Momo-A-Gogo (ILWR), Chairman Meow (ILWR), Don Ellis (Gorges) and Dave Flinn of Starlane Farms, winner of the ILWR Super Fan Package!

On October 28th the league participated in the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce’s main fundraiser for the year. As chamber members we were asked to donate to this auction event.

In partnership with ILWR Platinum Skates sponsors, GORGES Web Development & Internet Solutions, we created an ILWR “Super Fan” package that included 4 VIP 2011 season passes donated by Gorges; several tee shirts, stickers and buttons; and an autographed bout poster which was our first ever public offering of an “official” piece of ILWR memorabilia!

The poster, designed by Evan Clayburg, and enhanced by the signatures of all ILWR team members, was then mounted free of charge by Master Craft Framers on a black background and set with special uv protected glass. The poster frame was handmade and created by Lorren Hammond, well-known local craftsmen of fine furniture and architectural woodwork.

The frame itself was sourced from scrap materials left over from the production of skateboards by the awesome local producer of eco-friendly skateboards and longboards:  Comet.  It is a totally fabulous re-use of what would usually be tossed into landfills.

Our Superfan package was a special treat at the auction, especially the presentation by Momo-A-Gogo, Chairman Meow and Tiny Bubbles.  This was a great success for the Chamber and they very much appreciated our participation and the exceptional donation. Special thanks to CinderBlockerella for organizing the donation package!

Momo-A-Gogo, CinderBlockerella, Tiny Bubbles with First Aid

In addition to donation to the Chamber Auction, ILWR also bid on an item. If you know anything about roller derby you know how bruise-prone we are, so appropriately ILWR won the deluxe First Aid Kit donated by Bangs Ambulance.

Cello's New Skates

by Cello
Member of wReck Derby
Ithaca League of Women Rollers

I went to my first Sufferjets bout last summer and since then have wanted nothing more than to become a rollergirl. I know it’s a long road from “haven’t put skates on in 10 years” to roller derby superstar so I bought myself a pair of crappy cheap roller derby style skates at the beginning of the summer and set my wheels to pavement anywhere I could find an open parking lot or paved trail. Then I heard about the wReck Derby that the ILWR was going to start running and I jumped on it, like white on rice (or brown on unmilled rice, whichever you prefer). We’ve had 6 sessions now and I can verify that learning how to skate derby is just as awesome as I thought it would be. No wait, it’s more so. All of the instructors have been very encouraging and very helpful and you couldn’t ask for a better set of drill sergeants on wheels.

I’m learning how to fall and stop and get-up-and-go and jump and sticky skate and slalom and about a hundred (literally) other skills that you need to know in order to pass the basic skills test. I’m learning how to skate in a pack, how to be alert and how to train my body to do the things it needs to do without even necessarily telling it to. I’m learning how to develop my fearlessness and channel it into being a better skater and athlete. Mostly, I’m learning that roller derby is life.

Wreck Derby is a chance to learn the basic skills of flat-track roller derby. This is a perfect way to learn the game if you are considering trying out for our league next year, or just for some great exercise. We’ll cover the basics and skip the bone-crushing hits! You learn the game with some modified blocking rules. Come skate, and meet some amazing women!!

Please see the details below and register here>>

If you would like to borrow skates and/or gear please make sure to provide that info on the registration form.

Dates: Every Wednesday – July 21 – October 6

Time: 7-830 PM for practice – please arrive by 6:45pm to gear up.

Location: Cass Park Rink, 701 Taughannock Blvd.

Fee: $5 per session + $3 rental gear (ask about a discount if you sign up for all sessions)

Submit your fees by PayPal here:

Practice Fees

Single Practice $5.00 Gear Rental $3.00 12 practices for 10 $50.00 6 practices for 5 $25.00

Who can join?: Women 18 and up!

Your trainers will be members of the Ithaca League of Women Rollers including: Chairman Meow, MaMadusa, Velma Vex, Bee Bee DeVille, and Momo-A-Gogo.

Please bring:

*QUAD ROLLER SKATES
*HELMET
*WRIST GUARDS
*ELBOW & KNEE PADS
WATER BOTTLE
MOUTH GUARD

*If you don’t have these items we can rent them to you. We’ll do our best to locate a pair of rental skates for you until you get your own. If we don’t have your size available, or you drop in and we didn’t know you were coming, you can also do your first night on rollerblades, if you already skate.

