Dolly Mixtures vs. Bruisin Banditas Cherry Popper Bout, February 2012



Blog entry By Emily Cartwright

My first opportunity to bout came when I'd been skating for about 5 months, and was on my way home from watching some of our girls join a mixed team in Birmingham. Cunningly waiting until I was all fired up from watching that game - which was such a nail biter! - Ken'tush This rang me up to ask if I wanted to join girls from a few teams in Yorkshire for a 'cherry popper' bout in two weeks time. I think my initial response was 'Er....', whilst in my head thinking 'no way!'. I felt a LONG way from being able to take part in a full bout. But I had to make a decision there and then, and after a lot of persuasion I gave an extremely tentative '...ok then...' and it was settled. I was immediately the most nervous I have ever been in my entire life, and despite the bout being two weeks away already the adrenalin was thumping around my body.

I took to skates quite quicky and had been getting steadily better every week, but I'd only taken part in one scrimmage, my rules knowledge was kind of fluffy, and you could knock me over with the tiniest nudge! The best part of training with a team is the other members, and the Imposters are amazing. I was well and truely galvanized over the next 3 sessions, not just in my skating skills and rules knowledge but also so many words of encouragement that I really needed. And gradually my nerves started to turn to excitement! That said, the day before the bout I was a quivering wreck, and didnt get much sleep.

The venue was the North Bridge Leisure Centre in Halifax, and to my relief it was a closed-door bout, so very few spectators to embarass myself in front of. Also playing from the Imposters were Doodlebug and Suewe-Cydoll, and I was immensly glad of the familiar faces. But all the other girls I met as people gradually arrived were very welcoming, and by the sounds of it just as nervous as me! Doodle, Sue and me were joining other newbies from Leeds Roller Dolls and Wakey Wheeled Cats, and we christened ourselves 'The Dolly Mixtures' for the bout!

It was only when we got our skates on and started warming up on the track that my tension started to ease and I had an outlet for some of the adrenalin. Our bench manager had put me down to be first jammer, and after initially thinking 'holy crap' I actually got pretty psyched up for it! But there was some confusion when the first whistle blew, and we were on the track too late, so were sent straight off again!! Thankfully after that the game started to go much smoother and we were rattling through the jams.

The whole thing passed in a bit of a blur, and every time I got on track I thought I was going to hurl, faint or forget how to skate...but I didnt! I got lead jammer twice and sent off once, and thats pretty much all I remember. At half time I ate a pack of fruit pastels in 5 seconds flat and the break was over far too quickly. I didnt realise before how much difference it makes to know your team members - in the first half we were a bit all over the place, but in the second half we had got used to each other and really started to pull together. Everyone felt the second half was much more successful and I have to admit that the time passed much quicker. We lost by about 100 points - our opponents the Bruisin Banditas were really tight, controlled and skilled, a really strong team who had been training together for a long time, and this showed.

Immediately after the bout I have to admit that first and foremost what I felt was relief! I am not a competitive person, so it takes a lot mentally for me to put myself out there and go for it. But when we got home and I could actually reflect on the whole experience, I felt really proud. There are so many things that you learn about the game, your team and your own skating, when you bout that you dont get through training. It's fast, intense and confusing for a beginner, but I came away from it with all these things going around my head about what was REALLY good, what was a complete fail, and much more understanding about the whole game.

Overall though, the best thing about it was meeting so many girls who are all so NICE! On track, your opponents are the scariest people on the planet. But once its over you really get why everyone is there - to have a damn good time!

Imposters do "Race for Life."

The Imposters Roller Girls would like to beg and plead with all our supported to extend their support to this fine charity,  some of The Imposters Roller Girls will be running the Race for Life @ Lincoln Show Ground on the 8th July 2012. 

             

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Don't forget to leave a message of support when you make your donation and tick the Gift Aid box if you are a UK taxpayer. Gift Aid can increase the value of your donation by at least 25% – at no additional cost to you.

