Yes I do have an airline ticket to Seattle for September 2nd.  I got
it before I saw Sunday nights interleague games, which saw two out of
town teams handle the local Texas Rollergirls teams.  I know that has
got to be a matter of some pride for Madison and Carolina.

So who's going to Seattle?  I am, I am...unless something comes up,
and Southwest is very good about letting money paid for tickets to
get reapplied for other ticket purchases.

So if I understand it correctly, Carolina and Madison are indeed
going.  Texas will be sending up an all star team, although I am not
sure it has officially been anounced (but it is well know locally).
It will be great to meet even more skaters from around the naton, and
see the new friends from Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Maybe we can even get a word from some of the Seattle folks what we
can expect while in Seattle.  I have never been to Seattle.  It takes
a roller derby tournament to get me up to Seattle, which says
something about my passion as a sports fan for roller derby.  I think
tickets offically go on sale around the 15th of July.  You can go the
the links section in this yahoo group to the Rat City Rollergirls web
site, and see any information they have posted up concerning the
Bumpershoot tournament.  And yes, this will be a tournament, not just
a matter of four games.  There will be a preliminary round, and the
surviving teams will play full three-period games.

I don't know what will be better; seeing old friends and new friends
again, or seeing roller derby in a big arena.

So for me, and perhaps others, it's "Seattle or Bust!"

Phil Arnold,
Austin, Texas

Thanks to all the Madison and Carolina Rollergirls who made it down to
Austin.  It was a real pleasure to see you skate, and to meet many of
you.

If I messed up anything on my recap, don't hesitate to correct me.
I'll admit it...I'm biased towards some of my Austin teams.  But it is
absolutely great seeing people from 1,000 miles away or more skating
in Flat Track roller derby.

It just gives further emphasis on growth in this sport.  If anyone
sees Princess America or Lizzy Borden or Back Doris, tell them Phil in
Austin says hello.  Again it was great to see all of you skate, and to
meet many of you.

Take care,

Phil

Well, I have actively started promoting this group, at least putting
a linke with a post on Roller_Girls.com.   Many of you are related
to a league or a team, either as a fan or a skater.  Please feel
free to post pictures, files, or any promotional items considering
your home league or teams.

I will put up as many pictures as I take, and there is not a
copyright on my pictures, but then again they are not that good.
But sometimes they get the idea across.  The home page picture is
the beginning of the Madison Dairyland Dolls Vs. the Hotrod Honeys.

For Carolina fans I have put up a play-by-play sheet of the first
half of the game.  It is unofficial of course, but it gets the idea
across.  That is up in the files section.  There is also a sheet for
the Madison game, but I didn't keep score on that game since a
little more of my emotion goes with the Hotrod Honeys, and keeping
score on a game from row four can really limit my overall watching
of the game.

Please check out the files section if you want to see some proposed
scoring sheets, or some other game related sheets.

Thanks for joining, and please feel free to participate in posting
or putting up any information related to your league or favorite
team.

Take care,

Phil

Interleague matches in roller derby are supposed to be good,
especially for the defending national champions.  These matches help
promote the sport.  And so regular season teams from Austin have
been hosting out of town teams this skating season.  The first
Interleague bout of the year was the defending league champions
Honky Tonk Heartbreakers from Austin as they beat the best team from
the Rat City Rollergirls, Seattle's Derby Liberation Front.  Then
the Hustlers from Austin defeated the Kansas City all-stars in a
very close game.  But Sunday night two out-of-town all-star teams
beat two teams from Austin that helped get the current roller derby
revival underway.  And I think the best description of what happened
is that the vets of the Texas Rollergirls were schooled.

The first game of the night was the Hell Marys of Austin hosting the
Carolina Rollergirls all-stars.  The game started off well for the
HMs as they moved out to a 10-0 lead.  However, the CR's clawed back
into the game behind jammers Roxy Rocket and Teflon Donna.  And then
the most significant streak of the game occurred.  In the last five
jams of the first half, Carolina outscored the Austin squad 20-0, to
take a halftime lead of 45-21.  The Carolina Rollergirls threw a
blocking scheme at jammers Bloody Mary and Misty Meaner that just
shut them down.  Fanta-C who played the back blocker position was so
athletic she just wouldn't let the HM jammers even get to the pack
for much of several jams.  And then when the jammer made it through
most of the pack, they had to deal with Maddat U who played pivot.
Sometimes double teams were thrown at the jammer at the very back of
the pack.  I have never seen the very effective blocking schemes
that Carolina used against the Hell Marys.

