I have started writing bout previews and recaps over at Derby News Network, so go there to check them out.  This site is great because it is a very central location for info on bouts all over the place as well as other general roller derby news. I’m trying to write about all the Colorado bouts and anything else I may catch (unfortunately I missed the DRD season closer but I have a preview and recap for some RMRG games up right now).

I may post individual bout info over there from now on and use this site more as a general derby blog, but I guess I’ll see how it goes.  In the mean time, be sure to check DNN for scores and details on bouts around the country.

Here are the scores and the results from the Texas Shootout this weekend - again, since I couldn’t make it personally, I would definitely recommend Derby News Network, Have Derby, Will Travel and LeadJammer.com for more detailed info on the games.

Day one scores:

Bout 1: Gotham 101, Kansas City 116
Bout  2: Carolina 80, Tucson 73
Bout 3: Texas 108, Windy City 56
Bout 4: Detroit 49, Rat City 157

Day two scores:

Bout 1: Carolina 108, Kansas City 116
Bout 2: Rat City 89,  Texas  79
Bout 3: Texas 110, Carolina 46
Bout 4:  Kansas City 89,  Rat City 85

 Top 4 final results:

1. Kansas City Roller Warriors
2. Rat City
3. Texas Rollergirls
4. Carolina Rollergirls

It looks like day one’s first two bouts were extremely close and could definitely be considered upsets.  Day two looks full of nail-biters as well - it’s great to see mix ups in the top spots, especially with a team like Kansas City that no one really saw coming before Dust Devil.

For updates on the Texas Shootout in Austin, visit these sites:

• Leadjammer.com - live blog with updated scores running throughout the bouts
• Have Derby, Will Travel - bout recaps throughout the day
• Derby News Network - even more recaps

Since I’m a sucker and I’m stuck in Denver during nationals, I thought I could at least write up an overview of a couple of roller derby boot camps/clinics I’ve heard of that are coming up.

October 6th - Duke City Derby roller derby camp in Albuquerque, 2-6pm
This looks to be just an informal day-type deal for girls interested in trying out, but I saw that one of the Duke City girls posted it on the rollergirls yahoo group inviting anyone from other leagues to come check it out. I got excited for this because Denver is driving distance from Albuquerque and honestly I just wanted an excuse to eat Taco Cabana (AND play roller derby as well), but then I remembered we are having a bout that day so it’s a no-go for me.

October 20-21 - Roller Derby 360 in Kansas City, MO
A pretty-cool looking weekend boot camp hosted by the Kansas City Roller Warriors. Caters towards all levels of skaters as well as some ref and league admin stuff as well. This is nice because it is contained in one weekend, so all you day-job types can make it down without missing work or derby action.

February 21-24 - National Derby Training Camp in San Diego, CA
A whole four days of roller derby training, and in an awesome city - most rollergirls should have every intention of checking this one out. Sponsored by roller derby magazine Blood & Thunder and run by the San Diego Derby Dolls (who have these cool banked track instruction videos up on youtube), this looks to be an intense derby workout. And if you ever doubted the seriousness of this camp, it even has its own yahoo group - and in the derby world, you know that means business. Kind of. Because everything in derby has its own yahoo group, but everything that is important, right?

Four new leagues have just been accepted to the WFTDA:

The Arch Rival Rollergirls from St. Louis, MO
The Denver Roller Dolls from Denver, CO

Green Country Rollergirls from Tulsa, OK

Maine Roller Derby from Portland, ME

Congratulations to all leagues! I also want to add a personal note to the acceptance of the Denver Roller Dolls since there are now two member leagues from Denver - congrats ladies, it’s been great meeting some of you and skating together. For those that aren’t in the Denver area, my league, the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, is the other roller derby league in our city, and both RMRG and DRD worked together to make having two WFTDA leagues in such a small area something possible.

Just a quick rundown I wrote for our websites and bout programs, but I thought I should repost it here as well - this was one of the most exciting games I have seen, simply because Fight Club was able to keep the Mad Maxines SCORELESS for an entire period. I’ve never seen or heard of this in another bout. Plus there was a fight at the end and I don’t think in the year I’ve been playing I have been in a game with a fight in it (for better or for worse, haha).

