Thursday 12 April 2012

MRD’s Phoenixes Fire Up

Manchester Roller Derby’s NEW team are to debut on Saturday 21 April in the club's first home bout of the year.

The bout will be a double-header featuring the debut of our newest team, The Phoenix Furies, as they take on local rivals, Preston Roller Girls. The Furies have been working hard in preparation for their first bout and are excited to show their home city what they are made of.

Spectators will also witness Manchester Roller Derby’s Checker Broads return after a triumphant two-game winning streak, which has seen them secure victories in both Birmingham and Liverpool. They take on Dundee Roller Girls in a return match following MRD’s away game win last year.

We recently celebrated our second birthday and are feel as though we're going from strength to strength. There are now two women’s teams, a men’s team and a constant stream of new members eager to try out this exciting sport.

For those of you that may not already know, roller derby is a fast-paced hard-hitting sport which has rapidly gained a place in the hearts of all who experience it. The full contact sport is played on quad roller skates with two teams on an oval track. Points are scored by one individual from each team, known as a jammer, who must race to get through the pack against hard defensive play from the opposing team and with the help of their own team.

The home bout is being held at the Armitage Centre, Moseley Road, Fallowfield in Manchester on Saturday 21 April 2012 (9 days from the date of this post!). Doors open at 1pm and first whistle will be at 2pm. Children are welcome as this is a family friendly event and under 10s get in free. There will be merchandise and craft stalls, DJs, a raffle and other games.

Tickets cost £7 in advance (£6 concessions) so save yourself and your friends/family some pennies by getting yours now http://www.manchesterrollerderby.co.uk, or by visiting http://tinyurl.com/mrdaprilbout

Thursday 5 April 2012

Vic Tori Bee on what it's like being training manager at MRD


What has been the highlight of your time as training manager at MRD so far and what are you most proud of?

Zero to Hero III has been the highlight of my time as training manager and when taking on the role it was what I was most looking forward to, despite being very nervous about it! This Zero to Hero programme for new skaters is unlike any we have done in the past; rather than a 12-week programme it is now continuous with intake every six weeks. New skaters can learn at their own pace, repeating the 6-week programme as many times as they wish. The calibre of skaters moving through the programme and into team training is brilliant and I guess this is what I am most proud of!


What has been your biggest challenge in the role?

The entirety of the role has been challenging and that’s what I love most about it. I do love a challenge! From finding my own teaching style to organising endless lists of skaters, it’s all been a big learning curve.  We’ve had over 100 people sign up for Zero To Hero so far this year, with around 15 - 20 starting each intake.


How many people passed their minimum skills at last testing?

25th March saw the first minimum skill assessment for this year’s Heroes and they did great, far exceeding my expectations. Six passed all of their skate skills and another 17 were hot on their heels, with only a couple of skills left to nail.  The following week these skaters found themselves back in the classroom to sit the rules test. It’s a very challenging test, even for those skaters with up to 12 months experience and it is rare people pass first time. Safe in this knowledge, I offered to bake cheesecakes for any hero who passed first time. I now have FOUR (much deserved!) cheesecakes to bake!


What is your favourite thing about the new skaters?

My favourite thing about the new skaters is their eagerness to learn, and I especially love the giggles as they hit the deck.  It’s also great seeing all the new friendships blossom, both in session and on social networking groups. They’re all so fresh-faced and have so many new persepctives and talents to bring on board the MRD ship.


What would you say to people thinking about getting involved that might not be too sure?

Come and give it a go! It may be scary, starting anything new is scary. But it’s also exciting and odds are, you’ll be hooked by the second week.  Anyone concerned about the physical contact aspects of the game should be reminded that we also need refs and non-skating officials who are imperative in this sport!


Any other aspects to the training role that deserve a mention?

On the other end of the scale, I have also really enjoyed coaching Checker Broads (MRD’s travel team) of which I am a part.  It’s a bit strange coming directly from teaching the Heroes and then jumping into the thick of it with highly intensive drills and tactics. After a bit of a losing streak for MRD, it was my goal to bring us back to the top of our game; teaching urgency, fancy footwork and killer tactics to go out there and dominate the track on bout-day…. and with two glorious wins under our belt in the month of March, I think we’re on to something!

