Come out any time, Phil.  We're waiting for you here in the I.E.
Season starts 3/1 against OCRG.

Rusty Nail
Founder/President
Inland Empire Derby Divas (IEDD)


--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Arnold"
<philar_72@...> wrote:
>
> Have fun at your bout this weekend!  I used to live in St. Louis
when I
> went to grad school.  I'll have to make a trip up there, just like
I
> will to Minnesota, and IEDD to see leagues now rolling where I used
to
> live.
>
> Phil
>
> --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Joanie Rollmoan"
> <joanierollmoan@> wrote:
> >
> > We are dropping prices from $12 advance/$15 door to $10 flat for
our
> upcoming bout vs Windy City to see what the response is. The
thinking
> is we'd rather hav 1000 ppl @ $10 each than 600 @ $15 because it
helps
> build the fan base, more people there means more merch sold, too,
etc.
> >
>

I was going to try to get promoted from Stats Geek to Manager by
lugging a bag of bricks to the rink. The silly rink owner was overly
concerned about what it might do to his Sports Court. Pretty sure I
could've pulled it off without hitting too many of our own players.

I'm not even going to touch the bowel of popcorn. Ewwwww!

*~[;-{p>
Grand Poobah
Sin City Stat Pack
"Chairman of the Clip-Board"
Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls


--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Larry"
<mrlarrydtrentsr@...> wrote:
>
> I remember the good ole days, my dad and I pulling up a chair close
> to the tv with a big bowel of ppcorn on a saturday afternoon to
watch
> the Roller Derby.
> Better get back to work,
>
> LARRY T
> aka Jiggy
>
> PS does anyone remember Personal "A" Friend,
> the manager that carried a breifcase full of bricks & used it
> to help his team??
>

We tried coupons out, they have a nice cool caricature on the back
of our girls knocking another team silly. It was $2 off admission.
Which is exactly what we give people off for advance tickets.

Interestingly enough, people still bought advance tickets, people
still paid the $12 at the door, and our turnout seemed to increase
by almost 20%. I'm not sure how much of that increase was due to the
coupons (haven't had a chance to look over how many were redeemed).

Coupons are GREAT at pulling in the people who are THINKING about
going. You might want to avoid giving them to EVERYONE. Of course,
I'm coming from Las Vegas, where being in the know and having
connections is how smart locals avoid paying "tourist prices" for
everything.

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, Jen Cole
<jenifercole@...> wrote:
>
> We charge $10 in advance and $12 the day of. Children
> under 10 are free.
>
> One of our marketing tools is a coupon that the
> skaters hand out(and that fans can print off our
> website or cut out from our previous bout programs)
> that gives them $2 off at the door.  They were pretty
> popular our last season and the fans really liked the
> fact that the coupon was an 'invitation' from their
> favorite skater.
>
> -Josie Cuervo
> Dutchland Rollers
> Lancaster, PA
> www.dutchlandrollers.com
>

If there are ladies to race in quads I will do both.
This is great to a have races in quads, it gets us all ready for
Nationals in July. (Speed)
Quicksilver


--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "strawberry.deathcake"
<strawberry.deathcake@...> wrote:
>
> Quicksilver are you going to race both quads, and inlines at this
> meet? --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Debra, Quicksilver"
> <djs@> wrote:
> >
> > Come on Ladies lets race, it's fun,  just no blocking.
> > Quicksilver
> >
> > --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "strawberry.deathcake"
> > <strawberry.deathcake@> wrote:
> > >
> > > DFW Speed Club is hosting a Speed meet on 01-13th in Haltom City,
> > > which is just outside of Dallas.
> > > The meet is inline, but if enough quad skaters sign up to race
then we
> > > can too! I am posting this as a invite to race other roller
girls, so
> > > if anyone is interested please shoot me a email at deathcake@
> > > You may also visit the clubs website at www.dfwspeed.com
> > >
> > >
> > > thank you kindly
> > > Strawberry Deathcake
> > >
> >
>

Quicksilver are you going to race both quads, and inlines at this
meet? --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Debra, Quicksilver"
<djs@...> wrote:
>
> Come on Ladies lets race, it's fun,  just no blocking.
> Quicksilver
>
> --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "strawberry.deathcake"
> <strawberry.deathcake@> wrote:
> >
> > DFW Speed Club is hosting a Speed meet on 01-13th in Haltom City,
> > which is just outside of Dallas.
> > The meet is inline, but if enough quad skaters sign up to race then we
> > can too! I am posting this as a invite to race other roller girls, so
> > if anyone is interested please shoot me a email at deathcake@
> > You may also visit the clubs website at www.dfwspeed.com
> >
> >
> > thank you kindly
> > Strawberry Deathcake
> >
>

"Hell on Wheels" in NYC, LA, Victoria, Santa Cruz, Jacksonville,
Missoula…

Hello derby lovers!

