All-Stars Introduction!

Happy February GSORD fans! We are now entering into our bouting season and first up is our Gate City bout this upcoming Sunday. Please note that it is on Sunday the 16^th of February, NOT on Saturday like our usual bouts. The venue is also different, we are playing at the Greensboro Sportsplex. The doors will open at 12 and the bout begins at 1 pm. Tickets can be bought at the door as usual, or in advance at Seven Sagas Tattoos and Cycles de Oro, or from us GSORD skaters personally. We will be bouting the Motley Brew, so be sure to come out and see us play! This is also your last opportunity to buy merchandise with our old logo, get them before they are all gone! There is nothing like owning ALL the GSORD merchandise and showing how dedicated you are!

Helluva Hooker

Grandmaster Bash

As an preview to our first bout of the season, we wanted to introduce you to our new Gate City All-Stars team. They are led by coaches Helluva Hooker and Grandmaster Bash. The amazing of team of women include: Frosty Snowmean (Captain), Schoolya Childs (Captain), General Sew, Annie Lastwords, Betty Switch, Jess the Ripper, Butternut Squasher, Carnegie Brawl, Flirtini, Hitter Miss, Ka$h Honey, Whip-O SnapHer, Glitt-R-Done, Buster Licious, Moloko Violet, Pepperspray Pattie, Ellie Mae Crammit, A-Ha Gabor, Alexandroid, and Emma Ture.

So what are the new captains like? We will let them tell you themselves! First up is Frosty Snowmean:

Frosty Snowmean

Frosty as described by Schoolya: “My co-captain is the kind of person you want by your side always...she's extremely talented, a relentless fighter, and the hardest most dedicated worker I've ever met.”

Your goals for your team this season: I'd like us to master toe stop usage and up our defensive walls.

Favorite move on skates: My favorite move on skates is a transition around an opponent.

Best derby memory: My family watching me play.

Worst derby memory: Thigh cramps after a bout.

Best advice for new skaters: Skate as much as you can, and repeat moves over and over again until you are satisfied.

And here is Schoolya Childs:

Schoolya Childs

Schoolya as described by Frosty: “Schoolya is great at identifying positive attributes in everyone. She is a leader. Pre-game talks are pumped up with her intensity.”

Your goals for your team this season: My goals for the team this season are to establish that solid team bond ... I want us as a group to push one another beyond what we believe we are capable of as individuals.

Favorite move on skates: My favorite move on skates is a well-timed solid block.

Best derby memory: Too hard to choose.

Worst derby memory: Anytime I get sent to the sin bin, aka penalty box.

Best advice for new skaters: Attitude is everything. Get your mental game right and everything else will follow. Use your failures and falls as fuel. Have fun embracing your inner bad ass!

 

Come join us at the bout on Sunday, and stay tuned for our post-bout post on Monday the 17^th! 

(All images in this post were taken by our lovely sponsors, Frayed Edge Concepts, LLC. Be sure to check out their Facebook page and their website!) 

 

Book Review: Down and Derby

A book review by Moonfight Sonata

I don't know about you, but when I discover something new and wonderful I go through an exciting period where I want to read, watch, see, and learn everything about it.  So when I started to feel a derby obsession growing in me during Fresh Meat training, I hopped on amazon and added Down and Derby to my wishlist.  And -woo nelly!- was I excited when I unwrapped it on Christmas day!

The subtitle says it all.  This is a relatively comprehensive, 260-page introduction to the world of Roller Derby.  Skaters Kasey Bomber and Axles of Evil of the L.A. Derby Dolls break it all down: What is this thing?  Who invented it?  How did it become what it is today?  What are the rules?  Where's derby going from here?

