The Derby-versary?

For many of us finding roller derby was one of those life changing moments, and so we like to celebrate it and tell the world "HEY WORLD I'VE BEEN INTO DERBY FOR THIS LONG!".  Like other anniversaries everyone will judge "The Day" in a different way, was it the first time you met(heard about derby), the first date(first time you saw derby live), your first kiss(first time you participated at a bout), or you know, the first *ahem*...(The first time you passed min skills/bouted/reffed a bout).

Just like with other relationships there is no normal or correct answer to this question.

For me I count my derby-versary as the first time I participated in a bout.  I could count my first experiences as a spectator but what if I never got involved with the sport in any capacity other than as a casual fan(That was never going to happen...).

My first experience of being involved in derby as a participant was 11th April 2010 when I was an NSO for ARRG's home event Hadrian's Brawl, (which was also the 1st time I saw Newcastle Roller Girls play).  I had been involved in derby a little bit longer than that though as we had sat in on an ARRG training session and spent a while chatting to some of the refs about the sport a few months before that(actually before I'd even seen a live bout) and I was already learning the rules ready to announce my first bout.

So,  what do you count at your anniversary of derby?  First bout you saw?  the day you joined your 1st league, or the first bout you participated in?


Drop a comment below or on my page: - https://www.facebook.com/SvenWilliBeFamous
or hit me up on Twitter:- https://twitter.com/svenwilli

Why is an Announcer like a Birdwatcher?

Or an Anti-Aircraft Gunner?

I was announcing a bout yesterday with Holly Sheet and afterwards she said she was amazed/impressed at how I was able to pick up everything that was going on track including all the players.  I started explaining that once you've memorised the players, that's most of the work done and so you can concentrate on the action of the jam rather than grasping to recall/read a players name and number. But how do you memorise 28 players easily?


I now need to go into a little story about me growing up, so grab a seat by the log fire and when you're sitting comfortably, I'll begin...


When I was about 6 years old I remember my granddad pointing out birds in the garden and naming them.  He started teaching me the differences between the birds we'd see and I soon learned to recognise them.  A few years later I started bird watching with a friend and we'd wander round the countryside with our binoculars trying to get a glimpse of a rare hawk or warbler. We would spend hours reading the RSPB bird guides and all the info contained therein to help us identify what we saw in the field.
My other passion at the time was based around all things military, and especially model airplanes. This led onto me joining the Air Cadets at age 12 where I learned a range of useful skills(field tracheotomy anyone?) and got very good at aircraft recognition - the skill of identifying a plane from just a silhouette.

So why is this fuzzy memory of my distant past relevant. Well it seems that the skills used in both birdwatching and aircraft recognition can be used in announcing.  Birdwatchers can catch a glimpse of a bird and tell you instantly what it is, almost as a reflex. They mentally pull together details of how the bird flies, any distinguishing markings, the general size and shape, and that triggers the memory of which bird matches all of those criteria.

Now, I want you all to be adults about this next bit.  No sniggering.

In the world of bird watching and aircraft recognition this is called Jizz, sometimes spelled Gis or Giss.  There are many explanations behind this name but the main one that a lot of people hold to is that it is derived from early in the 20th century, but was widely used throughout WW2 by Anti aircraft gunners and pilots and was short for General Impression of Shape and Size(http://www.scribd.com/doc/16209649/The-etymology-of-jizz).

What does it mean to me as an announcer?
The whole point of Giss is that it allows you to quickly recognise something based on a single or a combined set of characteristics. The last couple of times I've done streaming commentary the broadcast table has been situated on turn 1 facing down the straight towards the pivot/jammer line. This means that you often don't get to see any of the players numbers until the whole pack is on or around turn 1. I've found that if I spend time watching the skaters when they are warming up I can associate a number of things with that skater like their height, build, skating stance, sock colour, helmet colour, sleeves/no sleeves/vest, etc.

If I have put the time in then I can recall a skaters name, without really thinking about it and sometimes just with a quick glance at them in the middle of the pack.   This makes the call flow better and also helps to inform the audience.  I hear so many announcers that will only ever say the name of the jammer when the jam is in progress, but can't tell you which blocker has just flattened them.


How to build up the Skills?
Unfortunately, I don't have the magic answer to this, but here are the steps that work for me:
1) Handwrite the roster. This helps to link the names and numbers in my head.
2) Position yourself trackside while the teams are warming up. Stand where you'll be when calling the bout.
3) As the skaters go round, watch them, read off their number and then read their name off the roster/programme out loud. I normally say things like "247, L'il Joker, Gold Helmet, white skates, red bandanna tied to kneepad".  Doing this I am building visual associations with the name and number.
4) Repeat step 3, until you get to the point where you stop needing to read their shirt numbers, or look at the roster.

While you are doing this try to  call out players names and numbers when they are facing you, or are on the other side of the track.

You should get to the point where you can squint(so that you see a blurrr version of the skater) and you can call them based on the way they skate, or their distinguishing features.

But remember, what works for me may not work for you and you may need to find out the best way to build associations in your memory.  There're are probably 1000's of books out there about mental agility and how to build memory etc, so get Googling or if anyone can recommend any, comment below.


And Finally
I have to give a shout out to Bulldog who initially taught me the importance of watching the teams warm up as a way to learn the skaters.


Next Up:  How to bring down a casino through memory based card systems...

How to Make an Announcer Love Your League Part 2

In my previous article I talked about providing the announcer with the relevant information they need to do their job effectively.

In this one I'm going to talk about what you need to provide to let them be heard, or to put it another way,  what sound equipment should you have and where should it be.

If your league is lucky then you will know an awesome sound engineer that will rock up to a bout with everything they need to make it sound perfect. If however, like most you don't here is a quick and dirty guide to what's what.

The normal setup of bout sound is similar to this:


Mics and a laptop connected to a mixer, which is fed into an amplifier and then out into the monitors.

Watch us Wreck the Mic!
The microphone.  The weapon of choice of the announcer. There are many different types of microphone on the market for an even greater range of purposes.  For your announcers you want a decent vocal mic, and while you're on make it wireless.

Why Wireless?
Simple,  announcers need to be able to move around and having an announcer restricted by a cabled mic doesn't make sense.

Wireless mics can be picked up fairly cheaply now(I paid about £100 for a set 3 years ago, which came with 2 mics and the receiver all in a nice hard case).

