Lifer Award Winner 2017: Intensive Scare & Mike Chexx!

Posted on by

Rose City Rollers is excited to be able to award two amazing volunteers with the Life Award this year. Congratulations to Intensive Scare and Mike Chexx for dedicating so much time, love and energy to this league. We would not be who we are today with out you.

And now, to get to know our winners a little

Name: Intensive Scare
Years in Roller Derby: part of the league for 10.5 years.
Roles in the league: Played on the High Rollers for 7 years, coached juniors for about 7 years, president of the league for 6 years, team captain 1 season, bench coached High Rollers 2 seasons.
What brought me to RCR? I took my daughter to a bout in 2006, the second? I think. It looked like fun, women run and body positive. I tried out (in the first official tryouts) soon after.
Volunteering with RCR: For many years the Rose City Rollers gave me so much, sort of like the old punk rock adage, roller derby saved my life. I gave back in thanks.

 

 

Name: Mike Chexx
Years in roller derby: 8 years
Roles in the league: Announcer, Travel Team Coach,
What brought you to Rose City Rollers? At first, it was Viagrra Falls. My wife (Miss Ann Cash) knew Viagrra Falls , and she kept insisting that we come watch her skate. So, Miss Ann and I took her son to a bout for his 7th birthday. Whereas he was not impressed (The King scared him for some reason), we really enjoyed the event.
I was drawn in by the sport. It was fast paced, physical, and fun! Susan B Anarchy and Carpe Demon taught us quite a bit about the sport when we would join them track side.
One night, during a bout, an announcement was made asking for volunteers interested in announcing. I emailed Draggin’ Lady about the opportunity. She interviewed me in a bar, and agreed to bring me on board. That’s where it all began.
What does volunteering with RCR mean to you? I’m extremely happy to be a part of the roller derby community here in Portland that is dedicated to helping develop positive personal empowerment, and supporting other causes throughout the greater Portland area. I am thankful that I have a talent that I can use to help promote that community, and the sport it was built around.

Gold Star Volunteer: uppercase Gie

Posted on by

Gold Star Interview: Uppercase

By Natalie Williams

Rose City Rollers wants to give a hearty thank you to Angela ”uppercase Gie” Carr for her numerous years of dedicated service to our league. Uppercase started as an official and moved to coaching, skating, and serving on the Rose City Board of Directors. Both the adult recreational team, the Wreckers, and junior home team, the Undead Avengers, are lucky to call uppercase Gie their coach. Her role has grown with the league as well as her skating skills, recently being drafted by the Breakneck Betties.

coach uppercase

How has RCR changed since you began volunteering?

I started volunteering in 2011 as an NSO. Kill Nye, Tally Hussy, and I were the main penalty trackers. It was when we still had minor penalties so penalty tracking was super intense — you had to keep your eyes on the refs to see what penalties they were calling and for what team, mark them on your sheet, and then drop those off at the inside white board. We had hand signals for the jammer refs so they knew how many minor penalties their jammer was sitting on at the begin of each jam and had to help remind pack refs when blockers earned their fourth minor penalty and had to go to the box. No more minor penalties is a big change since then.

Do you remember your first Rose City Rollers bout? Where and when?

Yes, 2010 home team champs at the Expo Center. Wreck Deckard had a breakout jamming performance for High Rollers who won. I *think* it was their first time winning champs.

What has being an RCR volunteer meant to you?

It has meant a lot. I’ve grown as a person and professionally from volunteering with RCR. Having volunteer roles forced me into the RCR community more, which allowed me to meet and get to know many more wonderful people than if I had only skated.

Catch Gie and her team, the Break Neck Betties, bouting against the High Rollers on April 8th. Get your tickets here!

Betties Present the Spring Fling – Burlesque and Cabaret! – 4/15/2017

Posted on by

The Break Neck Betties Present THE SPRING FLING!

Come on down to the Tonic Lounge on Sandy Blvd for the best cabaret show of the year! The Betties have never disappointed with the Spring Fling and are sure to bring a fantastic line up of burlesque, performance, magic and humor. Stick around after and shake your thang to the sweet tunes of DJ Agent Meow.

