Spotlight on Sponsors: Euro Hostel Glasgow

Here at Glasgow we love it when people come to our games, especially if they've travelled from far and wide to see us. That's why we're especially delighted to introduce to you our fantastic new sponsors, Euro Hostel Glasgow! 

You too could stay in a room like this! GRD checks out the dorm room facilities at EH! Glasgow.

Euro Hostel Glasgow is located on Clyde Street just a block away from Central Station in one direction and St Enoch's Underground Station in another, which puts them in the perfect location for access to all the glories Glasgow has to offer. 

Not only do they offer comfortable rooms at great prices but they are a mere 19 minutes walk from The ARC Sports Centre, the venue for our Home Teams Season Opener and many other games throughout the year. Great news for derby fans across the country! Check out the handy dandy map that'll get you directly from EH! to ARC.

There are even luxury VIP suites available which are perfect for a whole team to stay in together; imagine travelling up on your coach and taking care of all your accommodation in one go! No awkward drop offs, no need for complicated meeting places - you're already together in one budget-friendly spot. Oh, and did we mention the free WIFI? Essential for all #teamselfies of course. Sound good? Visit Euro Hostel Glasgow's group page to find out more. 

But that's not all! They also have smaller private rooms, dorms and even a bar and restaurant on the premises so it's great for travelling alone or with small groups of friends and family too. We hope that next time you visit us here in the Dear Green Place you'll check out Euro Hostels, for a budget stay - your way.  

Game Report: Maidens vs Blackpool

Janie Bones digs deep to stop Baker's Shovin'.  Photo courtesy of John Jamieson, JaJa Photography. 

Not only did we have the Stefanie Mainey bootcamp this past Sunday but we also hosted an excellent game against Blackpool Roller Coasters on Saturday - what a JAM packed weekend!

Blackpool travelled to us with a handful of guest skaters from their neighbouring leagues to play our all-new Maiden Grrders roster. Both teams were excited to take to the track on Saturday afternoon, and none more so than our newest Maidens: Penny Pinch'er, StarGrazer, Puma Thurman, Bruise Missile and Phylociraptor who all donned their yellow jerseys for the first time.

New Maidens! Image courtesy of Maidens Co-Captain Hadrian's Brawl

Both teams were well matched at the beginning and traded points for the first few jams. The Coasters hit HARD, though the Maidens held their own with great teamwork and offence. Blackpool suffered from several penalties early on and Glasgow started to pull away. By half time the score was GRD 97 - 76 BRD. Despite their hard hits and their jammers' best attempts to juke around the Maidens' walls, a few foul outs reduced Blackpool's chances further and left them with a very short roster. For the last ten minutes they played with just five skaters available to line up! However their spirits stayed high throughout and they fought a great game right to the end.

Final score: GRD 213 - 148 BRD

Awards were given out to stand out players from the game:

Glasgow Best Blocker: Shona Mercy
Glasgow Best Jammer: Kitty Slyde
Glasgow MVP: Bruise Missile

Blackpool Best Blocker: Sally Army
Blackpool Best Jammer: Baker's Shovin'
Blackpool MVP: Fairy Quake

GRD would like to thank all the officials, volunteers and events staff who helped the game happen - we couldn't have done it without you! 

We would also like to thank Blackpool (and guests!) for travelling to play us and for being such excellent opponents. We're already looking forward to a rematch in the future! 

Maidens vs Roller Coasters. Photo courtesy of John Jamieson, JaJa Photography. 

Missed the game? Make sure you don't miss out next time by picking up your tickets for the  Home Teams Season Opener here now! Two games for the low low price of £6 in advance, with all your favourite Glasgow skaters pitting their wits and their wheels against each other. We can't wait for June 18th!

Stefanie Mainey bootcamp

This weekend we had the absolute honour of hosting Stefanie Mainey of London Rollegirls for an intermediate skills bootcamp. 

In five very intense hours, a group of skaters from leagues far and wide learned how to be a more solid blocker, nippier jammer and all-round more awesome person to be with on a roller derby track.  

Tired but happy skaters after a fab session with Stef Mainey. 

Thanks to everyone who came along and worked so hard, to all those who arranged the event and above all, to Stef Mainey for imparting some of her roller derby skills and knowledge to us! 

If you want to check out some of what our league members learned, we'll be heading off to Manchester on June 11 to play Tiger Bay Brawlers and Rainy City Roller Derby. Or, if you fancy something closer to home, the first home teams game of the year is coming up on June 18! 

Game Preview: Maiden Grrrders versus Blackpool Roller Coasters

Roll up, roll up, get your tickets here! This Saturday the mighty Maiden Grrders take on the bold Blackpool Roller Coasters for some wholesome family fun at the Arc sports centre in Glasgow!

Our Maidens boast an exciting new roster for this game with a mixture of familiar faces and shiny new skaters who will be wearing the Maidens’ yellow for the first time. Fresh faced or battle worn, our skaters are ready to knock the Coasters off the rails!

Some of the Maidens have met Blackpool already in 2016 at a Sur5al tournament hosted by our pals at Fierce Valley RD back in February. We knew then that they’d be great opponents; the Coasters came in third place out of twelve teams and just beat GRD’s mixed team who came in fourth. But will they do so well when faced with a full line up of Maidens?

Come along on Saturday to find out!

Doors open at 12.15pm, first whistle at 1pm. Tickets are £8 on the door or £6 in advance.

Maidens Jan 2016. Courtesy of Dave McAleavy, Boutday.com 

Ahead of this game, the Maidens met up for some team bonding, ice lollies and tactical chat. As the session drew to a close, our incredibly talented Phyloceraptor cracked out the ukulele (who knew those tiny arms were dexterous enough?!) and serenaded us all with a song of her own devising to a tune you may recognise! 

Seriously, it's a thing of beauty. Let us know what you think in the comments section!  

Queeriosity strikes again!

First came the Drag Party 1 & 2, then this fabulous bedazzled beast morphed into Queeriosity - now with Haberbashery & Prawn knocking out some of the best tunes of the 90s! Who knew how well Alanis Morrisette went with B*Witched and the Venga Boys?!

Prawn and Habs, providers of quality music and entertainment.

There were glowsticks, a hula hoop, plenty of dungarees and more grunge than you could shake a stick at! It fast became apparent that some of us could get a degree in All Saints lyrics and enthusiastic dancing and the tunes just kept on coming!

Thanks are due to all the volunteers who made this event possible - from setting up, stocking the bar, staffing the event and not forgetting our talented DJs! We're grateful, as always, to the Garnethill Multicultural Centre staff for letting us use their space.

I told you there were glowsticks.

But don't be too sad if you missed it - there's another one planned for August (details to follow) & you too could be part of the awesomeness that is Queeriosity. We aim to provide lots of fun, good times and tunes, and most importantly a safe space for everyone to enjoy themselves. Why not come along next time and see for yourself?