If you are using a couple of mics(which aren't part of the same set) then you need to make sure that they aren't on the same frequency and they will interfere with each other. This goes for other people within range of your receiver.  I've been at a bout before where the headset mic used by an aerobics instructor next door was picked up on the bout setup, rendering one of the microphones useless for the day.

Talking of frequencies, if you are in UK you may not know that there was a switch-over of channels in 2012 and so some older microphone setups cannot be used now.  Something to bear in mind if you have an older setup or you're considering buying second hand gear.

The only downside I have found with wireless mics is that they do consume a lot of batteries(well mine do anyway).


So, you have some microphones now.  What's next?

The Mixing Desk
A mixing desk allows you to connect all of your sound devices into separate channels and then set the levels to give you a balanced output.

You can buy small 4 channel mixing desks for around £100 and this is all you need really. My wireless mic setup allows me to have a separate channel for each mic, then I need 1 for the laptop, and I have 1 spare for an iPod to be plugged into as a backup.

It is a good idea to have someone manning the mixing desk, as the sound levels will need to be adjusted as the noise levels in rise and fall.


The Mixing Desk then outputs into an Amplifier or PA.  The amplifier is the bit that takes the sound from the mixing desk, and powers it up so that it can be fed into the monitors(speakers) and then people can hear it.  P.A.'s come in all shapes and sizes and price ranges.

The amplifier will then be connected into a number of monitors.

I like Tall Speakers, I like Small Speakers...

There is a phenomenal range of monitors available ranging in powered or unpowered, size, output power, monitors to be put on stands or floor monitors(wedges).

What you get is very dependant on your venue, but at the very least you should have 2 monitors for each side of the crowd.  So, if you have all of your crowd on one side of the venue, you should have 1 monitor at either side facing them.

Floor monitors are the best as they don't obscure the view of the track.

Ideally you want to face your monitors at the crowd, as any extra sound being pumped across the track can cause problems with the players and referees, not hearing whistles or shouts.

Make sure that you tape all of your cables down.

At the Newcastle Roller Girls/Tyne and Fear home venue, we have a coupe of sections of bleachers on the floor and then a balcony at a right angle to that so we have a couple of floor monitors for the bleachers and then we run a couple of monitors up onto the balcony.  All of these face away from the track.


If Music is the Food of Derby...
The only other bit that needs to be connected to all of this is your music.
I'll not go into playlists here as that is a subject for a whole blog by itself.

You'll need a device for playing music from.  Something with a standard headphone jack will do.  I would recommend a laptop as a first choice over an mp3 player as the laptop is a bit more flexible in terms of selecting music and skipping over tracks.

I usually have a setup where I have a couple of playlists on the laptop, for the bout itself and then I have an ipod with backups of the playlists on.  The Ipod also has any skate-out songs on it, so that the laptop can be simply paused while the skate-outs happen to avoid the juggling of songs.

If you are going from a laptop/mp3 player straight into a mixing desk then you will need a converter which will take the headphone jack to a pair of 1/4" jacks for stereo output.


Getting Your Levels
Sports halls are not designed with acoustics in mind and so it will take a bit of adjusting to get the sound levels right.  Ideally you should be able to hear the announcer wherever you are in the venue, but it shouldn't be overpowering.  Do a sound check before the venue fills up and make sure you know the limits of where you can be heard and where your mics will work.  Then when the venue fills with people be prepared to adjust the levels again as the sound is absorbed by the bodies.


In the next thrilling instalment I'll be looking at playlists for derby.  What's your favourite song to play to?  What amps you up the most on track?  Do you even notice the music?

Let me know by leaving a comment below or on www.facebook.com/svenwillibefamous

How to Make an Announcer Love Your League Part 1

I have already spoken a few times about how you can be a great announcer, but I wan't to talk a bit about how leagues can help to keep your announcing great.

One of the steps in my Announcing 101 guide refers to preparation.  That's right folks, you can't often expect to turn up on the day and wing it.  Doing this can lead to problems or lots of "And that is number 88....errrr...um...Kalamity James!" style comments while you fumble for the programme page or squint to read the name from a shirt as they disappear at 100mph.

So, how can you as a host league prepare announcers for your bouts?  Simple, make up an announcer pack.

Announcer pack you say Sven.  That sounds funky, what is it?

The announcer pack is all the info that an announcer will need to hand on the day.  This includes but is not limited to:

Player rosters - Number, Name and if it is pronounced a certain way the phonetic spelling of it.  This is especially important if there is a clever pun hidden away there. Yes, we know that rosters change but it is easier to make a couple of changes on the morning of the bout then trying to learn an entire team(unless you're Bulldog who can memorise an entire tournament roster it seems...).

Player/Team Facts - Have you played this opponent before?  Is this a players first/last game for this team?  Has a player won an award recently?  The sort of things that announcers use to fill in moments of silence, or to stop the play by play becoming samey. Obviously don't give away big game changing tactical stuff, like "skater x has recently come back from knee surgery and is worried about falling on that side"...

Running order - Timings, Timings, Timings.  When do the bouts start? How long is Half Time?  Who/what is the half time entertainment?  Who is skating out first?  If it is a tournament structure, what is the format?

Sponsor messages - Don't just hand us a programme.  Don't just give us a list of names.  For any sponsor messages you should be providing them as the following example:


Sponsor Name:  Rice Pudding World
Sponsor Level: Whole event
Sponsor Details:  Rice Pudding World is the home of rice pudding and has tirelessly gathered historical samples from all over Wiltshire.
Sponsor Messages:  "Rice Pudding World. Come for the History, Stay for the Rice Pudding", "Rice Pudding World. MMMMM Rice Pudding".

Some leagues/events will prioritise sponsors or assign a frequency to them.  If you're one of these then specify it.  Remember to include any charity messages in the sponsor details.  Remember that the sponsors will help you with this.  It's their message that you're spreading afterall and the last thing you want is an announcer crushing a sponsorship deal you've spent ages building, just because they say the wrong thing at the wrong time*.

Raffle Details - We need to know a few key things here:
Where can people buy the tickets?
How much are they?
What are the prizes?
When will it be drawn/announced?

List of Vendors/Stalls - If you have merch for sale or other vendors present, then give a list to the announcers.  The can give them a shout out as the event progresses.

Other announcements - We also need to know the details of anything else to be announced throughout the event. Is there an afterparty and where is it? When is the next home bout?

When should you be getting the info to the announcers?
I like to see the rosters at least couple of days in advance of a double header.  For a bigger event I prefer the rosters a bit further in advance.  For Track Queens: Battle Royal in Berlin which was a 10 team tournament we had all of the rosters 2 weeks in advance which was a perfect amount of time to be able to get familiar with the teams.