We're pleased as hell to announce several upcoming screenings.  We
have some more to add to the list, but here's what's set in stone
for now.  I hope y'all can make it to one of the screenings.  Werner
and I will be traveling to as many of these as we can and we look
forward to meeting many more kick ass derby gals.
Happy New Year!
-bob ray & team Hell

Jacksonville, Florida screening at the San Marco Theater
*co-sponsored by First Coast Fatales
(http://www.jacksonvillerollergirls.com)
Friday, January 4 at midnight
Saturday, January 5 at midnight
San Marco Theater
1996 San Marco Blvd
Jacksonville , FL 32207
(904) 703 2446
http://www.sanmarcotheatre.com
sponsored by
First Coast Fatales

Santa Cruz, California at the Rio Theater
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
http://www.riotheatre.com
sponsored by
Santa Cruz Rollergirls
http://santacruzrollergirls.com/

Victoria Film Festival
The fest runs February 1-10, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Capitol 6 Theatre #1
805 Yates Street
Victoria, BC, Canada
(250) 384-6811
http://victoriafilmfestival.com
www.vifvf.com

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
The fest runs February 14-20, 2008
Screening date/time TBA
Wilma Theatre
131 S. Higgins Ave.
Missoula, Montana
(406) 728-2521
www.bigskyfilmfest.org

American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles
***Sponsored by the Los Angeles Derby Dolls (www.DerbyDolls.com)
Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 7:30 PM
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 466-FILM
www.americancinematheque.com
**director Bob Ray and producer Werner Campbell in attendance for
post screening Q&A
After party TBA.

Brooklyn Academy of Music
***Sponsored by the Gotham Girls Roller Derby
(www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Peter Jay Sharp Building
30 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 636-4100
www.bam.org
**director Bob Ray and producer Werner Campbell in attendance for
post screening Q&A
After party TBA.

Hell on Wheels takes a from-the-trenches look at the dizzying clash
of athleticism, exhibitionism, egos, politics and business that is
modern-era roller derby.  A group of hard-hitting Texas women
overcome myriad obstacles in resurrecting and revamping the sport,
only to find internal strife ripping the fledgling organization
apart.  Two leagues emerge from the clash, and what follows ignites
an international roller derby revival.  Shot over a five-year period
by Bob Ray (Rock Opera) and Werner Campbell, Hell on Wheels was
edited by award winning editor Conor O'Neill (Murderball, Word Wars)
and features original music by …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of
Dead.

www.HellOnWheelsTheMovie.com
www.MySpace.com/HellOnWheelsTheMovie

"Hell on Wheels is an epic doc. It's fast, fun, and inspiring."
- Chris Gore (founder, Film Threat Magazine)

"…the kind of twists, drama, cat fights and compound fractures that
only happen in real ife. The story is extremely compelling,
sometimes laugh-out-loud outrageous and above all inspiring."
- Ain't It Cool News

"Hell on Wheels is full of adrenaline-fueled highs, heartbreaking
lows, and lots of chicks in short skirts kicking the shit out of
each other."
- The Onion A/V Club

"Hell on Wheels is a killer documentary about the Austin all-women's
roller-derby leagues that inadvertently launched a nationwide (and
now worldwide) revival of the sport."
- Salt Lake City Weekly

"Hell on Wheels is a fascinating story and a fun movie."
- Cinematical

"Part rock 'em, sock 'em sports doc (cue Trail of Dead) and part
behind-the-scenes exposé, the film is blessedly free of A&E-style
jiggle and melodramatic pandering, and it makes clear the value of
Derby for misfit girls who like to clothesline people. Best of all
is the film's coda, which tracks the subsequent formation of Roller
Derby leagues across the U.S. and the globe."
- The Austin Chronicle

DFW Speed Club is hosting a Speed meet on 01-13th in Haltom City,
which is just outside of Dallas.
The meet is inline, but if enough quad skaters sign up to race then we
can too! I am posting this as a invite to race other roller girls, so
if anyone is interested please shoot me a email at deathcake@tx.rr.com
You may also visit the clubs website at www.dfwspeed.com

thank you kindly
Strawberry Deathcake

Come on Ladies lets race, it's fun,  just no blocking.
Quicksilver

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "strawberry.deathcake"
<strawberry.deathcake@...> wrote:
>
> DFW Speed Club is hosting a Speed meet on 01-13th in Haltom City,
> which is just outside of Dallas.
> The meet is inline, but if enough quad skaters sign up to race then we
> can too! I am posting this as a invite to race other roller girls, so
> if anyone is interested please shoot me a email at deathcake@...
> You may also visit the clubs website at www.dfwspeed.com
>
>
> thank you kindly
> Strawberry Deathcake
>

