SDRD vs. Bakersfield Diamond Divas - 04/10/2010

San Diego Roller Derby fought hard against the Bakersfield Diamond Divas during their last home bout on Saturday April 10th, but after a largely defensive game in which they led by as much as 20 points during the first half, they lost with a final score of 80-64.

As a fan and genuine admirer of the Starlettes, I find it hard to believe they lost. Yes, there were some genuine successes. Icepax, a former artistic skater, showed her strength and stamina as a jammer as she repeatedly melted through the Diamond Divas solid front wall. Dorothy Dangerous , in her last bout as a Starlette, showed us her signature move as she dropped her shoulder and broke through their wall, making her own holes through the pack. Juno EscareMe and Wicked Angel also contributed nicely to the Starlettes’ jammer line-up.

Let’s not forget the amazing strength of the Starlettes’ defense. Lady Diesel, as always, was in the midst of the pack, creating havoc. Robyn Urpride was armed and dangerous. She really needs to register those hips with San Diego Police Department as a deadly weapon. Other defensive moves by the ever elegant Rumble Pie and scrappy little Mrs. Brigg 'em Down were beautifully executed and strongly effective. Sweet Pain, Supersize’n and Red Hot Penni held a solid inside line while Block ‘N Roll and Marcy Slayground made some nice defensive plays. They kept the Bakersfield jammers behind the pack and kept the score low.

But the Starlettes could not penetrate Sticky Vicky’s solid front wall of defense enough times to bring home the win. How did this upset happen? I realize that Bakersfield’s Diamond Divas are a solid team, but not for the likes of the your Starlettes! Where were the SDRD derby girls who won their last bout by 90 points? And what happened to Wonder Whoop’em?

“Those girls were like 250 pounds against the Starlettes‘ 116 pounds,” said one fan trying to explain the upset.

“I just wanted to give Wonder Whoop’em a hug. She just couldn’t get through that wall,” said another endearing fan.

“I thought she was injured?” said still another bewildered fan.

She did suffer from the hard hitting Divas. In fact there was no shortage of derby girls flying into the crowd at this game. But after the second half of bench warming, Wonder skated the track with the rest of her teammates and did not appear to be injured, those amazing boot covers kicked it into gear. One can only speculate, that maybe she is going to take a step down and let Icepax bring home the points.

This does not bode well for the Starlettes’ jammer line-up. With Dorothy Dangerous leaving the team and Wonder Whoop’em’s failure to make a valuable contribution, Icepax is the only experienced jammer left. Icepax is very talented, but she can’t skate every jam! What will coach B Stang do next? Definitely, we can expect to see some new jammer talent from the Starlettes.

At this point, I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what San Diego Roller Derby has in store for us this upcoming month. With their game against Angel City Derby Girl’s in Los Angeles coming up on April 24th and the Battle for the Coast Tournament in Ventura on May 1st & 2nd, San Diego Roller Derby has a lot of work to do to prove once again to their fans that they are the best roller derby team in southern California. Go Starlettes!

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Chinese proverb.

Although the Starlettes may appear to have a tough exterior, we have a loving and caring interior. We are proud to announce that the proceeds of our April 10th charity raffle will be donated to Plant With Purpose. Founded in 1984, Plant With Purpose is a non-profit organization that has an unique outlook on fighting poverty, hunger, and social despair in poverty-stricken, rural villages through planting trees - literally! They are currently working in over 187 villages throughout Haiti, Mexico, Thailand, and Tanzania. The plan is to help these villages in soil conservation, replenishing their clean water supply, and restoring their faith. Accordingly, these villages are once again able to farm, produce food and an better income. This, in turn, empowers them to be self sufficient, by teaching valuable trades to sustain their farms and land for many years to come. In addition, it improves the quality of life, not only in the village, but the country as well, by providing better and more affordable food resources. Finally, assisting farmers/ planting trees is a crucial component against global warming, by fighting deforestation we can help protect the world against natural disasters.

We will be holding a 50/50 raffle at our bout in which all the proceeds go to helping the country of Haiti, in which some of our friends' families were personally effected. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from the bout will also be donated. Haiti has suffered 3 major catastrophes in only a 6 year span. First, the severe hurricane of 2004, then another in 2008, and the earthquake this year. We feel the need more than ever to help them rebuild their country and assist the survivors and families in regaining their quality of life. Haiti was still recovering from the disaster of the hurricane in 2008, and now this earthquake has set the recovery process further back, by increasing the demands of the country. Many of Haiti's citizens and villages rely on their land and water for planting and producing crops for the country, which were ruined in the many natural disasters they endured. Consequently, Plant with Purpose is striving to assist countries like Haiti in similar situations by assisting them in restoring their land. In conclusion, we can make a difference in the lives of the survivors and their loved ones by donating to Plant with Purpose, helping to restore Haiti one village at a time by doing something that we love.