Other information can be the day before or even on the day of the event as long as it is nicely formatted and easily readable.  The amount of times I have found myself at a bout juggling scraps of paper with various bits of info scrawled on them doesn't bear thinking about.

You should also make sure that on the day the announcers know who to go to if they need information.

I will finish off by saying that all of the above does not absolve the announcer the responsibility of doing a bit of homework.  There are tons of websites dedicated to tracking scores, or team rankings(although be sure to state which source you're using if you discuss rankings on the mic as they often differ).  When we arrived in Berlin for Track Queens, we were handed an amazing announcer pack, but because all of the announcers had also done homework we were able to compare some notes on the teams, players and their previous encounters and it gave us more ammo for the commentary.


*While I'm on the subject of Sponsor messages, A word to the announcers.  Have fun with the sponsor messages but don't go overboard.  Working Track Queens we had 3 x 10 hours days of announcing and a list of sponsors to mention. The last thing we wanted was for the messages to start sounding laboured and dull, and so we would try and segue into them in interesting ways. The important part is to make sure that you never make fun of the sponsors themselves as this can lead to unhappy people.

I'm a Sur5or

Yesterday I had the massive pleasure of announcing the UKRDA Sur5al tourney at Tattoo Freeze.

"What's Sur5al Sven?" I hear you ask.  Let me break it down for you as simply as I can:

The rules(in a nutshell)
The tournament features multiple teams
Each team has 5 players.
Each jam lasts the full 2 minutes.
Teams face off against each other in single jams 1 after the other, so for example Rainy City play Royal Windsor in the 1st Jam, then Kent Roller Girls play London Rockin' Rollers in the second jam, then Rainy city play Tiger Bay etc.  You get the idea.
The actual jam score doesn't really matter as long as you know which team won the jam, and which team got lead jammer.  You get 5 table points if you win, 2 table points for a score draw and a bonus table point if you get lead.
The team with the most table points at the end of all the rounds is the winner.
The penalty box resets and if a player fouls out, their team skate short.

Yesterday we had 14 teams, playing 15 x 7 jam heats.  In my opinion this was the perfect format for the event we were at.  There were a lot of non derby folk there who were at the venue to see some impressive tattooing, graffiti and awesome VW campers and I saw the same faces returning to the trackside.  With Sur5al there is no investment of time from the spectator where they have to make the decision to stay and watch the full 60 minutes of derby to see who wins or go do something else.  They can dip in when they want throughout the day and always be guaranteed at least 2 minutes of fast paced  derby.  There are no slow jams, no tactical call offs after 25 seconds and (hopefully) no long winded team or official time outs.

A couple of points I noted that I think could improve the format for the fans:

1 - It needs a proper scoreboard.  Other than being super attentive to the jam refs hands, or having announcers that can do maths there is no way to know what the jam score is as it's happening.  I guess this is because of the config overheads of the regular derby scoreboards. I know someone will knock one up soon or modify an existing one(maybe even me). Until then, it's often guess work.  Any volunteers for this should get in touch with UKRDA.
2 - It needs a visible league table. A large whiteboard with the team names, games played and points total is all that's required here.

As I say, these are really minor points, and do not diminish the enjoyment I or any of the spectators, players or officials took from the tournament and my hat goes off to all the organisers from UKRDA who made it happen.

I can't wait for the next one!

Looking Back at 2012

2012 has been a big year for derby in the UK. We've seen new leagues popping up all over the place, rankings and rating schemes helping to make games better for the spectators.  We've had series games, the 1st WFTDA sanctioned tournament in Europe and the 1st Men's European Championships which heralded the real rise of Men's Roller Derby in the UK.  We've had some of the USAs best skaters over for some games including a successful tour by New York Shock Exchange.  I consider myself extremely lucky to have been part of some of this, but here have been my derby highlights from 2012:

In January I became one of a handful of Announcers outside of the US to be certified by the AFTDA(Association of Flat Track Derby Announcers).  This was only possible for me due to Pelvis Costello who was willing to sit and endure a Skype session with me to run through the testing.  I also have to give a shout out to Dan Gliebitz as being the pioneer in this method of testing and went on to use his AFTDA certification by announcing at Eastern Regionals later on in the year.

Tyne and Fear hosted their first ever home bout with The Jakey Bites coming to Newcastle.  I donned the stripes for this one and got to head ref a lot of the Scottish refs that I started out learning from, such as 3 Majors and Brutally Frank.

Early in the year, I had a brief conversation with a familiar figure in the derby world named El Toupee and managed to give him the shove he needed to put on his Announcer pants.  Soon after he announced his first bout and very shortly was racking up some major mic time, and stealing my work!

July saw the 1st Men's European Championship(MERDC) with 7 teams from Europe converging on Birmingham for 2 days of hard skating.  Many of these teams hadn't faced each other properly before and so it was great to be there watching the rising stars develop.  Out of that weekend the nation fell in love with a certain Toulouse player, Mr Furieux and of course his rivalry with Southern Discomforts Reaper. This was also the first outing of my all gold suit which Cherry Fury now insists I wear if I'm announcing a bout that she is reffing.

In August I got to fulfill a non-derby related goal.  I used to do a bit of stand up and so performing at the Edinburgh Fringe is something that every performer wants.  Thanks to Auld Reekie Roller Girls I got to do this.  I was invited to announce their bout against Tiger Bay Brawlers and although I wasn't trying to make the audience roll in the aisles with laughter I think I still helped to entertain and inform.

Jump ahead now to November and I find myself in Berlin with some old and new faces, surrounded by the cream of Roller Derby in Europe, all set for Track Queens:Battle Royal. 3 days of top flight roller derby to decide who would be the best WFTDA team in Europe, and although the end result wasn't really a surprise the journey to get there proved to be a fantastic ride.  I earned my wings as a live stream announcer and I got to call some of the closest and most nail biting derby I have ever witnessed. A massive shout out goes to my fellow announcers(or Moderators as we're called in Germany), Lil Joker, Twisted Mister, El Toupee, Bulldog, Handsome Joe, Eurotrash and Bobby Babylon.  A brotherhood forged in our VIP lounge, and our love of sponsor slogans.  Taste the Apple!

I finished my year announcing for my home teams, The Canny Belters and Tyne and Fear and then being part of the ref crew officiating the last bout in the uk of 2012. I also think I claimed the penultimate minor penalty call, with the last ever minor of 2012 going to Dark Matter.

