Let’s Get Ready to Rumble Pie: San Diego Roller Derby Fan 101

Okay, Starlettes fans! With less than a week left until the next bout on February 27 against the Inland Empire Derby Divas, it is time to start getting ready. First, there are signs that need to be made. Buy your poster board and Sharpie pens now so that you have plenty of time to create a sign for your favorite SD Roller Derby girl. Think big Diesel trucks, apple Rumble Pies, bandits, superheroes and lots and lots of stars.

Then you need time to get your voice ready. Any fan who was at the last bout will tell you they lost their voice somewhere among the seats at Skateworld. The cheering was at such high decibels, that few could talk above a hoarse whisper the day after the bout. So, in order to get ready, get off the computer right now, go outside, and scream your head off as loud as you can. But, don’t strain your voicebox too much, just yet. Remember this is just practice.

You also need to buy your tickets. You should run to your nearest Starlette and buy your tickets from her right now! If you don’t plan on seeing her before the bout you can always buy your tickets directly at Skateworld, or even online at our website. Purchasing tickets on our website is easy and convenient, but you have to act fast if you are planning on having them shipped. Buying tickets online and having them held at will-call is also a possibility, but you might have to wait in line again. There will also be a separate "cash only" line for cash transactions, just look for the signs or ask one of the SDRD helpers out front! It would be best to have your tickets in hand and enter on the fast moving line on the left with the rest of the professional Derby fans, especially if you don’t want to miss the half-time show! You're not going to want to miss any of the swing dance performance!

Also, please plan on getting there early. Doors open at 5 pm and this is the best time to get settled in a front row seat and watch the Starlettes and the Derby Divas warm up. Remember, there is additional parking available behind Skateworld at the Linda Vista Library, and just across Comstock St. at the post office. If those lots are full, there is street parking as well, but you might have to walk a little ways. Car pooling is encouraged, so bring your friends!

So remember your 4 P’s: Poster, Practice (your cheering), Pre-purchase your tickets and Park early!

Hope, Dedication, & Love - How The Hogar Infantil La Gloria Helps Orphaned Children

On February 27th, San Diego Roller Derby is proud to team with St. Augustine High School for their Lenten Orphanage Drive to support Hogar Infantil La Gloria. This is the 2nd annual event for the local high school. Last year the fundraising effort fell shy of their $16,000 goal, the cost of running the orphanage for one month. This month the Starlettes are excited to help St. Augustine High School reach their goal and take the burden of money off of the orphanage for entire month. Hogar Infantil La Gloria is an orphanage in Tijuana, BC, houses 45 children from newborns to early teenagers. One year ago, Hogar Infantil La Gloria was on the verge of closing their doors altogether. We want to make sure that this year there is no fear of shutting down.

This history of the orphanage proves hope, dedication, and love are very much in their community. In the early 1970's a family, Lupita and Guillermo MacFarland, filed an official report with the Mexican Government about the poor care of the orphans and the conditions they resided in. After an investigation, the MacFarlands were granted administration over the orphanage. Today, Hogar Infantil La Gloria, with the efforts of the MacFarlands, Norma Bustamante, the Augustinians, and other dedicated volunteers, is a safe home for the abused, abandoned, and neglected children of Tijuana, BC.

After seeing the pictures of these children there is no question of the hope and love and inspiration in their eyes. The orphanage runs solely on donations and needs our help. The monthly costs consist of school, medical, food and staffing. Often times, the children receive three meals a day however, their three meals might be equivalent to one of ours. We are inviting you to make a difference in their lives. In addition to monetary donations we are taking donations of much needed supplies for the facility. When you come down to cheer on San Diego Roller Derby, bring along with your good spirits and team pride a donation and do your small part to make a difference in the life of a child. No matter how small our individual donations are we can make big changes when we band together as a community, and what better things to gather for than children and Roller Derby! Here is a list of items that are needed at the orphanage. If you would like to help you can bring an item from this list when you come to our game. We will have a box out front and will be giving the items to the orphanage the following week. Also, we will have a 50/50 raffle with all proceeds going to the orphanage.