DFW Speed Club is hosting a Speed meet on 01-13th in Haltom City,
which is just outside of Dallas.
The meet is inline, but if enough quad skaters sign up to race then we
can too! I am posting this as a invite to race other roller girls, so
if anyone is interested please shoot me a email at deathcake@...
You may also visit the clubs website at www.dfwspeed.com


thank you kindly
Strawberry Deathcake

Have fun at your bout this weekend!  I used to live in St. Louis when I
went to grad school.  I'll have to make a trip up there, just like I
will to Minnesota, and IEDD to see leagues now rolling where I used to
live.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Joanie Rollmoan"
<joanierollmoan@...> wrote:
>
> We are dropping prices from $12 advance/$15 door to $10 flat for our
upcoming bout vs Windy City to see what the response is. The thinking
is we'd rather hav 1000 ppl @ $10 each than 600 @ $15 because it helps
build the fan base, more people there means more merch sold, too, etc.
>

I like the idea.  I would never have found a roller girl before I
went to my first bout.  So I had no choice but to either pay at the
door or use pay pal on the Texas Rollergirls web site.  But I like
the idea of discount coupons.  And I would suggest possibly having
sponsors give out the coupons so that people could think they are
saving money, which they would be, at the door of the event.

My guess is the Texas Rollergirls may sell advance tickets at their
sponsor's outlets.  When I buy an advanced ticket or four, I always
get them at Playland because it is relatively close to where I live.
But my guess is that sponsors wouldn't mind giving out coupons and
wouldn't have to handle cash.

Unless the rollergirls in Austin have an event, the odds on me seeing
them in real life is almost nothing.  In fact, if it wouldn't have
been for me listing to, and hearing them on sport radio, and hearing
the friendly voice and laugh of Misty Meaner (I've probably known her
for ten years or so), I would have never attended my first bout.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, Jen Cole <jenifercole@...>
wrote:
>
> We charge $10 in advance and $12 the day of. Children
> under 10 are free.
>
> One of our marketing tools is a coupon that the
> skaters hand out(and that fans can print off our
> website or cut out from our previous bout programs)
> that gives them $2 off at the door.  They were pretty
> popular our last season and the fans really liked the
> fact that the coupon was an 'invitation' from their
> favorite skater.
>
> -Josie Cuervo
> Dutchland Rollers
> Lancaster, PA
> www.dutchlandrollers.com
>

We charge $10 in advance and $12 the day of. Children
under 10 are free.

One of our marketing tools is a coupon that the
skaters hand out(and that fans can print off our
website or cut out from our previous bout programs)
that gives them $2 off at the door.  They were pretty
popular our last season and the fans really liked the
fact that the coupon was an 'invitation' from their
favorite skater.

-Josie Cuervo
Dutchland Rollers
Lancaster, PA
www.dutchlandrollers.com

This is has been an amazing year for me as far as roller derby goes.
The membership in this group has more than doubled.  Thanks to all
the members!

January 2007--A trip to Raleigh to see the Carolina Rollergirls.  I
got to see Eris Discordia, Roxy Rocket, and Teflon Donna skate the
last time they would skate together as members of the Carolina
Rollergirls.  Since then Teflon and Roxy have moved to Philly, and
Eris retired  because of injuries.  I got to meet so many new friends
in Carolina and see old friends.  If you ever get to go on vacation
to see a league skate, Raleigh, NC and the Carolina Rollergirls are a
great place to plan a derby vacation.  And I can't help but love
watching a bout at the beautiful and historic Dorton Arena!

February 2007-Dust Devil, Western Regionals.  I met so many new
friends here.  I got to see so many different skaters that I had
never seen before.  I must say that the Duke City league became one
of my new favorite teams because of their scrappy skaters and the
Polite Ladies of Roller Derby.  I got to see Rose City skate.  I got
to see my friends from Las Vegas skate for the Sin City Neanderdolls
in a bout.

To me this was a bitter sweet tournament.  My faves the Texas
Rollergirls lost in the semi-finals to Rat City, and then Tucson lost
to Rat City.  I saw more fouls called during the Rat City-Texas
Rollergirls matchup than I have ever seen before, and my feeling is
that anything that is that tightly officiated is not particularly
good for the sport, skaters, or fans included.  And I got my first
taste of the use of dangerous tactical fouls, and I think this is a
problem that needs to be addressed by the WFTDA rules committee.

March 2007--Houston Roller Derby exhibition, and the general
beginning of the season for five leagues in Texas.  HRD always has a
special place with my heart because of all the wonderful friends in
that league.  It was great to see them kick off their season with
this exhibition that at least in part feature their rookies.  And the
after party was unreal, which is not unusual for HRD.

April 2007--The first time I got to see my friend Strawberry
Deathcake skate.  She had a great game, as did Goldie Schlager as
their Deadly Kennedys team showed they would be almost unstoppable in
Assassination City.  I believe they beat the defending champions by
50 points that night.

May 2007-I got my best birthday present ever, a giant card that Dirty
Sanchez got signed by 60 or more skaters and derby related
personalties.  He gave it to me either at the end of the Texas bout
or at the after party, but I was hauling that card around at the
after party and showing it to people like a proud papa.  Thanks
Dirty, and all of you who signed the card!

