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Roller derby-rama: these gals will crush you!
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photo by Nora Frantz
Weekend mornings were always a giddy blast for me growing up in the 70's in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not only would I get up extra early to watch my favorite Saturday morning cartoons, but I would occasionally venture out of my adolescent comfort zone and watch those hip adults dance on American Bandstand and Soul Train. This is where I learned what music to listen to, how to dance and how to dress of course! I was stylin back then!
Then there was the beginning of my exposure to hip-hop and an appreciation of all things local thanks
to shows such as HomeTurf with Dominique DiPrima. I can still remember their theme song! Can you?
However, one morning while standing in front of the television and manually turning the channel dial, I came across what I believed was the most amazing site that I could imagine in all of my pre-pre-teen wonder; the phenomenon known as Adult Co-ed Roller Derby! (Specifically, the original Bay Bombers Roller-Derby team). The skaters were all so huge and menacing and strong in their 70's hip brown-and-yellow uniforms and oh boy were they hostile! I loved everything about it. This was before I had ever seen Hulk Hogan or Mike Tyson. I guess I had begun to develop a soft spot in my heart for brutes!
Most important, there were tough women bruising and competing alongside the men! I doubt that any of the roller derby men were genuinely nicknamed "pee-wee." So I was incredibly impressed and intimidated at the same time. The impression that remained with me was that women were strong and could do anything that a man could do!
Fast-forward to 2008. I maintained my appreciation for rough sports by following the World Wrestling Federation. My family regularly hosted Mike Tyson fight nights at their house with huge turnouts and lots of beer and homemade salsa to go around.
Yet it was not until October 2008 that I attended my first Silicon Valley Roller Girls bout, the "Derby De Las Muertas." (Check out the amazing poster artwork above). I was already intrigued from the moment I found out that the bout was being held at the Aloha Roller palace in South San Jose, Ca. This is the place where I spent a ridiculous amount of my youth roller-skating to "Bette Davis-eyes" but mostly staying out of the way of those overly confident and aggressive "Rexers" (yeah I said it, you guys were aggro!). I had seen pictures of the SVRG team on their MySpace site and was instantly a fan of their gothic-ly lethal look! Fishnet stockings! Green jerseys! Black roller skates and face paint make a deadly combination! Check out the pictures!
The match was exciting of course because of the high scoring, and the spills and tumbles. I instantly became a fan and vowed to come back to another head-to-head bout at my favorite roller palace. I also began spreading the word about the SVRG to family, friends, anyone that would listen about how cool it is to see young, attractive, athletic women work together to knock each other on their tushies and of course win their match! It's definitely something fun and different to do!
Please come out and support this amazing group of women! Get tickets here for the June 13th bout!
Here is their 2009 schedule:
- Saturday, June 13, 2009 - SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes vs. Santa Cruz Roller Girls (Home)
- Sunday, June 28, 2009 - SVRG Free Outdoor Exhibition Bout, Roosevelt Park, San Jose, CA
- Saturday, July 11, 2009 - SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes vs. Ventura County Derby Darlins (Away)
- Sunday, July 19, 2009 - SVRG Free Outdoor Exhibition Bout, Roosevelt Park, San Jose, CA
- Saturday, August 8th, 2009 - SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes vs. Angel City Derby Girls B-Team (Home)
- Saturday, August 22, 2009 - SVRG's KillaBytes vs. Santa Cruz Derby Girls' Harbor Hellcats (Away)
- Saturday, September 26, 2009 - SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes vs. Orange County Roller Girls (Home)
- Saturday, October 24, 2009 - SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes vs. Port City Roller Girls (Away)
- Saturday, November 14, 2009 DOUBLE HEADER:
SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes vs. Humboldt Roller Derby
SVRG's KillaBytes vs. Brentwood Brawlin' Bettys (Home)
Silicon Valley Roller Girls Calendar of events 2009
SVRG homepage
SVRG Zazzle online store
Related Links:
The current Bay City Bombers: (Co-ed)
National Roller Derby league
The Original Bay Bombers
Related Articles:
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