If you want to know more about Hogar Infantil La Gloria or become a sponsor of a child at the orphanage, please visit their website www.hogar-infantil.org

Food
• Canned fruit
• Tomato sauce
• Cereal
• Cooking oil
• Jelly/jam
• Peanut butter
• Formula
• Gelatin mix

Medicine
• Children’s Tylenol
• Cough syrup
• Tylenol Cold and Flu
• Anti-fungal medication
• Iodine
• Children’s Dimetap

Other Supplies
• Baby wipes
• Toilet paper
• Dish soap
• Diapers (4,5, and 6)
• Laundry detergent
• Bleach
• Vaseline

San Diego Roller Derby vs. OC Rollergirls - Our First Bout of Our 2010 Season!

The lights shined, the girls looked amazing in their new skirts, designed by team member IcePax,undeniable buzz of excitement in the air of Skateworld. San Diego Roller Derby (SDRD) was about to skate in our very first home bout ever! With none of the team members having any experience in running a bout, the preceding months were filled with hard work, research, and late nights to assure that bout production ran smoothly. The hard work was about to show itself off in front of a packed house of almost 700 spectators - which we were determined to turn into SDRD fans. The SDRD Starlettes welcomed the Orange County Rollergirls (OCRG) to our “house” for our debut home game and were filled with a sense of pride and a healthy dose of nerves.

Our training since our last bout against the Derby of Bakersfield in November has been nothing less than intense. Our coach B-Stang has been amazing, we would be nowhere with out him. Our practices focused on endurance and fundamental skating skills. "A strong skater makes a good derby player", we are told time and time again. Practicing strategies, knowing the game, and learning the rules thoroughly were part of our plan to play a clean game. Knowing that OCRG was going to be our toughest challenge to date, staying focused in our practice was our goal. We knew our task ahead was going to be no walk in the park, these were experienced, well trained skaters were were preparing ourselves to go up against.

The adrenaline was flowing through our veins, and the tension was high, as SDRD knew that we had a long battle ahead of us on Saturday evening of January 23^rd of 2010. As the jammers flew off of the line OCRG proved to be a match for our defense and held our jammers in the pack and kept them from scoring for the first couple of jams. Power blockers Lady Diesel and Rumble Pie soon came out swinging and paved the road for the Starlette jammers to put some hard earned points on the board. “Diesel is like a force to be reckoned with”, an OCRG girl was overheard saying later that night at the after party.

SDRD jammers, Wonder Whoop’em and Dorothy Dangerous as a testament to their strong fundamental trainers, were quick on their feet, avoiding numerous blocks from OCRG’s own heavy hitters and maneuvering through the tough pack. Robyn Urpride and Wicked Angel, both played their first games as Starlettes and made their new team members proud. Flown in from Ohio was SDRD’s very own Holley Car Brader who played her usual heavy hitter and jammer without a hitch. As this was her last game with SDRD Holley will be sorely missed by her teammates but not so much by the opposing teams. Also on the line-up was Icepax with her fancy-footed jamming skills and Juno Escareme as a great blocker/ jammer combo. Blockers like St. Val Massacre show that we have some heavy hitters of our own and are not going down with out a fight. OCRG lived up to the high expectations that we had for their team. They kept the pack fast and our endurance that we have been working so hard on was put to the test. We were thankful for the hours we spent sweating in the rink with high endurance in mind. OCRG held the lead with SDRD fighting hard to close the gap within 9 points more than once. There was no lack of blood, sweat and heart out on the track. We gave it our all, being motivated by the cheers of our new fans was a new and fantastic experience.

