Merry Xmas from the Round-Up Bout!!

Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Apologies for the hiatus ... Jet Stepper is one of the unfortunate few whose job gets busier over the Christmas period rather than easier!!

But we still want to hear all your Derby gossip her at the RUB :)
Still waiting to hear about the Sleigh Belles first outing, and will have some details about the Highland Fling coming very shortly!

lots of Xmas derby love,

Jet Stepper & The Jetspuns! xxx

2010 A Skate Odyssey

Royal Windsor Rollergirls vs Sheffield Steel Rollergirls

In 2010 the Sheffield Steel Roller Girls will make an epic journey of adventure and exploration to face the Black and Blue Queens of the Roll Rage: The Royal Windsor Rollergirls.

Get your tickets to see ‘2010 a Skate Odyssey’ now HERE  or buy direct from a Windsor Rollergirl.

When: Saturday 20.02.2010 – doors at 4.30.
Where: Wycombe Sports Centre, Bucks - HP11 1TJ

Yes – kids get in for free (12 and under)
Yes – we have a licensed bar
Yes – we have a Raffle (prizes include a shiny new mobile phone from 3, gorgeous shoes from our sponsors TUK and Neutrogena/Roc beauty products worth £75)
Yes – there will be awesome cupcakes
Yes – there’s a FREE after-party and
YES there will be BEER PONG!

The venue stipulate that ALL photographers must collect a pass on arrival – if you wish to take any photos at the game please contact Sarah and she will pass your details on to the venue.

See you in 2010
RWRG

GRG New Skater Intake!

Glasgow Rollergirls have announced a three month introduction to Roller Derby  ...

Starting Tuesday 16th February, GRG will be teaching fresh meat all the basic moves needed to skate Derby; stance, stride and technique - the foundations on which Derby skills can be built.

It is an intensive course designed to teach new skaters the minimum skill level required to participate in team practice.

Training will take place at The Firhill Complex, Hopehill Road, Glasgow, on Tuesday evenings from 7pm - 9pm.  The first skate is free, after that it's £5 per session to skate.

If you're in the Glasgow area and keen, check out the Facebook event or email Venus Velocity.

A Scottish Scrimmage

Some news from the North, care of Glasgow Rollergirls' Miss Troublegum ...

Scottish Mixed Scrimmage – Sunday 6 December @ The ARC


After watching so many new derby teams popping up around Scotland it was great to have finally managed to gather the clans together and get a good old friendly mixed scrimmage on the go.

Today we had girls from The Auld Reekie Roller Girls (Edinburgh), The Dundee Destroyers (Dundee), The Perth Roller Girls (Perth), The Granite City Roller Girls (Aberdeen) and of course the hosts for the day, Glasgow Roller Girls.

There was also a ref training session to introduce fresh meat into the zebra world and allow them to discuss derby rules, helping them stay one step ahead of all the spills and thrills on track.

We only had access to half of the hall in the Arc Sports Centre for the first part of the three-hour session but this didn't stop the girls piling on track to get a good warm-up skate and some endurance drills done. As is usual with derby, the injuries came early with one of the Dundee girls taking a nasty tumble and damaging her knee, and Glasgow's Dreaded Dragon taking a spill and suffering a pretty swollen wrist...

Finally, the entire hall was ours and our superfast track committee had the track tape measured out and down in record time, letting the refs gather centre track and the fun begin. It was decided to go for a bit of a new approach to picking teams for the scrimmage with a technique that worked well at a previous mixed scrim (Grange Hell). We saw one long line for wannabe blockers and one for the super keen jammers, this allowed each team to be a good mix of different league members, which in turn allowed so many skaters to skate outside their own comfort zone, learning from other skaters they hadn't bouted with before and really getting to know the different teams we have in Scotland. Roller derby has a way of bringing girls together and forging new friendships unlike any other sport out there and it wasn't long before all the girls were chatting away and having a good giggle while they waited for their chance on track.

Half-time came and to the delight of everyone’s rumbling stomachs our girl Coco Pox brought out a huge tin of homemade festive delights for everyone to munch on! THANKS COCO!

The second half held more action with another good hour’s worth of jams and lots more laughs on and off track. As usual, most of the action was caught on camera by the lovely Wullie Marr who’s always there to snap the GRG at their best!

