DSC_9977, originally uploaded by Midnight Matinee 24.
The first bout of the day over in Ted Reeve Arena featured the Border City Brawlers from beautiful Windsor against the South Simcoe Rebel Rollers [do we detect some fireworks and rockets here?]
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Justine Sane
In the aftermath of the Black Eye Affair between the Chrome Mollys and Belles of the Brawl, once again we hear from Justine Sane. All fierce and fun at the same time, she was part of the pack that led the Belles from Brantford’s Belle City. Once again she was back at the Ted Reeve Arena where she had once been with the GTA Rollergirls.
Belles of the Brawl
Justine Sane starts off then we will hear from one of the other Belles Lass Compactorof the night.
“Our league was so super excited to play the first game,” says Justine Sane. “For me playing at Ted Reeve was bittersweet, it was great to have my first game with the Belles of the Brawl in familiar territory, but it was also weird to be a visitor against GTAR. They are such great hosts though that we all felt pretty good to be there.”
The 177-44 score for the Chrome Mollys’s second victory of the season did not take away from the fun and excitement of the night.
“It was great to have the fans there, I was remembered by fans when I went to watch the Royal Rumble last week, and this past Saturday I did get quite a few cheers— especially when I got lead jam! That is so derby, to be loved even after you leave! The Belles of the Brawl have the first game behind us, we will learn as a team from this experience. There were some rookie mistakes that will go away quick. The Belles of the Brawl, we hit them, they fall!”
Belles Captain for the night Lass Compactor shares the nerves and excitement of being on the track for the first time.
 “May 28th is the day I will never forget!! I have heard stuff about playing the games, but it never hit me until I was in the building and watching my team get ready for it. I’ve never been so nervous, all I could think about was getting my first hit!! Who will it be ?? How hard should I do it? Am I going to go down with her? These were all the questions that ran through my head.The intro was done, names were called, my heart starts to race as I am in the first line up!! I scan to the left, then to the right. Who will it be to take my first hit?? It seemed like forever for the whistle to blow. The girl on my left was my first victim. It wasn’t too bad. So I go for a few more hits and the jam was over. It wasn’t scary at all, just a rush!! By the end of the first half I was getting tired. …” [but undoubtedly the rest of the evening was one long evening of Derby high which we will hear more from later.]
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/… more to come
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In conclusion: this was our first game, we have 6 more bouts scheduled [check out Belle City plus the CWRDA tournament [June 17 to 19] and 2 Fresh 2 Furious [July 9]. Includes Royal City’s Violet Uprising on the 25th of June!
“We also host the Chrome Mollys from GTAR November 19th, our goals for the re-match are to increase our score, decrease our penalities, and of course show them
the same hospitality they showed us (and leave a few bruises … shhhh!)
[quick note: this story is still in the writing and photo stage... I've just realized something: this is the first time I've seen a Debutantes victory in person.]
The teams of GTA got deep into a Royal Rumble with the Royal City Rollergirls from Guelph on a cool and rainy Saturday night. But inside, the action was more than hot and primed.
Royal City Rollergirls from Guelph came into the well-packed arena at Ted Reeve on a Saturday night more than ready to rumble against GTA who were officially launching their season. The crowd was more than ready to rumble as well.
While the quickly developing Royal City Rollergirls comprise three teams within their own league, what with Violet Uprising, Killer Queens and Our Ladies of Pain, the RCRG for the night divided into the Freshies and Veterans for the Royal Rumble. And according to Debutantes coach My-Call Bublé it would be the first official 60 minute bout for Royal City. So while the experience level difference might be vast, the ladies in the Royal colours would not be mismatched. With previous coaching help from some Toronto Roller Derby veterans and CN Power along with some input from Guelph vets, Royal City were ready to do their best. View full article »
One more practice before Beast
The teams of GTA Rollergirls ventured forth down to Montreal with high hopes and expectations. After all, the Debutantes had a taste of previous victories and redemption at Beast of the East, and for the Chrome Mollys it was their first chance to taste tournament competition. Also to be noted as well, the Debutantes had already had the pleasure of two tune-up matches to turn up the volume in their play in April against Rideau Valley Slaughters and La Racaille back to back over two consecutive weekends. GTAR had at least an inkling of what was to come.
Slaughter Daughters at Parliament Kill
As intense as the competition and the atmosphere was to be at Beast within the confines of the arena, the Debutantes had to wake up at the crack of dawn to open the tournament and face their first match of the day. Les Duchesses from Roller Derby Quèbec were a somewhat unknown commodity but as a team were definitely a fun loving bunch. Pelvis Stojko their spokesperson had relayed that the bout with the Debutantes would be their first official match.
8:07 a.m. Saturday. Debs and Duchesses.
Debs experience versus Duchesses in 1st bout.
Canadian Psycho grabs lead jam against Duchesses de Québec at first bout at Beast of the East.
First jam. 3-0.
Tara on second jam.
Getcha Kicks on third jam. 9-2.