Normally when doing a roundup of the year, there is a point when the reviewer looks back and picks their top players and teams etc.  I'm not going to do this but I'll give my highlight bout of the year.

My highlight bout of the year has to be the 3rd/4th place showdown at Track Queens. ARRG versus Stockholm. After a weekend of close scores and switching game leads, this proved to be equally as thrilling.  I had the pleasure to be calling the game for WFTDA.TV and at times there was no point talking as the crowd noise levels rose to where you couldn't hear anything.

So, now all that's left is to say a massive thanks to everyone that played, reffed, NSO'd, Volunteered for, supported, cheered, cake-baked, filmed, photographed, and of course enjoyed any derby in 2012.  You all rock my tiny world.

Taking To The Bench

This past weekend saw the Newcastle Roller Girls A team, The Canny Belters travel to Edinburgh to take part in a scrim against the Auld Reekie Roller Girls.  We'd been invited to go up to help the Twisted Thistles prepare for their upcoming trip to the Track Queens Tournament in Berlin.  I was initially intending to go along and referee this scrim but due to a couple of health issues(gammy leg, bubonic plague/flu) I wasn't going to be skating.  One of the Belters said "Why don't you do Bench for us?" and I laughed this off and said "All I can do is occasionally shout 'Do a Win!' and keep track of the points being scored and penalties" but they decided this would be better than nothing and so there I was, on the other side of the official/team divide.  This is the first time I've done anything in derby where I haven't had to stay impartial, in fact being partial is what this is all about.


How did I find it?
Well, I enjoyed it immensely.  I found that the players on track responded when I told them to keep going, call it off, speed up, slow down etc.  I kept track of the points and who was on 3 minors and was able to get quick clarifications from the refs without needing to use timeouts.  I got good feedback from the players as well.  Apparently I am a calming influence.

I know that if I wanted to be Bench in a proper bout I'd have to do a lot of work to not only learn the tactics that the team are using, but also to find out what motivates each of the players.  Some players react well to pressure and so need that to get their game face on, some are opposite and prefer to avoid any pressure.

The experience did make me think about the encounters I have had with various bench managers over my time as a referee and I think it helped shape me into the kind of Bench Manager I would like to deal with as a Head Referee.

I'll post my thoughts on the Head Ref/Bench Manager relationship later on.

Turn the Other Cheek for the Sake of Derby

This week an article on the website of an Australian newspaper circulated round facebook and I watched as the outraged comments started to appear.
"If this dude thinks it isn't a sport then get him on skates and when we scrape him off the track and pick his teeth up we'll see what he has to say" - anonymous enraged derby person.
"He is obviously close-minded as he only lists white middle class things as sports" - Another anonymous derby person.
"Here is his email address.  Lets spam him with hatemail so he really gets the idea of how professional we are" - paraphrased facebook group.

  I'm not going to link to the article itself as I don't want to fan the flames, in fact in an email to Betty Schnockered of Derby Girls Blog, the author of the article said that already the comments section on his article has been disabled by the site admins.  He said that he had had 76 comments before it was closed and has had a number of emails.

I don't know what the original motivation or intent of the author was (although in his email correspondence with Betty Schnockered he explains that his regular article is a "mickey take" and is a "Bemused look at modern life") but there are so many people out there that will use this kind of approach to boost their online profile, get more hits and increase ad traffic to the website or just simply to try and troll.  In fact this type of article is not uncommon in the world of journalism as even big household names(in the UK at least) like Jeremy Clarkson use inflammatory articles to get their name into the spotlight just in time for the release of his book...

Ok, Reality Check Time People
This is not the first and will certainly not be the last time someone writes an article which is negative about roller derby, however if everytime one is written we as a community decide to throw our toys out of the pram and start name calling then we look doubly bad.  If we as a sport and as a community want to grow we have to learn to use educated responses to articles like this. I realise this is hard to do as everyone involved in roller derby is super passionate about it because we all, everyday make it happen and so when someone does launch an attack we feel personally aggrieved.

So going forward from this what should we do when we encounter something like this?  Well first off I will say that we should avoid sharing links to these pages on Facebook as that just multiplies the situation a million fold. We should contact the author with a measured response like that of Betty Schnockered http://derbygirlsblog.com/2011/12/07/mr-roller-derby-isnt-a-sport-wrote-me-back-betty-schnockered/ which is a fine example of the way it should be.

We should not be getting into mudslinging as then we lose the argument. If the author claims it is out of ignorance then offer them free tickets to a local league bout, get them onside and they may then write another article saying how they had been to see it and it is great.  They may however, write another article saying it isn't their thing but that's their opinion.

What I'm saying here is, turn the other cheek, realise that some people are not going to "get" roller derby and some people just like spouting off for the effect. We need to be the bigger person and show the world that roller derby isn't a sideshow, it isn't just about the alternative lifestyle or counter-culture. It's a professional and dedicated sport.

Of course this is just my opinion which I am entitled to.

CV Or Not CV, That Is the Tenuous Title

A little while ago I was trying to think of how many bouts I had worked as a Ref, as an NSO and as an announcer and I realised that this is now quite a task as I've done quite a few.  I spent a bit of time correlating all the info from memory, a stack of bout programmes, and of course Facebook photos and events and came up with a list of bouts and what I did at them.

I have now resolved to keep my derby CV up to date so I don't have to go through this each time.  With this in mind here are my thoughts on a Derby CV.

Why Should I Keep a Derby CV?

I know what you're thinking.  I thought that too.  But here's why you should. 
Roller Derby is getting big now, I mean huge and so bigger opportunities are coming round for players, coaches, refs, etc, and so being able to show your experience means a lot. It can help loads when you get involved with the press and they start asking you to provide a player profile, or just start asking the difficult questions. It's also great for looking back and seeing exactly how far you've come.

So what should be on a derby CV?

I've broken my CV down into 3 categories, Announcing, NSOing and Refereeing and I suggest this is the place to start (although you may want to add other categories depending on what you do).
Then under each category list the relevant info.  Here is my suggestion on what you should record:
NSO - Bout Name, Date, Teams Involved, Positions Worked;
Ref - Bout Name, Date, Teams Involved, Positions worked, Head Ref name;
Announcer - Bout Name, Date, Teams Involved
Player - Bout Name, Date, Teams Involved, Score.  You could also add on if you got a bout award.
Bench/Line-up - Bout Name, Date, Teams Involved, Score

What bouts should you include on your CV?

