Fierce Valley Roller Girls recently launched their junior league:The Fierce Valley Roller Cubs.The first of its kind in Scotland and only the third currently in the UK.On course to be properly up and running later in the year,The Cubs want to hear from anyone interested in participating in a bit of Derby history.Junior Derby,just like its adult parent,is run on the same principles,promoting fun,friendship,athleticism,team work and self-confidence amongst all involved.While aimed primarily at female skaters between the ages of 5 and 17,boys can join in to train as referees and non skating officials. Fierce Valley Roller Girls have engaged a number of their skaters to form a Youth Development committee,as the Cubs spokesperson,Frocky Horror explains,"Youth Development’s remit is to explore and pursue opportunities for under 18's to be part of FVRG, which sounds fairly straightforward, but it basically involves starting a whole new league. We have recruited an amazing committee of 9 skaters,we all have different backgrounds and levels of experience with kids, but we share a common goal and are determined to make Fierce Valley Roller Cubs a reality. We are passionate about getting kids on skates and have all pledged to become coaches" The Cubs will operate under the Junior Roller Derby Association rule set,a modified version of the WFTDA one used the world over by adult leagues.While essentially the same,various changes with safety in mind, have been made to make the sport more playable for young people.These changes include reduced contact ,shorter period times and longer intervals between jams.Additionally there are graduated levels of play,dependant on the age and experience of the skaters.For example,Level 1 skaters may only use positional blocking,At Level 2,skaters may use pushing,while only Level 3 skaters may make full contact. It's not all about the girls though,Roller Derby needs officials.Boys can join up to train for the vital roles of referees and nonskating officials,or nso's.So while the ref and nso crew get the responsibility of officiating their peers,they also learn various skills that will serve them well in later life,like teamwork,communication and organisation. As time goes on and skaters progress through the skill levels and,of course, reach the required age,the opportunity will be there to enter the adult league of the Cubs parent,the Fierce Valley Roller Girls,something which Frocky Horror is keen to get across,"It is very important for the juniors to have a goal, and what better goal than getting to graduate and become a Fierce Valley Roller Girl? Pathways into adult leagues are essential for growth, so we aim for the juniors to have a great relationship with the adult league and vice versa." If you or your kids are interested in joining The Cubs and not only being part of Derby history ,but having fun and keeping active in a friendly environment then you can contact the Fierce Valley Roller Cubs via their Facebook page, at their blog or follow their Twitter account should you have any questions.You can also register your interest here. Or you can chat in person about the Cubs with the Fierce Valley Roller Girls at their upcoming Craft Emporium.

Image courtesy of ARRG

On Saturday the 28th of April,Auld Reekie Roller Girls host the much anticipated final of their first Home Season in style with a double header.First up is a bout between Arrg's Cherry Bombers and Glasgow Roller Derby's Hells Belles.The main event is to decide which Home Team will be crowned champions and will see the Skatefast Club go up against the Leithal Weapons in what should be a really hard fought bout. This takes place at Meadowbank Sports Centre,London Road,Edinburgh,entry is £7 on the day or £6 in advance. Please note this is an evening event,doors open at 5pm with the first bout at 5:30pm.

Quick on the heels of our last monthly diary, here's the Nasty Nessies' entry for April, the probably-not-as-toastable-as-her-namesake Marge Mallow!

What first attracted you to Roller Derby?

I didn't have a clue it existed until about 8 months ago but when I first heard about it and did a little research, it came across as a fun, fast paced, exciting sport. I also liked the danger aspect and also the fact that it's not ageist or sizeist or any other 'ist'

Derby names are an important aspect of the sport, especially when you're starting out. How did you choose your name, and how does it reflect your personality on track?

Choosing a name is so difficult and frustrating. There are so many out there that are already spoken for and just when you think you've found a good one, the register of derby names is updated and bam! you find out someone has beaten you to the post and it's time to find another name. Marge Mallow came about as I'm soft and sweet to begin with but too much and I'll make you sick

What was your biggest initial difficulty?

Parting with the money for kit that you need to take part but are not sure if you'll stick at it long enough to justify it. Also, getting my mouth guard moulded to fit properly was stupidly difficult!

Lots of roller girls find it hard not to spread the word about their new sport. How have you been spreading the word?

Talking about it to friends and family, facebooking, wearing my team hoodie out n about.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt/ done this month?

Most important thing I've done... I passed my mins, Yeah! Most important thing I've learnt... I passed my mins, Yeah! Sorry, but I'm so chuffed with myself. Did I mention I passed my mins?