Knee and Elbow pads, (see below for details on recommended styles), wrist guards, a mouth guard and a skate helmet are required items. You can find starter items at any skateboard, or sports store, but remember to look for good padding! We have very limited spare items of safety gear, but it is first come, first serve, and size is limited. We recommend you buy your gear in advance, or borrow some. Rollerblading pads will work for your first night out, and a bike helmet will suffice too. Don’t be shy, come on out and try it!

1) Skates
Quad roller skates or quad speed skates are required.
Artistic boots or speed boots are your choices. Artistic boots are higher and offer more ankle support if you have weak ankles, but provide less ankle mobility for roller derby skating. It’s a personal choice, and trust us, your starter skates may last a very long time, but will not be your last pair if you like roller derby! Speed boots are the derby skate boot, of course, so it’s your best bet. We will strengthen those ankles in no time! If you do not have skates today, we have limited loaners available, but we will need to know when you plan to attend and what shoe size/skate size you need.

2) Safety equipment
a) Knees
Although we will let you skate with any pads of your choice, we recommend a skateboard/skating knee pad with at least 1 ½ inches of padding. This is so that you can learn to fall safely, and to perform exercises on your skates more comfortably. Recommended brands are Triple 8, 187 and Fatboy for skaters over 150 lbs, and Pro-Tec Street. These pads work for skateboarding and aggressive skating and offer the best protection for you.
b) Elbows
Same as above. Some falls we teach require elbow pads to connect with the floor, and we want you to be protected.
c) Wrists
A wrist guard protects the weak wrist joint from injury when you use your hands to prevent a fall, which is common for beginners when they fall backwards.
d) Mouth guard
You can pick a boil-and-bite mouth guard up at any sports/hockey equipment type store. We recommend you pay the little bit extra for a SHOCK DOCTOR mouth guard, as it comes with insurance. In case you fall and face-plant, you want your smile to stay pretty! Plus, it helps prevent concussions from biting down hard and suddenly during a fall.
e) Helmet
We recommend a skate or skateboard helmet, but any helmet certified for skating or cycling is acceptable for beginners.

For first timers:

Rollerblades, rollerblade starter pads, bike helmets, and low-level mouth guards are accepted for first-timers that are just trying it out.

We have very limited, first-come, first-serve extra pieces of gear, and loaner skates, but we don’t recommend that you depend on it! Please obtain your own safety equipment, even if you are borrowing it, or getting loaner skates from ILWR.

Otherwise, your first night can include some off-skate training and off-skate advice on what to work on until you have skates, and you can observe the practice to see if you are excited by it and want to come back. Please don’t be shy and don’t be scared. We start you off very slow and protected and teach you how to safely skate, stop, and even fall without injury.

Sample Skate Session

15 minutes free skate for warm-up
05 minutes stretch and introduction
30 minutes: Beginner instructions and Advanced Drills to work on new and improve existing skills. May include endurance training, or strength training drills.
30 minutes: Combined skating and practice time, or drills, that will range from pack work, to speed and endurance training, from agility to balance or strength training, derby scenario drills, or games for fun.
05 minutes free skate cool-down
05 minutes stretching
Total: 90 minutes (1.5 hours)

Here’s a quick introduction to the basics of Flat-track Roller Derby:

Montreal is a city cut from European fabric, a city that can make you feel like you’re in some nameless Paris wannabe city – it’s too modern to be Paris — but it has an international flair and flavor all its own.  There’s the language.  They REALLY speak French in Montreal.  It’s not like when you go through customs into Canada, and they say, “Hello, Bonjour.”  Sure, you may find some bilingual signs, but the English translation is in tiny little letters, like an afterthought, like a bone thrown to the Anglos, like an “OK, if you insist…”

And Montreal is cool.  Cool like Jazz – the Musee de Beaux Arts is hosting a multimedia exhibit on Miles Davis, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival is right around the corner, and there are a whole host of prominent jazz musicians who came out Canada’s second largest city.  That gravel-voiced Zen folkie poet Leonard Cohen hails from Montreal.  True, Celine Dion is from Montreal as well, but the local press hates her, that’s how cool the city is.  Montreal is a rail thin young man with shoulder length hair wearing skin tight black jeans and Converse sneakers who used to smoke Gauloises before it became unfashionable to do so.

So when I was planning to go to Montreal for a few days, I decided to check out the schedule for Montreal Roller Derby (MTLRD) and see if there were any bouts scheduled.  As a non-skating roller derby official with the Ithaca League of Women Rollers (ILWR), I wanted to see just what roller derby would be like in such a cool place.  I was in luck, for on the evening of my arrival in the city, there was an intra-league bout, and Les Filles du Roi would be facing off against the Contrabanditas.  Our own ILWR head ref, Elvis Refley, had refereed a tournament in Montreal, and when I told him I was going to a MTLRD bout, he said I could probably officiate if I wanted to.  Since I was going with a friend, I decided I’d rather sit in the stands with her than be down in the middle of the action as an official.  I bought a couple of advance tickets, and looked forward to my first foreign derby experience.