This is up to you really but I would work on only adding those which are played under proper bout conditions (and I'm not including "bout night" style practices), so I'm only adding bouts where the scores are likely to be posted somewhere like Rollin News. This is mainly for practical reasons as if you included every scrimmage event or every bout night it would crowd the CV unnecessarily and detract from its usefulness.

What Else is worth putting on there?

Record key events in your derby history so that you can look back if asked and give accurate answers.  When did you start skating? If you moved leagues then say when?  Have you attained any qualifications(BRSF etc)? Which Bootcamps you've been to? What Bootcamps have you coached? Are you a coach, when did that start?

You should also mention if you are involved in any "Admin" type roles within your league.  Are you on the board of Directors, part of the coaching committee, the designer of the bout posters, the social secretary?  Are you the representative on a larger organisation such as UKRDA?  Remember to add the dates that you did these things from and to.

Injuries...

If you are the kind of person that likes to be the war hero and show off all of your curious scars at parties then you might want to add a section detailing your various trips to Casualty.  It's one of those things that goes with the sport but it is one of those questions that comes up a lot when talking to press people.

I hope this has given you all something to think about and you'll now be rooting through boxes of programmes to find out exactly when your mate roped you into being a penalty tracker at a bout, which then led to you buying some skates and becoming the roller demon you are now.

One day when you're writing your autobiography, you'll thank me.

Derby Announcer 101

Derby announcing is one of those jobs that looks as though it should be easy, I mean it's just talking about derby right, and that's your favourite thing and you can talk about it for hours, right?  Well not exactly.
I've been announcing derby bouts for over a year now and in that year I think I've announced 35+ separate bouts (possibly more, I lost count trying to tot it up in my head). I was thrown into it very much at deepend when I was asked to announce at the Highland Fling tournament in Aberdeen.  There were supposed to be a gang of announcers taking turns but it ended up being myself and GRGs Helliverance for the entire weekend.  I had been studying the rules and terminology so thought that I had a handle on it all but there is more to it than just knowing the rules and not being afraid of the mic.

There are 2 distinct styles of announcing: Play-by-play and Colour.  This isn't to say that an announcer can only be one of these, you should be(and will be) a mix of the 2, it justs depends on how much of one you are over the other.
Play-by-Play is essentially breaking down what is happening on track during the jams. You'll be watching what the players are doing, what the refs are doing and making sure the crowd knows why things are happening. Why is that player skating to the bin?  Why is that Ref smashing himself on the top of the head with his wrist guard? Play-By-Play shouldn't be "Derby for Radio" i.e. don't simply tell the crowd what they can already see. Fill in the gaps with info they might not know.

Colour is all the other stuff that fills out the bout.  So this is talking about individual players or teams, talking about the win/loss records, Giving some background to the bout, the sport and the rules. Sometimes it's getting the crowd going and making some noise for the teams.

There are also jobs that go along with a derby bout that announcers do such as talking about the raffle and asking for the owner of a Red ford fiesta to move it from the hedge outside the venue, but I'm mainly talking about the announcing during the actual bout here.

I have worked with a number of people new to announcing(I say this like I am a wisened old veteran) and I always get asked in advance if I have any tips for them.  Here's what I normally say:

• Learn The Rules and Terminology.  It helps to call a game if you know the hand signals and why penalties are called.  Also referring to moves by the accepted terms such as "Star Pass" or "Grand Slam" helps the crowd pick it up as the bout progresses.
• Watch the jam refs when the jammer is leaving the engagement zone. On the first pass this will let you know who is lead jammer, or even why they aren't. On the subsequent passes it means you can see how many points they picked up.
• Listen for the whistles.  If a player is going to pick up a major penalty there will be a whistle blown first. When you hear that whistle look at the ref as they should be onto the part where they are giving the hand signal and now you know what the penalty was for.
• Try not to only focus on the jammers.  They are the ones that are easiest to pick out on the track due to their starting alone and of course the helmet panty but you need to also talk about the blockers out there giving their all in that position.  If you see a big hit, mention it. If a wall of blockers is totally controlling the front of the pack, give it a shout.
• Learn the player numbers.  If you generally work with one league then you will naturally get familiar with their player numbers so concentrate on the away team.  You will see the player number more than the name on the shirt and if you know the numbers it makes it more fluid when making the calls.
• Perfect pronunciation prevents punchings.  Skaters spend a lot of time finding the greatest derby name. If you think it could be pronounced a couple of different ways go and check with the player or their line-up before the bout starts. This also applies if the skater has a clever pun or malapropism in their name, get it right or you will be contravening the next rule...
• Make sure you have a mental swear filter!  This is especially important as it is after all a family event.  If you see that magical apex jump combined with a Star pass try not to get over excited and swear over the mic.
• Don't say anything about a player or ref that you wouldn't say to their face.  They will be at the afterparty and they probably heard you...
• Don't give tactics away.  I have seen and heard so many announcers say stuff like "And the Green Jammer is coming up to the back of the pack" and you can see the jammers expression of "Cheers, I was trying to sneak through and now this B4 has spotted me...".  Basically don't mention stuff which may give away a teams tactics.  Obviously if one team has taken a knee at the start and the other blockers are aware then talk about it as much as you like.  If they are blissfully unaware then keep it shut until the first whistle has gone.
• Don't question a refs judgement. If you start saying that such and such a ref has made a bad call then the crowd could turn on the refs as a whole.  The refs do a hard job and have to call things as they see them. When you are on the sidelines and looking from different angles and from a stationary position things can look very, very different to how the refs see them. 
• Try and be marginally impartial. There are 2 teams out there skating and both deserve to be treated with respect. If you are working with the announcer from the other league then you can both specialise in your own team but there shouldn't be any "My team's better than yours" going on.
• Always wait for the score to be confirmed. Especially if it's a close game.  I've announced a bout before where there were a couple of points in it and as the scores were checked the scoreboard kept getting updated and changed so there was a weird back and forth of cheering from the 2 sets of fans.
• Have fun.  Afterall it's why you're doing this in the first place.

All of this is what I have picked up since I started.  Some of it I figured out for myself, some I gleaned from working with some great announcers in the sport, some of it I learned the hard way!

