Okay folks, first of all I’m sorry that I haven’t been blogging that much lately but if you’ve been itching to see some derby this weekend is for you!

CTRG’s 2015 Season Opener is on Saturday and it starts at 5:30.  This year they have a new venue to face off in and their first event looks like a lot of fun.  First it’s the CT All Stars vs Bay State and then the Yankee Brutals host the Western Mass Furies.  Their new venue is the InSports Center in Trumbull.  Here’s the link to their Event page http://ctrg2015opener.brownpapertickets.com/

Before all of that, Shoreline will have a fundraising craft/vendor fair at Mystic VFW from 2-6.  We’ll have a lot going on besides the fair; the Easter Bunny will make an appearance, face painting for the kids, a bake sale and a few other things will be going on.  It’s also a fundraiser for Camp Quinebaug and a food drive for the local United Way.  It’s free to get in, come check out our vendors!  Bring a few canned goods along to help out if you feel ever so inclined.  Here’s the event link with a list of vendors:  https://www.facebook.com/events/593464667464947/

Hello there, sorry I’ve been so quiet but keeping up with my dogs, work, school and the snow has occupied quite a lot of my time lately.

If you are ready to start playing roller derby, or just want to see what a practice is like and go from there, you can start on February 8th or 10th with Shoreline Roller Derby.

Here’s the link to the Event page with more information.

Also because I’ve been going to night school to learn lots of new skills, here’s a quick little commercial I made for Shoreline, I hope you like it and here it is!

If you’ve been to a Shoreline bout, you’ve probably seen Brooklyn.  She’s been in Shoreline for as long as it’s been Shoreline and she’s known for being hard to get around and I know she’s rocked my socks a few times.  Somehow between family and running her own business she has time to play roller derby, even sometimes filling out the roster with other leagues.  Here’s what she has to say about why she plays roller derby.

Derby Name:  Brooklyn / Jersey Number: .357

Q:  What attracted you to roller derby?

A:  I became attracted to roller derby after me and a co worker were talking about needing a aggression outlet and then we saw the add in the paper for Roller Derby coming to Groton CT and it was a done deal for me.

Q:  Everyone has a skill that takes them a little longer to learn, what have you had to put a little more work into learning?

A:  For me my skill would left sided turns.  It just not natural to me and I struggled for awhile to master the skill.  But I still don’t use it often.

Q:  What part of derby makes you feel like a rockstar?

A:  My rock star moments are when my clients come to see me play.  With my young clients that all say I’m so quite and patient and when I’m on skates I’m Brooklyn, I talk smack and I own a opposing player for two minutes.

Q:  Do you have a favorite bout moment so far?  If so, what?

A: Some of my best moments have been skating with The Belladonna’s we were a team that yelled, cried and came together in the face of challenge and pulled out wins we didn’t even think we could do.

Q:  What has surprised you the most about roller derby so far?

A:  One of the most surprising things about derby is it really is a all over body work out.  A month off your skates and I think we all start to see our bodies morphing back into pre derby bodies so we all start to get antsy after a week off skates to do some endurance or just scrimmage because our bodies crave it.

Q:  Is there anything you’d like to add?

A:  When it comes to roller derby and what you get from being a part of a woman owned league I don’t think you can get that anywhere else.  We have potential to make friendships, network, travel, help out in other players personal lives and have fun on skates. That makes the sport priceless.

Holy cow it’s Friday and I just realized I haven’t blogged at all, my bad.  I’ve been a little busy this week with things derby and non-derby and I guess the week got away from me.  Oh well, it happens.

Hartford Area Roller Derby has their annual Polar Run and Bar Crawl coming up on Saturday.  They are raising money and collecting items for a few battered women shelters in the area.  It’s a fun time for a cause so if you feel so inclined, check that out on Saturday.  More information here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-hard-roller-polar-runpub-crawl-tickets-10284560397

If you listen to podcasts (or heck, even if you don’t) here’s one called Welcome to Connecticut.  This episode is about roller derby in Connecticut:  http://www.dsct.tv/welcomect/

It’s sort of business as usual here at Shoreline, we had another New Recruit Night and that went well.  We’ve got a bunch of new skaters ready and raring to go.  If you’d like to skate, our next New Recruit Night is February 8th. Also I should mention that I’ve been going to Connecticut School of Broadcasting since November which has added to my general busyness.