September 8th brought the No Coast Derby Girls’ Mad Maxines from Lincoln, Nebraska to Denver to take on our own 5280 Fight Club on their home turf. These teams had never faced off before, and each side was ready to battle for national rankings as members of the WFTDA. Fight Club proved in the first period that they weren’t messing around, bringing air-tight defense down on the Maxines that prevented them from scoring a single point throughout the first 20 minutes – something practically unheard of in a sport with scores frequently reaching over 100 points in a single bout. The end of the period saw FC at 34, MM 0.

After the brutal beating Fight Club had served, the Mad Maxines desperately tried to up their game. Throwing in agile jammer Sylvia Bullet, the Lincoln girls were able to put a few numbers on the board, though not many. Second period put FC at 65, MM 9.

Though Fight Club’s blockers were putting the hurt on the Maxines up until half time, the third period was the jammers’ time to shine. Frida Beater, She Who Cannot Be Named and Olivia Cryin’ almost doubled the points for their team as the last 20 minutes counted down. With minutes left in the bout, Maxine pivot Juana Whippin and Fight Club blocker Annia LateHer got in a scuffle that ended with Fight Club’s coach, team manager, player Zoom Zoom Zetta and even a penalty timer getting ejected from the rest of the bout! Though the 5280 girls suddenly found themselves short, that didn’t prevent a 98-point spread – final score: FC 118, MM 20.

While it was rough on the track, RMRG loved having the Lincoln Ladies in town. Thank you to the No Coast Derby Girls, our volunteers, and all of our fans that made it out to this incredible bout!!

Any word on the Pikes Peak Derby Dames’ vs. the Salt City Shakers in Utah this past weekend? I’m dying to hear the score and I haven’t heard anything yet!

UPDATE: PPDD won, 169 to 137. Thanks Kamilla, and congrats! Hope Susie Q-T is doing well also.

Wow, I’m behind in my recaps and writing in general, but I’ve been in and out of town a lot lately and trying to play catch up.

In the beginning of the month, the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls took on Foco Girls Gone Derby at the Thunder in the Rockies, an annual motorcycle rally in Loveland, CO (right next to Ft. Collins, FGGD’s turf). Last year RMRG faced off against PPDD at the same event, but this year the Foco girls got a chance to prove their stuff close to home. Foco recently played one of RMRG’s home teams, the Sugar Kill Gang, and lost by only 5 points - this bout for Thunder in the Rockies was against a large majority of RMRG’s travel team members as well as quite a few alternates, since many of the regular players couldn’t make it to this particular bout. The first period showed RMRG far in the lead with 56 to Foco’s 15.

Foco looked to have a number of new players on their roster - after losing one of their top jammers, Slick Vick, to the Denver Roller Dolls, this defense-heavy team appeared in major need of some point scorers. Urrk’n Jerk’n as Booty Block Ya snagged the most points for her team by far, but even she is a staple as a blocker for Foco. Foco’s strength definitely lies in their hard hits and their ability as blockers to step in between opposing players and their own jammer just in time to interfere with defense, and these moves allowed them to play some catch up during the second period, with RMRG 82, Foco 64.

By the third period, RMRG was no where near ready to let Foco take the win. Ida Hustler stood out as a major player who both blocked well and jammed hard, especially with top jammer Frida Beater MIA during this particular bout. Smashbox was another jammer to be reckoned with, but she unfortunately took a hard fall in the third period and was taken to the ER due to a broken wrist. The final score saw RMRG at 136, Foco at 68.

While Foco played a great game and it was awesome to bout during the rally, one thing that really sticks out is the fact that Smashbox got injured. This is the third game in a row RMRG played at an expo-type venue, and the third game in which someone suffered a major injury (Rodeo Redd broke her ankle at Fat City and FWDG’s Devilyn Cide also broker her ankle at Taco John’s in Cheyenne). Fortunately Smashbox will only be in a cast for a short period of time and hopes to skate again soon. Hopefully this is the last injury we see for quite a while!

