DIY Derby: Lamps, Shirts, Pillows, Oh my!

I feel like I haven’t done DIY Derby in forever! I’ll try to post something that I myself have made in December. In the mean time, check out a few of the ideas other people have come up with. 

Skate Lamp

This isn’t too original. You can make a lamp out of anything. A good friend of mine has a lamp made out of her high school marching band flute. And it’s not even that pretty of a skate. Sorry.

Logo Palooza

My league is gearing up to have a logo contest soon, so I was looking at themes other skaters have gone with to gather an idea of what we might want. Here are some I picked out that I like. Sorry the image quality is not that great, but you don't need to steal graphics from here anyway.

I find it sort of funny that despite the fact Rat City was involved in a lawsuit with Starbucks regarding their logo,  that so many other teams have decided a circle is the standard blueprint for a derby logo. I suppose since Rat City won their lawsuit the rest of the nation decided it was no holds barred on intellectual property infringement. I had to consciously seek out logos that weren't round, and they're all still pretty round. I mean come on people, come up with something more original! If you google "Roller Derby Logos" you will find the majority are circle designs. 

This one’s pretty 

sweet though, right?

 

And check out these totally cool men’s derby logos!

Man. Guys like green.

Please share with me some of the designs that you all think are cool, or tell me why you like some of the ones above.

The consumer is not always right, but I am.

“riedell had a lot of casting issues with those trucks.. if you email them nicely they will send you one. also the plate and trucks ar alluminum, not steel.”

(I’m not going to edit those typos by the way because I like when people who aren’t writers go out of their way to correct me).

This was someone’s comment on my Thanks Giving for Roller Derby blog, where I briefly mentioned a skate accident I had earlier this week.

I brushed his remarks off with a laugh, more surprised than anything that my words are interesting enough to strangers to evoke a response. But after I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and thought about his comment more, it really pissed me off. (STORY OF MY LIFE).

Diehard Derby Dudes: T-Rex & Ansel Adamsmasher

This is Weston and his Dad Eric. Aren’t they cute?

They’re hardcore derby fans. Eric was introduced to Roller Derby in 2004. (Well actually, he was first introduced to the sport in the 70’s, but re-found it like the rest of us in it’s second coming).  He really is a committed fan. I say this because he didn’t know a skater or go to a local game; he read an article about a league far, far away- and was so moved by their story that he contacted them. Eric lives in New Mexico, and found out about the renowned Rat City Roller Girls of Seattle, Washington, and inspired by their non-profit, for women by women, grassroots start-up style, wrote them and purchased a t-shirt to support their efforts. I have to say, not too many modern day derby fans become involved in the sport in this way, where they just find out about it going on in a completely different state and then start actively pursuing it. Most fans have some derby right there, in their local community, to get them involved. Or they know someone. Eric really just found out about it. Not that we should be surprised, what with roller derby being the fastest growing women’s sport in the nation, combined with the sheer awesomeness of the Rat City Roller Girls. Nonetheless, Eric discovered Rat City in their first season, before their claim to fame via Starbucks lawsuit and their own documentary movie Blood on the Flat Track, so it’s necessary to give credit where credit is due.

Weston sportin’ an SVRG shirt and showing

off his skate case’s many derby stickers

I guess it is not that out of the ordinary for Eric though, who grew up with lots of pen pals and collected autographs, (he has over 800!). Remember when that was a thing? When I was a kid my friends and I wrote fan letters to the New Kids on the Block and JTT, (if you don’t get the reference, that’s better for me). I remember in second grade my whole class wrote letters to different players on the Giants and it was so exciting when someone in our class got a response.  Do kids still do this?

Weston does. Eric’s son Weston became interested in Roller Derby too about a year and a half ago, and the two of them decided together to contact all the WFTDA leagues in the nation. So far they’ve heard from over 80 and counting. I think it’s neat that Eric is passing this tradition down to Weston, and that they do it together, as a father/son activity. I just think it is totally far out though that I am now comparing me contacting the Giants baseball team when I was a kid to Weston contacting Roller Derby teams now.

Thanks Giving for Roller Derby!

I’m thankful that nothing went terribly wrong when this happened at the roller rink yesterday. I was just skating along, and I saw something shoot across the floor in front of me. I looked, and saw some middle school aged girls point in astonishment and laugh. I then realized it was in fact two whole wheels. At this point I realized I was skating on my right skate, and looked down at my left skate- and much to my surprise…

I heart Long Beach!

“All persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental and should not be construed.  No names have been changed to protect the innocent, since God Almighty protects the innocent as a matter of Heavenly routine.” 

–Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 

...(I love you)

 

 

I <3 Long Beach!

(Okay, I rollerskate Long Beach)

I went down south last weekend by to catch a Long Beach game. It was their inaugural season Championship bout. At the game, league owners and founders Estro Jen and Diesel had a surprise announcement, revealing that Long Beach Roller Derby would be getting a banked track, and that their second season would be played on it. The crowd went wild.

