Give it up for our Volunteers of the Quarter!

Once in a while (well, quarterly) we like to honor someone who devotes their free time to making Humboldt Roller Derby even better than the best we thought it could be.  This quarter we’re giving a huge thank-you to our fabulous crew of videographers, Flat Track Arrhythmia Pictures – who we know better as Michelle, Ivy, and Eliot.

This talented and enthusiastic group started working with HRD ages ago, filming bouts from all the best spots on the track and helping coaches and skaters to identify the best moves (and where improvement might be needed).  They spend about 20 hours per bout filming, editing, and turning the best footage into DVDs.  During their spare time, they’ve even created a variety of different compilations and montages for HRD.  You can check them out on YouTube under FlatTrackHeart - their footage of our “Sock Derby” was shared all over the internet and has over 12,000 views!

When they’re not working their butts off for the love of derby, the Flat Track Arrhythmia crew are busy with plenty of other creative endeavors.  Ivy is a Humboldt Pirate Radio DJ and hosts music and poetry nights at the “Green House” in Arcata – plus, Ivy and Eliot were even co-directors of the Humboldt Film Festival.  Eliot, who is a funeral director by day (and sometimes by night), is currently training as a ref and NSO (non-skating official) for HRD.  Michelle, who is a modest Ph.D., teaches at College of the Redwoods, mentors at-risk youth, and has actually written a book (“The Media Poet”), available locally and through Amazon.com.  She’s starting to learn skating skills as well, so we hope to have her as a Widow Maker or Redwood Roller soon!

HRD loves, loves, loves our videographers, and we appreciate all of the hard, amazing work they’ve put into helping us over the years!  Thanks, guys!

HRD Happenings & January Skater of the Month

We hope the new year has been treating all of you well!  HRD is rolling into 2012 with smiles on our faces – our months (years, even) of hard work toward becoming a member of the WFTDA (Women’s Flat-Track Derby Association) have finally paid off!  We graduated this month, which not only brings us into the international bouting arena, but also gives us a say in how the future of the sport develops.  We’re already diving into discussions about rules changes, and gearing up for our first big WFTDA tournament next month in Eugene, OR.  If you’re in the neighborhood (or can be), check us out at the “Big O” from February 10-12!

We’re still pinning down the final details of our 2012 bout schedule, but we can tell you that we’ll be playing some pretty hardcore teams from all over the west coast this season – both at home and away.  Our first bout of the year will be Saturday, March 24th, against two killer WFTDA teams from the Bay Area Derby (B.A.D.) Girls – watch for tickets at the usual outlets (including online) around March 3rd.  If you’re a totally die-hard derby fan, you can even buy season passes (we consider those an individual-level sponsorship) at humboldtrollerderby.com.  One of those will get you into every single bout this season and you’ll never have to worry about tickets being sold out!

It’s also time again to honor one of our own, who happens to be one of our longest-standing (or longest-skating?) members.  Give it up for January’s Skater of the Month, Grrrl Haggard!

Grrrl has been with HRD since our humble beginnings (2007), and has helped immeasurably to build us into the league we are today.  She’s constantly at the forefront of what’s going on with the league, helping to solve problems and make us the best we can be.  Jenneral Ms.Chief (HRD’s founder) describes her as “a bundle of talent, integrity, drive and amazing attributes” – we are always impressed with Grrrl’s skills and demeanor, both on and off the track.

“She will tear you up,” says Jenneral.  ”My most memorable derby moments are with Grrrl’s body swooping across me, and instantly I am staring at the concrete wondering how that just happened.  She is a tough, steady, and skilled roller derby player that goes into battle with an aggressive focus.  It makes you glad she is on your team!”

Did we mention she also has a fabulous singing voice?  If you’re lucky, you might have seen her perform the National Anthem at home bouts over the years.