The Details:
April 15, 2017
Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
$5+ donation at the door
21+
Wheelchair accessible

RSVP on Facebook!

**Please note: Tonic Lounge is on 31st and Sandy. It was called the Panic Room last year and the sign currently says The Raven. This is the same venue as the 2016 Spring Fling**

TT Spotlight: Lil’ Bratney

Posted on by

Wheels of Justice season opens this weekend with the Purple vs White bout and we couldn’t be more excited! For those of you who are new around here, the Purple vs White bout is an exhibition bout featuring the entire roster of the Wheels of Justice. It is an amazing display of athleticism and fun. To help launch their season, we want to introduce you to another new member of the team: Lil’ Bratney!

Photo Credit: Ben Ma Photography

What is the origin of your derby name? Lil’ Bratney is a merging of my real name, Brittany, and the name my dad loving called me all my life, Brat. The Lil’ was added because when I started derby I was a tiny little twig so it fit.

When did you start skating? Started derby in March 2012. I didn’t have prior skating experience outside of rollerblading a bit as a kid.

Position played? Jammer

Where did you transfer from? Cherry City Roller Derby, Salem, OR

How did you discover roller derby? In 2010 a coworker of my husband’s who skated for RCR suggested I check it out. I went to a bout and thought “I can do that” but, I had just started a new job and wasn’t ready for another new thing. A year later I made a friend who skated for Cherry City (just south of RCR) and she encouraged me to join although, she had a broken ankle from derby at the time. Fast forward another year and I finally got up the courage to join at Cherry City.

Did you play sports before derby? I’d always been more inclined to the individual sports – I was a classical dancer for 16 years doing ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical. I also snowboarded for years.

Can you spot Brat in this picture?

What derby/skating skill did you or do you struggle with the most? You’ll often hear me on the track saying to myself or my friends “can I get a new left foot please?!” Why are left footed skills so dang hard?!

Why did you move to Portland? We moved to Portland in 2009 from Gunnison, CO, sight unseen, with no real plan but, with dreams of city living. We now live in Salem but, still love Portland.

Favorite thing about Portland? ALL THE FOOD

Favorite thing to do outside derby? I love cross training and puppies. Not together, although that would be pretty awesome!

Who was the object of your most embarrassing teenage celebrity obsession? Eminem

What do you love about the sport / have you learned from the sport? I have learned so much about myself as an individual thanks to derby and the community. I honestly don’t believe I would actually be proud of the person I am today without derby. Plus, I live for competition and derby is excellent for that!

How do you balance life and being on TT? I thrive on planning and scheduling, logistics are my thing. Having my weeks planned out months in advance ensures I know and can make my commitments. Plus I am better equipped to know when I need to say no to something in life or derby so I can be the best teammate, friend, wife, or coworker I can be.

3 Things you want to accomplish in 2017? Left footed skating skills! Lift heavier things! Be the best teammate for my team!

Advice for any new skaters out there?Your derby journey is just that, yours. Love every moment of it, good and bad. Be open to and embrace the personal growth journey that is an amazing side effect of derby and most of all, have fun!

Thanks Lil Bratney for chatting with us and welcome to Rose City Rollers! We are so excited to see her skate in the Purple vs White bout on March 24th at the Hangar!

 

Carousel image photo credit: Ben Ma Photography

Meet the Fresh Meat: Murderbus #187

Posted on by

The talented skaters of the Rose City Rollers Fresh Meat program have been training hard and will take the track tonight against Utah’s Moab Roller Derby in a rare hometown bout. Don’t worry, you can still get tickets at the door! You definitely don’t want to miss your chance to catch a glimpse of these inspiring skaters who are training hard to earn places on a Rose City home team or even the Wheels of Justice. Today we’re chatting with Murderbus, a recent transfer to Rose City from Long Island Roller Rebels.  