June 2007--This was a crazy month for me.  I had the usual Texas
Rollergirls bout with electricity being knocked out by a
thunderstorm, plus I got to see the Dallas Derby Devils skate at
their home in Grand Prairie for the first time ever.  I met a lot of
DDD skaters in Tucson at the Dust Devil.  I don't think there is a
league where I have more friends, which considering how many friends
I have in Houston and in Austin that skate, that's pretty amazing.
The next night I made it to the Alamo City Rollergirls bout in San
Antonio.  I think that was the night the Missyfits upset the Dragon
Divas.

On June 23rd, I made it up to Madison, Wisconsin for the Mad Rollin
Dolls hosting the TXRG Hotrod Honeys.  I was very proud of my
favorite home team for hanging so tough with the Mad Rollin Dolls all
stars at their home track.  The after party was also a blast, and I
got to see a huge number of friends I hadn't had the chance to talk
to since July of 2006 when they made the trip to Austin.  I must say
Madison is one of the most beautiful cities in the summertime I have
ever seen.  I want to go back there sometime and maybe get a little
bit of fishing, and cheese tasting in.

September 2007--I got to see championship games for DDD,
Assassination City, Texas Rollergirls, and Alamo City.  It was a
great month for me to congratulate a lot of winners, and console a
good number of friends who worked so hard yet couldn't come away with
the team trohy in their league.

And then there was nationals.  I lost the use of my car that weekend,
which made a serious dent in my timely coming and going from the
Austin Convention Center.  The car is back, but all I could do was
basically attend the Texas Shootout, and get back home on the bus!

The tournament was so exciting.  It was an emotional roller coaster
for me, as my favorite out of state league pulled a huge upset as
Carolina beat the 2nd-ranked Tucson team, and I was there to let the
CRG skaters and fans how happy I was for them.  The thing was my home
league, the Texas Rollergirls went down to Rat City again in what
must have been one of the most physical and fiercely contested
matches I had ever seen.  The bitterness of that experience was
somewhat offset as my second favorite out of state team pulled a huge
upset in one of the most exciting matchups I have ever seen.  Who
would have thought that the Kansas City Roller Warriors would win the
tournament, but they did and they have the trophy to prove it.

In a certain sense, derby in Texas was a little anti-climatic after
Nationals, except that HRD had a championship to decide.  The Psych
Ward Sirens revenged their only loss of the season, and took their
second league championshiop defeating the over-achieving Bayou City
Bosses.  Mistilla the Killa reinforced why I had named her as one of
my top five jammers nationally in 2006 and she scored over half her
team's points, and made amazing quick and correct jamming decisions
as she raced by the tough team defense of the Bosses.

December 2007, was more or less a fun month as I got to see the Texas
Rollergirls host the scrappy Duke City team, and in Dallas I got to
see TXRG go against DDD and Assassination City.  I also got to see
the Death Row Rumblers go up against the Houston Knockouts, the "B"
all star squad from Houston.  Seeing friends skate is always fun.
The only thing is I wish that many of my friends could skate with
each other instead of against each other.

I don't know what will occur in 2008.  I suspect I will not see a
derby match until February.  I think Alamo City starts their season
around the 10th of the month, and I believe that DDD will be hosting
the Northwest Arkansas league on February 9th.  I think there is a
fair chance I will make the Flordia State roller derby tournament in
Tampa on February the 18th.  And then in March, I believe the Texas
WFTDA leagues will be back in action again.

It's been a great year for flat track roller derby, and I hope it
will be even a better year in 2008.

Phil

Our daughter arrived home safe at 1am.

Thanks to all for your kind words and thoughts.

Vodka Martina

--
Thank you!
Tina A. Griffith
Vodka Martina 97% alc/vol
Co-Secretary
Dallas Derby Devils
www.derbydevils.com

"If you fall, pick something up"

$17-20 general admission, $35-40 VIP for the LA Derby Dolls.

Los Angeles is a really expensive city, and those prices are really a
good value considering the competition (there's a lot of entertainment
competing for your dollar on any given Saturday night) and what you
get for your money.

Average prices are likely to be thrown off when you factor large
markets in. You need to compare prices in similar markets and get
different averages for those if your basing your price range on that
information.

In rural markets at fairgrounds and such, I've seen prices as low as $5.

