Roller Derby AU

Last year on the EVRD blog I mentioned I was planning on reviewing Grn Mnster gumballs. This came about after a less than satisfying experience with my beloved but ultimately maligned Sure Grip ‘Grippers’ (See Sent to the Sin Bin. The Case of the Disintegrating Toe stops’) The review caused a minor uproar within the quad skating community much to my amusement. I hadn’t even wanted to write it as I truly loved those stoppers but three roller girls with the same outcome was enough evidence to the contrary.

So it was time to try something new. Grn Mnster’s Gumballs became the darlings of last year’s Rollercon, selling out just like Atom’s new Venoms. Glowing reports from roller girls soon followed but it wasn’t until I’d seen this YouTube video that I actually decided to give them a go. The video, depicting a gumball being tortured to the sound of department store jazz, left me in no doubt I would have to drop them into the fires of Mordor to actually destroy them.

Gumballs are uncoloured, natural rubber toe stops with lightweight aluminium stems. They are available long or short stemmed and straight out of the box they do feel like running on tennis balls. Which brings me to my only genuine criticism – the problem with gumballs is that they are shaped like gumballs. Initially there is only a very small, rounded spot that actually makes contact with the rink. This requires the skater in question to either be exceptionally precise on their toes or just bat-shit crazy enough to not care if they miss and end up on their face. I am neither of these two.

Bitumen will not only wear a decent sized sweet spot on your gumballs, it will also give it a rough grippy texture.

Even though a number of people told me to take them out onto a rough surface to wear them in, I stubbornly persisted in trying to mould them into a satisfactory shape on the rink alone. Several months of fail followed in which I wondered; If only I could have the indestructible nature of the gumball with the intelligently slanted design of the gripper. The answer is you can – you just have to take them outside and wear the shape into them. All you need is a bitumen surface, a sunny day and enough turn-around-toe-stops till you have the desired shape.

The Verdict?

Gumballs are what I would call customisable toe stops in the sense that you buy them stock standard and wear them into the shape you need. Taking marks off for the fact that they have to be shaped would be like deducting marks from a mouthguard for requiring moulding. As with anything customisable, the end result is a product shaped the way you want it. They are damn ugly but in sacrificing colour and novelty, Grn Mnster has created ridiculously tough, trustworthy works of genius. And for that I give them 5 bearings.

‘BRUTAL BEAUTY: Faces of Australian Roller Derby’

Roller Derby AU — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:54:33 +0000

‘BRUTAL BEAUTY: Faces of Australian Roller Derby’

A photographic exhibition by Gunther Hang
From Thursday May 3 – Monday May 14 at Sun Studios Australia

SEE AUSTRALIA’S HOTTEST WOMEN IN SPORT

Sydney, NSW – April 2012 – ‘BRUTAL BEAUTY: Faces of Australian Roller Derby’ is a exhibition of 18 large colour photographs that uniquely capture the raw energy of the world’s fastest growing female sport—women’s flat-track Roller Derby. These images showcase Derby and all its spectacle for the very first time in Australia.

With more than 70 leagues across the country, Roller Derby is a rapid-paced, full contact team sport requiring speed, strategy and athleticism.

Shot around Australia over 14 months, the exhibition showcases a community of strong, confident, everyday women deeply dedicated to an incredible sport. These stoic portraits celebrate this dynamic sport in all its diversity and colour.

When: ‘BRUTAL BEAUTY – Faces of Australian Roller Derby’ Thursday May 3 – May 14

Where: Sun Studios Australia, 42 Maddox Street, Alexandria, NSW
More info: http://guntherhang.com/Brutal-Beauty

About Gunther Hang

Gunther Hang is an official Sydney Roller Derby League and commercial portrait photographer.

Visit www.guntherhang.com

FEATURED Skater: Light City Derby’s : Rogue n Josh

Roller Derby AU — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:56:31 +0000

Name: Rogue n Josh

League: Adelaide’s mixed gender league, Light City Derby

Team(s): We’re still a relatively new league and don’t have teams yet

Skate set up: Riedell R3’s

When did you start skating? Did you have any prior athletic experience?

I’d been an avid spectator of derby bouts since 2007. Being a guy, I couldn’t join in the game as a player unless I wanted to ref, and being a ref looked insanely difficult! So I didn’t get up on skates for a few years. Then in May 2010, I finally decided to go and buy some skates to see if I was any good, and started recreational skating on weekends every now and again.

