Weekend Highlights: 2019-2020 End of Year
We're finally in a place where the majority of festive events are dying down, so this special edition of the Weekend Highlights, like the festive Radio Times in the UK, is a bumper multi-week edition, to tide you over until the second week of the New Year.
The rules are, as usual: highlights limited to 1 event per country, with an "extra" event allowed for a different kind of fixture (so, 1 tournament and 1 bootcamp), or if they involve Scottish leagues (since we are the Scottish Roller Derby Blog). Other notability might also allow the extra event - great posters, notable teams, etc. (League birthdays may count as "special" enough, at our discretion ;) )
In a bid to make this list as useful as possible, we've avoided links to Facebook except where noted. (Links to Teams are to non-Facebook resources - Instagram, or actual team pages - we'd strongly recommend that Teams get themselves an actual webpage [we can help host one if you need help]).
Locations are roughly organised East-West (with things before the weekend out sequence at the start).
Sat 21: Ballarat, VIC, Australia
Ballarat Roller Derby League are having a working bee to maintain their stock of rental skates... and they've decided to open this up a bit, both to get more hands to make light work, but also to allow newer skaters to pick up essential skate maintenance skills!
Event starts: 1000 Saturday (21 Dec)
Venue: Doug Deans Sports Stadium, 16 Nandiriog Dr, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
Sat 21: Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
UAE Roller Derby host another of their "Friends and Family" open scrimmages on the 21st, also open to spectators. This is a training session, but the following scrimmage is open.
Event starts: 1400 Saturday (21 Dec)
Venue: Aktiv Nation, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Thurs 19: Norrköping, Sweden
Norrköping Roller Derby host "There's Snow Place like Home", a festive end of season public bout with internal teams formed from skaters across the league.
Event starts: 1930 Thursday (19 Dec)
Venue: Ektorpshallen, Trestegsgatan 4, Norrköping, Sweden
Sat 21: Vienna, Austria
Vienna Fearleaders , Vienna Roller Derby's now famous cheerleading squad, and campaigners for a positive, sensitive, inclusive masculinity (and the ability to do multiple backflips whilst wearing very tight pants), are launching this years Fearelli Calendar with a launch party of music and positivity.
Event starts: 2100 Saturday (21 Dec)
Venue: WUK performing arts, Währingerstraße 59, Vienna, Austria
Sat-Sun (21-22): Belfort, France
The Knee Breakers on Wheels are planning something exciting, to raise funds for SPA de Belfort (Refuge L'Arche De Noé), their local branch of France's animal protection charity. Over the weekend, they're hosting 3 separate games: an open-subscription rookies game (all skaters having their first public bout) on Saturday, and two games on the Sunday - a bout between Belfort and Pontarlier's Molly Hatchets, and an open subscription intermediate-level game!
- Rookie (first bout event) game Saturday
- Knee Breakers on Wheels (Belfort) versus Molly Hatchets (Pontarlier) Sunday
- Intermediate-level mixed game Sunday
Event starts: 1900 Saturday (21 Dec) [doors open]
Venue: Gymnase Pierre De Coubertin, Belfort, France
Sat 21: Metz, France
Roller Derby Metz Club are closing out the year with one last game, as they invite Holy Wheels Menace over from Belgium for a game.
- Roller Derby Metz Club (Metz) versus Holy Wheels Menace (Liège)
Event starts: 1530 Saturday (21 Dec) [doors open?]
Venue: Gymnase Malraux, 1 rue de la Lorraine Sportive, Metz, France
Fri 20: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Rotterdam Roller Derby host an open Friday night scrimmage! We're including this as well as the below event, even though they're both scrimmages in NL, because Rotterdam have been very open about recognising this potential conflict.
Event starts: 1930 Friday (20 Dec)
Venue: Sportcentrum West, Spaanseweg 2, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Sat 21: The Hague, Netherlands
The Parliament of Pain host an Open Xmas Scrimmage, a huge, 4 team open-subscription scrimmage time to end the year.
- Teams:
- "Team Rudolph the Bruised-Nosed Reindeer" (RED)
- "Team All I Hit For Christmas (is you)" (GREEN)
- "Team Jingle Bell Block" (SILVER)
- "Team Derby Is Coming To Town" (GOLD)
Event starts: 1300 Saturday (21 Dec)
Venue: Slicherstraat 11, The Hague, Netherlands
Sun 22: Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp Roller Derby host one of the few non-scrimmage events before the end of the year, as they invite La Boucherie de Paris over for a game!
- One Love Roller Dolls (Antwerp) versus La Boucherie de Paris
Event starts: 1000 Sunday (22 Dec) [doors open]
Venue: Sporthal Kiel, August Leyweg 2, Antwerp, Belgium
Sat 21: Nottingham, UK
England Men's Roller Derby host "Meet me in St Louis", a 4 team end of year OTA round robin, pitting Christmas villains against Christmas heroes!
- Teams:
- McCallisters's Mischief Makers [Home Alone]
- Gruber's Grinch Squad [Die Hard]
- John McClane's Party Pals [Die Hard]
- The Wet Bandits [Home Alone]
Event starts: 1100 Saturday (21 Dec) [doors open]
Venue: Lee Westwood Sports Centre, Nottingham Trent University (Clifton Campus), Nottingham, UK
Sun 22: Leicester, UK
Leicestershire Dolly Rockit Rollers rescheduled their Propeh Scrimbo! Scrimmage (and it was a highlight on the original date, so we're doing it the service of mentioning it again!). This is a mixed-level, scrimmage, with team Red taking on team Green!