How did you pick your derby name? When I started derby, I was telling my friends that I had to come up with a good name so I didn’t get stuck with something like Murderbus. Nothing else seemed right after that!

What position do you play? Blocker, sometimes pivot if I’m feeling dangerous.

How long have you been playing roller derby? 5 years in May.

And how long have you been in the RCR Fresh Meat program? Since August 2016.

Did you play any sports before roller derby? Nope, unless video games count.

What is your favorite thing about roller derby? The community, teamwork, and being allowed to hit people.

What is the most challenging thing about roller derby? Learning how to be an athlete and take better care of my body. You can’t really play well on a diet of Slim Jims and cherry coke.

Do you have a pre-bout ritual? I like to dance around to some cheesy pop music; lately Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, or Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”

What’s your favorite thing to do in Portland, other than play roller derby? Sinking quarters into arcade games at Quarter World.

What is your hidden superpower? I’m a software engineer at a self driving car company, so I guess mastery over robotics.

Catch Murderbus on the track TONIGHT with the rest of her Fresh Meat teammates. Fresh Meat takes on Utah’s Moab Roller Derby at 8pm. Tickets available at the door! 

TT Spotlight: Bonnie Thunders #340

Posted on by

Wheels of Justice announced their new charter last week and there are some new names on that list. You might recognize some of them. Maybe the name Bonnie Thunders rings a bell?

Things to consider. 

  • In 2016 tournament season, Bonnie jammed 100 times across 6 games, an average of 17 jams per game. The average derby game only has 40 total jams.
  • In the 2016 tournament season, she scored 790 points, about 131 per game. She only had 192 points scored against her (48 of which were by Rose).
  • Her points differential for tournament season was an impressive +598, or around +6 per jam. For those of you who don’t speak sports stats, that means that every time she takes the like, she is almost guaranteed multiple scoring passes.

Ok. Now that all that is straight, let’s hear a bit from Bonnie about who she is and what derby is to her.

In your spare time, what do you do for work? I’m one of the owners/operators at Five Stride Skate Shop, along with my partner, OMG WTF. We have two shops, one brand new location in Portland and a second in Brooklyn, NY.

What is the origin of your derby name? My derby name is an ode to the musician Johnny Thunders, most notably of the NY Dolls band from the 70s. 

When did you start skating? I started ice figure skating when I was 6 years old and transitioned from ice skating to derby when I was 22. I have been skating for 27 years and playing derby for 11 years. 

How did you discover derby? In college I competed with a synchronized ice figure skating club so when I graduated and moved to NYC, I was looking to continue skating. A friend of mine invited me to a derby game and we decided to tryout. Derby seemed like a better fit for me since I wasn’t a great figure skater and could also employ my soccer experience in this new sport. I was looking for a new hobby and group of friends in my new city and derby was a perfect combination for me.

Where did you transfer from? Gotham Girls Roller Derby in NYC

Photo Credit: ESPN

Do you have thoughts on transferring to a “rival” team? While Rose City is absolutely Gotham’s biggest rival, I also have many friends on the team and have known the league well for quite some time. It’s a fiercely competitive yet friendly rivalry and I’ve been welcomed with open arms at Rose City. 

Do you have thoughts on other high level transfers this year and how that is changing the landscape of derby? I think it’s really exciting to see teams change and evolve over time, especially because you end up playing against teams year after year so the shake up keeps you on your toes and never allows you to get complacent. I love watching teams build and grow without much turnover but then add one or two high level players to their roster who help put all the pieces together. It’s really important to acknowledge that integrating those players into the fabric of the team is what drives that success. 

Did you play sports before derby? Freestyle ice figure skating, synchronized ice figure skating, and soccer

What do you love about the sport and what have you learned from the sport? What do I love about the sport: First and foremost, I love being on skates, but I especially love the fierce competition with a group of teammates against an opponent. I’m a bit competitive which I’m sure is no surprise to most people. What have I learned from the sport: Derby has taught me more about myself that I ever expected it to. I found derby at a time in my life where I intended on taking a quick break from school before continuing on to a masters and PhD degree. Derby derailed my entire career and taught me the importance of friendship and family. While some days I do struggle with the fact that I have virtually no professional career, derby has taught me that career is not the only important thing in life. Happiness is not always measured in success. 

