Skating but not as we know it

On Wednesday, our training session was cancelled because of a minor event the next day (some sort of election?), meaning our usual hall was otherwise occupied. Apparently, someone thinks that roller derby isn't as important as the democratic rights of the people. Pfft!

A group of us decided that no one - not even Nicola Sturgeon - could stop us getting our skates on, and we headed to Unit 23 Skatepark in Dumbarton.

Team Skatepark, consisting of Janie Bones, Mad Natter, Puma Thurman, Shona Mercy, Mona Rampage, Jen Fleming, Marshall Lawless and Sarah McMillan.

A few of us had never been to a skatepark before, and there was some initial trepidation about the existence of non-flat skating surfaces, but everyone soon got stuck in! Very quickly we were all pushing our boundaries, whether that was dropping into the biggest bowl LIKE A BOSS or just trying out some of the smaller ramps.

Shona Mercy & Marshall Lawless sporting some GRD merchandise while contemplating the next ramp

Unit 23 is a fab venue for skating and we'll definitely be back! If you want to see more of the action, head over to our Instagram where you'll find video evidence of us nailing it (and the times it didn't quite work out!).

Sometimes things don't quite go to plan, and you end up lying on the floor trying to figure what to do differently the next time!

We hope to see you back on flatter ground on the 21st of May to watch the Maiden Grrders facing up to Blackpool Roller Derby. Get your tickets online here or on the door. It's going to be a good one! And if you like any of the GRD merchandise modelled so wonderfully in these photos, check out our shop for some old classics or our newest pins and patches.

Queeriosity #2: 90's Night

Come as you are, as you were, or as you'd want to be to our 90s themed fundraiser night tomorrow!

Image courtesy of Nuclaire Art. 

It's not too late to get advance tickets for £2 from our website , or just £3 on the door (free for asylum seekers and refugees).

 "But just what delights will I get for my hard-earned cash?!" I hear you cry! We'll have Habs & Prawn playing some of the finest 90s tunes ever heard, in a space where everyone is welcome AND there's a bar. It's going to start early and end at midnight, so perfect for a pre-club warmup if you so desire.

From personal experience of past events, expect to dance until your feet feel like they might fall off but have no regrets (even if everyone finds out you know every word ever sung by the Backstreet Boys).

All the money raised goes straight back into GRD, allowing us to continue being the best we can be & is partly used to arrange future events.

Speaking of which, our Maiden Grrders take on Blackpool Roller Derby on 21 May & you could be there taking in all the action! And did you know that we're hosting a boot camp with the one & only Stefanie Mainey from London Roller Girls on 22 May?! Get your ticket now or regret it! 

#ThrowbackThursday : Riots Of Spring

The sport of roller derby is constantly evolving - from its start in the roller marathons of the 1880s, to a more recognisable contact sport on roller skates in the 1930s, to the game we play today. The WFTDA rules set is constantly updated to improve the game (and to give me the fear every time our annual rules test comes round, I suspect). Even the language we use has changed: they're not bouts any more, we play games and we're no longer the Glasgow Roller Girls, we're Glasgow Roller Derby.

It occurred to me that it would be good to have a look back through GRD's past, and for my first in this series of nostalgic posts I've jumped way back to a time of themed bouts, fishnets and mini-kilts: GRG's first ever bout on March 29 2008.

The poster for the Riots of Spring bout between London Rollergirls and Glasgow Roller Girls, 29 March 2008.

At that time, we were a one-team league and the Irn Bruisers made the long trip down south to face up to London Brawling. It was a tough game against a more experienced side and ended in defeat for the Bruisers (featuring some guest skaters from Birmingham Blitz Dames, Central City Rollergirls and London Roller Girls) with a final score of 163-31 to Brawling. While it wasn't a happy ending, I'm sure it was a great learning experience and I love that LRG's bout report includes comment on the band, Earl Grey & The Tea Ladies, who played at half time!

Something else which has changed: these days we just give awards to the Best Jammer, Best Blocker and MVP but back in the day we also celebrated Penalty Queen (it really is what it sounds like!) - Bette Noir for LRG and Jaci Dodger for GRG.

This is to be the first in an ongoing series of blog posts on GRD history - I've only just started digging and have struck gold with some absolutely brilliant old photos, videos and posters - so keep checking back for more!

If future events are more your thing, check out our Events Page to see what's coming up.

Game Report: Bruisers versus Bombshells in Bellahouston

Saturday saw our first ever double header at GRD's newest bouting venue south of the river, Bellahouston Sports Centre. The Berlin Bombshells of Bear City Roller Derby travelled all the way from Germany to play the Irn Bruisers on this sunny weekend in April, but before they tested the track boundaries the crowd was warmed up by a mixed game of newly bout ready skaters from all across Scotland. 

Photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy, boutday.com

The Teacakes vs Snowballs game featured skaters from GRD, local friends Mean City and Ayrshire, our neighbours in Auld Reekie and a few even made the trip from as far afield as Dundee and Granite City (Aberdeen) to take part! With Teacakes in black and Snowballs in white all the skaters put on a great show and kept the game competitive right through the first half, trading points and lead position throughout. With the Snowballs ahead 84-61 at the break the pressure was on the Teacakes to close the gap in the second period. Despite their best defensive efforts the Snowballs' strong jamming and teamwork meant the points, well, snowballed, and their head start turned into an avalanche.  

Final score: Snowballs 151 - 112 Teacakes

After a short intermission old rivals the Bruisers and the Bombshells were ready to go head to head for the first time in just over a year. The last time these teams met was when GRD travelled to Berlin in April 2015; on that occasion the victory went to Bear City 151 - 116, but could Glasgow return the favour on their home turf? 

Photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy, boutday.com

BCRD got off to a strong start scoring twelve points to GRD's nil in the first five jams, making clever calls to shut the Bruisers' jammers down early on. It didn't take long for Glasgow to pull it back though as by Jam 12 it was GRD 33 - 32 BCRD. A few powerjams fell in Bear City's favour shortly after and they started to pull away, ending the half GRD 58 - 97 BCRD. After a well-earned break both teams came back to the track fierce and ready for battle in the second period. Once again Bear City started well by raising their score to 113 in the first jam. Glasgow struggled to get over their 58 point hurdle but then hit their stride around Jam 8 very quickly going from 61 to 77 to 92 points in the space of just a few minutes. Unfortunately for the Bruisers Bear City were also steadily racking up the points and although Jam 19 saw GRD break the century, the period clock ran out shortly afterwards and the game was called. A strong performance was put on by both sides; Glasgow didn't take the win this time but there was a great atmosphere of triumph and of a tough game played well from both benches. The Berlin Bombshells are a formidable team and played an excellent game, well done BCRD! 

Final score: GRD 105 - 214 BCRD

We'd like to thank all the skaters for taking part this weekend - especially those who travelled to be here - and also the officials and events staff without whom we wouldn't be able to hold such successful events. Our EMTs, announcers, venue staff and stallholders help everything run smoothly and we are very grateful for their hard work. Excellent photographer Dave McAleavy captured the pace of the game beautifully; you can relive the whole game via his Facebook page. Thank you Dave! Finally we would like to thank the audience for all the support you give us both in person and online. We had a fabulous day and we hope you enjoyed it too!

If this has inspired you to come along to see the excitement for yourself keep your eyes peeled for tickets to our next game. The Maiden Grrders will take on Blackpool Roller Derby on the 21st of May, it's going to be a great one to watch! You can find out more from our Facebook page or by signing up to our mailing list at the right of this post which will send all our latest news and event information directly to your inbox. 

Clothes Swap Fundraiser - 16 April

Since it’s now officially Spring (though you try telling that to the weather in the west of Scotland, where it actually snowed on Friday), we all decided to have a bit of a clear-out to raise much-needed funds for the league. We all raked through cupboards and emptied out our drawers to find those clothes we used to love but maybe hadn’t worn for a while and which could do with going to a new home where they’ll be more appreciated.

Following some frenzied sorting of items into £1, £2 and £3 sections (just how fancy does an item have to be to make it to the £3 table…?), the doors of the Flying Duck opened and the swapping commenced. For £5 entry you got five tokens to spend as you so desired, or you could get ten tokens for bringing us some of your underloved items to swap.

Let the swapping commence!

But what if you found the trousers of your dreams, but it turned out they were just that little bit too long for you?! Never fear, for the fabulously crafty Shona Mercy was on hand with a sewing machine and innumerable pins to make your dreams come true. She even turned a lonely t-shirt into a rather fetching cushion cover – there is no end to her talents, truly.

Shona Mercy can turn anything into anything. Fact.

That isn’t all that was happening though – we had mini basketball, hook-a-duck and some lovely dogs called Fry and Smash (The Patriarchy) to pat. Alongside that we had some top quality roller derby to watch on the projector.

Once you were all swapped and derby-ed out, we had other stalls to enjoy: Frenchie & Chunk’s bakery with their absolutely delicious vegan cakes & dog biscuits, Nuclaire Art showcasing her family portrait commissions and other art, Shari Wilson with her beautiful paintings and last but far from least, gorgeous etched glasses and delicious-smelling vegan candles and soaps from The Wild Witchery.

Claire of Nuclaire Art, sporting some of her swaps.

Thanks to the Flying Duck for having us, all our donors, volunteers, stallholders and everyone else who came along to support us on the day! The unofficial total for the day is £142 and we're super-grateful to everyone and imagine you're all looking pretty darned good in your super new outfits right about now!

Sean wearing a delightfully sparkly waistcoat. Not sure Shari is sold on it though...

Also, if vintage clothes are your thing, there is talk of further events so keep your eyes peeled on our Events page for more information!