Tell us a little bit about your derby journey.

In June 2011 I got a call out of the blue from one of my friends asking me if I wanted to play roller derby. My mind exploded because it’s traditionally a women’s sport, so when she told me they were starting up a co-ed league I put on my skates and jumped in with 8 wheels rolling!

Tell us about the first derby bout you ever saw. If bouting, please also tell us a little bit about your first bout.

It was in 2007, a Skate of Origin bout: Adelaide vs. Victoria. I had no idea what I was in for, but they gave a quick demo so I picked up what was going on pretty quickly, and by the end I was hooked!

Who has inspired you to play derby? Who are your favourite Aussie (& international) skaters?

I’m a complete supporter of home-grown heroes so my favourite derby players are from Adelaide Roller Derby. Barrelhouse Bessy is my original inspiration – she can block like a boss and jams even harder. Her most awesome move was taking a hip whip off one of her teammates and she pulled them so hard they went flying to the ground!

How much time do you put into derby each week?

I go to at least two 2-hour training sessions and make sure I get in one or two extra sessions on skates each week. I’m also one of the league’s trainers so I spend a bit of time planning sessions and researching new drills!

What are your favourite wheels to use and why? What other gear do you swear by?

I use fugitives 92A wheels because they’re awesome for agility, they’ve really helped me start to get the hang of Juking and they’ve never slid out from under me when I’m going fast!

Where do you see/want to see Australian Roller Derby in five year’s time?

I’m a strong supporter of the co-ed derby movement and hope to see a lot more co-ed leagues pop up all over Australia in the next 5 years. I want every state capital in Australia to have a purpose-built flat track derby stadium with a permanent track layed and stadium seating (but still have suicide line seating of course!) to give all leagues a proper facility to bout in!

Do you have any advice for those interested in volunteering and/or playing roller derby?

If you wanna play roller derby but think you’re not good enough you have to just go and try it! I didn’t try out at first because I thought I didn’t have the skills, but just remember that they will teach you how to do everything, you’re not supposed to have all the skills before you start! All you need is the ambition to learn it all. It’s definitely worthwhile and lots of fun and you’ll fall in love with your derby family!

Photograph by Evangelia Karageorgos.

Toowoomba City Rollers’ Fresh Meat Info Night & Sign On

Roller Derby AU — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:15:32 +0000

The Toowoomba City Rollers are on the hunt for new members!
Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you’re interested in skating, refereeing, non-skating officiating, being a member of the street team, or helping out in any way, come along to our Fresh Meat Info Session at 3pm on Sunday, 3rd June and find out all about the Toowoomba City Rollers.

This is an off-skates information session so we can tell you all about how we operate and why it’s so fun to be a part of the Toowoomba City Rollers. You won’t need your skates or protective gear for this session but if you do decide to join as a skating member, on-skates training commences the following Sunday.

The Toowoomba City Rollers are a not-for-profit, volunteer run organisation and there are many ways in which you can be involved other than training to be a roller girl. If you’ve ever been to one of our bouts you would have seen the multitude of people it takes to put on these huge events. The girls can’t skate unless there are a team of referees and nonskating officials to track points and penalties, and ensure the game is safe for all competitors. Then there are all the fantastic volunteers that hand out flyers and posters around town, set up the pavilion for the event, take your tickets at the door and serve you at the merchandise table and bar.

The Toowoomba City Rollers prides itself on being a family friendly organisation and we have a number of mums and dads in the league that find roller derby to be a really rewarding activity to be a part of, especially as they can bring their children to training with them. If you come along to any of our training session you’ll usually find a group of children hooning around on their scooters, playing together, or doing homework while their mums and dads train their hearts out on the track. So if you think you can’t come, think again!

For more information or to RSVP, please email freshmeat@toowoombacityrollers.com

What: Toowoomba City Rollers’ Fresh Meat Info Night & Sign On
When: Sunday, 3rd June 2012, 3pm to 6pm
Where: Founders Pavilion, Toowoomba Showgrounds, Glenvale Road, Toowoomba

Score Update: May 5-6 2012

Roller Derby AU — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:29:00 +0000

6/5/12

Adelaide Roller Derby:

Wild Hearses: 189 vs

Mile Die Club: 146

__________________________________________________________________

5/5/12

Brisbane City Rollers: Punk Blockers 268 vs

Tweed Valley Rollers: Valley Vixens 46

__________________________________________________________________Canberra Roller Derby League:

Vice City Rollers 269 vs

Newcastle Roller Derby League:

Dockyard Dames 150

WIRD vs VRDL – VRDL are the bee’s knees.

klobutruck — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:18:11 +0000

University of Wollongong’s Sports Hub was THE place to be last weekend as an absolute epic bout was played out between WIRD’s Steel City Derby Dolls and VRDL’s Queen Bees. It gave both leagues the chance to have a hit out and work on strategy before the upcoming Great Southern Slam.