--
Busta

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "alexnjdash"
<alexnjdash@...> wrote:
>
> What is the average general admission charge for a bout? It seems to
> be $10-$12, but I have seen as high as $20 (which seems a bit much).
>
> ~Hell Kat Thrasher
> Shore Points Roller Derby
>

We charge 10 in advance and 15 at the door. :)

Mel Practice
SCDD

Phil Arnold wrote:
>
> I think the typical advanced ticket price is $10-$12 with door tickets
> usually costing $12-$15. Tickets sometimes get more expensive if the
> venue is a pretty expensive venue.
>
> Phil
>
> --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:RollerDerbyIsSport%40yahoogroups.com>, "alexnjdash"
> <alexnjdash@...> wrote:
> >
> > What is the average general admission charge for a bout? It seems to
> > be $10-$12, but I have seen as high as $20 (which seems a bit much).
> >
> > ~Hell Kat Thrasher
> > Shore Points Roller Derby
> >
>
>

I think the typical advanced ticket price is $10-$12 with door tickets
usually costing $12-$15.  Tickets sometimes get more expensive if the
venue is a pretty expensive venue.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "alexnjdash"
<alexnjdash@...> wrote:
>
> What is the average general admission charge for a bout? It seems to
> be $10-$12, but I have seen as high as $20 (which seems a bit much).
>
> ~Hell Kat Thrasher
> Shore Points Roller Derby
>

What is the average general admission charge for a bout? It seems to
be $10-$12, but I have seen as high as $20 (which seems a bit much).

~Hell Kat Thrasher
Shore Points Roller Derby

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "strawberry.deathcake"
<strawberry.deathcake@...> wrote:
>
> LOVE MY DERBY FAMILY!!!!!!

LOVE YOU TOO!!!

HAPPY HAPPY TO ALL!


>

I am not a multi-tasker.  While I love the announcers in roller
derby, if I were a skater I would not listen to them, unless I could
do so without it effecting what I needed to do on the track.  Even
then, they are not nearly as official as the referees, and the
coaches and the captains, well they set the tone on what is to be
done on the track.  In basketball I never watched a clock.  The
coaches would tell me if time was important.

When you are a competitor in sports, the referees are basically
fallible gods.  What they say goes.  They give teams and players
structure, so they must be paid attention to.  Their whistle starts
play.  Their whistle stops play.  The coaches, and in roller derby,
the captains set things up before a players goes on the playing
surface.  Through previous practices, they set up the strategy.  They
set up the lineups.  They give you direction and strategy.  Then you
play with your teammates, and with them you are a team.  But almost
anything else is extraneous.

While some referees are more forgiving than others, they expect the
players to be ready to go at the beginning of a jam.  They have a set
limit of time to get things going.  They expect jammers, blockers,
and pivots to be in their appropriate spots at the beginning of the
jam.  If they are not ready to go, most of the time, they just start
without the absent skaters.

As a former basketball ref I believe in warnings.  "If you are late
again, we'll skate without you," is something I might say one time as
a warning.  But that is just me.  If some refs don't do that, well
that's the way they roll.  And like I say refs are fallible, but they
are the rule of law on the track, both judge and jury.

The fact of the matter is that experienced skaters like those from
Carolina and Kansas City are expected to be ready to go at the
beginning of a jam.  While I like for refs to be forgiving at times,
it is unrealistic to expect them to be this way all of the time, or
perhaps even half of the time.  If you have 36 jams in a bout, I'm
not sure if you can expect them to be merciful more than 10 percent
of the time.  But if for some reason there is some delay, you can
also expect the head ref to call an official timeout for whatever the
reason might be.  But is totally at their discretion to when derby
officials call time outs or not.  Therefore it is better to be
prepared for the strictest, stiffest, meanest officials that have
ever walked the earth, and if they are not that bad, that's a
positive.

Now as a fan, that's not what I expect from game officials, but as a
skater, I think that is the best way to approach the situation.  Did
I do that when I was in college and we were on the road knowing that
the interpretation of the rules by the out of state refs was probably
going to be some mutant, alien form of rules we had never thought
of?  Of course not, at least not early in the season.  But as our
conference schedule went on, we learned to expect the worst
officiating on the road, and we looked for opportunities to win
despite the officiating.  And that paid off more often for us, rather
than expecting to have fair-minded and merciful officials, because
when they didn't meet those idealistic standards, we weren't caugh
unprepared.

The difference between now and then, is the college refs were fairly
well paid, and most refs at interleague derby bouts are pretty much
volunteers.  Thank goodness for those volunteers, but they are not
professional refs.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, jacquline smith
<jacquline_30@...> wrote:
>
> Have we all forgotten that when we play sports we are having to
watch our coaches, refs, time clocks, and the other players on the
teams? I still think that it was alot of this ref to expect all eyes
to be on them at all times. We do depend on announcers to let us and
the crowd know what is going on. I still think that this was a error
not only on the player but on the ref for not making sure that they
had control of the game.
>

One of the more interesting things is which skaters can hear on the
track. If a skater is focused on a task they may not hear anything
almost. They might hear their teammates that are skating with them,
and they might hear a ref blow a whistle, and that may be the limit
of their hearing skills during a bout. For instance some jammers may
not hear teammates on the bench nearly begging for them to cut off a
jam. It's one of the main reasons why visual signals are often very
important during a bout.

