Tesla Turbine

Today East Bay Roller Derby is wishing our very own
Tesla Turbine #999 a Happy Birthday!

 

I met Tesla while skating with the Undead Bettys. We recently have bonded while forming our own league the East Bay Roller Derby. Though it has only been a short while, I honestly believe I could not have done this without her. Tesla’s calm and professional demeanor has helped me through many stressful times already, and she is always supportive and optimistic. Our team is incredibly fortunate to have her. Not only does she have the skill and know-how to help run the executive committee and perform a lot of the tasks I have no clue about, she is a consummate skater and coach. With 10 years hockey experience under her belt and an excellent understanding of pack strategy, expect to see Tesla Turbine as one of the amazing players of derby’s future.

Happy Birthday Tesla!
With love from all your EBRD sisters,

-Auntie

Rollerblade Girl's Skating Mix

Before I was Auntie Social, I was rollerblade girl.  I even considered “Rollerblade Girl” as a derby name. I’m that skater in your town that keeps zipping past you while you’re dining on main street or shopping at the farmer’s market, and I’ve always got music blasting. Not only is the pace of the music a good motivator to keep skating hard and fast, but a good distraction when people who gawk or yell things out at you. And believe me, they do. One time while skating in Chico I passed a group of skate boarders loitering in a grocery store parking lot.  They were all sitting on a curb and as they saw me approach quickly collaborated something, and when I passed all launched their skateboards into the street at me. I masterfully performed a hop, skip and a jump and was on my way with a “Nice Try Boys” out of my mouth, …though to this day- I wish I had picked up one of their skate boards and booked it like hell yelling, “You can’t catch me!!!” Next time, …next time….

Anyway, wondering what I’m listening to as I whiz past? Here’s a taste.

“Skating Mix"

Circa sometime in College (2006-2008?)

This playlist is directly from my ipod, no omissions.

[This is the first track]

Rolling: Soul Coughing

Sound System: Op Ivy

Push It: Salt N’ Peppa

Rude Forever: MONKEY!

My Perrogative: Bobby Brown

Whip It: Devo

The Spirit of Radio: Rush

Cha-Cha-Ska: MONKEY!

Bad Reputation: Joan Jett

Go With Your Friends: Reverend Horton Heat

Fishgilz: Tin Circus

Punk Rock Girl: Dead Milkmen

Hey Young World Pt.2: Macy Gray

Before Too Long: Tin Cirucs

Get Free: The Vines

Fell in Love with a Girl: The White Stripes

Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen

Last Night: The Strokes

I Can’t Win: The Strokes

Highly Evolved: The Vines

Shankbon: The Slackers

What a Wonderful World: Joey Ramone

 

[This is the last track]

There it is. One of my favorites, and still in regular circulation. Gunna go skate right now.

Hugs N’ Shoves,

Auntie

Jr. Derby: the Untapped Talent of Roller Derby

 I live directly across the street from a high school, and I have noticed this year that a large percentage of the girls have started wearing long patterned socks with their shorts. When I mentioned it my boss said that it was because of Soccer and Basketball. I call bullshit! There is only ONE explanation for the influx of patterned socks in High School, and it's roller derby.

I bet those girls would like to get in on some junior derby action. When I said to someone the other day that I would love to coach junior derby or somehow be a part of encouraging junior derby they were surprised. Why would anybody be surprised that I wanted to be involved in anything even remotely derby related? Anyways, I would have LOVED to do roller derby at that age.

I’ve been thinking a lot about junior derby lately. I mean, it just makes sense to train the incoming generation. You improve your skating talent coming in as well as generate new interest and lay the groundwork for the future of derby. Not to mention the joy of giving young girls the same unique outlet we all enjoy as adults. Junior derby just makes sense. How fitting then that the cover of USARS magazine’s summer issue which just arrived in the mail features some feisty skater tots on the cover.

[Photo courtesy of my LG Env3 phone]

The cover story showcases the girls of the L.A. Junior Derby Dolls Camp.  That’s right, ROLLER DERBY SUMMER CAMP. The girls participate in a week-long training course before ending the experience with a real rough and tumble bout against their fellow campers in front of all their friends and families. Camp goers leave camp empowered, pumped about roller derby, and with their very own “L.A. Junior Derby Dolls Camp” T-Shirt. 

This sounds phenomenal!

Prior to the start of East Bay Roller Derby I had considered offering a practice schedule in the Pleasanton Parks and Recreation catalog but it did not really seem to fit with the crowd we were trying to attract. But you know what would fit into that catalog? Junior Derby Summer Camp. I may not have been able to do junior derby myself, but if I can be a part of giving the gift of roller derby to girls now, I’m going to make it happen! I am going to make this my new project for summer 2011. I will keep you all updated.

Fundraising and Half Time

I had quite a few documents back logged in my This is How I Roll file before East Bay Roller Derby officially got off the ground. When I go back to reading those blogs now that I have semi-established the league, they come off kind of harsh. I still feel the same way I did then, it’s just that now that I myself am trying to run a league I have more empathy for my fellow league presidents. Plus, I have to network and make connections and whatever. I don’t want to offend anyone. But I have to stay true to myself and my dream. After all, it is what has gotten me this far. So that said, this is one of those blogs. Just to be really clear, it is not about any particular league, but a collection of my experiences, and always- just my opinion.