The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls‘ 5280 Fight Club took roller derby on the road this weekend to host the Ft. Wayne Derby Girls‘ Bomb Squad in Cheyenne, Wyoming on the 25th. RMRG’s regular home is the Bladium in Denver, but the Taco John’s Events Center asked the league to hold a bout there since there isn’t currently a league in the area. Ft. Wayne is another division three league in the WFTDA, so as of now they are unranked while RMRG sits at #17. Neither team held the home court advantage, though RMRG did hold a bout between their league’s teams at Taco John’s once before, and while Denver was technically the “home team,” there was no built up fan base or even many derby fans who were well aware of the rules. The first period put Fight Club well in the lead, with a score of FC 57, BS 14.

After Fight Club’s major domination of the first period, the Bomb Squad began to pick up the pace. Pushycat proved to be their top jammer while blocker Bang Bang Ladesh and pivot Rosemary’s Baby upped the defense. The Ft. Wayne Girls were able to gain 44 points in the second period to Fight Club’s 45, pushing the scores up to FC 102, BS 58.

The beginning of the third period took a turn for the worse on the Bomb Squad’s side, as Develyn Cyde suffered a severe break of one of her legs less than a minute into the period. While the skaters and audience were shook up, she remained incredibly calm as she waited to be taken off the track. I heard a rumor that she suffered two compound fractures and that it was pretty gnarly - hopefully a better update will come after she is treated and makes it back home safely.

After witnessing the accident and waiting for Develyn Cyde to be taken care of, the bout had to go on and each team was ready to finish what they had started. With Fight Club in the lead but a tougher fight from the Bomb Squad during the second period, it was clear that the Denver team needed to step up their game to maintain a solid win. Frida Beater, She Who Cannot Be Named and Olivia Kryin’ passed the jammer cap back and forth between the three of them and racked up the points while Pinky 500 got vicious and began knocking girls to the floor. Penny Payne, who is usually a jammer, traded in the star most of this game for a position as a blocker, and was able to stop many skaters in their tracks with her body blocking and keep them pinned behind her. The bout began to get ugly near the end when there were two ejections of Bomb Squad players - Pink Painther and Miss Jane Redrum - both for apparently for some sort of intentional tripping/skate kicking. The penalty box was full of skaters from both sides for most of the last 20 minutes, however. The final score - FC 164, BS 69.

The Ft. Wayne skaters put up a good fight, and they clearly have a number of talented players. I know myself and the rest of the league are wishing the best for Develyn Cide - hopefully she has a speedy recovery and is able to make it back home quickly.

The Denver Roller Dolls’ Mile High Club hosted the No Coast Derby Girls’ Mad Maxines from Lincoln on the 24th. No Coast is a WFTDA member league who is not yet ranked, while the DRD are in the process of applying for membership. Without either league in the rankings as of now it was difficult to determine which way the game may go, but the Mile High Club has played some impressive bouts recently, such as a match against one of Rat City’s home teams with an extremely close score. While the Maxines dominated the first jam of the period and scored the night’s first points, the Mile High Club immediately put a stop to that and gained a significant lead - 35 to the Maxines’ 18.

On the Mile High Club’s side, Friction VixXxen played a strong pivot and did a great job of either holding the Maxines back or knocking them to the ground, while Angela Death managed to snag a number of points. Rockett, who seems to usually play as a jammer, got some great blocks in, and Ro Chambeau proved to be a heavy contender in the point-scoring department on such a jammer-heavy league. The Mile High Club continued their strong lead through the second period - MHC 71, MM 38.

The Mad Maxines appeared to be a newer team, and their jammers looked to have a difficult time making it out of the pack, especially with some of Mile High Club’s stronger blockers up front. Busty St. Claire was a major point-scorer who was equipped with some good speed, and Sylvia Bullet was an extremely impressive blocker, going after Mile High jammers by herself a number of times and managing to knock them repeatedly to the floor. Sylvia isn’t your normal power blocker with her skinnier build, but her timing and her agility allowed her to get in some shattering hits on otherwise extremely stable skaters. The final score was Mile High Club 113, Mad Maxines 47.

No Coasts’ Mad Maxines are coming back to Denver to take on the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls on September 8th at the Bladium, and the Dolls’ next bout is later in the month on the 21st between their two home teams.