Other skaters can hear almost anything. One time a skater was going
by me after a jam had been called off and I said, "Good job
Barbarella!" and she answered back, "Thanks!" Often when I see
skaters on the track I'll make a comment like that, sometimes fairly
loudly, but I am surprised if they hear me. I suspect that the more
veteran skaters where blocking and jamming almost becomes second
nature usually can hear better. But I know this is likely not the
case with all veteran skaters.

I'll never forget a time when I was coaching a sixth grade basketball
team in their first game of the year. I wanted a time out and
yelled, and yelled, and yelled for the players to call a time out.
Finally, after about 15 seconds, one of my players called the time
out. I would guess that veins were about to burst in my kneck. I
asked them when they got to the bench, "Couldn't anybody hear me
yelling for the time out?" The answer was that no one could hear me
until finally one of the kids did hear me. Suddenly what I
considered to be a second string player, needed to be on the court
more so at least somebody could hear me from the bench.

I don't know if it is always like that in roller derby, but I suspect
that some players just don't hear announcers or almost anybody else,
while others can hear announcers, fans, and their family during a
bout.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "minajford"
<mina.ford@...> wrote:
>
> I hope to God that announcer paid for ALL of Snot Rocket's drinks
at
> the afterparty! What gigantic mistake.
>
> I guess the moral of that story is to only pay attention to the
refs
> with regard to timeouts, penalties, etc. But I can totally
> understand why she returned to the bench, having heard the
announcer
> say that. This is basically justa reminder, to me, that the refs
> will inform the skaters, not the aunnouncer. Which we all know,
but
> sometimes trust the annoucner too much. Yikes!
>
> Callous Lily
> Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
>

I know jammers in Dallas that just hate the fact that an announcer
will say something like, 'the jammer (insert specific name) is trying
to outside line through the pack.'  They believe the opposing skaters
in the pack hear that and adjust to where they think the jammer is
skating.

I would love to know if blockers do in fact listen to announcers to
help them try to figure out where the blocker is, and if jammers
actually change up how they are going through the pack because of
what the announcer says.   My guess is if you are a jammer you are
cuing off of mainly visual situations, your blocker is on an opposing
blocker, or you are faking inside and going outside, or the other way
around.  I would not think that you have time to react to what the
announcer says, but I could be wrong.

On the other hand, if you are a blocker and you know the jammer is
there somewhere, but you don't have a clue where, you might try to
get a hint from the announcer, although I would think it would be
better to listen to your teammates.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "minajford"
<mina.ford@...> wrote:
>
> When I am on the track, I hear the other skaters and I hear
> whistles.  That's it.  The crowd is just a dull roar.  That's
> awesome that she was able to hear you yelling in the crowd.
>
> With regard to announcers and music, I can hear the announcer when
> I'm OFF the track, but not when I'm on.  Once I get on the track,
> everything gets blocked out but whistles and skaters.  For me, it's
> a concentration thing.  Some skaters love to interact with the
> crowd, but I tend to block out the crowd when I'm actually
playing.
> I did a lot of theater when I was younger and that was how I coped
> with being up there in front of an audience: I ignored them.  I
hope
> that doesn't sound like I don't appreciate the fans, because I do.
> If I paid much attention to them, though, I'd probably
> get "stagefright" and not be able to focus on the game.
>
> Man, I miss playing (I'm healing a broken ankle right now).
>
> Callous Lily,
> Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
> --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Arnold"
> <philar_72@> wrote:
> >
> > One of the more interesting things is which skaters can hear on
> the
> > track.  If a skater is focused on a task they may not hear
> anything
> > almost.  They might hear their teammates that are skating with
> them,
> > and they might hear a ref blow a whistle, and that may be the
> limit
> > of their hearing skills during a bout.  For instance some jammers
> may
> > not hear teammates on the bench nearly begging for them to cut
off
> a
> > jam.  It's one of the main reasons why visual signals are often
> very
> > important during a bout.
> >
> > Other skaters can hear almost anything.  One time a skater was
> going
> > by me after a jam had been called off and I said, "Good job
> > Barbarella!" and she answered back, "Thanks!"  Often when I see
> > skaters on the track I'll make a comment like that, sometimes
> fairly
> > loudly, but I am surprised if they hear me.  I suspect that the
> more
> > veteran skaters where blocking and jamming almost becomes second
> > nature usually can hear better.  But I know this is likely not
the
> > case with all veteran skaters.
> >
> > I'll never forget a time when I was coaching a sixth grade
> basketball
> > team in their first game of the year.  I wanted a time out and
> > yelled, and yelled, and yelled for the players to call a time
> out.
> > Finally, after about 15 seconds, one of my players called the
time
> > out.  I would guess that veins were about to burst in my kneck.
I
> > asked them when they got to the bench, "Couldn't anybody hear me
> > yelling for the time out?"  The answer was that no one could hear
> me
> > until finally one of the kids did hear me.  Suddenly what I
> > considered to be a second string player, needed to be on the
court
> > more so at least somebody could hear me from the bench.
> >
> > I don't know if it is always like that in roller derby, but I
> suspect
> > that some players just don't hear announcers or almost anybody
> else,
> > while others can hear announcers, fans, and their family during a
> > bout.
> >
> > Phil
> >
> > --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "minajford"
> > <mina.ford@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I hope to God that announcer paid for ALL of Snot Rocket's
> drinks
> > at
> > > the afterparty!  What gigantic mistake.
> > >
> > > I guess the moral of that story is to only pay attention to the
> > refs
> > > with regard to timeouts, penalties, etc.  But I can totally
> > > understand why she returned to the bench, having heard the
> > announcer
> > > say that.  This is basically justa  reminder, to me, that the
> refs
> > > will inform the skaters, not the aunnouncer.  Which we all
know,
> > but
> > > sometimes trust the annoucner too much.  Yikes!
> > >
> > > Callous Lily
> > > Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
> > >
> >
>