On being a "Princess Jammer"

This puts a whole new spin on the term: 

“Roller Skating Queen”

Recently I was told that I am a princess jammer. Not by someone who thought I was a princess jammer, but by someone who had been told I was a princess jammer, (behind my back, like it was an insult or something).  I had to have them explain to me what it means. Basically, it means I depend too much on assists and my blockers to get me through the pack.  If you ask me, the term just sounds like and excuse for bad blocking strategy. Roller derby is both a defensive and offensive game. As a jammer, I will sometimes get heat for hesitating at the back of the pack instead of plowing through fearlessly. And more often times than not, the criticism comes from a fellow teammate who blocks and very rarely jams. (After all, why would another jammer who understands the pressure of being the only point scorer give me shit?) Ya I like assists, who doesn’t? That’s why they’re called assists. And more importantly, why should I enter the pack if I have no trust my team will block on my behalf? I don’t think blockers not helping me is malicious, I think too much faith is placed in me as a jammer, and so blockers focus entirely on the opposing jammer. I may be fast but I’m small and I don’t like getting hit. I need you. I’m not a prima donna, I’m just good at what I’m good at. Instead of placing the blame on me, have more faith in yourself and your abilities, and what you have to offer the game as a blocker. 

So I guess if me liking assists and enjoying playing those aspects of the game (like getting whips) make me a “princess jammer” I will accept it. But then you have to choose to accept being an Amazon Warrior : protector of your princess jammer. 

Whip me! I’m delicate.

Welcome to Roller Derby

Welcome to Roller Derby

 

 We've been waiting for YOU!

Lately I have been writing a lot of e-mails to interested skaters and potential recruits. I end up describing my league, the basics of roller derby and every single piece of gear, over and over again. Sometimes I forget certain parts and some e-mails are more thorough than others, so I’ve been meaning to draft an all inclusive document that provides everything that I can always refer to when contacting newbies. I decided to post my welcome letter as a sort of tribute culmination of East Bay Roller Derby’s first four weeks. Hopefully it might be helpful to someone, also.

Week Four: A Reflection on the Question...

How did I start a roller derby league?

I went to a party on Labor Day in Chico where I went to College. Some old friends asked me what was new, and the only thing that was new was well, “I started a roller derby league”. This doesn’t really shock my friends because roller derby is all that has come out of my mouth for years, but I guess the fact that our facebook page is nearing 200 friends and my constant status updates have actually peaked enough interest to earn me a “Ya I saw that on facebook. How’d you do that anyways?”

Spreading the Roller Derby Gospel

I was put on this earth to spread the roller derby gospel. Nothing fills my heart with joy more.

Last night several teammates and I supported some local roller derby and attended a home game at San Jose Skate with the awesome, bad-ass and beautiful Silicon Valley Roller Girls! 

(I love these ladies). 

We also enjoyed some Junior Derby, which is always a treat. Some of the girls I had brought along had never seen a derby game before, and I have to say- it was the closest thing I can imagine to showing your kid Disneyland for the first time. Admittedly, I myself wasn’t even feeling much like going out last night, but my friends’ enthusiasm was infectious! They weren’t jaded and cynical (like me) they were enthralled and taking notes on how everything worked. When we left, everyone was pumped to get working this Monday at practice.

M.O.M.I. : (Modus Operandi Mission Impossible)

I felt compelled to write about the incident that was in the news yesterday, it seemed somehow significant.

If you have not heard- the roommate of a Mobile Alabama woman who was kicked out of her local roller derby league set a pipe bomb off at the roller rink in question, damaging an air conditioning unit and injuring no one in the disturbance. 

[Here's a link to the news story: 

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/09/federal_court_digest_mobile_wo.html]

Samantha Kimbrough, (also known as the “Roller Derby Terrorist”, as my brother referred to her) who set the pipe bomb off on August 21st, also admitted to throwing a Molotov cocktail at the joint in early July. In addition Kimbrough is charged with detonating another pipe bomb in the driveway of a fellow teammate of her roommate’s.

(Sounds more like a loyal girlfriend or scorned lover than a committed roommate type situation if you ask me, but that’s neither here nor there). 

I thought about this all day. There seemed to be a considerable amount of intrigue surrounding it. Roller girls had shared the link to the news story on facebook yesterday but with little to no comment. The Derby community somehow felt effected by this incident, but no one really knew what to say. It seemed like people needed someone to come out and tell them how to feel about this. -To give them a reason to come together, and make some sense out of it. And here’s some sense.

90210 Day and other Cool 90’s Things

I hate to be a cop out and post a blog filled with links and not much content but today is a most notable date in history, and it won’t ever happen again.  It’s 90210 day! Being a 90’s child myself this show had a perma-spot on my afterschool line up. I simply could not let this day pass without documenting it’s once in a lifetime historic significance.