When she’s off her skates (which we don’t see often), Grrrl says she loves step aerobics and enjoys taking care of her four bantam hens – Flaca, Blanca, Yolanda, and Mrs. Garrett.  She’s traveled to Mexico already this year and is preparing for another trip to Israel in February.  She’s super modest about her great qualities and accomplishments, but we don’t have enough positive things to say about her.  She’s always classy, professional, dependable, and friendly – as Jenneral puts it, “she can make a stranger feel like a best friend.”

We could go on for days, but suffice it to say that we love Grrrl, and we’re proud to call her one of our own!  None of us ever wants to end up skating for the other team when Grrrl’s out on the track.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates about our upcoming season, and our Volunteers of the Quarter!

December Skater of the Month!

As the holiday season and 2011 come to a close, we want to honor one more of our fabulous skaters, who has helped make Humboldt Roller Derby the fun and forward-moving league we are so proud to be.  Congrats, kudos, and tons of thanks go out to Anti Hero, our December Skater of the Month!

Anti Hero, better known by many of us as just “Anti,” has been with the league since our early days.  HRD’s founder, Jenneral Ms.Chief, calls her our “first newbie” in that she single-handedly created a voice and ideas for new skaters joining our tight-knit group.  “She gave us the tools to be open and accept community members in,” remembers Jenneral.  “We always dreamed of having a large league here in Humboldt County, but really did not know what that meant.  Anti gave us a voice.”

Anti’s devotion and contributions to HRD over the years would be impossible to measure.  Not only has she helped us to grow and organize, but she has taken on the roles of coach, newbie coordinator,  kickass pivot and blocker, and most of all, amazing teammate.  “She plays with her heart and she plays with her brains,” says Jenneral.  “It’s a lethal combination.  She sees the bigger picture [and] communicates to her team.  If you ask for her help, she will gladly give it, and she wants those around her to succeed.”

In her own words, Anti is oh-so-modest…but we happen to know that she’s pretty awesome.  She owns and runs a cosmetic teeth whitening company called Vividly White Smiles, is planning to set up a non-profit rescue organization for dogs, and has done some print work for a local kayaking company called Kokatat.  She’s actually been quite an artist since she was young, and has dabbled in competitive softball, swimming, and kickboxing over the years (as if derby wasn’t grueling enough!).

At the age of 5, Anti says she aspired to become a professional ballerina.  “That dream would be short lived,” she says, as “soon I realized I was much better suited for roller derby.  As I stood backstage in my perfect pink tutu, waiting for the curtain to rise, I realized one of my fellow ballerinas – and now nemesis – was holding my much admired Pillow Person prop (it had gone missing seconds prior to taking the stage).”  Can you just imagine the look on little Anti’s face?  She was having none of that!  “I clobbered her in just enough time for the curtain to rise as I took my position, Pillow Person in hand…the show must go on!”  And so it does in the present day, where Anti is now a rockstar derby skater, married, with a Bachelor’s Degree from UNLV, having traveled to Antarctica, and is always up for new adventures.

If you don’t already remember her from the ’80s TV show Romper Room (oh yeah, she was on there!), look for Anti Hero (#40 oz) out on the track with the stripe on her helmet.  In the words of her fellow skaters, she is an amazing teammate – and a perfect selection for such a great recognition.

Cheers to Anti, and happy New Year to you all!

HRD Still Rolling Behind the Scenes…

Happy holidays from Humboldt Roller Derby!  Your favorite skaters may be taking a break from bouting, but they are far from off their skates.  They’re still hard at work enhancing their strength, endurance, and skating strategy to get ready for 2012.

Some of our heartiest blood, sweat, and tears come from our latest and greatest Skater of the Month – congrats to Sissy Jr.!

Sissy’s fellow skaters describe her as an awesome and agile jammer with ninja skills, who’s quickly becoming a fantastic blocker as well.  She devotes a great deal of her personal time to helping skaters improve and get the most out of each practice, and even taught a beginning derby skills class for the public out in Blue Lake – all for the love of derby.  Her teammates love her for helping to get roller derby out into the community, for being a kickass coach, and for her lightning-quick, graceful moves on the track.

