With a fresh win in their holster and a strong army of fans behind them, the all-star Dirty South Derby Girls are ready to send Knoxville's Hard Knox Roller Girls to their barracks with heads hung low. Don’t miss a second of the action as these fierce fighters get our evening started at 5 pm.

 

Then at 7:30 pm, the Apocalypstix challenge the Sake Tuyas to a fight for first among the home teams. Both teams have a previous win under their belts and both are stacked with warriors hungry to prove their worth. Will the Apocalyptic army reign terror on the Sake Tuyas? Or will the Sakes bomb the Apocalypstix and reign supreme? Don’t come cryin’ when you miss this one, grab your tickets now!

 

May 21, 2011

5 pm DSDG vs. Hard Knox Roller Girls

7:30 pm Apocalypstix vs. Sake Tuyas

Yaarab Shrine Center

400 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

DSDG vs. Tampa Derby Darlins 

Last month, Atlanta's all-star Dirty South Derby Girls and the Tampa Tantrums opened the night in a thrilling, hard-fought contest that literally came down to the last jam. In the first half, both teams played tight conservative games. Tampa was very effective using a slow start and fierce blocking to push through their jammers in the first turn. But DSDG defense dug in, with blockers Hollicidal and Regreta Garbo locking up the back of the pack and pivot Queen Loseyateefa manning the front. In the fifth jam, DSDG established the first sizable lead when Nora Gretz put up 14 points against Reeces Tear Ya to Pieces’ 6 points, even as DSDG was a blocker down.  At halftime, DSDG led 48-44. Then, Atlanta was down nine points heading into the penultimate jam, but DSDG jammer and captain The Merchant of Menace scored enough points to tie the game. In the final jam, with the crowd on its feet, the score tied, and at 1:44 left on the clock, Tampa jammer Little A got a major forearms penalty, allowing DSDG's Switchblade Siouxsie to score the winning 5 points on a power jam. The final score was 100 to 95. The players of the game were Switchblade Siouxsie for Atlanta and Leia Flat for Tampa.

 

Denim Demons vs. Toxic Shocks
 

In April, the Toxic Shocks and Denim Demons skated onto the track for the third home-team match up of the season. Both teams played with key skaters injured, but rookies on both teams gave the crowd a preview of just how bright the future of Atlanta roller derby is. The Shocks jumped into the lead early in the first half, with a high-scoring jam by Jackie O’Sassin, and continued to hold the Demons at bay with a devastating defense led by Alassin Sane, Forniskate, and (guest skater) Hollicidal. The Demons fought back and tried to tighten their defensive walls, anchored by blocker Sissy Splaysek and pivot Queen Loseyateefa, who took down more than her fair share of Shocks jammers. But the Shocks' effective offensive blocking, combined with aggressive jamming by rookies Hit N' Ronda and Tart Breaker, helped them hold onto a comfortable lead. In the second half, the Demons relied heavily on their veteran jammer Switchblade Siouxsie, who started to narrow the gap. However, the Shocks never gave up the lead and ended the game with a final score of 159-107. Players of the game were Queen Loseyateefa for the Demons and Hit N' Ronda for the Shocks.

 

Denim Demons vs. Tampa Bay Switchblade Sisters (AWAY) 
 

 The Denim Demons packed up their skates and swimsuits and headed down to Tampa to take on the Switchblade Sisters. The competition was fierce with several lead changes. At the half, the Denim Demons trailed the Switchblade Sisters 46-58. With some clutch jamming by guest skater Hollicidal in the last jam, the Demons came from behind and won the game by two points: 120-118. Rebel Yellow, of the Apocalypstix, also helped bring the Demons to victory. The 2010 champion team made the Atlanta Rollergirls proud against the strong Tampa team. It was brutal!

Rumble Bs vs. Bradentucky Bombers (AWAY) 

The Atlanta Rumble Bs delivered a painful sting last month as they swarmed the hive of Florida's Bradentucky Bombers. Even with a slight setback when jammer Trouble MakeHer injured her knee, the team managed to fight onward to win with a final score of 184-106. But the Rumble Bs, Atlanta Rollergirls' junior varsity team, weren't just all about buzzzness; they stopped long enough to bring home a few tan lines too.

DSDG vs. Kansas City Roller Warriors (AWAY) 
 

On April 24th, the Atlanta all-star team traveled to Nashville for a chance to take on their rivals, the Kansas City Roller Warriors, who are ranked 11th in the country by Derby News Network. The game began promising, with killer jams by Nora Gretz, Demi Gore, and The Merchant of Menace, assuring Atlanta kept the lead for the first nine jams. However, Kansas was able to capitalize on some power situations where they gained 80 points in only 4 jams. Heavy penalties by DSDG meant recovering was that much more difficult. In the end, Kansas City took home the win with a final score of 224-73.

Atlanta Humane Society Pet Parade 
 

Who are Otis, Chancho, Mochi, Diggery, Bella, Virginia, Memphis and Kira? Naturally, they are the canine owners of some Atlanta derby girls. On May 7, they paraded their derby girls through Piedmont Park in the Atlanta Humane Society's annual Pet Parade. The team of over 15 girls and their companions raised over $1,400 for AHS!! 

 

May 7, 2011

Piedmont Park

Atlanta Streets Alive 

In perfect rollergirl fashion, we are taking back the streets of Atlanta!  Atlanta Streets Alive offers free and fun physical activity space to all Atlantans.  No cars, no exhaust, just fresh air, fun activities, and more!  So ride your bike, put on your walking shoes, or lace up those skates and come join us while we experience Atlanta in a new way.  No sign-ups required, and there's no limit on how much fun you can have!