The Hell Marys came out after making some adjustments and played
better.  Muffin Tumble was more effective from the pivot position
getting in some solid blocks.  And Bloody Mary, Misty Meaner, and
Bunny Rabid scored a few more points, but the HMs could not cut into
the lead significantly enough, and the Carolina Rollergirls held on
for a 74-57 victory.  It should be noted that this game was an
extremely clean game with only one penalty that I saw, and that was
a Hell Mary getting into a fight but the Carolina skater would not
fight so the HM headed to the box, and that was the game.  In case
you have never seen Carolina play, I think that Roxy Rocket could
easily be the best skater on the East Coast.  She is worth the price
of admission for any roller derby game she is participating in.

The second event of the night was an early defensive slugfest with
the Hot Rod Honeys and the Dairyland Dolls of Madison, Wisconsin
going into half time with a 14-14 tie.  But the second half of the
game saw Madison keep solid defensive pressure up, but break jammers
out and take the veterans to school.  The final score was Madison
52, Hot Rod Honeys 38.  Outstanding players for the Dolls were
Jewels of Denile (Pivot), Captain Cracker Jack, and jammer Mouse 4.
The interior blockers did a great job for Madison in the second
half, getting jammers out and keeping HRH jammers under control.  I
have never seen Cat Tastrophe hit as hard as she was hit in this
game.  And in talking to Wisconsin fans and players, the Hot Rod
Honey that seemed to have a consensus of respect from the northland
was Rice Rocket.  She got knocked down a lot, but kept on getting
back up quickly.  Until very late in the game, Cat and Rice were
still a threat to bust out with a big scoring jam, but the Hot Rod
Honeys could not keep the Dolls blockers like Back Doris and Dutch
Oven from dominating blocking in the pack.

This game was not a clean as the first.  I remember one time seeing
a spinning hold move that took Cat Tastrophe out of bounds, and the
big crowd gave the visitors a loud, inhospitable boo as one of their
players was sent to the penalty box.  But this was one of the few
times the physical Dolls would get caught by the officials, and the
fans let out some loud boos for the officials a few times. But
still, the Madison ladies outplayed the Hot Rod Honeys and deserved
to win the game, whether a blatant trip late in the game against
Rice Rocket was called or not (it wasn't).

So two visiting teams to Austin enjoyed their trip even more than
their predecessors.  And for Austin fans, it was tough to swallow a
double loss at Playland Skate Center.  But a couple of good things
came out of the games for the Hell Marys and Hot Rod Honeys.  They
got to see a different game played by some very talented teams, than
they have faced in regular season play.  And I think a wakeup call
has been sent to the Texas Rollergirls, defending national champions
that they had better get their games together or else the national
championship will be in some other location like Carolina,
Wisconsin, or Seattle.  Sometimes it doesn't hurt to go back to
school.  And one thing about roller derby strategy, it has the
potential to be extremely variable…there is nothing set in stone on
how to skate a game.  I'm sure the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers were
watching the game and will be using some of strategy used by Madison
against the Hot Rod Honeys in the August 6th championship game.  No
doubt Cat and Hydra will look at blocking schemes to make sure the
jammers don't get beat up again.  It should be noted that Lucille
Brawl, an all-star jammer, skated three jams, and as of Thursday she
wasn't even expected to skate.  But jammers are almost totally
reliant upon their blockers to get them out of the pack, and that
was the lesson taught to the skating veterans on Sunday night.

On a personal note, it was great seeing 10 flat track leagues
represented at the Interleague games Sunday night, from places as
far away as Minnesota, Chicago, and Ohio.  I saw several skating
friends from the San Antonio and Houston leagues.  And I was able to
meet some new friends from Madison and Carolina.  Roller Derby is a
sport that draws out passion from this longtime sports fan, but
meeting the participants who work so hard to not only bring effort
to the track, but also skill, just makes seeing games and the
participants even better.  A raffle was held to raise money for Las
Vegas skater Pirate, who was recently assaulted by three men in a
parking lot.  While I didn't win the merchandise raffle with
contributions from all four teams involved in the event, I did have
the opportunity to give a little money to help Pirate out with her
expenses and hopefully a good chunk of money is on the way to help
Pirate.

Phil

Well, I downloaded the pictures first.  Next up some sleep and get up,
write a recap for both games, and do laundry.  And if anyone from
Carolina and Madison can send me some names to identify with their
winning pictures in the albums, it would be appreciated because I
can't read the numbers from the front.

Take care,

Phil

If you think the picture on the front page is a little blurry you
are right.  Friday night one of the people I got to talk to was Ziv
Kruger.  I have a link up his pictures site, and he has taken
excellent pictures from Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and the Tucson
National tournament in February.