Spreading the Good Word - Promoting Your League and the Sport

As one of my duties within NRG I have the great pleasure of being involved in the marketing and PR committee and if I say so myself we've been pretty successful in getting the word out about Roller Derby in the North-East and of course getting the all important bums on seats for our first couple of bouts.  So, what are the best ways to promote your league?  Here are some ideas:

• Get in touch with the local press and media.  The local news stations are always after extra stories and something which is still considered out of the ordinary like Roller Derby will be the kind of thing they'll be after.  Especially if the positive aspects of the sport are pitched alongside the highly exciting, bashy nature of it.
•  Speak to local colleges or Universities.  Media students are always looking for interesting new subjects to use in documentaries or exhibitions.  Make sure you make a deal with them to have access to anything they produce so you can use it for your own promotions.
• Make friends with local radio.  We are lucky to have a volunteer radio station in Newcastle(the AlterNation show on NE1FM) and we're now regular guests on there. They have had us on the show a few times and came to a bout to record a piece which was then played the following week.
• Put together a press pack.  It may sound a bit fancy and advanced but with all the people you will be contacting you will get sick of saying the same things over and over again.  Produce a press pack which contains some info about the league and the sport and then attach some photos which show you at your best. Make this available to your team to distribute as they are making contact with the local media.
• Hit the Streets! Get as many of your team together in full boutfits and hit the pavements of your nearest town or city. The appearance of a gaggle of roller girls will get the interest of your average saturday shopper.  Some things to consider are the safety aspect, so ensure that it will be ok to skate where you are going and for jeebus' sake, wear your pads!. The other thing to check out is whether you need a license to hand out flyers on the streets.  Newcastle for instance requires a license to flyer and so when we go out it's purely for a shaking hands and chatting to people trip.
• Attend local fetes, festivals and gatherings. If there is an event in your town or city then speak to the organisers about whether you can attend and promote your league, and then gather the troops and spread the word. In the past NRG have taken part in Zombie walks and had several stints of roller waitressing.  We have even been involved with a World record breaking attempt(Human Mattress Dominos would you beleive)!
• Posters, Posters, Posters.  Good old postering, the staple of any media campaign. If you are lucky like us then you will have some phenomenally talented people in your league that can whip up posters in the blink of an eye, and you should utilise this as much as possible. Make sure your posters are clear and contain all the info they need to and catch the eye.  Don't fly poster!  It's illegal, looks bad and will do nothing for the reputation of your league.  The best option is to visit local businesses and ask if they will display a poster in their window or within their establishment. 
• Use the Social Media. You can't escape twitter, blogging, facebook and all the other types of social media out there, so you might as well use it your advantage. Get a facebook page for your league, get a twitter account.  These are a must. Make sure you have a team of people to administrate these as they take quite a bit of time up responding to messages and requests. Get in touch with sites such as Rollin News and they will add you to the lists of leagues and will post updates of your upcoming events. The most important rule of using any digital media is DON'T SPAM PEOPLE!  I can't stress this one enough.  If you bombard people with 100s of tweets a day or 50 facebook posts then they will be inclined to block you and then they'll never see your message.
• Gather Emails and addresses for a mailing list.  When you have events you can then send invitations or flyers to those people that have opted in.

Hopefully all of the above should give you some good ideas to help grow your league and the sport in general.
Something which I should probably add here, is a bit about choosing who represents your league. It shouldn't just be 1 or 2 people, but you need to be sure that whoever is promoting your league(and the sport) can be trusted to give good representation and stay "on-brand" (I hate myself for using that term...). If you have a team member that is a bit sweary, then it may not be great to let them do a live radio or tv interview...

Derby Gear Review - Penalty Timer iPhone App

I reviewed the new Jam Timer iPhone app a couple of days ago and I had promised that I would also review the penalty timer app from the same developers so here it is...

Format - iPhone/iPod Touch
Publisher - Fearless Code
version - 2.1(v190)
Price - £1.19


This app has been out for a while (although has been updated several times) and it's one that has caused many an NSO to coo over how good it is, while at the same time causing many discussions among the refereeing community.
The main benefit of Penalty timer is that it allows 1 penalty box NSO to time all 6 seats on 1 device and is programmed with the rules governing jammers in the sin bin.
The app is very configurable and has several timer modes including 1 team, 2 teams, 1 teams blockers, 2 teams blockers, 2 jammers and custom setup. The option is also there to enable the jammer rules from section 7.4.
The team colours can be chosen from either 6 pre-set colours or a custom RGB slider.
The main interface is well designed and clear and allows the individual seats to be timed and reset as well as providing overall Start and Stop buttons for the start and end of jams. There is functionality built in so that if one jammer is in the penalty box being timed and the other jammer starts being timed it automatically resets the original jammer and assigns the timed served to the new jammer.  This is also compliant with the 7.4.1 rulings about the original jammer returning to the penalty box and serving the full minute (The jammerless jam scenario).
This updated version allows the time for an individual seat to be increased or reduced by 1 minute (or outright edited) which allows for multiple penalty minutes to be served correctly.
When a timer counts down and gets into the final 10 seconds the clock turns red and then flashes when it hits 0.
Like the Jam Timer app this isn't a substitute for an NSO with knowledge of the position but can ensure that it takes the juggling out of the job.
I have found this app to be a lifesaver for scrimmage training sessions when NSOs aren't in abundance and so 1 person can be left in charge of the entire penalty box. 
As with any app that is installed on a phone/device of this nature, ensure that it is switched into Flight mode to avoid those embarrassing moments when a text or call comes in just as your jammers are sitting down.

Derby Gear Review - Jam Timer App

Format - iPhone/iPod(with OS 4.2+ installed)
Publisher - Fearless Code
Price - £1.19 on iTunes appstore

So, a new derby app hits the virtual shelves.  This is the second iPhone app for derby by Fearless code and this one again will be a useful addition to any NSOs arsenal. Fearless Codes first app was Penalty Timer(which I'll review later on) and that was a big hit among leagues that can't get a whole posse of NSOs to their practice sessions.  This app is also going to be a big hit and here's why.

The interface is nice and clear with the period clock ticking down at the top of the screen and the jam clock at the bottom.  There are nice big Start Jam and Stop Jam buttons as well as a Start Timeout button.  It clearly displays the jam number which is something a Jam Timer normally wouldn't need to know but is useful for other NSOs to check on.

It will automatically switch into the Jam Interval timer as soon as the jam is stopped and there is an option for it to auto start the next jam when that time runs out.
Pressing the Start Timeout button will give you the option of a team timeout or an official timeout.

All of the timings can be pre-defined and saved as game types (it comes already configured with standard WFTDA and WORD timing sets) so you can change all aspects such as number of periods, period length, halftime length, jam length, jam interval, timeout length and a few others.