Instead of practice on Tuesday night I was using a huge fancy camera to get footage so I can throw a commercial together for us (look for that at Galaxy).  If I can figure out how, I’ll post it on here too.  Don’t expect anything crazy high tech or anything, it will be the second video I’ve put together so set your expectations sort of low, I haven’t even had time to watch what I recorded so far.

Also I should mention that Derbylite is starting up again in New Haven.  It’s a fun workout program on skates if you’re looking for something that’s fun and doesn’t involve contact, here’s the link to the site:  http://www.derbylite.net/register/

Well that was fast, another week come and gone, sands in the hourglass etc etc…..  Tuesdays New Recruit Night was fantastic, new excited ladies showed up to start skating and we’re glad to have them.  If you want to join Shoreline Roller Derby, this Sunday is another New Recruit Night  so come visit us at Galaxy at 6:30.

In non-SLRD news, Hartford Area Roller Derby has a fun event coming up if you like to run and then pub crawl.  Their 3rd Annual Roller Polar Run and Pub Crawl is on January 17th.  It’s not a fundraiser for them, it’s an event for two battered women’s shelters in the area; Interval House and Prudence Crandall Center, Inc.

Basically you wear a crazy fun outfit, run around the block and then go on a pub crawl.  The run starts at noon and after that the pub crawl fun will commence.  There’s prizes for the best dressed too!  Here’s the Eventbrite link for more information because I’m sure I’ve left out something important there.  Go run and have fun and help HARD help out others!

Happy New Year everyone!  I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog but I’m back in an effort to spread the derby word throughout CT.

So that’s going on in Connecticut’s roller derby world?  Lots of stuff, so here’s a quick list.  In alphabetical league order…

– Connecticut Death Quads are recruiting and just restarted their practice schedule after a break.  If you’re a man interested in playing roller derby, check them out immediately.

– CT RollerGirls are back in business and seem to be in the process of figuring out their teams since they just had their winter tryouts.

– Hartford Area Roller Derby had their tryouts too and already have their travel teams teamed up.

If you’re interested in joining or seeing any of these league in action, find them on facebook or check out their website as per usual.

As far as your friendly neighborhood Shoreline Roller Derby goes, we had our first practice after a break last night.  It was fun to be back on skates and a lot of us realized that we’d been a little under hydrated and over fooded during the break, but heck that’s what a break is for.

In any event, if you’re interested our next New Recruit Nights are Tuesday the 6th (7:30-9) and Sunday the 11th (6:30-8) at Galaxy Roller Rink.  We’ll have some protective gear you can borrow for the night but obviously you need to have your own mouth guard.  Also if you want to skate right away, you need to be 18 and have ID w/proof of health insurance.  I assume Galaxy will have someone there to rent out skates, but don’t quote me.

If you don’t have gear, or you’re not sure you want to start yet then that’s perfectly fine.  Or you’re like me and have never fitted a mouth guard before in your life and want to find out what gear to buy before you go nuts, then just come check us out.  You’ll see a practice (if that’s what the rest of us are doing, I really don’t know) and ask a lot of questions.  If skating or refereeing doesn’t seem like something you want to do, we always need Non-Skating Officials and any other volunteers who can help us out.

One more word of advice:  please note that the rink is kind of cold on Tuesday nights especially so you might want to be prepared for that.  Wear hot pants if that’s what your derby heard wants you to do but it gets a bit chilly in there.

Hope you’re having a great Sunday, here’s another skater to meet.  Today we hear Media Commander/Board Member Helza Bruin’s thoughts about derby.

Derby Name: Helza Bruin’

Jersey Number: 20 (past Luongo)

Q: What attracted you to roller derby?