HRD’s founder, Jenneral Ms.Chief, looks back at their early days together with a smile on her face.  Since day one, you would think Sissy and Jenneral were at odds with each other – “we respectfully disagreed on many subjects,” says Jenneral.  “As a founder with a really specific vision, Sissy Jr. really challenged me to expand my thought process and to be open to other points of view.  Little did we know it would be the beginning of an amazing friendship.  I watched Sissy Jr. grow and excel at everything she tackled.  Recently at a practice we were all pushing ourselves to do a new skill, backwards jumping.  In true Sissy Jr. form she did a backwards 360.  Amazing!  With rugged form and a fierceness in her eyes, she has continued to be a top jammer in our league.  Through her will, tenacity to succeed, and love of roller derby, Sissy has always been a member of HRD that her peers admire, respect, love, and trust.”

Congratulations, Sissy!  We wouldn’t be the HRD everyone knows and loves today without you.

Don’t miss us too much…stay tuned for more fun updates from HRD in December!

October Skater of the Month!

Well it’s been a long and fun season, and we’ll miss all of you until 2012!  But you can still keep up on HRD happenings here on our blog, and via Facebook too.  Keep an eye out for more fun news during our off season!

It’s time again to honor one of our most admired skaters, nominated by her peers for her fabulous, fun attitude and her many contributions to our league.  A big, giant congratulations to Aimed & Dangerous – our October Skater of the Month!

Aimed (also known as Danger) grew up skating in rinks, outdoors, and then later on ramps and in pools.  The sport of roller derby was practically made for her – she’s been with us for three seasons now, starting with the Widow Makers and now as a Redwood Roller.  She’s had some injuries this season which have prevented her from living her derby life to the fullest, but she’s looking forward to returning, strong and healthy in 2012.  ”If there is one thing I can say about this sport, that I love so much,” she says, “is that it does not define who you are – it brings out the best of who you are already.”

This summer, Aimed put together an amazing outdoor skating event for HRD skaters called the “Honeydew Skate Down,” where attendees spent a whole weekend skating in the redwoods and working on their skills and endurance.  This was a great opportunity for so many skaters, who had a ton of fun and are already hoping for a similar adventure next year.  She has also contributed a great deal to the league with her stunning professional photography.

Our founder, Jenneral Ms.Chief, remembers when Aimed first started:  ”There was one practice where our old coach Mojo was having us do a drill…outside on the Redwood Acres race track which is asphalt.  He was explaining and Aimed was hopping and twirling in every direction, on skates mind you.  When Mojo was finished Danger had this look of fear and said, ‘I don’t think I can do that.’  We all just looked at her.  Here is this gorgeous woman, married with 2 kids, hopping around on her skates in a way most of us had never seen at that time, nor could we do it.  He said, ‘if you can hop around like that on your skates, Danger, this is going to be nothing for you.’  It’s as if she never considered how amazing she was.  To her, it was just twirling…but we were starstruck at her skills.”

Thanks, Aimed, for everything you do for HRD!  We just wouldn’t be the same without you.

 

Skaters, Volunteers, and the Last Bout of the Season (Oh My!)

Our last bout (August 20) was another rousing success, with two wins for Humboldt Roller Derby teams!  Our Widow Makers crushed the Redding Roller Girls’ Angry Beavers 239-67, followed by another 138-59 victory by the Rollers (against the San Diego Derby Dolls’ Hard Corps).  Things just keep getting better for HRD!

Time is already running out to get your tickets for the September 10 bout (vs. North Coast Roller Derby’s Tsunami Sirens and the Lava City Roller Dolls’ Smokin’ Ashes) – grab yours quick because this will be our last one until 2012!  There are still some left online via humboldtrollerderby.com, and (last we checked!) at The Works in Eureka and People’s Records in Arcata.