I think there will be the usual concerns by Head Refs all over that the iPhone/iPod shouldn't be used for actual bouts as they aren't designed for timing.
My only concern is that my stopwatches(and this is probably true of 99.9999% of stopwatches in the world) have lanyards attached already so I can't drop them.  Also sports stopwatches are generally designed to be given a hard time and so are going to be much more resilient that the fragile iPhone/iPod.

This unlike the Penalty Timer app is never going to be able to do the majority of the jam timer NSO role as you still need to blow the whistle and judge the pack distances etc so you still need to know the rules and be a comptetent jam timer, but it certainly takes the juggling of watches and whistles out of the picture.

I would have liked it more if it tracked the number of timeouts each team has taken but that is something for the next version I suppose.

Overall a nice little app and one that will be handy for scrimmages and practice sessions but maybe not for full open bouts where a dropped iPhone could cause problems.

P.S.  I should probably say that if I was a Head Ref and someone was wanting to use this I would be insisting that the iPhone is switched into flight mode for the entire duration of the bout.  Last thing you want is a phone call or text in the middle of a jam...

Merby? Yeah!

So last night was the first session of Tyne and Fear Roller Derby.  The North-Easts first dedicated Merby league.

This is the brainchild of Man Shaped Dog, head ref of the Newcastle Roller Girls who has been trying to get us fellow refs together for some merby action for a while but it's finally come together.  The first session was successful in that we had a decent number of guys turn up and most of them could already skate to a decent level so we were able to get onto the basics of skating, falling, stopping and even got onto some whips.  First session saw about 16 guys show up (I'm not including myself in this as I have no intention to play merby but I am there with my zebra stripes) so if we get a few more we'll have a good basis for a team.

So, in summary Merby? YEAH!

So, I started well with this blogging lark!

Hello to the couple of you that have deemed me worthy of a follow.

Sorry about the lack of any substance in a while, I've been busy and here's why.

Since my last post Newcastle Roller Girls have hosted their first and second bouts on home soil (victorious in both) and I have been heavily involved in the behind the scenes marketing and setup for both. On top of that my band Ball of Mayhem (www.myspace.com/ballofmayhem) have also been involved in a massive project as well as gigging like we hate our houses.

The project (which has been vying for my time as much as roller derby!) was to take an E.P. by Swedish folk star Sofia Talvik and re-arrange and re-record it. The idea wasn't just to make her songs faster or play them with loads of distortion but to properly make them into Ball of Mayhem songs.  After a few weeks of re-writing we pretty much had the basic structures down and then we jammed them out in the studio before embarking on the mighty process of getting it all down in the studio.  That was completed a few weeks ago and after some minor adjustments they are ready for release at the start of June.  You can find more about the project and pre-order a copy if you want to here http://music.sofiatalvik.com/track/nothing-quite-so-gentle-2

Derby wise, I have been pushing my on skates reffing stuff and helping to train up some new NRG zebras. There's even the chance that I may have a co-announcer soon so I'll be able to don the stripes and ref some bouts.  That will be interesting to see.  William Hill will be running a book on how many times I fall into the path of a jammer going at full speed.
I'm also going to be reffing for the newly formed Merby league Tyne and Fear Roller Derby, Our first practice is this Friday so we'll see how that goes.

Anyway,  that's a quick update of what's going on. 

I promise I'll update this again soon... (I'm going to look back on this blatant lie in 2015 and feel a bit bad).

Sven

We Love Broller Derby!

So, Saturday saw my first official derby gig of the year. This one was announcing(as I suspect/hope many will be this year)  for Tarzan and Pain held at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.
The first bout was MMR taking on SSRG and was a bout fraut with injuries for MMR which is never a good thing to see.  I think it's fair to say that as a spectator of Roller Derby we want to see the big hits and the players getting flattened but we also like to see them pop back up and go back for revenge or more punishment.  When a skater stays down you can tell that everyone in attendance feels for that skater at that moment.  A thought has just struck me about this.  The etiquette for when a skater goes down injured is for the skaters to take a knee out of respect, but how far should the respectful knee be taken?  Should it extend to NSOs, Announcers, the crowd?  Anyway I digress...

After the excitement provided by the first bout the crowd were warmed up and ready for the Merby action to start.  For those uninitiated sorts out there Merby is mens derby and is essentially a chance for the various referees up and down the country to don gumshields and smash each other about a bit.  I was joined on the mic by SSRGs Miss D Nightshade taking the plunge of announcing her first roller derby bout.
The thing that struck me about Merby is that the pace and the aggression levels are increased ten fold from the womens game and so it becomes a game of pretty much one tactic: If he ain't upright then he ain't in a position to do anything!
Of course, Referees being far from shy we were treated to a few displays of showboating and playing to the crowd, sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn't. 

One of my fellow skaters at NRG also seems to have coined a new term which was displayed proudly on the t-shirts of the NRG skaters in the crowd (cheering on NRGs very own Man Shaped Dog and Chemic-Al). The phrase of course is "Broller Derby" and all credit for this must go to Nigella Lawless.

Sunday saw an old friend of mine swing by the NRG squad training session ready to write an article about us for his magazine Deviant.co.uk. He brought his photographer with him and while he snapped away, Deviant Dean grabbed words from our captain and vice captain.  The next issue of Deviant.co.uk goes live on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to seeing the NRG team in all their glory.

Farewell 2010, Welcome 2011

So 2010 was the year that introduced me to the world of derby. Looking back at some of the things that happened to me in and out of derby:

• Announced a full weekends tournament in Aberdeen
• NSO'd a number of bouts around the country
• Refereed my first bout
• I've met hundreds of new people worldwide and a massive team full of amazing people here in Newcastle
• Experienced the joys of Deep Vein Thrombosis (ok so this isn't a highlight but it is an experience and it was derby related as I got my DVT from falling and landing on a skate wheel!)

Non-Derby stuff

• Finally got my Degree so I am edumacated
• Made my first steps into the world of stand up comedy - and got laughs!
• Bought a banjo (or two) and started learning to play
• Embraced my inner boy racer and bought a Subaru Impreza

Looking ahead to 2011

• I already have a few derby bouts lined up as announcer and will be getting my ref on in others.
• I've written new material and so will be hitting the stage as a stand up again
• More Gigs with Ball of Mayhem!
• VEGAS in APRIL!
• A new fitter and hopefully injury free Sven

I'm not one for making new years resolutions mainly because I feel that you shouldn't have to wait for a once a year opportunity to make a change to your life.

Whats in a name?