I'm sure he will soon have some pictures up from the Pep Rally and
will be at the Texas Rollergirls even tonight.  One of the things we
talked about was some of the tricks of taking pictures.  For
instance if you get motion towards you or away from you, there is
less likely to be blurring.  But if you get motion from side to
side, there is more likely to be blurred motion.  So that is one of
the main things I learned.  The other is not to use the zoom on
action shots, because that even aggrivates blurring even more.  So
perhaps the pep rally pictures were a little better than what I have
taken elsewhere with the new Panasonic camera.

Another thing that was nice, was talking about the composition of
photographs.  Often lines in a picture can create an interesting
lead in to people you are photographing.  Flat track Roller Derby
has the wonderful lines of the flat track, often rope lighting of
the track, its straightaways and curves.

And of course, since this web site hopes to publicize league events,
the sport, and to a certain extent the people who skate, all photos
on Derby related activites are very welcome.

In fact, reports brief or long on upcoming events are very welcome.
I wish I could be everywhere to see events and report on them, but
that is just impossible.  But I will make Ausitn events, some San
Antonio events, possiblly a Seattle event, and we'll see what I can
do.  Every event I attend I plan to submit a report on.  But I
really appreciate others submitting information.

Oh well, I am off to the Hell Marys hosting the Carolina all-stars
later, and the Hot Rod Honeys hosting the Mad (Madison, Wisconsin)
Rollin Dolls at Playland Skate center in North Austin this evening.

Take care,

Phil

Wow, what a pep rally.  I believe this was the partyingest pep rally
I've ever been to.  Things started off with people ordering food.
For instance I chickened out and didn't get the Wahoo (fish) taco.
I got a shrimp taco, with some Chablis.  Later I ordered a Chablis
and got a good room temperature Cabernet Sauvignon, and I found out
my tolerance to a glass of white wine and red wine is not real
high.

After people had a chance to eat some dinner at Wahoo's, it was gift
giving time, and some of the gifts were hilarious.  I think the
funniest gift given from the Texas Rolergirls to the Mad Rollin
Dolls of Madison, Wisconsin was the bag of M&M's with the Ms sucked
off.

After the gift giving, it became time for games.  There was a three-
legged race won by the NASCAR crazy Carolina team.  There was a
spoon race, which I never did figure out exactly what was going on,
but it was funny.

The final event was heavy metal kareoke, which was really good.  The
photos are up in the new photo album, and I think a picture is worth
a thousand words.  It was a great time for fans, for Austin skaters,
for skaters from Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and maybe even
other locations.

Phil

Instead of putting the fans names in the corner, why not have a fan
walk of fame on the aisles where the skaters enter the track?  That
way when the skaters skate onto the track like they do in Austin,
they enter through the crowd in a designated aisle before the buffer
zone between the track and the fans, they can walk or skate on the
aisle that has the name of the fans who helped buy the portable
floor.  That would sure make me happy as a fan.

In Austin there are two aisles that teams enter on, the front side
straight of turn number one and the back side straight on turn number
one; or if you can imagine the track running from east to west with
the front straight away being on the north side, one entry is on the
Northwest side of the track and the other is on the Southwest side of
the track.  You could put up to 25 names on each entry way, and there
is $5,000 of the track cost covered.

I think it is a great idea, but the probability of it happening is
probably not likely.  By the way, I think you could put $1,000 and
$500 advertising package-logos in the buffer zone between the track
and the thin-blue-line where the audience sits behind.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Arnold"
<philar_72@...> wrote:
>
> So a league wants a portable floor from Sports Court, or Skate
Court.
> How about selling advertising packages on the floor.  You sell a
half
> interest in the track for $9,000 and you put four logos on the
infield
> for the company that put up the cash for the floor.  But you can
also
> sell smaller packages including $100 packages to fans.  $100 will
buy
> about 33 square foot tiles.  And for that you get your name on the
> corner of a floor, perhapse even around the outside of the track.
50
> fans is another $5,000 and the fan gets their name either script or
> printed on the track for the purchase of the track.  Other larger
> packages of $500 or $1,000 could potentially by larger advertising
> areas for businesses.
>
> But I can honestly see advertising buying a new floor for a league,
> expecially a league with a strong fan and sponsorship base.  Just a
> thought.
>
> Phil
>

So a league wants a portable floor from Sports Court, or Skate Court.
How about selling advertising packages on the floor.  You sell a half
interest in the track for $9,000 and you put four logos on the infield
for the company that put up the cash for the floor.  But you can also
sell smaller packages including $100 packages to fans.  $100 will buy
about 33 square foot tiles.  And for that you get your name on the
corner of a floor, perhapse even around the outside of the track.  50
fans is another $5,000 and the fan gets their name either script or
printed on the track for the purchase of the track.  Other larger
packages of $500 or $1,000 could potentially by larger advertising
areas for businesses.

But I can honestly see advertising buying a new floor for a league,
expecially a league with a strong fan and sponsorship base.  Just a
thought.