Did we mention we have a new Skater of the Month?  Because we do, and it’s – drumroll, please – McNasty!  McNasty is a long-time HRD skater whose name has been heard on the mic for years, at both home and away bouts.  Her teammates describe her as fast, fluid, agile, and great at partnering with other skaters – McNasty takes derby beyond her responsibilities as a skater to really help out her fellow skaters and the league as a whole.   Her positive attitude and fun sense of humor inspire and motivate all around her.  She’s been working hard this year on HRD’s training camp program, coaching beginning skaters and turning them into the Redwood Rollers of tomorrow.  Thanks McNasty, for all of your hard work and derby passion!

We’d also like to take this opportunity to honor another super-dedicated Volunteer of the Quarter, or rather a pretty inseparable group of them!  A huge thank-you and congratulations go out to Tish and the fabulous snack bar crew!  Tish has been with us since 2009 when she took charge of our whole concessions setup and has loved it (at every single bout) ever since.  You can always find the crew with smiles on their faces at HRD bouts, including Annie and Meghan (pictured at right), and Tish’s daughters – Elizabeth (9) and Julia (14) – who are headed for Saplings and Derby Darlings status in the near future.  These ladies have devoted countless hours to helping make bouts fun (and tasty), and we appreciate all their dedication and energy!  Be sure to stop by the booth at the next bout, where they serve up Big Pete’s fabulous pizzas with a big side o’ sass!

July Skater of the Month and Another Bout!

It’s time again to honor one of our most devoted and admired skaters – congrats this month go to RaqHell!

RaqHell, or Rocky as we call her most of the time, was nominated for her ferocity, good attitude, and hard work.  After coming back from breaking her ankle, she’s been full of non-stop determination.  She does it all:  jam, block, pivot…and when she’s not skating, she’s helping out as one of the Widow Makers’ team captains and helping the league earn WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association) certification, which is no simple task.

You’d never know it to watch her in action, but this is actually Rocky’s first season as a jammer.  In the Widow Makers’ most recent bout against the Coos County Roller Girls, Rocky scored an amazing 102 points in a single game, with sometimes as many as 30 points in a single jam!  This girl is one fabulous athlete, and is described by her fellow skaters as a solid and stellar teammate – with good reason.

During her free hours, Rocky can still be found on skates much of the time – she says one of her favorite ways to spend a sunny afternoon is outdoor skating with her teammates.

Watch for RaqHell and your other favorite HRD skaters at our next bout on Saturday, August 20!  The Widow Makers will be taking on the Redding Roller Girls, and the Redwood Rollers will play the San Diego Derby Dolls’ Hard Corps.  Tickets just went on sale today, so get ‘em while you still can!

Derby Summer is Upon Us!

Wondering what your favorite Humboldt Roller Derby skaters have been up to?  Derby is a busy time for HRD – we may not have had any bouts in June, but practices have been brutal and we’ve been involved in all kinds of fun community happenings.  We skated with the “Gloryopolis” sculpture in the Kinetic Grand Championship, we watched the Saplings (our junior league) bout against each other and travel to their first out-of-town scrimmage…we even staffed an entire week of all-day bathroom cleaning shifts at the Redwood Acres Fair!

Our next bout is right around the corner, with tickets going on sale first thing tomorrow morning.  Get yours locally at The Works in Eureka or People’s Records in Arcata, or online through humboldtrollerderby.com!  We can’t wait to take on the ladies of Coos County and Silicon Valley.

And please forgive us for being a day late, but we would like to take this opportunity to honor our June Skater of the Month!  A huge congrats goes out to Li’l Scarlet Disonya, a long-time HRD skater who has continuously made the Redwood Rollers proud.  She is described by her teammates as “tenacious,” with superior agility, speed, aggression, awareness, and teamwork.  Scarlet can knock a skater twice her weight flat out if she wants to, and she never gives up.  Not surprisingly, she won “Best Triple Threat” at our end-of-season party last year – which means she’s an amazing jammer, pivot, and blocker!  She also devotes a lot of her spare time to coaching the Saplings, not to mention planning and coordinating that end-of-season party.