The bout drew the biggest turn out for a WIRD bout yet and the crowd were mesmerised by the intensity of the VRDL skaters warming up on the track as they streamed inside the venue to try and get the best seats. It was set up to be an interesting bout with both leagues having contrasting playing styles.

VRDL signalled their intentions right from the first jam as they went a scrum start. WIRD tried to counter the scrum start strategy by going with a T-bone formation to try and catch the VRDL jammer Speedy Wasabi in the pack but she out stepped them and called the jam after picking up a quick 3 points before calling it off. In the next jam Manic Bullet got the better of Ranga Fanga which resulted in a massive cheer from the crowd. It got even louder as Courtney Love Bite took out Ranga Fanga to help give WIRD the lead 5-4.

The opening jams were tit for tat, one team would get lead jammer, score some quick points, then quickly call off the jam before the opposition could score any points. This resulted in the lead changing hands with each jam. Although VRDL are known for being strategy queens, WIRD were more than holding their own against VRDL strategy and points wise, it was an extremely captivating bout to watch.

WIRD then started to open up a lead against VRDL as Manic Bullet was skating rings around the VRDL blockers while the awesome Janis Job’em was stopping Miss Sinnocent with some great defence. Next up Courtney Love Bite was doing well to hold Alex in Chains back with positional blocking to allow Chakram to get through to become lead jammer. Courtney then partnered up well with VishiousNess to stop Ranga Fanga from getting past them as WIRD went to a 21-8 lead.

VRDL then flicked a switch and it was game on as they were helped by Manic Bullet and then VishiousNess were both sent to the penalty box. WIRD’s White Hawk was doing her best to stop Speedy Wasabi from scoring more points as she absolutely nailed her which resulted in Speedy in getting sent to the box for a track cut. Manic was then sent back on the track only to be sent back to the box for a track cut which allowed Speedy to pick up where she left off as she scored a massive 19-0 jam to give VRDL the lead again 35-25.

VRDL were continuing with their scrum starts and in most jams their jammer would get lead jammer so it was proving to be a very effective tactic for them. Even when they found themselves two blockers short Speedy Wasabi still managed to get lead jammer while her opposing jammer Chakram was being smashed in the back of the pack by the remaining VRDL blockers on the track.

Now that VRDL had control of the bout they were beginning to dictate the speed of the bout as they kept increasing their lead through their excellent use of tactics. They were either slowing down the pack effectively without getting caught for destruction of the pack or their scrum starts were forcing WIRD to have to have to skate ahead to force a no pack situation. It was like watching a physical game of chess.

WIRD being the fighters that they are weren’t taking this lying down as they tried everything they could to counter VRDL’s strategies. Led by Janis Job’em they did their best to nullify VRDL but they were having trouble containing Speedy Wasabi who was getting ridiculously low to avoid being hit, and when she did get hit and fell down she would be back on her feet almost instantaneously. She tried her luck apex jumping but got completely smashed by Kate O9 Tails who saw her coming from a mile off. Despite the hits and falls Speedy Wasabi scored a whopping big 25-0 jam as VRDL increased their lead to 82-28.

As VRDL continued their extremely slow starts some sections voiced their disapproval at the slowing down tactics used. VishiousNess and White Hawk formed their formidable wall of defence that was stopping Miss Sinnocent from getting through which eventually forced Miss Sinnocent to call off the jam as Underbelly Morelli managed to catch up to her.

iKandy had to yield her position to Speedy Wasabi as she had a false start but Speedy soon found herself stuck behind the human brick wall that is Janis Job’em. iKandy was being hunted down on the track by VRDL packs that she could not find a way through and ended up being sent to the box for back blocking. The VRDL then formed a diagonal wall along the outside line that appeared to barely move which was brilliant strategy as no pack kept being called so their jammer kept racking up points until she eventually scored a 24-0 jam.