It can't have escaped the attention of anyone viewing the sport of Roller Derby that most people involved tend to have a derby name that they are known by and that they wear with pride. For a lot of people these names are simply a bit of fun to be had and are used to get into the spirit of the game whereas to others it is their alter-ego and putting on the shirt with that name signals the switch from their normal persona to that of that skate wearing side, the Jekyll to the Hide.

So just where do you get a cool moniker for use on track?  How should you go about getting one?  Are there any restrictions on what you can have?

Do I have to have a Derby name?First off, No.  You do not have to have a derby name and there are a number of people who skate using their own name and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.  At the end of the day this sport is all about the enjoyment and the individuality and if that means you don't take on a derby name then so be it.

So, Are the names unique?Your derby name should be just that, it should be your name and no-one elses. There is a roster of registered roller derby names kept here http://www.twoevils.org/rollergirls/ and you should check that your intended name is not on here before getting it stitched onto the back of all your clothing.  Also bear in mind that this list sometimes takes a little while to update so you may think that you have a name which isn't on there but it may be in the process of being registered so until you have your confirmation that it's been accepted don't get your heart set too firmly on it.

You may choose a name that doesn't show as a very high match on twoevils but sounds quite close to another name.  In this scenario it is the done thing to try and contact the skater and ask if they mind you using a name similar to theirs.

When do I get to choose my derby name?Every league is different as to when they will register a skaters name but the general rule of thumb is that once you have passed your minimum skills you can register your name.  This is simply to cut down on the number of names that would be registered and then lost if skaters drifted away from the sport before passing minimums.  There is nothing wrong with thinking about and choosing a name before this time but just be aware that your league may not register it until they are certain you are staying.

What's the best type of name to have?Names are a very personal and subjective thing.  There are several ways to go about finding the name that is just right for you. By the time you come to pick a name you will probably already have an idea about the way you skate and how you want to be perceived on track.  Here are some things to bear in mind (real skater names have been used here and maybe not even for the right reasons :) ):

Sum up your style - Are you fast? a Big hitter?  Use associated words to build up a name;
Go for a pun - Miss Trial, Duncan Disorderly, Wheelspin Shady;
Use an existing nickname if you have one;
Pick an Icon/famous figure and put a spin on it -  Nigella Lawless;
Incorporate derby terminology - Jiminy Whipit, Whippee Longstocking
Combine Several of the Above - Sven WillIBeFamous is an amalgam of my existing nickname "Sven" with a pun on "When Will I Be Famous" and the fact that I started out as an announcer and that seemed a more announcery name.
Ignore the above and go for something which sounds good - Sicily Suplex, Brie Larceny (actually an anagram of a name!);
Pick something Appropriate - Sometimes the best skate name will be staring you in the face or will just pop up in conversation, So we have a particularly loud skater and she christened herself with the name Mouth of the Tyne as it just seemed right.

Remember though that your name will end up in print (On your Derby Uniform and in bout programs) and will probably be announced over a PA system to a crowd at some point, so keep it clean and unnoffensive.  Tongue in Cheek is fine but downright sweary is just bad. Also if you have a name which has an odd pronunciation and you're likely to get pissed off if it is said wrong, then please inform the announcers before a bout so they can get it right!

I often get asked to suggest new names for skaters (I think I just have a gift for thinking of things like that, and a lot of time on my hands...) and the way I approach it is to ask the skater for some background info, such as:
What's your skate style?
Who's your icon?
What's your favourite film/TV Show?
What do you do as a job/Hobby?
Do you want to incorporate your own name?
What theme do you want?
Any other info you want me to base a name on?

Once some of these have been answered I start making lists of associated words, phrases, peoples names and then working them into potential derby names.  After I have a list I do a quick check against twoEvils and reject any which have close matches and then send them over to the skater to judge.

A Blog...My Word!

So I decided to start a blog to share my thoughts on the world of derby and my progress throughout it.


A background to me and Derby:
I had heard of Roller Derby a while ago thanks to the folks at Total Rock Radio and their show Roller Rebellion but I hadn't actually seen a bout until February 13th 2010. Stiff(Glen MoreAngry) and I had travelled to Scotland for the weekend to stay with friends (Andy Clockwise, Faerie Ruff, And of course Blackjack Belle).
We met Blackjack Belle at Meadowbank on the Friday night for the ARRG practice. We turned up there before Blackjack and so had to introduce ourselves to Ella Bella Bang Bang and then sat like a couple of wierdos in the corner while team practiced. Blackjack turned up and so we headed off for our accomodation for the night.
We started off on the Saturday watching Glasgow Roller Girls take on London Rockin Rollers.  After that I was already hooked and knew that I needed Roller Derby in my life.  We went to the afterparty and I was amazed at how friendly the skaters were (and also how much they like to party!).
Sunday we went to see Jailhouse Block (Auld Reekie Roller Girls v Leeds Roller Dolls) and that just cemented the love of the sport for me.

Blackjack convinced us that we should look into becoming refs. I used to skate many many years ago when I played street hockey as a youngster but Stiff had never had wheels on his feet before. Looking round we found the myspace page of Newcastle Roller Girls but didn't actually contact them straight away. I did however start devouring the rules.

A few months later we found ourselves back in Edinburgh for Hadrians Brawl where Newcastle Roller Girls were taking on ARRGs Cannon Belles.  Stiff and I were there to work as NSOs for the 2 bouts that day (operating the scoreboard for the first bout and then working on outside whiteboard for the main bout of Linconshire v ARRGs Twisted Thistles). We were planning on catching up with the NRG peoples after the bout but due to a bit of an overrun we had to leg it to catch our train the moment it ended.

We managed to find some contact details for Rita Von Sleaze (I think I may have got the email address from Gin + Sonic who I work with who had just recently decided that she wanted to be a roller girl).  I emailed Rita and found out when the practices were.  We waited until the next time Blackjack Belle was visiting Stiff and we went along to the Sunday practice.

The following month I had been asked by Blackjack (on behalf of GCRG) to do some announcing for the Highland Fling Tournament.  This I did alongside Helliverance from GRG and it was at Highland Fling that we met Brie Larceny and Man Shaped Dog properly and they convinced us to come along to the NRG practices more regularly.

After the Spectacular derby filled weekend of Highland Fling it was full steam ahead.  By this time I had got my skates and pads and had taken my first tentative rolls.  And that was that,  I was fully part of NRG and also spent most weekends travelling to watch, NSO or Announce derby.

So, Here's to 2011 and more derby.