Phil

Assuming a 6,000 square foot floor is about a 100 by 60 foot floor,
in tile form, how big of a vehicle does it take to carry the floor
to a venue?  Houston has a fairly new skate court floor, and it
allows them to be in a larger facility, the Masonic Arabia Temple
near Bellaire and I believe I've seen a crowd of about 1,500 there,
which is larger than Austin.

So if we had to rent a floor, perhaps we could go to Houston.  I
have heard several rumors in Austin.  So if there is a future event
on a portable floor, I suspect the CPAs and Physicists on the Texas
Rollergirls have already worked something out or are ready planning
the situation.

In the meantime, I am hoping Austin's appearance in Seattle's Key
arena will give the ladies the arena bug.  And perhaps that will add
some impetus to getting a bigger facility.  But I would also imagine
there is a real feeling of comfort with the current facility.

Take care,

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Chris 'Hurt Reynolds'
Seale" <hurtreynolds@...> wrote:
>
> Portable floor's no problem.  If they don't get one, we'll bring
ours.
> Since, you know, we'll be playing in the championship, and all :)
>
>
>

I agree it is unlikely that a skating rink is going to buy or even
put up with the erection of bleachers in their facility.  Unless you
can put them on rubber mats or something.  And without a portable
floor, how are you going to get into a gymnasium where it is
unlikely that anyone is going to let you skate on their hardwood
floors.

I think the Texas Rollergirls could rent a facility for a few days
for a big tournament.  My favorite possibility is the Travis County
Expo Center, which housed the Minor League hockey team until they
figured out that it was tough to draw six miles east of downtown.
But for a tournament, a once a year happening, well I think the
Expo's 7,500 seats would do the job.  And Travis County has air
conditioned the building.  It is not great but it would be awesome
to see however many teams skating in that facility.
That would be the ultimate Roller Derby junkie's heaven.  And if
that doesn't work out, there is always the Austin Convention
Center.

If only Austin hadn't gotten rid of the old Coliseum.  What a
natural venue that would of been.  Or the Terrace/Austin Opry House
would have been a great venue.  All if these venues means somebody
needs to get a portable floor.

Thanks Hurt!

Phil


--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Chris 'Hurt Reynolds'
Seale" <hurtreynolds@...> wrote:
>
> Three answers to this question:
>
> 1) cost
> 2) cost
> 3) cost
>
> The first cost is the expense of renting or purchasing bleachers,
which is
> non-trivial.  The second cost is insurance, which can rise
dramatically
> especially with bleachers in excess of 3 - 4 feet tall.  The third
cost is
> the indirect cost of the space required, both for bout layout and
(if
> purchased) for permanent setup or storage.
>
> Taking this a little further, few skating rinks have adequate
space for any
> significant bleacher setup, and fewer will be willing to risk
damage to
> their floor from regular setup and take-down of bleachers, so
going to a
> bleacher arrangement means a majority of flat-track leagues must
find an
> entirely new bouting facility, or must bout in a facility
different from
> their practice facility.
>
> Bottom line is, going to a bleacher setup or a bleachered venue
isn't just a
> little bit more complicated, it's a whole order of magnitude
different.  My
> home league has done so successfully, and Minnesota, Windy City,
and the
> Denver Roller Dolls have all been fortunate to start in arena-type
settings,
> so it's certainly doable... but it's non-trivial to say the least!
>
> I'll leave you with these grounds for optimism:  When your home
league hosts
> the 2007 WFTDA National Championship tournament, it's not going to
fit in
> their home rink.  Perhaps this experience will be positive enough
to spur a
> reevaluation of their future venue plans.
>
> ~ hurt
>
>
>

The traditional flat track venue does not have bleechers apparently.
Why is this do you suppose?  I like to be able to sit above the
track, and back from the track because I get a better view of what is
going on.   And I have noticed that the Gothamgirls Roller Derby does
skate in what looks to be a basketball gymnasium, at least some of
the time.

But I think I may have figured out what is the limitation that keeps
roller derby from skating in these venues.  Sometimes there is not
enough extra room for a band to set up.  I will admit, that I want to
see the girls skate, and not much else.  But I am certainly able to
put up with some rock n roll for a while.  I even put up with some,
dare I say it, Rap.  This really shows my age, because I am learning
to ignore popular music like my parents used to ignore my favorite
rock n roll when I was a kid.

I know of a great potential venue in South Austin, the South Austin
Recreation Center.  There is a basketball court with around 1,000
seating in the bleachers.  You could probably easily get another 500
in around the outside of the track on the floor.  But there would be
no room for the band.  And many basketball gyms are fairly compact
like that.  There is likely a big room in front of the gymnasium at
the Rec Center, but could you set up a band there?  I don't know
considering security purposes, and the City of Austin probably just
rents the gym portion, and still runs pool and other activities
outside of the gymnasium.