WIRD finished the half strongly as VRDL found themselves with only two players left on the track. Chakram took out Nasty Beasty on her way through the pack. With VishiousNess yelling out instructions for her blockers on where to position themselves it allowed Chakram to score a 19-0 jam to bring the first half to a close with the score 118-49 for the Queen Bees.

Both sides picked up where they left from as VRDL quickly recovered from WIRD getting the better jam start by catching Janis in the pack to allow Speedy Wasabi to get through first but Janis kept up as they scored 3 points apiece. VRDL were continuing with their slow starts and quick jams before calling it off. The tactic was being played to perfection because while WIRD may have had the most knock out, heavy type hits, VRDL were picking up quick points more often and pulling out massive jams when they needed to which was helping them to increase their lead.

Ranga Fanga managed to get lead jammer but then got completely smashed by both AVO and Courtney Love Bite which allowed Manic Bullet to overtake Ranga Fanga and outscore her 4-3 before the jam was called off. Neither iKandy nor Nasty Beasty managed to get lead jammer on their initial pass. VRDL formed their diagonal line along the outside line to get the no pack call. WIRD eventually caught on and tried to copy them but they started getting sent to the box one by one for various infringements that Janis was eventually the only WIRD player on the track at one stage and boy did VRDL make them pay as they scored a 24-3 jam to increase their lead to 163-59.

Manic Bullet was an absolute machine on the track as her amazing footwork bamboozled two VRDL blockers as she scored a 10-5 jam to cut the deficit. WIRD went with a no pack start to try and capitalise on the VRDL jammer being in the box. The WIRD blockers did a great job of pushing the VRDL blockers out of the way for Janis Job’em to pass through the pack who ended up calling the jam upside down on the track after falling but then got sent to the box for a major as WIRD couldn’t capitalise on the power jam.

VRDL went with a no pack start to set Ranga Fanga on her way immediately and she managed to get around the wall of AVO and Kat O9 Tails. Her blockers were doing an excellent job of protecting her from the WIRD blockers but she eventually got smashed by Kat O9 Tails which got a massive applause from the crowd but Ranga Fanga scored a HUGE 25-0 jam.

Both sides launched themselves at the jammer line to try and get the position in front of the jammer line in what was another strategic move. After all that Ranga Fanga managed to step around the wall in front of her nicely and on her way to scoring four points as Manic Bullet was left to try and get passed the VRDL blockers one by one.

VishiousNess was using her backside to great effect as she booty blocked 6ft Hussy all over the track. Underbelly Morelli wasn’t have much luck either as she was stopped by Betty Fight and then got smashed illegally by Bianca Sciaretta who was then sent to the box. Underbelly Morelli got a loud cheer from the crowd when she got lead jammer. As her team mates started getting sent to the penalty box Manic Bullet was left alone against the VRDL blockers on her own. Being the intense competitor that she is she started skating backwards and got right in the VRDL skaters faces. The look on her face was priceless, it was INTENSE. I still don’t know how the VRDL skaters didn’t turn around and skate away from her in fear!

VishiousNess was still hitting as hard as she did at the beginning of the bout, this time it was Betty Fight on the receiving end. VRDL were continuing with their slow packs as the pack barely moved in the last jam as it appeared that neither side would get past the pivot line with 1:25 left on the clock. WIRD eventually pushed through to the front to get a no pack with Speedy Wasabi getting smashed by the WIRD blockers but she held them off long enough to get lead jammer over iKandy and pick up a 2-0 jam to bring the final score to 258-80 for the VRDL Queen Bees in what was a truly amazing bout to watch.

VRDL showed why they’re the current National champions and why they will be one of the teams to beat at TGSS. WIRD in no way disgraced themselves. They played unbelievably well and really pushed VRDL.

Words by: Lisbeth Slammed-her, pics by: Roaringstorm Photography.

SRDL Season opener – The Mc Hammers v the Ice Ice Babies.

Roller Derby AU — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:06:58 +0000

SRDL Season opener – The Mc Hammers v the Ice Ice Babies.

Kicking off their season in style, the Sydney Roller Derby League’s (SRDL) representative team slip themselves in two to answer the question would the Ice Ice Babies get Mc Hammed?

RDAU’s Pepâ la Pow! Spoke with the Mc Hammer’s Violet Van Slam and Ice Ice Baby, Bacardi Bruiser after the bout.

PLP: So we came away with the…

VVS: win

PLP: Tonight and it came down to the very last jam. How much training did you put in for this particular bout?