The end result was definitely a very successful day of roller derby, new friends and tighter teams. Thanks to all who travelled through to skate, ref and help out with the action... and especially to the GRG who organised it all! Oh, and Happy Christmas and a very Derby-filled New Year.

Miss Troublegum, GRG

Blood & Thunder UK Camp

So, this was going to be a piece to tell you all that tickets have now gone on sale for the awesome Blood & Thunder UK Camp set to hit Birmingham over next year's May Bank Holiday weekend, however ...
in the space of the two days it has taken me to transmit Twisted Mister's message to you all ... the Camp is SOLD OUT!

Awesome response from everyone - hopefully this will mean that Blood & Thunder will be running more events in the near future!


Congrats Central City Rollergirls for organising the weekend, can't wait to hear all about it next May!

Dolly Rockits get Rolling ...

Brand New Leicester league, the Dolly Rockit Rollers, have announced their first ever training session!

The Rollers will be meeting on Sunday January 10th 2010, from 5pm-7pm, at the Leicester Leys Leisure Centre.  If you're in the Leicester area, and old or new to roller derby, why not head along?

For more details, check out the league's Facebook group HERE.

Liverpool Roller Birds make the morning news ...

Liverpool Roller Birds got a special mention yesterday for their contribution to the annual Liverpool charity Santa Dash!

Five birds had planned to skate the course, however they had to abandon their skates due to weather conditions, and completed the run in trainers instead.

CLICK HERE to read the Liverpool Echo article.  Well done Birds!

Winter Wonderslam Round-Up

Photo by Mike King

Steam Rollers 147 - Ultraviolent Femmes 55

Mention London RollerGirls to anyone in the UK Roller Derby community and you can be sure they’ll have an opinion. Then mention that you have an LRG Season Ticket (crafty marketing there ladies!) and watch them turn green…

Having never witnessed any of the LRG Teams in action before, news of their second intra-league season (in addition to their tournament bouts alongside Birmingham Blitz Dames at Tattoo Freeze, Jan 17th, 2010) had me salivating. Even the prospect of ten butt-numbing hours of National Express drudgery (per bout) couldn’t dim my enthusiasm.

Tottenham Green Leisure Centre, LRG’s home turf, is a tight squeeze for players and fans alike, making for an intimate experience. Whilst the programme states that having a rollergirl in your lap is a privilege, it neglects to mention that it’s also a virtual certainty!

Following Referee and NSO introductions, the teams performed their skate outs. The Ultraviolent Femmes immediately endeared themselves to me by skating out, en masse, to a song by Slayer (which seemed strangely appropriate, despite their Clockwork Orange-inspired team persona) whilst, in contrast, the Steam Rollers skated out individually, one clockwise, one counter-clockwise. Could this be indicative of anything – a solid team against a group of individuals? … Or was I just over-analysing?

Everything that happened afterwards is a bit of a blur…

No, I’m being serious! That’s how fast the bout was played!

And trust me when I say the score line doesn’t do this bout any justice either.

Within two or three jams the Steam Rollers had already stamped their authority on the bout, racking up a dozen plus points and denying the Ultraviolent Femmes any in the process. Consistently superior pack-work coupled with dynamic Jammer strategies saw the Rollers pile on the points at will, whilst the Femmes struggled to break through the pack with any regularity.  There were Jamwiches galore throughout the first period, the majority of which had a Femme filling.

The tension within the Femmes camp spilled onto the track on a number of occasions as the suicide seats played host to a number of players (Quad Ophelia lays claim to five squatters during the course of the bout, and I played host to a couple). Outside Pack Ref’ Henry The Sk8th was taken out at one point, as was one of the many photographers (his tripod may never be the same again!). The sin bin also became over-subscribed towards the end of the period, as both teams cleared their Minors and played short. However, even with three Rollers in the penalty box, the Femmes weren’t able to close them out and bring the scores anywhere near level, further compounding their problems come the end of the first period.

I can’t supply half-time scores for stat’s fiends I’m afraid – but, as Dominic Toretto once said: “It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning's winning.”

(If memory serves, the score was 3/1 in favour of the Rollers (roughly 120 – 40). And, for the record, the half-time intermission included fans racing around the track on space hoppers!)

The second period started in much the same vein as the first, with the Rollers locking out the Femmes at every opportunity, whilst continuing to press home every scoring advantage. Fox Sake and Sky Rockit put another twenty points on the board for the Rollers without any real response from the Femmes within the first few jams. (Apologies to any of the other Steam Rollers Jammers who scored during this period and who I haven’t mentioned by name – Fox and Sky really stood out to me.)