Lee Way Wreck’Em. Power jam. 20 points. 29-2.
Psycho. Debs Pack control. Grand slam. 48-2.
Tara knocked out on next jam. Zero points. 48-2.
GK against Pelvis. 4 points. 52-2.
Lee Way lead jam.
Psycho. Power jam. Psycho taken out. Duchesses cut track after block.
Duchesses. Lead jam. Pelvis Psycho. calls it off after hit down. No points. 81-3.
Getcha Kicks. Lead jam. 101-3. Debs hit century mark.
Lee Way Wreck’Em. Lead jam.
Tara. Knocked down. 110-3.
Psycho. practiced dead stop pack. Game over. 124-4.
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Debutantes on the floor right now with Filles du Roi
Psycho.
GK on the jam.
And on and on the night flew by and the mighty Debs fell to the “very young very tough and very fast” team of Montrèal in their elimination bout.
Filles du Roi vs. DebutantesVideo streaming by Ustream
Final score 62-29. Filles du Roi.
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Now to the story behind the story.
We’ve garnered some post Beast stories from some of the Debutantes who sallied forth to Montreal and while most will remain untold, they have shared some for the record. Derby Debutantes’s veteran 5By5 Lee Way Wreck’Em was in her third Beast as the gifted and speedy jammer and blocker of the team. Lee Way provided some analysis and retrospective of the Derby Debutantes and Chrome Mollys at Beast along with other insights into some of the other bouts at Beast from the Debutantes point de vue. View full article »
GTA Rollergirls launch their new site.
Material on the pages includes the usual assortment of news, events including the fund raiser and Beast of the East acceptance for the two teams Chrome Mollys and Derby Debutantes. bloggy writers and the invitation to join the league. There’s even a media photo gallery from yours truly in there. [Disclaimer: We didn't choose the pics! Thanks for the kind words ladies!]
Derby Cheers!
From page 4 of WFTDA STANDARDIZED FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY RULES Updated May 26, 2010
1 TEAMS
1.1 Teams shall consist of a maximum of twenty skaters that have passed the Minimum Skill Requirements established by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
1.2 At most, fourteen skaters may be on the roster for a specific game. Leagues may rotate their game roster from their team roster between games.
1.3 During a tournament, leagues may substitute alternates from their team roster. If a skater is pulled from the tournament and replaced with an alternate, she may re-enter the tournament in a subsequent game.
Ah! The very words from the rulebook that challenge the new entrants and their entrance into the world of playing for their Derby team. Someone in the crowd may have been sitting on the sidelines of a match at The Hangar watching their Vixens against the CN Power and say to themselves, could this be me? Then it becomes true.
Leagues looking for the injection of fresh new blood to re-energize and revitalize their team and bring in a new spirit and attitude. Newbies looking for a new alternative to life and find Derby then needing to pass minimum skills in order to take the next big step.
Click WFTDA MINIMUM SKILL REQUIREMENTS for the download.
Minimum Skills Requirements is never trivial. They were last updated in 2009 and it is by these standards that the skater must pass. ”There were some significant additions to the WFTDA Minimum Skills Requirements along with some minor rewording and clarification.”
There are five primary sections to the test each with their own set of skills to be legally and safely demonstrated:
Basic Skating Sills
Falls
Balance/Agility
Skating With Others
Blocking
WFTDA league skaters must demonstrate these skills before they’re allowed to bout, and most other leagues also use them as a safety guideline.
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On a Saturday night the new bloods of GTA Rollergirls met the challenge with a mixture of nerve and bring’er! The test was a chance to demonstrate before coaches and team mates who became their judges what they had learned and gleaned from all the hours of practice and scrimmage and skating at the gym or in the school or in the frozen cold rink or going to Scooters in spare time [as if there ever is].
 MERYL REAP |
Meryl Reap is one of those skaters you just dare not cross. As you can see Meryl Reap has one of the fiercest faces in Derby. Just coming into the fold of the GTA Rollergirls she along with all the others has made great strides in their adeptness on the lanes of the track. “I’d say that minimums were nerve-wracking to say the least. I found that it was a lot harder to do things that normally come easily to me, which stressed me out quite a bit, and I found myself getting pretty worked up,” Reap says of the minimum skills test experience. “However, I calmed down after a little bit, and passed, so I’m happy. Definitely a relief to never have to go through them again, and it’s wonderful to be an official part of the team now. I’m looking forward to kicking some butt with all of the awesome new Mollys!” |
Whip it with 'Meryl Reap' [above left] and 'Jill Feral' [above right]
Another who passed the minimums is the newly minted Rosemary's Rabies [seen below in red demonstrating taking a block from Riley Rage].
“Going into minimums I was pretty nervous, and was getting myself all psyched-up about it. I knew I was ready to pass them, but was afraid of spazzing out and blowing it,” says Rosemary’s Rabies. “After I got through the endurance laps (with 26 in 5!) I calmed right down, and got my focus. It was an intense but worthwhile experience. I’m so, so excited to skate with the Chrome Mollys, and kick some butt! I can’t wait to keep learning more, become a better skater, and gel with the new team!”