Event starts: 1230 Sunday (22 Dec)
Venue: Parklands Leisure Centre, Washbrook Lane, Oadby, Leicester, UK
Thurs 19: Carlisle, UK
Border City Roller Derby continue their Christmas tradition of hosting one end of year Open To All genders scrimmage. This is open to mins-passed skaters, mins-passed (without 27/5), and (with coaches permission) "almost mins-passed" skaters. Fancy dress encouraged!
Event starts: 2000 Thursday (19 Dec)
Venue: Harraby Campus Sports, Carlisle, UK
Fri 20: Valencia, Spain
Rayo Dockers host a public festive scrimmage, with a huge Raffle to enter for all attendees.
- Scrimmage!
Event starts: 2130 Friday (20 Dec)
Venue: Pavelló Malva-Rosa, Carrer D'Isabel de Villena 161, Valencia, Spain
Sat 28: León, Spain
Lion Girls Roller Derby host a Christmas Scrimmage, an Open To All genders event aimed at pre-minimum skills skaters (approved by coaches for safe play). If subscriptions allow, there will be more than one scrimmage in the session!
- Sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPH3-pkCf-xWTWHFVvsY8iHXnD52Dg_nUDQHP-CZ45xhZUyw/viewform
Event starts: 1700 Saturday (28 Dec)
Venue: tbc
Sun 29: San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
Mortal Kollas and Coquena's Fighter join forces to host a scrimmage to close out the year. The gnomic event page simply promises "many surprises"!
Event starts: 1600 Sunday (29 Dec)
Venue: Rectorado Unju, Avenida Bolivia 1239, San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
Sun 22: Neuquén, Argentina
[FACEBOOK LINK] [INSTAGRAM LINK (flyer)]
Barderas Insurrectas host a double-header of games with open subscriptions to close out the year.
- Barderas Insurrectas (Neuquén) versus "Team Grinch" (open subs)
- Team White versus Team Black (open subscription scrimmage)
Event starts: 1600 Sunday (22 Dec)
Venue: Escuela de Enfermia, Neuquén, Argentina
Wed 18: Temuco, Chile
Nativas Roller Derby host, at very late notice, an open public scrimmage on the 18th (Wed)
Event starts: 1900 Wed (18 Dec)
Venue: estadio Germán B, Av. Pablo Neruda 1110, Temuco, Chile
January
Sat 4: Saint-Gratien, France
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2] [FTS LINK 3]
Roller Derby Panthers are really into starting the new year with a bang, as they host the first triple-header of the year, with a round-robin event on the first weekend available!
- Teams:
- Mystery team [listed on FTS as Metz ;) ]
- Les Divines Machines (Nantes B)
- Panthers+ (Saint-Gratien A/B)
Event starts: 0900 Saturday (4 Jan) [first whistle?]
Venue: 28 rue du picolo, 95210 Saint-Gratien, Ile-De-France, France
Sat-Sun (4-5): La Roche sur Yon, France
Les Passeuses Dâmes are helping everyone work off their festive indulgence (and maybe start off that New Year's Resolution to get into Roller Derby) with a two-day bootcamp aimed at rookie skaters (with or without min-skills, up to 3 games experience).
Unusually, there's a strong theory component to this bootcamp, with Saturday devoted to exploring the organisation of a real Roller Derby bout and the processes involved. (The Sunday then has a direct coaching process, and concluding scrimmage.)
Event starts: 1400 Saturday (4 Jan)
Venue: Salle De L'angelmière, Chemin de l'Ornay, La Roche-sur-Yon, France
Sun 5: Durham, UK
Durham Roller Derby are helping you zip back into derby fitness, with a single day bootcamp run by New Wheeled Order and Power of Scotland's Rosie Peacock.
Event starts: 0930 Sunday (5 Jan)
Venue: Durham Community Business College, Durham, UK
Wed 1: Huddersfield, UK
ALL IN: Community Roller Derby host probably the first event of the new year, as they invite everyone to get over their hangovers and welcome in 2020 with a Scrimmage using Rolla Skate Club 's Short Track Roller Derby rules!
- Tickets https://bookwhen.com/allin?#focus=ev-sav1-20200101193000
Event starts: 1930 Wednesday (1 Jan)
Venue: North Huddersfield Trust School, Woodhouse Hall Road, Hudderfield, UK
Mon 6: Madrid, Spain
Roller Derby Madrid are holding a Festive Raffle over the end of year period (you can buy tickets at Oveja Negra Taberna Vegana), and this is when they'll be drawing the winners.
Event starts: 1800 Monday (6 Jan)
Venue: (RDM headquarters)
Sat 4: Reykjavik, Iceland
Roller Derby Iceland open the new year with another international bout (although, to be fair, they can't have any other kind!), as Italy's Alp'n Rockets fly up for a game.
- Ragnarök (Iceland) versus Alp'n Rockets (Bozen)
Event starts: 1500 Saturday (4 Jan) [doors open]
Venue: Íþróttamiðstöð Seltjarnarness, Seltjarnarnes, Iceland
Also of interest, due to their attendees or focus:
Thurs 9 Jan: Ottawa, IL, USA
Illinois Valley Vixens (link to Facebook) are hosting a Short Track Roller Derby Clinic: an introduction to Rolla Skate Club's ruleset (and how it differs, and resembles, the WFTDA rules), and a chance to play a bout under the rules! This session is closed to the public, but tickets are still available to attend.
Event starts: 1830 Thurs (9 Jan)
Venue: 1511 Chestnut St, Ottawa, IL, USA
Fri 10 Jan: The INTERNET
Mysterious new Roller-Derby podcast, How To Recycle (link to Facebook) launch their first episode live!
Event starts: 2000 Fri (10 Jan), GMT?
Venue: THE INTERNET (Facebook Live?)