Plans change, though, and an expired passport prevented my friend from accompanying me on my trip.  Standing in line alone to pick up my ticket outside the bout venue, I watched the girls in front of me chat in French.  A young woman appeared at the head of the ticket line and announced, “Anybody want to officiate the bout?  You get in for free.”  For a second I thought, hmm… stands, or middle of the action?  My action brain kicked in, and I stepped forward.

“I’m actually a non-skating official with the SufferJets, in Ithaca.  I’m experienced,” I said, even though the chances of her knowing the location of Ithaca were slim.

“Great!”  she said, and she welcomed me with kisses on both cheeks.  “Did you buy a ticket already?”

“Yes… but that doesn’t matter.”

“We’ll refund your money, then.  What’s your name?”

“My derby name, or my real name?”

“The name that you bought the tickets under.”

We walked to the ticket office, where she found my name on the list, and gave me a crisp $10 bill.  We walked downstairs where the referees and officials were gathering before the game start.  With a “Hi, I’m Smash Register,” I introduced myself to the head ref, a piercing artist whose nom de derby is Pat Pierce, and he informed me that the official I was replacing actually did show up, so my services would not be needed.  He offered his apologies, and invited me to come some other time and officiate, and told me to enjoy the bout.

I took my seat in the stands, and the announcers warmed up the crowd.   One wore a blue speedo under a loose, see-through blue net garment completely open in the back, showing off the Celtic knot tattoo that covered his entire back.  He sported a blond Prince Valiant haircut, along with silver stiletto-heeled knee-high boots.  He announced in French.  The other announcer, in shorts and tee shirt, covered the action in English.

As luck would have it, I sat next to a derby virgin, a woman who was attending her first bout.  She’d been living in the rural South, in Georgia for a few years, was spending the summer in Montreal teaching, and would be moving to Albany, NY in the fall.  I pointed at the fishnet-draped announcer.  “You’re not in Georgia anymore, that’s for sure.”

“Actually,” she said, “I’ve been thinking about getting involved in roller derby.  I used to roller skate when I was a kid, and I played hockey.  I found out that Albany has a roller derby league. ”

“Do it, do it, do it.  It’s great, so much fun.  And there’s a role in derby for everyone who wants to get involved,” I told her.

The bout started, and I explained the finer points of the sport to my new friend in the stands.  But I found that watching roller derby can be confusing, even when you know the rules.  Do you watch the jammer?  Do you watch the pack, the pivot, or the referees?  As an official, your duties are fairly narrowly defined, so that while you may not see everything that happens, you don’t need to make a decision about what to watch.  Without that definition, your eyes snap back and forth, from one skater to another.  You hear a single whistle and look to see who’s committed a major penalty.  You hear a roar from the crowd and look to see the jam ref indicating the underdogs just scored five points.

MTLRD is rough-and-tumble.  Their logos are replete with skulls, black eyes and bloody noses.  One team’s name is “La Racaille”, which loosely translates to “riff-raff”.  And despite the sophistication of the city in which this team makes its home, the grassroots, all-volunteer nature of the sport made itself evident in the makeshift merchandise table, the casual friendliness of the referee staff, the twelve-packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon the fans purchase from the refreshment stand and bring to their seats.

The match was a squeaker, but the Ditas prevailed, 104 to 103. At the end of the bout, I turned to my new friend and said, “Well, if our league has a bout in Albany, I’ll expect to see you there.”

“Sure thing.  Nice meeting you.  And thanks for explaining it to me.”

The crowd thinned out into the clear night.  I walked back to the Metro that would take me to my hotel, thinking about roller derby, about Montreal, and about that rail thin young man in tight jeans and Converse sneakers, thinking that perhaps tucked into those jeans, just above a studded belt, might just be a Contrabanditas tee shirt.

Mary Bouchard (a/k/a Smash Register) is of French-Canadian extraction, lives in Trumansburg, and discovered roller derby in late 2009.  She is currently a bout official with the Ithaca League of Women Rollers, but is finding herself more and more in the role as derby evangelist.  Recently, she recruited her son (Neill “Cray-Z” Bower) into the ranks of bout officiants.

Guard ‘er Belt
Bums & Roses