtyou, Pork Slap and
Pied Viper. Photo by Space Chalky.

Game MVPs were Delinquent Dollie and Pied Viper (of CNYRD).  Game Heavy Hitter awards went to Sally Mae Hurtyou and Pork Slap!
Special incredible thank you to the local skaters who filled in our rosters at the 11th hour: CNY's Slay West and Pied Viper; and AASRD's Sweet Dee Bacle and Betty Blitzkrieg. Also Trixie Firecracker! <3 <3 <3

Speaking of hurricane domination, surrounding areas suffered major floor damage that weekend. Parts of the Capital District and beyond were under water. A portion of profits from our bout on Saturday, September 24 against Maine Roller Derby as well as food and items donated by our fans was donated to local flood victims.

Capital District Trauma Authority vs. Pioneer Valley's Dirty Dozen

On Monday, September 5 I headed out to Northampton, MA with the Capital District Trauma Authority to catch a Pioneer Valley Roller Derby's mens/womens derby double header. Monday was Labor Day and also the final day of the 3 County Fair. CDTA took on PVRD's Dirty Dozen, while Granite State Roller Derby (New Hampshire) played PVRD's Western Mass Destruction.

I went to the fair and saw the unusual specimens that are men's roller derby players.  Ooh, ahh.

We arrived at the fair early, and noted that the bout would be taking place in hanger/barn-like structure. The floor was literally made of dirt. In the center of the large, wide open building was a layer of ply wood, with skate court laid over it. Always something new with roller derby!

The venue.

We spent some time walking around the fair before the boys went to warm up. I spent time checking out the baby animals and resisting the temptation to eat all fried food in sight.

This rabbit looks like a pivot.  and OMG - baby ducks!

<3

Doc Hazard bench coached for CDTA, so I sat and enjoyed the bout with Luci D. Dream, one of our refs, and Morticia VonGlitzngloss - Hellions skater and CDTA skater Hart Attack's girlfriend. I gotta be honest: the Dirty Dozen may just be my favorite men's derby league. I love the camouflage pants. I love their wily jammers. And Jurasskick Park (# 1993) is the freaking sweetest name ever. [I swear CDTA is a close second and maybe if Jurasskick Park transferred to CDTA that would tip the scale.]  The Dirty Dozen have been a force in men's derby for years, so it was a cool opportunity for CDTA to measure up. No one was expecting a win for CDTA, but the challenge was appreciated.

Massacre on the line vs. Jurasskick Park
I can't think of a comment that won't
get me in trouble.

Very often, although the Dirty Dozen would snag league jammer, CDTA jammers Gohan/Up End Atom, Johnny Malice, and Roarshock were able to break through the pack. It was exciting for me to watch Massacre pivot - he works hard to find a partner, recycle, and go for the hit. Massacre also got to jam a few times.

Hazmatt made his derby debut at this bout. He had a nice three person wall going at one point, and did not look like a total n00b during any part of the game, from what I saw anyway.

Johnny Rebel, Hazmatt, and Wellen Dowd form a nice three person wall.

The final score was PVRD 295 - CDTA 54. After playing one of the top mens teams in the country, congrats to (one of?) the newest in teams in New York on scoring just over 1 every 5 points, and holding PVRD under 300.

Bout Recap: Hellions vs. Maine Roller Derby's Calamity Janes

In front of a house of 300 fans, the Hellions continued their home winning streak on Saturday night coming out on top against Maine Roller Derby. This was a rematch from last summer, when we took a friendly beating (just kidding... kinda) in June 2010 when we traveled up to Portland.

Like I remembered from last year, Maine had heavy hits and played a very focused game. Our coach, Roarshock, commented how tight and organized their girls looked while they were warming up.

This year, for the Hellions, was another story. Coming off our high from our third place win at Empire Skate Showdown earlier this month, we were ready to take on Maine on Saturday.

But first we had a team effort to lay down the track! Setting up for a bout is a team effort.

Taping down the track boundaries before the bout. One layer of tape, one layer of rope, another
layer of tape. Short Temper, Disharmony, and Sick Puppy in the foreground. Photo by Space Chalky.

When we say this is a skater owned and operated league, we mean it!

Each team started off with a few good jams, and the team work on both teams was great. The Hellions began to pull ahead into the first period. At the half the score was 104 Hellions - 40 Maine.

Photo by Zack Zoll

Maine started the second period strong utilizing a one on one strategy, and had a few good jams which initially caught them up in points. The Hellions we able to adapt, but had to continue taking hard hits and face Maine's effective booty-blocking from A-Block and Cherry Clobber, a formidable two person wall. Maine also increased their jammer rotation to include REDdemption, a newer face to Janes - but you couldn't tell based on her determination to get through the pack.

Side note: I actually had the pleasure of meeting REDdemption the weekend before at Eastern Regional Playoffs. I sat with some Maine players and their fans during one bout. They were a super friendly bunch! Maine's all star team, the Port Authorities were the tenth seed last weekend at Playoffs. They faced some tough opponents, but they looked good doing it!

The game ended with a score of 201 Hellions - 109 Maine. Game MVPs were Baby Nuclear for HoTRD and REDdemption for Maine. Game Heavy Hitter Awards were presented to Kitty from HoTRD and Cherry Clobber from Maine.

Photo by Space Chalky

Mathundra Storm with her light saber.
Photo by Space Chalky

The Hellions also got a special treat during half time...!  Ed, the father of our announcer Eloda Sarcasm, present the league with some super awesome LIGHT SABERS as a "trophy" for coming in third place at Empire Skate Showdown.  It was awesome! And so super thoughtful of Ed! Ed is definitely one of the Hellions SUPER FANS.

This bout was cool for me because two of my sister and my mom were able to attend and cheer us on.  My best friends Rachel and Jen from high school where also there!  Ahhhh yay!!  My boss was also there with his wife and son. So awesome.

I got feedback from some people on my team that they think my sister Carol looks like my twin, if I had a twin in the 1980s. What do you think?!  And for the record, those are her natural curls - no fancy perms here.  Should I get a perm?

Carol and me at the after party.
Photo by Space Chalky

OK - that's all she wrote - for now!