Vic Tori Bee jamming at Malice in Wonderland vs Liverpool Roller Birds in March '12
(copyright Shirlaine Forrest)

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If you want to see the results of the Zero to Hero programme in action, come along and watch MRD's next home bout on Saturday 21st April. This will be MRD's Phoenix Furies first bout as a team and will feature three skaters who have come through the Z2H programme this year. The Checker Broads will also be bouting, in a return game against Dundee Roller Girls. Tickets here, more info here

Monday 2 April 2012

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours...

In my team I am known as "Sui Super Schmoozer" and there are a good few reasons for this.

MRD's Checker Broads in Liverpool, photo copyright Shirlaine Forrest
When I first came on the derby scene in late 2008 there were only a handful of teams in the UK.  From the start I saw myself as an easy-going, relatively sociable sort of roller girl who loved meeting people and hearing their roller derby stories, dreams and goals.

Mixed scrim with Newcastle Roller Girls and Middlesbrough Milk Rollers.
I was lucky to be part of a team then who enjoyed trips to watch other teams bout and were heavily involved in the “fun” side of derby, which of course included staying on at afterparties as often as we could! We travelled all over the country - playing, watching and learning from the other up-and-coming teams from around the UK.

I would go to as many mixed scrimmages as I could and was lucky enough to guest skate for a few mixed teams in the early days. In recent days my derby has even taken me to Sweden where I captained a team for a “UK Invades” bout in Malmö.  I also helped put a team together to take on the mighty Team Scotland before they embarked on the roller derby world cup in Toronto and scored that all important point against the USA!
UK Invades Sweden with skaters from Crime City Roller Girls, Manchester Roller Derby, London Roller Girls, Auld Reekie Roller Girls, Sheffield Steel Roller Girls and Fair City Roller Girls.

My biggest achievement so far is co-founding the wonderful MRD. To work on the PR for this new league I've concentrated on what is now known as my schmoozing (which involves welcoming new skaters and guests that visit us, amongst other things). We have an open door policy with the bi-monthly co-ed scrimmages that we host and make sure we are welcoming to all.

I travelled to the US recently and had an opportunity to watch the New York Shock Exchange, who were awesome. I was brave enough to go and introduce myself to their captain, Jonathan Rockey, and the next day was sat on a bench at Gotham’s training hall watching them train. If only I had taken my skates with me!

Ooh, I nearly forgot! Bootcamps! Having been to three or four and I can confidently say they are invaluable… sometimes expensive, but worth it.  Top-class coaching from some of the best skaters in the world, meeting and playing against skaters with varying skill levels and some pretty amazing parties afterwards to help you dance the aches away.
Grange Hell was the UK's first bootcamp, hosted by Central City Roller Girls. There were probably representatives from every league in existence in the UK at that time. 

I had never taught anyone before being involved in roller derby but found myself teaching a room full of eager new skaters early on at MRD and within 6 months we had our first bouting team.  When I realised I could actually teach useful skills I offered myself out to other new teams when they needed help and have coached the likes of Preston Roller Girls, Chesterfield Roller Derby and The Bruising Banditas of Halifax. I am more than happy to add more teams to this list ;)

Basically what I am saying is, it’s nice to be nice. Get your face out there and help where you can. Support local roller derby. Buy tickets for bouts near you and get a car full of people to go and watch other teams play. You get to meet people and it’s also a great way to learn the game.

Most times when I go and watch a game I don’t care who wins, I just enjoy the sport and lap up the atmosphere. When someone does something good or racks up the points then of course I’ll cheer, but never boo another team or skater no matter what. That isn’t what the sport is for and it certainly doesn’t make you look cool.

As I've said before, it’s nice to be nice, that’s what it’s all about.
Sui-cider #7
The MRD FER IT ferrit :)