Down and Derby was published in 2010, and things have definitely changed a bit in the last four years.  Some of the flat-track rules have changed, and derby has grown so much; it's amusing how few leagues are on the WFTDA-member map on page 63 compared to how many there are nowadays.  But overall I think the book has stood the test of time well so far, partly because of its emphases on the storied history of the game and individual player spotlights.  I LOVED learning about the colorful people who started roller derby originally, how the sport evolved and struggled throughout the 20th century, and how it was revived, almost miraculously, by a handful of super strong people in Austin, TX in the early oughties.  The player spotlights break up the text nicely with lighthearted, interview-style sections; every skater/ref/NSO has a sort of derby narrative, and I really liked reading those.  Another thing that I liked was that the book was about BOTH banked and flat-track derby.  I'm new to all this, but I get the impression that derby peeps fall pretty solidly into one camp or the other.  So it was cool that Kasey and Axles kept a level head about it and kept both forms of the game in the picture.  

There's also a section at the end of the book that summarizes films and TV shows about Derby.  I'll probably refer to that section now and then- gotta see if I can find a copy of The Fireball (1950) with Mickey Rooney and Marilyn Monroe.  And I'm dying to watch Demon of the Derby, a documentary about an original roller girl, Ann Calvello, an amazing woman who played derby for SIX freaking DECADES.  And did you know there's an animated Addams Family derby episode from 1973?  Chyeah.

So yes.  I really enjoyed this book- I breezed through it in a few days but still learned lots.  I'd recommend it especially to Fresh Meat and other newbies as well as their loved ones.  It's a great way to get a mental handle on This Thing Called Derby, and it's a fun read to boot.

(And if you know of other good derby-related books, please recommend them to me in the comments!)

News!

It’s a new year and new season with not only new babies, but new captains, new skaters and a
new logo too!

By Christina Hancock for Greensboro Roller Derby

At the end of last year we held a competition for a new logo for GSORD. Christina Hancock of Winston-Salem was the winner and creator of our new awesome logo which will be used to promote the team and be put on our official merchandise. Great job Christina!

However, that is not all that is new this season. Beyond the three mini-GSORD members we celebrated in our last post, we also welcomed ten full-sized ones!

Betty Switch herself!

There are two ways new skaters can join our league. The first is through transferring from another league, which is what Betty Switch did early fall of last year. She is already an accomplished derby player with wicked skills!

The other way we get new skaters is through our Fresh Meat program, which we usually hold twice every year (if you are interested in joining, please email
membership@greensbororollerderby.com for more information). We welcome skaters of all levels to our tryouts and once they pass, they move into the Fresh Meat training. After a period of time, we hold assessments to determine which of the skaters are ready to join our three home teams. Ten fierce ladies were drafted in December and are now ready to bout!

Johnny Applespeed, GRace Galore, Moonfight Sonata and Wrecking Belle

The Battleground Betties and their new captains Ka$h Honey and Glitt-R-Done (all captain are to be featured more in-depth in future posts) welcomes:
GRace Galore - She'll leave you lost and blind with her amazing GRace!
Johnny Applespeed - She came, she saw, she kicked your ass!
Moonfight Sonata - Go up against Moonfight and you'll need a dirge, not a sonata!
Wrecking Belle - This belle just wants to break your walls!

Dawn Quixote, C. Oswin and Suture Fancy

The Mad Dollies and their new captains Alexandroid and A-ha Gabor welcomes:
C. Oswin- She is the impossibly fast girl!
Dawn Quixote - Get in her way and expect to become collateral damage!
Suture Fancy - She'll slice and dice and sew you up nice!

Thoreau HerDown and Shrop Dead

The Elm Street Nightmares and their new captains Emma Ture and Whip-O Snapher welcomes:
Queen LaCheetah - She will leave you seeing spots!
Shrop Dead  - Get on her bad side, and you might just shrop dead
Thoreau HerDown - She's only civil when shaking hands after beating you down!

 Be sure to cheer a little extra loudly for all of our new skaters at their bouts on March 22 and 23!