What were the most difficult and the best things?

Um, these questions are pretty difficult but also my first attempt at 25 laps in 5 mins was the most difficult thing I've done, or not done as the case may be as I didn't manage it first time. Bad breathing technique cost me that one I reckon. Best thing is probably the team. I've never done a team sport and to be in such a diverse group of people that work together so well is just amazing. Sickening but true.

What's new for the Nessies this month?

We've been a busy bunch of Nessies this month. There's been a lot of hard work and effort all round that has resulted in many of us passing our mins. Did I mention I'd passed mine?

Image courtesy of New Town Roller Girls

New Town Roller Girls are recruiting in the Livingston area,drop them a line at the email address on the flyer or drop by their Facebook page to register your interest.

Slightly delayed for reasons outside the interviewee's control, here's Fierce Valley Roller Girls latest monthly diary entry. This month, Grizabelta chose Bloodhoney, who's not just a strong element of Fierce Valley herself, but also the source of two of their most reliable fans - her husband and son!

What first attracted you to Roller Derby?

I had looked into Roller Derby on and off for years but never plucked up the courage to go along. One day I decided to bite the bullet and do something about it. Initially, I was going to go to ARRG as I thought they were the only team close by but after a quick search on Facebook I came across FVRG, a new league at the time who had only been running for a few months. FVRG seemed less daunting to I went along to a Sunday session and haven't looked back.

Derby names are an important aspect of the sport, especially when you're starting out. How did you choose your name, and how does it reflect your personality on track?

Like most of us Roller Girls picking out the right name took an age! Being one of the older girls in league my musical tastes are still stuck in the 90's and I wanted something music related in my name. I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan but this seemed too obvious so I went for the next best thing, Mudhoney. Eventually I came up with Bloodhoney. Does it reflect my personality on track? Probably not yet, I'm not the biggest hitter but hopefully over time I will grow into it!

What was your biggest initial difficulty?

Confidence, just like now! I've never been the most confident person, so going into Roller Derby was quite a big deal for me. There's always new challenges within Derby, you master one thing and next up there's something else to work on. The most important thing is to keep trying, as hard as I try I still can not do transitions, it's infuriating but I keep on trying!

Lots of roller girls find it hard not to spread the word about their new sport. How have you been spreading the word?

How have I not? Roller Derby takes over pretty quickly! I'll pretty much talk to anyone and everyone about Roller Derby and to be fair most people are genuinely interested and a few have joined the league. Facebook updates are generally Derby related; it kind of takes over!

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt/ done this month?

We've been working on our walls a lot recently and I can see a huge difference in our team work. Whereas before we would all be working on our own positions we now are working much more as a unit and the results are impressive!

What were the most difficult and the best things?

Again transitions. We have had quite a few training sessions on them now, I've watched the newbies come up and master them pretty quickly and I still can not do them, I have no idea what it will take for me to do one, I'm hoping that one day it will just happen! The best thing would be just seeing how we have come on as a team. I think everyone would agree that the difference in our performance from our first bout and second was pretty good. We came out of the bout with Dundee feeling proud, even if we did get beat!

What's new in FVRG this month?

April is a busy month for FVRG. Besides training for our bout in Belfast we have a fundraiser "The Craft Emporium" on the 28th of April to help get us there! We're also working hard on getting the Fierce Valley Roller Cubs (Scotland's 1st junior Roller Derby league) up and running, so anyone out there with little guys that want to have a go at Derby, get in touch!

Next month's interviewee will be Hey Ho Let's Jo!.

Photograph by Sam Skipsey

If you head over to Ante Ortus A Novus Lumen Ars you can read the bout report from the most recent installment of the Auld Reekie Roller Girls Home Season.A closely fought match between the Cherry Bombers and the Skatefast Club with all the usual pictures and video to peruse.

 

 

In what should be a brilliant bout, the Fair City Rollers Fear Maidens will take on the Granite City Roller Girls Northern Fights in Perth this weekend in the Scrimmage of the Damned.

This is the second of four home bouts planned for 2012 for the Fear Maidens, who have been working hard to prepare for what is bound to be a hard-hitting and high scoring contest.

With a small number of skaters available, FCR have recruited three guest skaters from the Fierce Valley Roller Girls - Fun Ghoul, Deep Fried Pixxie and Jo Anarchy - to join the fun.

Scrimmage of the Damned will take place on Sunday (April 22) at Bell's Sports Centre, Perth, doors open at 1.30pm.