 

June 11 & June 25, 2011

Woodruff Park
 

This month, we spotlight two players of the game from our April bouts: Queen Loseyateefa and Hit N' Ronda!

Queen Loseyateefa 
 

Queen Loseyateefa has been with the Atlanta Rollergirls since its early years. She got involved with derby in 2005 after seeing an article in Creative Loafing magazine advertising the nascent league. She began going to practices, and by 2006, was playing for the league’s all-star team as well as the original Toxic Shocks in the team’s first season. After a brief retirement in 2009, Queen returned to play in 2010. She was drafted to the Denim Demons, as well as the 2010 Dirty South Derby Girls, roster.
 

While Queen is notorious for her devastatingly hard hits, she doesn’t sacrifice smart play for the big takedowns. Queen notes that her favorite derby moment was the point when she “realized that it’s better to be a smart player than a brute,” and credits this lesson to her former teammate, the now-retired Notorious R.I.P. When she isn’t tearing up the track, Queen enjoys card games and Publix Cupcakes…but don’t let these mild pastimes fool you: Queen notes that, if she came with a warning label, it would probably read, “Proceed with caution, no warning signs.”

Hit N' Ronda  
 

Hit N’ Ronda learned about derby in 2009 after earning a role as an extra in a movie that required her to skate. Some of the other extras were Rollergirls, and they let Ronda know tryouts were the following weekend. However, not long after passing the try-outs, Ronda learned that she was pregnant with her third child, so her ARG debut was delayed until late 2010. Now skating with the Toxic Shocks in her rookie season, Ronda has blown the league away with her skill and speed.

A versatile player, Ronda enjoys both blocking and jamming: she enjoys the strategy of working in a pack, but finds that “the endurance, footwork and smart play of jamming is tantalizing.” In addition to derby, this busy mother of three stays fit off the track mainly through Pilates and dancing. Ronda has danced competitively most of her life, and anyone who’s been up against her in an after-party dance off can tell you that it shows.

 

Partnering with the American Association of Adapted Sports 

Off the Sidelines. Into the Game
 

The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs works in partnership with educational agencies in the U.S. to establish programs, policies and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities to enhance educational outcomes. Join ARG as they take on some of the best student athletes from DeKalb and Atlanta Schools in a game of wheelchair basketball. Tickets are $5 each, and will be available at the May 21 bout (as well as from your favorite rollergirl). Proceeds benefit the Adapted Sports Association.

Friday, June 3 – 7:00 pm

Georgia Perimeter College

Clarkston Campus Gym – Bldg CG

555 N Indian Creek Dr

Clarkston, GA

Angels Among Us Pet Rescue and the Atlanta Humane Society 
 

Join us at the May 21st bout to help out our friends from Angels Among Us Pet Rescue and the Atlanta Area Humane Society! We'll have lots of adorable adoptables there for the hugging, along with a puppy-kissing booth featuring some of your favorite Rollergirls past and present and a bake sale full of Rollergirl-made goodies, all to benefit our animal friends. 


 

Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and Holistic Home Remedies 

Proud Sponsors and Official Bruise Healer of the Atlanta Rollergirls and the WFTDA
 

For over forty years, Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and Holistic Home Remedies have helped people reclaim health and awaken beauty. This year, Dr. Hauschka Skin Care partners with the Atlanta Rollergirls to offer derby fans the new Radiant You set, featuring four all-natural skin care products that work with the skin’s natural processes to transform skin to a healthy, radiant state. Visit the Atlanta Rollergirls’ booth at their bouts to pick up a Dr.Hauschka "Radiant You" set for your skin.

WFTDA Fan Exclusive Offer: save 15% on all products at drhauschka.com through August 31, 2011. Just enter code WFTDA at checkout.

Jumping the Apex, or 'when the jammer is pushed over the bend and lands in front of the pack.'
 

It began, like so many other memorable derby moments, with Newtonian physics. Two skaters slammed into each other, and all that momentum had to go somewhere. Typically, that somewhere is "the ground", "the suicide seats", or "a referee", but this was not a typical instance. Toxic Shocks jammer Hit n' Ronda, off-balance, rapidly approaching the track's edge, and momentarily forgetting that she was not on the moon, decided that "somewhere" should be "the ceiling." In a move that has come to be known as "the flying squirrel," she threw herself into the air just before leaving the track on the inside of turn one, and through some combination of luck, skill, and aerodynamics landed ahead of the pack on turn 2. Not only did the referees not give her a major for cutting the entire pack, they called her lead jammer. Here's why they haven't all been fired and/or shot:



The rules define out of bounds and in bounds by where a skater is touching the ground, but a skater who leaps into the air isn't touching in or out of bounds, so it depends on where she was touching the ground last. An in-bounds skater who leaps into the air is still in bounds until she lands, at which point it goes back to being judged by where she's touching the ground. So Ronda passed the entire pack completely legally and really did earn lead jammer. If you watch closely, you'll see this exploited several times in most bouts by jammers (and the occasional blocker) on the insides of the turns, though on a smaller scale. Exploiting this on a massive scale by crossing from one straightaway to the other is the holy grail of those who approach the rules with an eye for loopholes. No one has yet come up with a workable method, but we keep trying. Oh, I got it! We launch the jammer from a giant cartoon slingshot! No? We make her a pair of wings out of feathers and wax. Maybe a blocker can give her a piggyback ride?