When all was said and done, SDRD didn’t win our first home bout. With a final score of 56–103, we gave it our all but in the end OCRG came out on top. Our score may have been small but our hearts are big. We fought by tooth and nail, gave it our all, and learned a lot. This experience is only going to make us work harder and become stronger together. It has strengthened our determination and made us hungrier for a victory. We will continue to give our all every practice and train hard for every bout. With Coaches like B-Stang and Gary Stang on our side - and legends like John Hall in our corner - we can only get better with each passing practice.

In the end we were happy about the $350 that we earned for the International Rescue Committee, the charitable organization that we hosted at our first home bout. That combined with the amount of love and support that we recieved from our families, friends, and fans made us feel like winners even as OCRG was doing their victory lap. Thank you to all who came, cheered, screamed, and made it all worth it. This season is just getting started - you haven't seen anything yet! Get your signs ready, rest your voices, and get set to come see us take on the Inland Empire Derby Diva on our home turf, Skateworld, San Diego on Febuary 27th 2010. Now you can get your tickets online by using the "But Tickets" link on the right. No more waiting in line on bout day! SDRD members can also sell you some tickets, or pick them up at Skateworld during normal business hours. See you at Skateworld!

San Diego Roller Derby- Helping to Make a Difference, One Bout at a Time

"It's easy to make a buck. It's tougher to make a difference." - Tom Brokaw

Since our league is composed of some tough chicks, it is our goal to make a difference. San Diego Roller Derby is a non-profit organization and is looking forward to serving our community this upcoming season. We are excited to choose a variety of local charitable organizations to support at each home bout. It is our responsibility and our pleasure to give back to our community. Our skaters all gain so much from the experience of playing derby the only way we can think to make it more fulfilling is to help improve the lives of others while tearing it up on skates.

For our season opener, and 1st home bout, we are proud to host The International Rescue Committee (IRC). Founded in 1933, the IRC is a global leader in emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC provides opportunities for refugees to thrive in America. Members of the organization will be at our bout on January 23rd to spread the word about all of their efforts to assist the people who take refuge here in San Diego. As the IRC does so much world wide as well as with our local refugee families this is a unique opportunity to help locally and globally at the same time. The IRC is such an amazing organization, please help us welcome them with open arms and offer them all that we can. Take the time to check out their local programs, donate and learn about the volunteer opportunities. We will be having a 50/50 raffle drawing to earn funds for their Family Education Department.

So… Who are refugees? A refugee is a person who is forced to leave their country and cannot return because of a legitimate fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, politics and social group. The IRC provides opportunities for refugees to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of refugees are invited by the U.S. government to seek safety and freedom. Forced to flee conflict or persecution, many have survived for years against incredible odds. They step off the plane with next to nothing but their dignity, hope and determination. This year, IRC anticipates helping 1,200 refugees to rebuild their lives in San Diego. IRC offers comprehensive services for refugees to assist in the acculturation process: citizenship and immigration, community health and food security, employment, economic development, family education, financial literacy, microenterprise, and youth programs. IRC San Diego’s Family Education Department, including the First Things First family learning center and Families Connect home visiting program, need your help. Whereas funding has been cut in half over the past two years, enrollment in both programs has more than doubled. These education programs are essential to families who are considered the most at-risk, many of which spent ten to 25 years in a refugee camp. At First Things First, refugee parents from Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and the Ukraine attend English-as-a-Second-Language classes while their children prepare for kindergarten in the preschool. For many parents, this is their very first opportunity to learn to read and write in any language; in fact, about 1/3 of the adults begin by learning how to hold a pencil and write their name. Through Families Connect, a home visiting program established as an enhancement to First Things First, refugee families are matched with volunteer tutors who visit once a week and provide additional English language practice.

There are many ways for you to help! Please consider making an investment in our refugee families and their futures by making a donation today. We also have a variety of volunteer opportunities available. For more information, please visit www.theIRC.org or email them at Lisa.Bahr@theIRC.org

So, on January 23rd come out watch some awesome derby, support the IRC, cheer us on and buy a ton of raffle tickets for an incredible cause!