How do you balance life and being on TT? Maybe not very well considering derby as become my career and my hobby. 

What derby or skating skill did you or do you struggle with the most? Taking risks. I’m a virgo. I like my life organized and planned so taking risks is hard for me. My life decisions have taught me that there is no reward without risk but I always follow up that it must be a calculated risk. 

Why did you move to Portland? OMG and I have been talking about moving to Portland for about five years now. We were looking to start the next chapter of our lives- buy a house, settle down, have a big garden, raise some chickens. Portland is an amazing city that values environmental sustainability, and I’m a tree hugger at heart. Portland also has a pretty good roller derby team so it seemed like the perfect fit for us. 

Favorite thing about Portland? I’m not sure yet but so far I’m really liking that no one tries to run me off the road when I’m on my bike. And all the chickens.

Favorite thing to do outside derby? Night gardening (this is mostly an effect of not having enough time with work and derby practice which means I often find myself gardening at 10pm on a Friday night)

Who was the object of your most embarrassing teenage celebrity obsession? LL Cool J 

3 Things you want to accomplish in 2017? Build a killer garden at my new house, restart my feral cat trap-neuter-return program here in Portland (checkout Thundercats TNR on Facebook), and win games with my new team. 

Advice for any new skaters out there? Live in your skates. If it truly takes 10,000 hours to master a skill we’re going to have to wear our skates 24/7. But there is really no better way to master the skill than to spend as much time as you can in your skates. Skate around the house, to work, walking the dog, doing house chores. Get comfortable in your skates so it feels as natural as walking. 

Check out Bonnie skating with Wheels of Justice on March 24th at the Purple and White bout at the Hangar at Oaks Park!

Learn Bonnie’s sweet jammer moves at the WOJ Winter Bootcamps – Jammer Clinic on March 4th!

Homepage photo credit: Regularman Photography

 

Meet the Fresh Meat: Voodoo Jinx #17

Posted on by

The Rose City Rollers Fresh Meat program is home to a competitive group of talented skaters, many who are not-so-fresh to the sport of roller derby. Just last month, Fresh Meat took on the challenge of bouting against the Emerald City All Stars, ranked #98 in the WFTDA, and came away with a win! We wanted to share more about these inspiring skaters who are training hard to earn places on a Rose City home team or even the Wheels of Justice, so today we’re chatting with Voodoo Jinx, one of the current Fresh Meat captains and blocker extraordinaire! 

How did you pick your derby name? When I get competitive I say “I’ll put the voodoo on you!” I explained to non-Louisianans it is kind of like a jinx. I became Voodoo Jinx. I’m gonna getcha either way!

How long have you been playing roller derby? 2.5 years.

And how long have you been in the RCR Fresh Meat program? It will be 2 years in July.

Did you play any sports before roller derby? Not really. I did kickboxing, bellydance, salsa, and taught Zumba though.

What is your favorite thing about roller derby? I have never felt so strong or confident in my life! I am also regularly amazed that we do these crazy things on wheels!

What is the most challenging thing about roller derby? Remembering that every derby journey is different and there is no “normal” timeline of skill development.

Do you have a favorite mantra to share? I love the quote on the cover of my team feedback journal, “Great things don’t come from comfort zones.”

What’s your favorite thing to do in Portland, other than play roller derby? I could spend the whole day at Powell’s Bookstore (and still want to return the next day).

Any final thoughts or words of wisdom? I never really considered myself tough, athletic, confident, or strong. Roller derby has changed me and I can’t thank the A-Town Roller Girlz enough for introducing me to this amazing sport!

Don’t miss your chance to check out RCR’s up and coming talent in a rare hometown Fresh Meat bout! On Friday, March 10, Fresh Meat will take on Utah’s Moab Roller Derby at 8pm. Get your tickets now! 