When Roller Derby emerged from it's long hibernation, the group that
brought it out was largely a rock n roll crowd.  And so it became
Rock N Roller Derby.  I won't even try to separate the sport from the
music, because I can't do it.  It is a six year old tradition, and
certainly that is not going to change here in Austin, and probably in
most locations.

But I still prefer a venue when I can be above the track watching the
game because it gives me a better overall view.  That is the main
reason I like the Convention Center venue better than the banked
track league plays venue.  I can see more.  Well, they have a huge
venue, and can seat probably 3,500 to 4,000 people.  They have to
have about an eight-foot safety area around the track, supposedly to
be able to evacuate people.  And there is a ton of room to have a
band, and people can crowd around it.

I don't know if Austin will ever get bleechers into it's flat track
setup, but I guess I can always dream.

Phil

Two pretty important games are coming up for the Texas Rollergirls
teams, the Hell Mary's and the Hot Rod Honeys.  The HMs will be
hosting the Carolina all-star team from Raleigh, North Carolina
Sunday night, and the HRHs will be hosting the Madison Rollin' Dolls
from Wisconsin that same night.

The Texas Rollergirls are undefeated in interleague games so far, but
that could end on Sunday night.  So the Texas Rollergirls, the
league, is holding a pep rally at Wahoo's Tacos.  I have not heard of
this ever being done before.  But then again, who has ever heard of a
pep rally being held at a Fish Taco place in Texas?  I guess you can
tell this is a Women's Flat Track event because if I held a pep rally
it would be at Whataburger or someplace like that.  But there will be
beer and perhaps other libations to fire up the fans, and the teams,
although I understand that many skaters quit drinking 48 hour in
advance of a game.  And I think sponsors like having the extra
business that an event like this will generate.

So I will bring the camera to see what a roller derby pep rally is
really like.

Take care,

Phil

Pirate, a skater for the Sin City Roller Derby flat track league, was
assaulted Friday night in a Las Vegas parking lot.  I have put the
picture up in the miscellaneous file section.

"She's staying at the Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada,
room 324. Please send her your love and donate a few bucks towards her
medical bills. We sure appreciate it."   This note from the Sin City
skaters.

You may contact the Sin City league by going to the links section
here, and then going to contact section of their web site.

Thanks to "Little Iodine" Behrens for sending me the poster.

Take care,
Phil

I've seen all four teams in Austin flat track play.  I've seen all
four teams in San Antonio and Houston skate.  I've seen two of the
Dallas leagues all star teams skate.  I have seen an all star team
from Kansas City skate in Austin in a very close game.  I plan on
seeing all star teams from Carolina and Wisconsin skate this Sunday
night against local Austin teams.

This is just in the space of four months, in addtion to seeing three
teams from the banked track league in Austin.  How many people have
that  opportunity around the nation?  My guess is not really anyone.

Take care,

Phil

In essence I would invite you to post any information on roller derby
you might come across.  When I come up with information, this will be
the first place I post it.  I have not actively promoted this group,
but it is nice to have you on board.

There may come a point when this group is promoted, and if you like
this group, please feel free to invite others.

Thanks again for joining.

Phil Arnold,
Austin, Texas

Here is the printed online story.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13154600/

And here is the video of the story.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13423347/

Congratulations to Derby Liberation Front of the Seattle Roller
League, and to the Texas Rollergirls and in particular Honkey Tonk
Heartbreakers, although Eight Track of the Hot Rod Honeys got a lot of
face time in the video, with perhaps the quote of the story, something
about a panty drawer full of money.  Hmmmmm!

If you haven't seen the storyies, check out these web sites.

Phil Arnold,
Austin, Texas

Of course, I am not sure I write anyting particularly simple, but if
I could encourage any league or team to write a simple summary of a
match they just played it would include serveral items.

It should include as much as possible information contained in the
Journalistic W's--Who, What, When, Where, Why and sometimes How.

Choose the most important item and write about it.  For instance:

The Dragon Divas of the Alamo City Rollergirls remained tied for the
top spot in the league as they defeated the MissyFits 103-86 Sunday
night in San Antonio.  The Divas who now are 3-1 on the season, took
a 55 to 46 halftime lead, but applied enough pressure late in the
game to break the 100 point barrier, and make a close game a
comfortable victory for the first place team.  Miss Treater led all
jammers scoring 45 points.  Osa Pelogrosa was the leading point
scorer for the MissyFits with 24 points.