'For over 25 years, Plant With Purpose has worked internationally to transform the lives of the rural poor, providing lasting solutions to chronic problems of hunger and environmental decline. Our work gives farmers the tools they need to feed their families, raise their incomes, and restore health to their communities. Plant With Purpose has worked in Haiti for 13 years and has 42 local Haitian staff working in 68 communities. Since the earthquake on January 12th, our staff has led initiatives to provide immediate food relief aid, road repair, seed distribution, reforestation and short term employment. Please keep an eye out for our adorable raffle ticket girls and buy as many as you can to support this amazing organization! To learn more about the transformational work Plant With Purpose does around the world please visit our webpage at www.plantwithpurpose.org'

SDRD vs. IEDD - 02/27/10

From the moment the refs said, “Skaters ready” the Starlettes went out fast and strong, scoring quickly and calling off the jams, the score was quickly 27-2. Ironically, Coach B. Stang predicted that score earlier during warm-ups. B. Stang told us to stay focused and keep going hard as if we were down. Our jammers were unstoppable; they dodged heavy hitters, had high scoring jams, and took fantastic whips. The spectators were excited by the pure athleticism of these ladies. They screamed and hollered for Icepax as she avoided big hits with her fancy foot work. Amazingly, Icepax scored points in every jam that she skated in, ending the night with an impressive 57 points under her belt, Icepax was the top scorer of the night! The fans cheered wildly as Wonder Whoop’em demonstrated speed and agility racing around the track bringing in 55 points for the Starlettes. And the always exciting Dorothy Dangerous was aggressively taking hits and delivering them just as hard as she wore the star on her helmet. While the Starlettes’ jammers dominated during the first half outscoring Inland Empire Derby Divas 101-11, they could not have done it without the help of their strong group of blockers. The blockers avoided the hits of the divas and much to their frustration stuffed their jammer time and time again. B Stang wanted to try something a little different this game and it worked. Without giving away the Starlettes strategy, each blocking line-up was strategically designed to counter many factors. Each pack was designed for strength, endurance, and speed. It showed quickly in the game that the Starlettes were utilizing those three factors and the Inland Empire Derby Divas showed panic as this young team literally skated circles around them.

Don’t let this blog fool you; it was no easy feat for the Starlettes' blockers. IEDD came out with ready to kill attitudes and they did just about everything possible to put the Starlettes on the ground. The size difference alone should have put some fear into this San Diego team. The Inland Empire Divas NEVER LET UP! It was a definite battle for 60 minutes as the “derby marks”, better known as bruises, are only now fading away. San Diego Roller Derby’s 4’11” Supersize’N and IEDD’s 6’2” Fishnet Funeral met each other several times on the track but the tenacity of Supersize’N is bigger than life. As a fan in the audience stated, "I have to say one of my new favorite skaters is Supersize'N... how can you not love that girl, seriously... the whole IEDD bout we kept discussing if there is any legal way to even make contact with her, ha! How do you hit her without hitting above the shoulders or illegally using your legs? It's awesome! And she's tenacious as hell, instant love affair with the fans." It became a family affair when San Diego Roller Derby's Mrs. Brigg’em Down got the pleasure of skating against her big sister Fishnet Funeral. What a treat it was to see those two take out their sister rivalries on each other.

After the game, a fan told us, “I was impressed most with the hitting, you ladies are physical and it is appreciated, you have a good derby mindset, I see a bright future for the SDRD”. With the final score 160-70, the Starlettes came out on top. San Diego Roller Derby would like to thank all you wonderful fans for showing continuing support. The February game was supporting St. Augustine High School in their efforts to raise money for Hogar Infantil La Gloria and is proud to announce that with your help they raised $800 and received a truck load of supplies for the orphanage. Lady Diesel made a trip to the orphanage to deliver supplies and play with the kids on a recent Saturday. She said, “Hogar Infantil is an amazing environment for these children. The staff was wonderful, very structured and the children were amazing. It was a blessing to be able to go play with the kids for the day.” The next SDRD game takes place on April 10, 2010 against the Bakersfield Diamond Divas, 5:30PM at Skateworld. You can pre-purchase your tickets ahead of time at the rink, from your favorite skater, or online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/97892

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!