All week I struggled thinking about what I was going to write. Usually I just let inspiration come to me, but there was no doubt I had to write something about this LBC trip. It didn’t help that I was being introduced to everyone as “Auntie, the blogger”. Jesus. You might as well introduce me as “the douche”. It just sounds so pretentious. I hate the word blog. Late Saturday night, sitting in a stranger’s living room, drunk and with skates on my feet- I belligerently yelled at an unsuspecting gentleman that, “bloggers and writers are most certainly NOT the same thing!”. Poor fella.

xoxo <3 Diesel and Estro <3 xoxo

My apprehension about writing stemmed from the fact that both Estro and Diesel were such gracious hosts and lovely ladies. How could I criticize anything they did? And lets face it- it’s in my nature. I wasn’t NOT going to see anything wrong. No offense to anyone, but I just look at something and want to improve it. It’s how my brain works. So naturally the instant I made friends and liked the gals, I had reservations about what I was going to think and feel and ultimately end up wanting to write.

I do remember saying to Estro after the game though that I felt like I couldn’t breathe a word of criticism because their production, game, whole entire event, kicked the ass of anything I have pulled off to date. It’s like a mother telling you your opinion doesn’t matter because you yourself are not a mom.  What the heck does my opinion on what they’re doing matter, if I have no candle to hold to their flame? –You know?

But I thought about it, and I ended up concluding that Estro and Diesel liked me in the first place because I say what I think, and they wouldn’t respect me if I didn’t. And I think it would be worse to lose their respect than lose their friendship, (though I hope not to lose either). So sorry ladies, but I’m going to say what I think and just lay it all out there.

Top 8 Drunk Derby Debauchery Quotes

My Favorite Quotes of the Weekend

(Bars on skates = More fun)

Roller Derby in the News

I’m going to L.A. for some derby debauchery this weekend starting tomorrow, so to cut back on my responsibilities why not read some other people’s writing? Derby has been in the news lately, which makes it easy on me…

 

Elvis Costello is a Roller Derby fan.

Another crazy betch gets arrested, (read about the first crazy betch here). Former president of the Cincinnati Roller Girls Mercedes B. Stafford, otherwise known as Sadistic Sadie, was popped for  wire fraud.

And the WFTDA National Championships made the Huffington Post.

Sorry for the cop out post guys, but I’ll make it up to you after this wild weekend.

-Auntie

What the hell am I doing with my life?

 (Ya this blog is going to have absolutely no content, sorry)

The other day my boss said to me, “You need to start thinking about work as much as you think about Roller Derby, unless that is -you want to get paid for Roller Derby. It feels like we talk more about Roller Derby than work.” Are you kidding? OF COURSE I want to get paid for Roller Derby. Who wouldn’t?! It would be a lot easier to start thinking about work as much as I think about Roller Derby if only I could just find a way to make Roller Derby my work. DUH.

And now I receive a text message from my boss that reads, “So, what is your goal for today?” to which I very honestly reply, “Good question!” -Not really what a boss wants to hear but I can’t help it. I have a self-propelled job, and every day I am torn between trying to make money, and trying to make my dreams come true. To be fair, I know in the back of my mind I feel that trying to make my dreams come true WILL make me money, …some day.

So ya- for those who don’t know, (I don’t know why you would) I just ended a four-year relationship. As I embrace the inevitable change, lots of other doors seem to be opening in every aspect of my life. It now seems obvious that all I needed was to view things in a refreshing new light in order to see the many opportunities that were already before me. I can’t overlook the fact that now I have my own team and after all, isn’t that all I’ve ever wanted?

Sigh.

It’s not enough! It never is.

Everything happened so fast. We did not contact any leagues, and within 2 months we had 6 bouts scheduled for 2011. All we had to do was make a facebook page and all of a sudden other leagues who were just starting out from all over the state materialized and my inbox was full with requests to bout. It was all kind of overwhelming and very exciting at first, and now I realize- a ball and chain. Hey you know me, out with one obligation I am betrothed to and in with another, i.e. East Bay Roller Derby. Do I just not feel comfortable without stability? Who knows what would have happened if EBRD didn’t exist when I flew the relationship coop, I’d probably be in the fucking Peace Corps right now.

I should do that. I should join the Peace Corps.

…AHHH!!! What the hell am I doing with my life?!?!?

 

The last time I felt this way was about 8 years ago when I had 3 schools to choose between for school, (CSUs Sacramento, Fresno and Chico. You tell me: which would you have chosen?) When making the decision I remember that I was overcome, completely consumed and burdened, with the heavy weight of the fact that whatever decision I made would shape who I was, forever. Every adult I sought advice and guidance from would assure me that I was over thinking it, and whatever school I ended up choosing would be fine, and end up the right choice- regardless of whether or not I could envision the outcome then. And for the most part they were right, that was true. I’d still have an education and I’d still be me; Fresno, Sacramento or Chico graduate. But I still know I am who I am today because I made that choice. I picked a path, and it shaped me. I met my boyfriend Roller Derby while I was in college there, (haha) so- it was a very important crossroads in my life. 

Now, I have that feeling again. I feel like whatever choice I make next is going to be instrumental in the years to come- so I better choose wisely. The difference between now and then is now I don’t know what the hell I am choosing from. But I do go forward into the future with a confidence I didn’t have when entering college  -that everything WILL be alright, and the choice I make- whatever it is- will be the right one (because it has to be). I don’t have that paralyzing fear anymore that I’m somehow going to fuck up my life. The only really good things that have happened in my life have come out of risk taking, so I think I’ll take some.

But what to do, which risk to take?

It's Election Day: Roll a Doobie for Roller Derby!

Coincidentally, the least controversial California proposition I could broach a dialog about today seems to be Prop. 19, the movement to legalize recreational marijuana use.  I have always been a staunch opponent of the ‘medical’ marijuana cause. (Ya ya, my close friends are all saying WTF right about now). But hear me out.