In many ways the why is a little weak in the information on that
game, but it is implied with the late scoring and the leading scorer
of the game.  It is also pretty easy to throw in a few other names,
blockers and pivots from each team to get the league and people in
the league a little more publicity.  And if you want, start another
paragraph and say "The next bout is schedule for July 16 at the
Northporte Roller Rink starting at 7:00 p.m. when the Violations (3-
1) will play the Dragon Divas (3-1), and the Prim Reapers (2-2) will
face the MissyFits (0-4)."

This is not rocket science, and even very basic information released
to newspapers and television stations can help your league get more
publicity, and draw some more fans.  I think the key is finding
somebody who can write a quick recap or game summary, or call the
scores in to various media venues.  I suspect even Guido could do
this.

Take care,
Phil

It was fun watching the Alamo City Rollergirls skate Sunday, June
18th in Northporte Rollercade.  The first game of the night was the
Violations against the Prim Reapers.  The game was fairly close at
halftime 47-37.  Then in the second half the Violations opened up a
big lead, only to have the Prim Reapers made a run narrowing down
the score to 71-65.  But after that, the Reapers would only score
one more point, with the Big Blue Team adding 20 more points to make
the final score 91-66.

After the game I was talking to one of the leading jammers for the
Reapers, and she asked how that could happen?  Coaches often wonder
about that issue in other sports like basketball.  Suddenly things
are looking good on a big rally, and then the air goes out of the
balloon.  In the case of the Violations and the Prim Reapers, I
think the Violations suddenly realized that they could loose the
game if they didn't turn things around. So they tightened up the
defense with players like Captain Wreckin Belle and blocker Hell
Starr, and didn't let the trio of very good Prim Reapers jammers
escape through the pack for the rest of the game.  And while playing
defense, the top jammers for the Violations Tamale Hatchett, Hot
Pursuit, and Elle Deguello were able to break out and score a good
number of points.  Up until that point, Tanya Hurting, Matza Brawl,
and Barba Coa had gotten the Reapers back into the game.  And Fender
Bender had helped with some strong blocking.

One incident in the game shows that the ladies who skate in roller
derby put it on the line every single game.  The situation I always
worry the most about is a serious injury.  A new skater Tiffany for
the Prim Reapers went down hard and apparently hit the back of her
head on the hardwood floor.   The game was delayed for about 20
minutes as a trainer and teammates made sure she didn't move until
EMS could arrive and provide necessary assistance before they
transported her to a hospital.  My guess is it was mainly
precautionary, but it was still scary, and I hope Tiffany is doing
well.  Every time a skater goes out on the track, whether they have
been skating for a month or five years, there is the potential for
some pretty serious injuries.  And yet they still go out and skate,
and fans are the big winners of their dedication to the sport.

The second game was between the Dragon Divas and the MissyFits.  The
Divas are a talented team with a lot of speed.  The MissyFits are
not quite as fast, but have a lot of strong blockers on the team.
The Dragon Divas were up 55-46 at half time.  The MissyFits also got
the game closer towards the end of the game, but the Dragon Divas
won the last few jams over a tiring, and penalized MissyFits team to
win 103-86.  Miss Treater led the Dragon Divas in scoring and is a
very fast and shifty jammer.  Electra Cuter, team Co-Captain, was
also an effective jammer, and very versatile skater.  Interestingly
enough, the Divas used up to six different skaters as jammers, which
may have been why they seemed a little fresher at the end of the
game.

I think the MissyFits could be a very good team in the future.  Oso
Peligroso can be an extremely powerful jammer.  Kitty Glitter looks
like another skater who can play several positions effectively.
Ruby Wring looks like a very good blocker.  And young skater Terry
looks with some work she could be a very good skater.  After last
night the Violations have a 3-1 record, as does the Dragon Divas.
The Prim Reapers are 2-2 and must win their next two games to have a
shot at making the Championship game in September.  The MissyFits
are 0-4 for the season but could easily upset one of the top teams
in the next two games.

The venue was very interesting.  The skaters' benches were on the
outside of the track, so only the officials were on the inside of
the track.  The width of the rink was fairly narrow with a concrete
wall about 2 ½ feet tall probably being about 4 feet outside of the
thin blue line, if that.  That means skaters can hit that wall or
the chairs in front of the wall.  Also, you cannot drink on the
seating area on the hardwood floor.  So if you have a beer, you have
to drink it behind the wall.  Rice Rocket, who skates for the Hot
Rod Honeys on the Texas Rollergirls, was also there keeping score
and helping the league out in the scorekeeping department.  She is a
good ambassador for the Texas Rollergirls, and in this case was very
helpful with the officiating and scoring aspect of the game.