 Our season opener with the brilliant Gate City Roller Girls All-Stars will be February 16th at the
Greensboro Sportsplex. They will be playing skaters from the Motley Brew. The doors open at 12 and the bout starts at 1! Be sure to be there! To make sure to get tickets to this and future bouts,
buy our season pass. It is only $50 and can be found at all of our bouts as well as at Seven Sagas Tattoos and Cycles de Oro. Not only will you not have to buy individual tickets and save a bunch of money, but you will also have special access to our new Sunday bouts. You will not be able to buy individual tickets to these events, and they will only be available to our season pass holders! Regular tickets will be able to be purchased at the same locations, as usual.

Coming up in our next post on Feb 3: Book review of Down and Derby!

Triple Baby Shower!

Our baby decor fit in so well at McCoul's.
They should probably have left it up for other customers to enjoy.

The GSORD family will growing by six tiny feet this year, as three (3!) of our players are expecting their first babies within the next few months.  The league held a baby shower for the moms- and dads-to-be this weekend at McCoul's Public House.  (Pssssst!  McCoul's is one of our sponsors!  You should drop for a tasty meal and/or drink!)

 

Admiral Packbar and Miss Shugganah, Alkilloids and Pinky la Pain, and Snarl Jung and Oscar.  

Aren't they the cutest?  Most of us had to find roller derby for ourselves.  These lucky babies are about to be born into the awesomeness.  Next time you see ladies at a bout, take a second to say congratulations and good luck!

The lovely Mamas (photo by Ellie Mae Crammit)

First practice of 2014

Suture Fancy, Wrecking Belle, Hitter Miss, and LeChuck

Happy New Year from Greensboro Roller Derby!

We held our first practice of the year a couple of nights ago, despite sub-freezing temperatures in our unheated warehouse.  It was a great practice!  Highlights included a slogging (slow jogging) warmup, a bunch of footwork drills on and off skates, and a quad-burning performance of 100 squats.  At the end of the night, we practiced weaving around cones and did a quick 27-in-Five.

27-in-Five (also written 27/5) means skating 27 laps around the flat track in five minutes.  It's on the list of WFTDA's minimum skills requirements, which, if you're interested, you can peruse here.  Each year, all our skaters have to (get to?) demonstrate their ability to perform these skills, and we're preparing to do just that later this month.  For most of us, maintaining the endurance required for 27/5 is the Everest of minimum skills, so wish us luck and speed as we keep practicing over the next couple of weeks!

Schoolya Childs and Frosty Snowmean

C. Oswin and Johnny Applespeed 

Home sweet warehome!

A Derby Girl's Vow

I will admit: I have not been the best girlfriend. I have forgotten birthdays, missed important events, said nasty things I can not take back. I have written rude emails, asked too many questions, and tested trust. I have rolled my eyes, taken things for granted, and made impossible demands. I have not shown up, made threats to leave, been too arrogant, too unforgiving, too harsh. 

But they always take me back.

My derby league has never faltered, never pushed me away, and has always had an open door for me to walk through-sometimes with my tail between my skates. My league has held me close, overlooked my flaws, and supported my growth as a person. My league does not love me because it is easy-they love me all the time for exactly who I am. 

Miller Lightnin' with 2012 Nightmare cocaptian, Emma Ture

Photo by Frayed Edge Concepts

I do not know what other people's experiences are with their derby leagues. But I do know my own has been an adventure full of love, frustration, joy, and heartbreak. Teammates have moved, or quit, or gotten hurt. Promises have been broken, people we love have been laid to rest. There has been triumph too - mended hearts, wedding bells, healed bones. There has been no plan we have not had to adjust, or rule we have not had to break. Somehow, though, we always stick together through everything even when we can not always stick around. 

So, with all things there can be a new promise, a fresh start, a fresh commitment. This season I vow to be the best girlfriend to my league that I can be. I want to be honest and steadfast, a role model for new teammates, a constant for old. I want to show up, show strong, show no mercy (well, on the track...). I want to be humble and strong, wise and kind, loyal and true. I want to be to help my league grow, and I want to grow myself. I want to be grateful for the love this league gives so easily. This will be a challenge, one that I know my league mates will take with me. 

Somehow I know, that even if I fail, they will still be beside me. 

In love and derby,

Miller Lightnin'