I believe visual signals are better in nearly every sport than audible
signals.

Even at practice, especially in those carpet-covered-walls skating
rinks, if I'm on the back side of a coach screaming an order, I can hear
her screaming, but I can't understand what she's saying. This was really
obvious at a recent let's-have-fun-its-the-holiday-season practice where
an injured skater was leading us in a game of Simon Says. No one on her
back could understand her calls. We can all tell the difference between
"red light" and "green light" but finer calls - like what kind of knee
drop, unless we have a limited, common language - are practically
impossible.

Even those with the worst hearing can usually hear that which they are
paying attention to - whether it is right next to them on the court or
halfway across an arena - especially (oddly enough) with eye contact.
Which goes back to the "visual signals are better" comment.

You don't see base coaches in baseball giving verbal signals without
also giving visual signals.

I think besides whistle blows, there should be something visible from
refs as well.

I've come to find out the easiest audio to hear in a bout is the (insert
expletive when they are wrong) announcer. This has led to more than one
bout where players and fans alike became confused.

Bitches Bruze
AASRD

Phil Arnold wrote:
>
> One of the more interesting things is which skaters can hear on the
> track. If a skater is focused on a task they may not hear anything
> almost. They might hear their teammates that are skating with them,
> and they might hear a ref blow a whistle, and that may be the limit
> of their hearing skills during a bout. For instance some jammers may
> not hear teammates on the bench nearly begging for them to cut off a
> jam. It's one of the main reasons why visual signals are often very
> important during a bout.
>
> Other skaters can hear almost anything. One time a skater was going
> by me after a jam had been called off and I said, "Good job
> Barbarella!" and she answered back, "Thanks!" Often when I see
> skaters on the track I'll make a comment like that, sometimes fairly
> loudly, but I am surprised if they hear me. I suspect that the more
> veteran skaters where blocking and jamming almost becomes second
> nature usually can hear better. But I know this is likely not the
> case with all veteran skaters.
>
> I'll never forget a time when I was coaching a sixth grade basketball
> team in their first game of the year. I wanted a time out and
> yelled, and yelled, and yelled for the players to call a time out.
> Finally, after about 15 seconds, one of my players called the time
> out. I would guess that veins were about to burst in my kneck. I
> asked them when they got to the bench, "Couldn't anybody hear me
> yelling for the time out?" The answer was that no one could hear me
> until finally one of the kids did hear me. Suddenly what I
> considered to be a second string player, needed to be on the court
> more so at least somebody could hear me from the bench.
>
> I don't know if it is always like that in roller derby, but I suspect
> that some players just don't hear announcers or almost anybody else,
> while others can hear announcers, fans, and their family during a
> bout.
>
> Phil
>
> --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:RollerDerbyIsSport%40yahoogroups.com>, "minajford"
> <mina.ford@...> wrote:
> >
> > I hope to God that announcer paid for ALL of Snot Rocket's drinks
> at
> > the afterparty! What gigantic mistake.
> >
> > I guess the moral of that story is to only pay attention to the
> refs
> > with regard to timeouts, penalties, etc. But I can totally
> > understand why she returned to the bench, having heard the
> announcer
> > say that. This is basically justa reminder, to me, that the refs
> > will inform the skaters, not the aunnouncer. Which we all know,
> but
> > sometimes trust the annoucner too much. Yikes!
> >
> > Callous Lily
> > Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
> >
>
>

When I am on the track, I hear the other skaters and I hear
whistles.  That's it.  The crowd is just a dull roar.  That's
awesome that she was able to hear you yelling in the crowd.