It was a pleasure to also talk to the Alamo City Rollergirls after
their matches. They were very warm hosts.  It was especially nice to
talk to Ruby Wring, Tanya Hurting, Fender Bender, Shay Manyu, and
Crash N Burnadette (I believe).  It is fun watching skaters in their
first season on the track, and then meeting them afterwards helps
you realize how committed they are to getting better.  They enjoy
learning about the sport, and enjoy reading about how other leagues
and skaters are doing.  I of course invited them up to Austin for
the Texas Rollergirls hosting of Madison's and Carolina's flat track
teams matches on July 2nd because it would be great to see them
again.  But I know they also will be up in Austin on September 3rd
in Stars Across Texas competing against leagues from Houston and
Dallas.  It will be nice to see them either in the audience, or
skating.

Phil

I suppose it was officially called Roller Derby Appreciation, but I
like Roller Derby 101 being the old school kind of guy that I am.

I really enjoyed this presentation by Ellis Dee, Melicious, Nasty
Habit, Sparkle Plenty, Buckshot Betsy, Curvette, ans Whiskey Lamour
with support help from Rice Rocket, Muffin Tumble, and Cheap Trixie.

I think my favorite sections were the history, rules, and highlights
sections.  All students got to choose a roller derby alter-ego name,
and I chose "Electralosis This!"  I also got to explain why I chose it
and the number I choose.  Since some people on the rollergirls have
chosen letters or other symbols as part of their numbers I chose
capitol E!, with the exclamation point being in the shape of a
lightening bolt.  I also told the ladies when they came around my
alternative names which I rejected, including a name I would use if I
were a rollergirl.  Curvette liked that name so much she wrote it down
(Betty Bleap!).

It was a fun class, and very informative.  Thanks to all the Texas
Rollergirls for setting it up and participating in it.  I think I have
learned a lot, but I can't guarantee I will remember everything.

Phil

I understand that when the league originally split, one group
decided to go to Banked-track and the other decided to go a
different flat track league.  The rivalry still exists with some
bitterness felt from one group towards another, if not both groups.
But not only do they run their events one the same night, which may
split a potential fan base, but they also potentially recruit new
skaters from the same group of people.

I still think Sunday night in Austin is one of the worst nights to
run an event.  The one group has almost no choice with their current
venue not allowing them to not to run an event on Friday or
Saturdays.  The other league probably has much more flexability with
their City of Austin venue.

The only night a roller derby event needs to avoid is opposite the
University of Texas football team when they are in town during a
night game.  The fact is this is an occasional Saturday night in the
Fall.  In fact, if there is an afternoon game, it could be a great
time to have a skating event at night because of the crowd that is
in town ready to have some fun.

It seems to me one league is ready to take off growing, but has to
be petty enough to put its events opposite the other league.  And
the other league is seriously limited by its venue.  Again, remember
that the last time the two leagues went opposite each other there
were probably over 3,500 fans attending both events.  One league
needs to get to the point of ignoring the other league, which I
doubt will happen.  And the other league needs to escape the
limitations of a venue that makes it difficult to grow locally.
That might require a portable floor which is expensive, and I am not
sure there are any realistic alternatives.

Phil

There are many discussions going around about why the Women's Flat
Track Derby Association (WFTDA) does not want two leagues in a town.
And one of the more salient arguments I have seen is looking at the
major league sports franchises.  Except for some exceptions in New
York, Las Angeles, and Chicago, no other major city has more than one
franchise per league.  And those cities are so large; they can support
more than one team in a sport.

But I do not believe it is that way with Roller Derby.  There may be an
exception with Dallas, but the reality is those teams are probably 30
miles apart in a 5.5 million population area.  And those leagues don't
run opposite each other as some leagues do.

Of course the main example is Austin, Texas, although Phoenix, Arizona
would be another city with actually three leagues fighting to exist.
In Austin you have a banked track league, and a flat track league.  My
understanding is the flat track league came out of the banked track
league.  I suspect there is no love lost between the two leagues.  And
so the rivalry is at times nasty.  For instance, it seems like almost
always the two leagues go up against each others.  And one of the
leagues has the ability to avoid going up against the other because of
the flexibility of their venue.  But there almost seems to be a joy in
one league thumbing their nose at the other, and I suspect it works
both ways.

So imagine if this was the situation for league starting up, and trying
to draw a fan base from a metropolitan area.  Suddenly you are skating,
and you have your first match, and then there is another league that
starts up.  All the work the first league has done, and now suddenly
there is competition for the same fan base.  That is why the WFTDA is
unlikely to support second and third leagues in an area.

I suspect they will grandfather in pre-existing two-league cities that
are already a member of the city.  But all the work of the first league
is undercut by the existence of a second league.  There may be some
exceptions here.  For instance if the first league is not women's
skaters owned, then if the second league is, the WFTDA is going to
recognize the second league.  And this is the reality of distrust by
women skaters, of male promoters who have historically taken advantage
of female skaters who earned the almost all of the money from the
skaters, and returned little if any of it to the skaters.