Kudos to all those out there who go into this venture and pass or we’ll pass it next time – and here’s to the new blue and white bundles of enthusiasm on the Chrome Mollys! including
Yay to them ! ! ! – Canadian Psycho
[thanks Canadian Psycho for all the updates and wheels]
http://www.gtarollergirls.com/
WFTDA Minimum Skill Requirements
For skaters entering into WFTDA sanctioned interleague competitions
Each WFTDA member league that intends to enter into a WFTDA sanctioned interleague bout must designate a league member who is responsible for ensuring that each skater entering into the interleague bout meets the skill requirements listed below. The league member may be the head of the training/coaching committee, travel team captain, or other league official. This league official must sign off on each skater’s individual assessment sheet. This must be done at least annually for each skater participating in interleague play.
Basic Skating Skills
The skater must demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:
Skating Posture
Bends at knees and hips with shoulders back
Swings arms fluidly with a forward and backward motion
Stride
Has steady, confident, fluid strides
Uses both feet to push forward on straightaways
Crossovers
Performs smooth crossovers while skating at a brisk pace going into and coming out of turns.
Uses both feet to push during crossovers
Speed
Can complete 5 laps around the track in one minute or less (based on WFTDA regulation track)
Stops
Skater must come to a complete stop from a brisk pace, using proper form and without losing her balance using
T-Stop
Toe Stop
Other skills
Performs one-foot glides with each foot for the length of the straightaway with good balance
Has the ability to propel self while keeping all eight wheels on the floor
Can move easily and fluidly from one side of the skating lane to the other.
Falls
Skater must perform the following falls safely, accurately, and naturally with quick recovery
Single Knee Falls
Left
Right
Recovers from each without putting hands on the ground
Double Knee Falls
Backward style (a.k.a. Rock Star)
Forward style (all fours)
Recovers from each within three seconds
Figure 4/Baseball Slide
Performs this fall with both legs on or near the ground
180 Degree Turn Single Knee Fall
Exhibits control to complete the fall in exact opposite direction
Balance/Agility
Skater must demonstrate the ability to perform the following tasks without losing her balance or falling
From a standstill:
Stepping
Forward and Backward
Side to side in both directions
While skating:
Squatting
Squats and coasts through the entire straightaway and turn
Squat and propels self on straightaways and around turns
Hopping
With both feet, moving forward, both feet landing simultaneously
From one foot to the other
Focus
Can look left, right, and behind quickly and unexpectedly while skating
Weaving
Maneuvers through 10 cones placed six feet apart, covering both straightaways and turns
Backwards Skate
Skates backwards steadily and fluidly
Skating With Others
Skater must demonstrate the ability to perform the following skills legally and safely
Whips
Giving whips
Receiving whips
Pushes
Giving
Receiving
Pacing
Varies speed while being “sandwiched” between two skaters, maintaining an arm’s length distance without falling, tripping, overtaking, or running into another skater.
Weaving Around Moving Obstacles
Demonstrates weaving through a line of moving skaters that are a body width apart (such as in the “Last In Line” drill).
Unexpected Obstacles
Skating within a pack of at least four other skaters, who are falling in front of the skater at various unexpected times. Skater must demonstrate the ability to deal with unexpected obstacles, such as another skater who has fallen within a pack, by avoiding or safely falling without hurting self, the fallen skater, and without causing an unnecessary hazard for any of the pack skaters.
Leaning
Skates while leaning shoulder to shoulder with another skater without falling, while maintaining an upright position and propulsion
Bumping
Maintains or recovers balance while being bumped into and having wheels bumped by another skaters without falling
Blocking
Skater must demonstrate the ability to perform the following skills legally and safely.
Taking Hits
Responds safely (without falling or falling safely, accurately, and small, without sprawling unnecessarily, with quick recoveries) to repeated heavy checks
Demonstrates the above in a pack situation, without causing an unnecessary hazard for pack skaters.
Body Blocking/Frontal Blocking/Stall Blocking
Performs with good posture and without loss of balance or focus
Checks
Performs checks with legal body parts delivered within legal blocking zones with moderate to heavy force while skating at a brisk pace
Endurance
Skates 20 laps around regulation track within five minutes.
Rules
Skater must demonstrate knowledge of current rules. ( A short written or oral test can be given once rules are final.)
*****
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Key changes in the new version:
There have been Derby moments of moments when arose the fateful day that steered our life towards a bright destiny. As Bryan Adams might have said back in the summer of ’69 it was the best year of our life.
It all began one year ago today with this moment.
We call this our first Derby photograph.
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Hurl Scout Cheerleaders at Toronto International Festival 2009
Life has never been the same since this little movie.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnightmatinee/4002642662/in/set-72157622442723745/”>Whip It!
The following words are a story of a life in Derby that has not been told in public before. This was a story intended for elsewhere but this is that story.
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