With regard to announcers and music, I can hear the announcer when
I'm OFF the track, but not when I'm on.  Once I get on the track,
everything gets blocked out but whistles and skaters.  For me, it's
a concentration thing.  Some skaters love to interact with the
crowd, but I tend to block out the crowd when I'm actually playing.
I did a lot of theater when I was younger and that was how I coped
with being up there in front of an audience: I ignored them.  I hope
that doesn't sound like I don't appreciate the fans, because I do.
If I paid much attention to them, though, I'd probably
get "stagefright" and not be able to focus on the game.

Man, I miss playing (I'm healing a broken ankle right now).

Callous Lily,
Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Arnold"
<philar_72@...> wrote:
>
> One of the more interesting things is which skaters can hear on
the
> track.  If a skater is focused on a task they may not hear
anything
> almost.  They might hear their teammates that are skating with
them,
> and they might hear a ref blow a whistle, and that may be the
limit
> of their hearing skills during a bout.  For instance some jammers
may
> not hear teammates on the bench nearly begging for them to cut off
a
> jam.  It's one of the main reasons why visual signals are often
very
> important during a bout.
>
> Other skaters can hear almost anything.  One time a skater was
going
> by me after a jam had been called off and I said, "Good job
> Barbarella!" and she answered back, "Thanks!"  Often when I see
> skaters on the track I'll make a comment like that, sometimes
fairly
> loudly, but I am surprised if they hear me.  I suspect that the
more
> veteran skaters where blocking and jamming almost becomes second
> nature usually can hear better.  But I know this is likely not the
> case with all veteran skaters.
>
> I'll never forget a time when I was coaching a sixth grade
basketball
> team in their first game of the year.  I wanted a time out and
> yelled, and yelled, and yelled for the players to call a time
out.
> Finally, after about 15 seconds, one of my players called the time
> out.  I would guess that veins were about to burst in my kneck.  I
> asked them when they got to the bench, "Couldn't anybody hear me
> yelling for the time out?"  The answer was that no one could hear
me
> until finally one of the kids did hear me.  Suddenly what I
> considered to be a second string player, needed to be on the court
> more so at least somebody could hear me from the bench.
>
> I don't know if it is always like that in roller derby, but I
suspect
> that some players just don't hear announcers or almost anybody
else,
> while others can hear announcers, fans, and their family during a
> bout.
>
> Phil
>
> --- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "minajford"
> <mina.ford@> wrote:
> >
> > I hope to God that announcer paid for ALL of Snot Rocket's
drinks
> at
> > the afterparty!  What gigantic mistake.
> >
> > I guess the moral of that story is to only pay attention to the
> refs
> > with regard to timeouts, penalties, etc.  But I can totally
> > understand why she returned to the bench, having heard the
> announcer
> > say that.  This is basically justa  reminder, to me, that the
refs
> > will inform the skaters, not the aunnouncer.  Which we all know,
> but
> > sometimes trust the annoucner too much.  Yikes!
> >
> > Callous Lily
> > Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
> >
>

One of the more interesting things is which skaters can hear on the
track.  If a skater is focused on a task they may not hear anything
almost.  They might hear their teammates that are skating with them,
and they might hear a ref blow a whistle, and that may be the limit
of their hearing skills during a bout.  For instance some jammers may
not hear teammates on the bench nearly begging for them to cut off a
jam.  It's one of the main reasons why visual signals are often very
important during a bout.

Other skaters can hear almost anything.  One time a skater was going
by me after a jam had been called off and I said, "Good job
Barbarella!" and she answered back, "Thanks!"  Often when I see
skaters on the track I'll make a comment like that, sometimes fairly
loudly, but I am surprised if they hear me.  I suspect that the more
veteran skaters where blocking and jamming almost becomes second
nature usually can hear better.  But I know this is likely not the
case with all veteran skaters.

I'll never forget a time when I was coaching a sixth grade basketball
team in their first game of the year.  I wanted a time out and
yelled, and yelled, and yelled for the players to call a time out.
Finally, after about 15 seconds, one of my players called the time
out.  I would guess that veins were about to burst in my kneck.  I
asked them when they got to the bench, "Couldn't anybody hear me
yelling for the time out?"  The answer was that no one could hear me
until finally one of the kids did hear me.  Suddenly what I
considered to be a second string player, needed to be on the court
more so at least somebody could hear me from the bench.

I don't know if it is always like that in roller derby, but I suspect
that some players just don't hear announcers or almost anybody else,
while others can hear announcers, fans, and their family during a
bout.

Phil

--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "minajford"
<mina.ford@...> wrote:
>
> I hope to God that announcer paid for ALL of Snot Rocket's drinks
at
> the afterparty!  What gigantic mistake.
>
> I guess the moral of that story is to only pay attention to the
refs
> with regard to timeouts, penalties, etc.  But I can totally
> understand why she returned to the bench, having heard the
announcer
> say that.  This is basically justa  reminder, to me, that the refs
> will inform the skaters, not the aunnouncer.  Which we all know,
but
> sometimes trust the annoucner too much.  Yikes!
>
> Callous Lily
> Vice President, Tallahassee Rollergirls
>