Q: Everyone has a skill that takes them a little longer to learn, what have you had to put a little more work into learning?

Q: What part of derby makes you feel like a rockstar?

A: I feel most like a rockstar when I take a hard hit and remain standing, and when I learn a new skill.  It is fun to have an alter ego, and to adopt that persona for derby events.   Also when we make appearances, volunteer and march in parades, the support of the crowds always makes me feel like a rockstar.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in your first bout?

A: Experiencing the energy of the bout, and finally getting to put into practice everything I have learned during training.

Q: What has surprised you the most about roller derby so far?

Another week, another skater to meet, here’s another new skater, Violent Vixen.  To find out about how to join a league as a volunteer, referee or skater, find your nearest league’s website or facebook page for more information (Shoreline’s recruitment starts January 6th).  Now let’s hear  Violent Vixen’s thoughts about derby.

Derby Name: Violent Vixen
Jersey Number: 13

Q:  What attracted you to roller derby?
A: I use to go to high school with Leah (Chicken Lethal), and she would sometimes talk about roller derby whenever I would see her. I thought it sounded pretty interesting but I never thought I could ever do it because I haven’t skated in 836578235 years, but I decided to try it anyways. I use to play basketball for many years and loved being a part of a fast paced competitive sport, so I thought maybe derby would be a good fit for me, and I’m really glad I gave it a shot.

Q:  Everyone has a skill that takes them a little longer to learn, what have you had to put a little more work into learning?
A: Crossovers. Crossovers took me so long to get the hang of. I couldn’t figure out how to actually cross one leg over the other without falling on my butt until finally one of my fellow teammates, Swan finally got me to start crossing over and I worked on it from there! I’m still not perfect at it yet, but I’ve made a lot of progress from where I was at before!

Q:  What part of derby makes you feel like a rockstar?
A:  Roller derby in general makes me feel like a rockstar because it’s such a cool sport! But I feel like a rockstar most whenever I fall and get right back up. I really try to push myself and not give up, and that’s make really makes me feel good about doing it.

Q:  What are you most looking forward to in your first bout?
A: Sometimes at practice we would play sock derby, and I’d volunteer to be the jammer because I find it to be SO MUCH FUN. So for my first bout, I’m really looking forward to being a jammer, but on skates rather than socks haha.

Q:  What has surprised you the most about roller derby so far?
A:  How hard it is, and how much time you have to put into it. Some people just make it look so easy but then when I strap on my skates and try to do the same thing, it’s so frustrating! It really takes time and practice to really harness skills and master them.

Q:  Is there anything you’d like to add?  Here’s your space.

Today we meet RockJess Monsta.  She started bouting last season so you probably saw her play.  To find out about how to join a league as a volunteer, referee or skater, find your nearest league’s website or facebook page for more information (Shoreline’s recruitment starts January 6th).  Now back to RockJess and what she loves about roller derby.

Derby Name: RockJess Monsta

Jersey  Number: B52

Q: What attracted you to roller derby?

A:  I’ve known about derby since I was a kid, but always thought it was a thing of the past. So when I found out that it was a real sport and was offered near where I work, I instantly got excited and gained a goal. I grew up running and competing in track and field as a sprinter and pole vaulter. I was fiercely competitive, so I had this void that I’ve been needing to fill. It had to consist of something challenging, very physical, and something that I had to learn nearly everything about. Roller Derby was it. Especially since I barely quad skated prior to jumping in.

Q:  Everyone has a skill that takes them a little longer to learn, what have you had to put a little more work into learning?

A: Skating took me a little while to feel comfortable in general since it was so new to me, but once I got rolling, transitions (turning 180 degrees while skating) were my kryptonite! I would fall, trip and get so mad at myself. I just practiced the motion of stepping and turning over, and over and over, in line during drill practice, at home in my kitchen and on my lunch break at work. But eventually, it just clicked, and it’s finally getting to the point where I don’t have to think about them too much.