More power to skater-owned leagues and the WFTDA.  I hope it works.  I
know I certainly don't mind being a volunteer if I can help out local
and area leagues produce this most exciting sport of roller derby.

Phil

The number one thing should be that they don't go head-to-head against
each other all of the time.  At this time the Texas Rollergirls have
one venue they can operate out of, and it is only available on Sunday
nights.  So, they set their dates as the first Sunday of the month.

The Lonestar Roller Derby actually has most of its dates at the Austin
Convention Center, a pretty decent facility for banked track.  But it
also has its major disadvantages, such as no concession revenues.  As a
fan I don't care about whether a league is making money off of
concessions, but the league sure cares.  And the rent for use of the
Convention Center has to be pretty stout.  But then again, they have a
lot of flexability, and probably don't have to run their events on
Sundays.  For whatever reasons, they choose to run them on Sundays.
And quite frankly, I don't understand their logic here, except maybe
they want to force people to choose between one league or another, but
not both.

But what about the possibility of a new venue in Austin.  Well, that
would require a portable floor, which I think could be managed with a
sponsorship or two, or 500.  The most obvious empty building in Austin
is the Travis County Expo Center, which because it is air conditoned
now, is not such a bad place.  But it is about ten miles east of town,
so it is not particularly convenient to many people.  Personally I
would not mind driving over there to see a match.  But most likely this
venue would best be used for something like a tournament where you have
the potential to get in up to 7,500 people if the need arises.

The means that a another venue might be necessary.  I think Playland
has serious limits, although it is unbelievably convenient for me.  I
must have been one of 500 or so people standing out in the hot Texas
sun June 4th.  The max for that venue is 1,100 and the viewing at
Playland while intimate, is not my favorite.  I sat front row on the
floor the last time, and my leg muscles almost revolted.

It is difficult to find another venue that sells beer, where a portable
track might be laid down.  There are several school district or
university venues.  Gregory Gym a the University of Texas would be
unreal, with 4,500 seating capcity for volleyball.  But there is no
beer there, not that that has ever stopped UT students from bringing
rum or burbon to spike their cokes during a game before.  And the same
goes for several school district central gymnasiums, like the Delco
Center or the Burger Center.

I haven't checked out the new Crocket Center on North Lamar, but the
old Crocket Center had real possibilities, except it is now owned by a
business college.  There would be plenty of chairs, but no risers at
that facility on the frontage road of Highway 290, just East of I-35.

There has to be some place in Austin however, maybe an Elks hall or
something, where a track could be laid down, beer sold, and more people
could watch a match.  In otherwords, Texas Rollergirls needs some more
room to grow.

Any other suggestions of something within 15 miles of Austin would be
great, although perhaps this is a pipe dream.   I really think the TXRG
needs more room to grow, because their product is so good on the track.

Phil

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
RollerDerbyIsSport group:

You get to choose any night to see a Roller Derby Event.  Which night do you
choose?

   o Friday
   o Saturday
   o Sunday
   o Monday
   o Thursday


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RollerDerbyIsSport/surveys?id=1610298

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

I have put a link to Ziv's photo web storage area.  He takes some
unbelievable pictures which I really enjoy looking at.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeeev/sets/

I hope you also enjoy.
Phil

Bout #4 - Sunday June 11, 2006
Event Location
Arabia Shrine
2900 N. Braeswood Houston, Texas

Doors Open: 6pm
Bout Starts: 7pm

All 4 teams are fighting for a spot in the Championship game.  With
only 3 more games left in the season the tension is getting rough!

Psych Ward Sirens (3-0) vs Bayou City Bosses (1-2)

Burlesque Brawlers (2-1) vs Machete Betties (0-3)


VIP parking will be available at the front of the Arabia Shrine for
$5.00.

Halftime Entertainment will be provided by Private Eye.

Tickets: $10 in advance ; $12 at door (children 12 and under are
FREE!)

CASH ONLY VENUE!

Individual Tickets available online now!!

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Houston Humane
Society.  The Houston Humane Society (HHS) is a non-profit animal
shelter dedicated to eliminating cruelty, abuse, and the
overpopulation of animals. We receive no federal, state, or local
funds and rely solely on donations and special events.



After Party will be located at the Dirt Bar (222 Yale).  Be sure to
join us there so you can buy your favorite roller girl the Dirt Bar
signature shot.  You'll have to ask the name of that shot
later.... :-)

I don't plan on promoting this yahoo group at this time.  But if I get
some indication of interest from other people involved in Roller
Derby, I will go public with it.  That won't stop other people who
find this group from joining, and indeed I encourage them to
participate.
Phil