Off the track, our “Scar” is known as Sonya Ross, a world-traveling jeweler and all-around fun person.  She just got back from Peru, where she hiked 28 miles on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, to celebrate the solstice at the Temple of the Sun.  She has lived up and down the west coast between California and Oregon for the last 13 years, but grew up performing in an avant garde political activist puppet circus  with the theater company “Bread and Puppet” in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.  Now she spends her days with her three “gremlins” (chihuahuas) – Miss T., Mogwai, and Diego, traveling, going to festivals, and of course almost non-stop derby.

Congrats, Scar!  And thanks for everything you do for HRD.

May Madness!

In case you haven’t heard, we at Humboldt Roller Derby have had quite an exciting month.  We won two more impressive bouts against the Rainy City Roller Dolls of Centralia, WA – with the Widow Makers winning 105-18 and the Rollers 220-57!  Now we’re gearing up for an exciting weekend at the Kinetic Grand Championship – watch for our skaters alongside Queen Lotta Paintbuckets’ sculpture on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Without further ado, we’d like to announce our May Skater of the Month, who is an amazing skater, coach, mentor, and general ray of sunshine – congrats to Thunder Muffin!  Thunder (also affectionately known by her teammates as “T-Muff”) is the founder of, and has spend countless hours building and running, the Redwood Saplings junior derby league.  The Saplings program helps skaters aged 11-17 build the athletic skills, teamwork, and confidence required to be Redwood Rollers.  Someday soon they’ll be taking roster seats from the Rollers themselves, thanks to Thunder’s fabulous leadership!

Although T-Muff is currently off skates due to an ACL injury, that doesn’t stop her from showing up to practices and bouts to support HRD and help with coaching.  She bench coached the Rollers at our last bout and helped us see that 200-point victory over Rainy City!

During her remaining waking hours, Thunder describes herself as “basically a huge granola…don’t let the tattoos fool you!”  She likes to hike, swim, knit, garden, and we also hear she’s great in the kitchen.  Like many HRD skaters, she says she didn’t even know how to skate when she first started – but check her out now!  She’s an inspiration to her fellow skaters and aspiring newbies alike.

Speaking of Saplings, friends and family members of our junior league skaters are invited to attend their Championship Bout next Saturday, June 4th at 6:00pm!  This fun event will be held at Redwood Acres (Franceschi Hall, as usual) – no admission will be charged but donations will be accepted at the door.  There will be Saplings and HRD gear for sale as well as other goodies and refreshments.  Come cheer on your favorite Saplings skaters and see how they’ve grown!

April Skater of the Month and More!

It’s been an exciting month for Humboldt Roller Derby!  We just took on two teams from the Emerald City Roller Girls this past weekend, with the Widow Makers falling just short of ECRG at 63-79, but the Redwood Rollers beating their Skatesaphrenics 129-97!  This was a pretty satisfying victory considering things were the other way around when we traveled north to play ECRG last year in their home town of Eugene, Oregon.  Those girls are some hard-hitting competition!

Now it’s that time again, for our April Skater of the Month announcement – this month we’re honoring a new skater who has totally blown us away:  Villain Thomas!

Villain debuted with the Widow Makers at our first bout of the season on March 5th, which as you may know quickly turned into “Sock Derby.”  But due to her consistent improvement in practice, dedication, and positive attitude, Villain was soon afforded the chance to attend the Dust Bowl tournament with the Redwood Rollers where no one would have believed she was engaging in her first bouting experience.

As a full-time student, part-time sushi roller, and beyond full-time derby addict who puts in endless hours of volunteer and practice time, Villain is no stranger to hard work. When you pair that with an extensive hockey background you get a skater who fit in with our Rollers in her first full-length bout on 4/16 as if she were born on 8 wheels. With so many exciting bouts left in our 2011 season we can’t wait to see what this skater can do, and we’re sure you feel the same. Congratulations, Villain!

We’re also happy to announce that our Skaters of the Month now receive a prize in addition to their glory – a one hour massage donated by Rob Thompson, a massage therapist over at Arcata Health Alliance (thanks, Rob!).  Now the honor of Skater of the Month is extra-competitive; it’s not just about 15 minutes of fame anymore, but 60 minutes of relaxing bliss as well.