Gold Star Winner – Social Lies!

Posted on by

This month our Gold Star Award goes to Social Lies! New RCR blogger, Natalie Williams sat down with Social Lies. Here is what she learned!

Photo credit: Masonite Burn

Have you ever fell in love with something so completely and quickly that you felt the need to get involved as soon as you possibly could? Of course you did, because you fell in love with roller derby that exact way. And so did Tyson Leggate. He fell in love so deeply with this intense sport, that he became a non-skating official nearly four years ago. Known to most as Social Lies, you can see Tyson sitting with the announcers in the Hangar, watching, writing, loving, and enjoying.

Social Lies loves this sport for its fast pace intensity that never seems to stop. He holds it akin to another beloved sport of his, hockey. These are sports that you can never take your eyes off of for a second because you might miss something great and he doesn’t want to miss a thing. Tyson doesn’t just love this sport, but he loves the league, the teams, the “awed sense of community”, and this collection of misfits. He can describe to you the exact moment, the game, and the opposing team for when he fell head over heels for this high speed sport.

Tyson is receiving the Gold Star Volunteer Award, not just for his amazing scribe skills as a non-skating official, but also for his amazing dedication and attention to detail. He has compiled a beautiful living document that he continually updates for the league. It is a statistical report of the teams and skaters, ranked by wins, jams, and whatever else he has deemed worthy of note. He says he enjoys trying to make sense of the madness. Don’t we all?

New Family Pack ticket option for Junior Bouts!

Posted on by

 

Wanting to take the whole family out for the day, but not wanting to spend a ton of cash?

We got you covered!

Introducing the new Family Pack! What does the Family Pack get you?

For $30, you get:

  • 2 Adult Admission
  • 2 Children Admission
  • Popcorn
  • 4 drink tickets

This is a great deal! Don’t miss out on the derby fun for the whole family!

Grab your Family Pack tickets to the next juniors event, this Sunday at the Hangar! Get your tickets for the Rose Petals and Rosebuds All-Stars game here!

 

Rose City Rollers adjusts bout schedule after Snowpocalypse 2017

Posted on by

Dear Rose City,

It is after much deliberation, that we have decisded to move this weekends bouts. After our initial move of the 1/14-15 bouts to 1/21-22, we heard concern from many league members about safety as well as skaters and officials being unavailable this weekend. From a safety perspective, if we were to host this weekend, many skaters would not have skated but perhaps a single practice in weeks, which presents a serious threat of injury.

I know the changes we are making will not work for everyone, and I truly apologize, but please know we tried to accommodate the wishes of RCR memebrs and fans within the confines of our use of fire permits for hosting public bouts.

For the above reasons, we are making the following changes to our schedule:
1. Adult Home Season Opener moves to 1/28 6pm
2. Rose Petals (KB/VDD ) moves to 1/29 2:45pm as Bout #2 after Rosebuds/Angel City game
3. Rose Buds (DSDD/UA) moves to 2/19 2pm as a private bout with skaters getting to bring a guest or two
4. GNR/HH 1/28 game moves to 4/7 8pm
5. GNR/HH 4/19 game moves to 4/26

 

Ticket Info:
Buy your ticket online?
• Still plan on attending the bout? No action required on your part.
o Purchase a ticket for the 1/28 GNR/HH game and still want to attend on that date? You will be contacted directly by the Events Director for your options.
• Want to exchange or refund your ticket? Contact Bold Type Tickets Support (support@boldtypetickets.com) for help.
Buy a paper ticket from a RCR skater or the Night Light Lounge?
• Still plan on attending the event? No action required on your part. The Front Entrance will accept your ticket with the original date.
• Want to refund or exchange your ticket?
o Contact the source of your purchase.
o You can approach the Hangar the day of the event once doors have opened for a refund at the Front Entrance.
o Additional dates and times for refunds may be available. Stay tuned for updates via Facebook.
o No refunds after the event start on the bout date will be granted.
Questions? Contact events@rosecityrollers.com.