To the Femmes credit, they took this in their stride, and made every effort to hamper the Rollers’ scoring efforts thereafter without jeopardising their own. It was slow but steady work on their part, bordering on death by inches, which might have paid dividends had the half-time score been more favourable. Kamikaze Kitten, Ninjette, and Vagablonde chipped away, jam by jam, to more than double their first period score – indeed, the last few jams saw the Femmes finally get their groove on in a big way (again, sadly not reflected in the final score).

And so, the first of this season’s LRG’s intra-league bouts ended with a decisive victory for the Steam Rollers (147) and a humbling defeat for the Ultraviolent Femmes (55).

Tattoo Freeze will show whether the Femmes can move beyond this, and allow them the chance to try out any new ideas and build upon what they did towards the end of Winter Wonderslam ahead of the next intra-league bout on Feb 6th, against the Suffra Jets (whom the Steam Rollers will face in a closed bout on Feb 27th).


El Toupee

A Host of Winter Wonderslam Pics for you ...

Check out more of Freddie Fraggles' photos here ....

... and Steve Newton's photos here ...

and Mike King's here!

War of the Roses Photos ....

Check out Freddie Fraggles' photos from War of the Roses - Rainy City Roller Girls vs Leeds Roller Dolls - at the weekend.

WFTDA Rule Change may affect your numbers ...

December 1st marks an update in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Rules.

For full details on the changes, check out the WFTDA News Page, but one key change has derby girls around the world panicking.

From December 1st, 2009, uniform numbers of officially rostered WFTDA skaters must contain at least one number, and while they may contain letters, the combination of numbers or numbers and letters cannot exceed four digits.  For example XIX is no longer allowed, but X1X would be allowed.

There is some question as to how much this change will affect UK Leagues, as only London Rollergirls are currently affiliated members of the WFTDA, as mentioned last month when they were awarded Apprentice Program status.

But it's definitely something to keep in mind ....

Jet Stepper #83

Carnival of the Strange Round-Up

Saturday 21st November 2009 saw Lincolnshire Bombers host the Carnival of the Strange! 


Doors opened at 1pm, and Newark Show Ground looked like you had just fallen down the rabbit hole and ended up in Wonderland. The children’s area was filled with all the retro kiddie treats we loved from our own childhoods - face painting, hook a dook, hoopla and giant size confectionary. This was a true Roller Derby celebration with acts, performers, burlesque, bands and stalls with allsorts of skating goodies plus the highlight of the day live Roller Derby Action!

The two teams were made up with skaters from across the country - Lincolnshire Bombers, Auld Reekie Roller Girls, Central City Roller Girls, Glasgow Roller Girls, Leeds Roller Dolls, Middlesbrough Milk Rollers, Sheffield Steel Rollergirls, Rainy City Roller Girls, Rebellion Roller Girls and Royal Windsor Rollergirls!

Considering these player had little time to practice together, they kept their eyes on the prize and pushed forward in unity. Jammers took off from the line like they were shot from a cannon, and there was some spectacular blocking going on, which cleared the way for Jammers to skip through the pack time and time again. The girls gave 100% and were unyielding in there task to become “Queen of the Carnival”. 


 “The Children of the Damned” were triumphant, managing to improve dramatically on their first half lead with final scores of


Children of the Damned 196 : Las Ninas Muertas 63    


MVP Children of the Damned - CCR's Hustle'her

May-Q Dizzy

Scotland's Spills & Boom Weekend of Roller Derby Romance

A WHOLE VALENTINE'S WEEKEND OF AMAZING ROLLER DERBY ACTION !!!!!

Saturday the 13th February 2010 Glasgow Rollergirls presents:

***WITHERING HITS*****

GRG v. LRR

Time: 1 - 4 pm

Place: Glasgow Arc Sports Centre

Price: TBC

Afterparty: TBC

Sunday the 14th February 2010 Auld Reekie Rollergirls presents:

***JAILHOUSE BLOCK***

ARRG v. LRD

Time: TBC

Place: Meadowbank Stadium Edinburgh

Price: TBC

Afterparty: TBC

Write the dates for this smashing weekend in your diaries!

An Elvis impersonator will be on hand on the sunday to marry you and your derby wife!

FACEBOOK LINK