VVS: I guess we’ve came back in February and started a bit of fitness, in March started a bit of training and we only really got to skate with our team once but I guess because we’re all within the same league then we’ve all been training together anyway. We all knew each other and how we all skated so there wasn’t much need for a big training

PLP: So for yourself now being a member of the Assassins team and we’ve got TGSS on the horizon that’s a big aim for Sydney?

VVS: Yeah definitely, everyone is really psyched for The Great Southern Slam (TGSS). It’s very competitive as we can only take some skaters so that’s why tonight was such a competitive game because we’re all competing for those spots to get onto that squad. So we’re all really focused at the moment and all really want to become better skaters and all working on our weaknesses and I guess tonight was just a test for that

PLP: So out there tonight you really owned that track yourself, played really defensively and was able to do a lot of the scrum starts which is something we’re seeing a lot of now, how do you think that’s impacting the game?

VVS: I guess it’s making it more controlled and whichever team gets to do that the best is the team that really gets to take control of those jams I guess and really set the speed

PLP: And you most of the time play as a blocker

VVS: Yeah

PLP: So do you find its giving the blockers a lot more control of the game itself or giving the blockers little more share of the lime light?

VVS: Umm, yeah I guess its more maybe for the jammers if you come off and get the rough end of that start then you’re stuffed for most of the jam. If you’ve got four people water falling and their knocking you over so its mostly the jammer thats a jam play.

PLP: You mention the waterfalling, I noticed lots of really beautiful waterfalling going on and recycling back into the pack tonight, is that something you work hard on within the team?

VVS: Yeah definitely, its just one of the basics thats really drilled into you as a derby player. In the first half we didn’t do it and thats why we were losing by about 60 points I think it was. We weren’t water falling, we weren’t keeping those walls all the basics of derby. In the second half we came out there just hoping to do the basics and have some fun and hitting and we pulled it off and came back.

For the record the MC Hammers came away with the win in a very closely fought bout that came right down to the very last jam. MC Hammers 161 to Ice Ice Babies 158. It seems the Ice Ice Babies couldn’t touch them.

Pepâ also caught up with the MVP for the Ice Ice Babies, Bacardi Bruiser.

PLP: Tell us about the bout tonight

BB: We’ve been working on a lot of strategy and some hard hitting and it’s really rough out there at the moment, it’s full on.

PLP: It was the opening bout for the season tonight for the league and it was a not the usual home teams tonight

BB: I was playing for the Ice Ice Babies in red, it was actually my first game as an Assassin. So i was pretty nervous but once i got out there and in the zone

PLP: So this was actually a league training for yourselves as assassins going to TGSS, trying out a few new tactics?

BB: We were kind of treating it as more of a public scrimmage and also just working together with all the new people in the squad as alot of us haven’t worked together before in the home teams

PLP: So it was your debut and there was others out there debuting as you’ve got a bunch of skaters coming from other leagues which other leagues have they come from?

BB: We’ve had some transfers from Western Sydney Rollers (WSR) and also Canberra Roller Derby League (CRDL) so having them gel in with the team. We’ve been training really hard on that cohesion and walls and just working and communicating and that really paid off tonight.

PLP: So with skaters coming in from other leagues to Sydney have they brought new things with them or any real challenges in incorporating them into the way you do things at SRDL?

BB: They’ve come in really well because they’re so established especially with pivoting and communicating they’re just kind of slotted straight in. Sometimes some of them are a little more experienced so they’ve taken some of us newer ones under their wings as well. It’s like having seniors come straight in. Its just amazing how quickly they bonded.

PLP: Excellent, so we’ve got TGSS coming up fast who are some of the teams you really want to come up against?

BB: Of course the big names SSRG, VRDL and to have a tight game against them. Fuck we want to win of course but sometimes that’s not possible but we want to go down there, we want to finish top 4 .

PLP: So who do you think might be the dark horse for TGSS?

BB: Well, she’s not really a dark horse but the old Freyda Cox is going is a bit of a star just the way she pushes through the pack and she’s just always there to calm us down and just and has that strategy brain as well, she’s really strong and course Hater, like who could go past Hater? Team Australia etc

You can see more from the Sydney League at the next bout when the Sydney Assassins take on the best of the rest of NSW on the 12^th of May at Sydney Olympic Park.

Words by Pepâ la Pow! Photography by Roaringstorm Photography