Image courtesy of Tyne And Fear

On the 21st of April 2012,a little bit of Derby history will be made,Scotland's first Mens Roller Derby league,the Jakey Bites will play in their first public bout against Tyne And Fear,brother league to Newcastle Roller Girls The bout is part of a double header,with the first bout of the day between,NRG's Whippin' Hinnies and Hull's Angels Roller Dames.The action takes place at the Walker Activity Dome,Wharrier Street,Newcastle Upon Tyne,doors open at 12:30pm and entry is £4.50.

Last weekend, I, and around 50 other skaters from leagues around the country, took part in the Glasgow Roller Derby newbie bootcamp. Afterwards, tired and sore, I lay in a bath and reflected on the day. And for me, it was a boost of not just my skills, but also my confidence.

When I first heard about GRD's bootcamp, designed to help newbies pass their minimums, I was excited. I'd been stuck in a bit of a skating plateau, and felt this was what would clear the mental block and get me through my tests.

However, the closer it came to April 7, the more nervous I got. I had never really skated with people from other leagues, what if they were miles better than I was, what if I looked like an idiot, what if I couldn't keep up with what we were doing, OH MY GOD I'M SKATING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE FROM GRD, WHO ARE AWESOME!! My brain was turning me into a ball of panic and anxiety, and I was powerless to stop it. Nightmare!!

Thankfully, a couple of nights before, I voiced my fears to a member of my league, who told me to "do what you could, take breaks when you need to, but get back up and keep going". This simple sentence worked wonders, and on the day it kept resonating in my brain. It was not about other people, I just had to do the best I could and learn as much as I could.

On the day, the nerves continued as I approach ARC. But inside, I saw the many other girls who had made the trip to Glasgow and realised that many, if not all, were probably feeling the same way I was.

After filling in waivers, we were called on track for a group warm up. I will admit, I wasn't at my best. The nerves, coupled with an unknown floor (it was my first time skating at ARC) and new wheels (I had borrowed some slim wheels to try out) had me unsteady on my feet. But I got used to it and managed to keep up with the knee falls, stops and baseball slides.

Then, much to my relief, we were allowed to pick whether we went into a basic, or more advanced group. The relief was, we got to pick ourselves, based on how we felt about our capabilities. Had the coaches singled me out and put me in a group I didn't think matched my abilities, I would have been mortified.

And it was down to business. Throughout the day, we covered laterals, a lot of hitting (lateral hits, close hits), positional blocking, keeping your feet moving (having Viper up your ass screaming "FEET! FEET! FEET!" as you made your way between two pacelines was a daunting experience), transitions and much more. At every step, there were a number of GRD skaters helping, talking you through it, giving demonstrations and advice.

It was a hardcore day, that pushed me to my limit. And as I said earlier, by the end of it I was sore, knackered and incredibly smelly. All I wanted after was a bath, a meal and my bed (which is pretty much how the rest of my evening went).

Here's the thing...It was probably the best thing I could have done for my skills and confidence. Yes, there were times I had to come off track and stretch my leg (which had been giving me a bit of bother earlier in the week) but I remembered what I was told, took the time and then got back on track. And yes, there are some things that I didn't manage to master and will need to continued to work on. But I got to meet some new people, see how other skaters were developing (and yes, for every skater that was ahead of me, skills-wise, there was one who wasn't as advanced as I was), and I got to learn and practice skills that I will use on-track for as long as I do derby. I was taught by some of the best skaters in Scotland, and actually got praise from them!! I broke through that wall that was stopping me from improving, by staying in the game and not letting either my brain or my physical limitations defeat me (although I did have to stop about 20 minutes from the end when my leg decided that it had had enough). I also got advice on nutrition, equipment and being a newbie going through the process of passing minimums.

I know that I've got a long way to go, but this bootcamp has shown me that I can do it...if I can skate for nearly seven hours and not pass out, suffer serious injury or die, I can get passed my minimums and hopefully become a pretty kick-ass skater.

Thanks again to Glasgow Roller Derby and to newbies out there....the next time you see a newbie bootcamp, sign up. You won't regret it.

Image courtesy of The Lothian Derby Dolls.

Lothian Derby Dolls will host a fundraising roller disco on Friday the 20th of April at Danderhall Community Centre,Newton Church Road,Edinburgh.This event kicks off at 7pm and in addition to getting down to a range of musical delights,there will also be a raffle,refreshments and more importantly,cake!.