Q: What part of derby makes you feel like a rockstar?

A: Roller derby ALWAYS makes me feel like a rockstar, it’s such a fun, cool sport with the best people! But I get really excited and amped up when I bust out of the pack as lead jammer and my blockers are holding back the other jammer. That’s the best feeling when we work that fluently together as a team.

Q:  Do you have a favorite bout moment so far?  If so, what?

A: This was my 1st season and year as a skater, and I was lucky enough to play a few games with my league and another. Every bout has been a learning experience and has great memories. But my favorite moment so far was when we played WoRD up in Mass. Everything about that game was difficult, between the slippery floor and the tough hits, but we had fun and I adapted and learned as a new skater. And then I was surprised with my 1st MVP Jammer award. That’s a moment and feeling of excitement and accomplishment that I won’t forget.

Q:  What has surprised you the most about roller derby so far?

A: The amount of rules! I mean, every sport has rules, but roller derby is very specific. There is always so much going on at one time that we have to have multiple refs to keep track of said rules and penalties and points. The more I learn the rules and understand why they’re there (believe me, I’m still learning all of them!), I’m grateful for them as they are implemented to protect the skaters and keep the sport about the sport and not just the hits.

Q:  Is there anything you’d like to add?  Here’s your space.

A: If you’ve ever liked challenging yourself, or want a new hobby or sport with other women (and a few men) who will support you and encourage you, check out derby. Don’t be afraid. It’s not just about skating. We need skating refs (mostly non contact) and NON-skating officials to help run the bouts and help with the league. And as a league, we all participate in promoting ourselves, running our bouts, fundraising and working together with the community. Long live derby!

Today we talk to Shoreline’s Vice President, Lady Havok.  If you come to our recruitment night on January 6th, you’ll probably meet her.  To find out about how to join a league as a volunteer, referee or skater, find your nearest league’s website or facebook page for more information.  Now onto learn a bit about Lady Havok…

Q:  What attracted you to roller derby?

A:  I had actually gone to the very first shoreline roller derby night but was way too nervous and overwhelmed to stick with it. After a few years and some persuading from friends on the league I decided to give it another try even though I was still nervous and overwhelmed! It was the year I turned 30 and I didn’t want to be a lame old lady so I figured roller derby could help my coolness factor.

Q:  Everyone has a skill that takes them a little longer to learn, what have you had to put a little more work into learning?

A:  EVERYTHING. I’m not exaggerating when I say it has taken me forever. Out of everyone who joined with me I am the only one who did not bout this past season. I played home teams last season in 2013 but because the WFTDA requirements changed from having to skate 25 laps in 5 minutes to 27 laps in 5 minutes I was unable to make a team in 2014. So there’s your answer: Those two more laps!

Q:  What part of derby makes you feel like a rockstar?

A:  Even though I am still unsteady with some things, when I get hit I can stand my ground. It always feels good to have someone hit you super hard and you’re still standing afterwards!

Q:  Do you have a favorite bout moment so far?  If so, what?

A:  I’m made for blocking, my booty says so. But there was one bout where we were winning by so many points they asked if I wanted to try jamming. I did. And I scored FIVE WHOLE POINTS. For most, that’s insignificant. For me, it was huge! I was so excited that I couldn’t stop smiling and it was so contagious that the referee was smiling with me. I actually talked to him about that moment at a later bout and he agreed that it was pretty great because he couldn’t help feel my excitement as well.

Q:  What has surprised you the most about roller derby so far?

A:  That I haven’t given up. I have wanted to SO MANY times. I’ve left practices in tears but I keep coming back. Having a great derby wife and support system of family & friends & all my derby sisters helps. We have all been there. It’s so tough sometimes, but always worth it.

Q:  Is there anything you’d like to add?

A:  I want everyone to know that I joined roller derby not even knowing how to roller skate. I was literally holding the railings the entire first few practices. But I was determined, I still am. I have so far to go but I have also come so far from those first months. All you need is the heart for roller derby and the skill will follow.