Race for Life - Imposters Roller Girls



Derby Is An Affair To Remember

First, The Torrid Affair

I haven’t met a skater yet who is lukewarm about derby. One thing that seems to run universal in roller girls is that we are all very enthusiastic about Derby. We are all having a passionate relationship with Derby. We are all cheating on our significant others with Derby. Hopefully they are OK with that, and for the most part, too bad if they aren’t.

Then, Our First Fight

Just like any deep, meaningful relationship, the best and worst sides of people are going to come to the surface. I’ve known total sweethearts who become hideous screaming bitch monsters once they lace up. For the beginners out there, don’t take it to heart. I know that’s easy to say and hard to do, but seriously, from someone who has been there, it isn’t personal. For the veterans, think before you yell at some poor quivering fresh meat. She’s trying, whether you think she is or not.

Ahhh, The Makeup Sex

When I say "passionate relationship", don’t always take that as Love, Love, Love. Derby pisses people off too. Everything from league politics to a bad call can trigger a shit-storm. Sometimes Derby makes you angry. Sometimes Derby makes you cry (and I’m not talking about crying over the colossal ass bruise you got in practice). Most of the time, you will forgive it because you love it so much.

posted by Blanca Basura Barbie on February 20, 2010

The Mysterious Blackbirds

Spring Break - Grantham Mere Leisure Centre.

Saturday 3rd March 2012

The Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Girls hosted Lincolnshire Rolling Thunders first ever home game. The Lincoln boys went up against a co-ed mixed team skating as The Mysterious Blackbirds (Which was heavily populated  by our very own IMPS!!) An incredibly close bout but the boys just won it with the final score: 146 - 142.

The Mysterious Blackbirds

Most Common Roller Derby Injuries

Because the sport of roller derby super badass, you can expect to see more than just bumps and bruises as a result of rough play. Even with the best in safety equipment, injuries can, and do happen to the best of us, even the queens of the roller rink.

The first obvious risk of injury in this sport is falling or another skater flailing and injuring you. Accidents happen, and it doesn’t take much! Helmets, elbow and knee pads can only protect so much, so scrapes and cuts will happen or worse, broken noses, teeth or concussions from hitting the wooden, concrete or sport court floors.

Another potential danger is overworked or stressed out muscles, tendons and ligaments. This sport requires its players to be very flexible and fast, so their muscles can be overworked through too much play or practice. The possibility of strained quadriceps and hamstrings is the most commonplace minor-ish injury. But torn ACLs and broken, twisted or sprained ankles coming in a close second.

The upper half of the body is not spared either, because elbows and shoulders are "used" constantly during play. Repetitive stress injuries of the muscles and tendons from the wrist to the shoulder are always possible, especially the rotator cuff and the carpal tunnel of the wrist. Because some plays require one member to be propelled ahead of the rest, the arm that is grabbed by teammates to whip that player forward is always at risk of muscle strain or even dislocation if too much force is used.

posted by Derby News Bot on March 19, 2011

What is Roller Derby?

Roller Derby is a fast, adrenaline pumping contact sport, where players race around an oval track, on quad skates, scoring points as they go. This sport is new to the UK and played by non-professional teams. Roller Derby is mostly a female dominated sport, with choice positions for the guys such as refs, coaches and other behind the scene positions. Roller derby girls are unpaid and actually spend money on the sport -- buying their own skates, safety equipment and pay monthly dues to support their leagues. One of the more unusual facts about Roller derby is that skaters abandon their ordinary names in favour of pseudonyms like Tanya Hyde!!

Roller derby matches are called bouts, each bout is split into two 30 minute periods, each period is split into numerous Jams lasting up to 2 minutes each.




Player Positions:

Jammer: The Point Scorer - Helmet cover with 2 Stars.
Blockers: Defensive/Offensive Players - No Helmet covers.
Pivot: Last line of defence and lead blocker - Helmet cover with a Strip.

Each jam starts with both teams sending five players onto the track: one jammer, one pivot and three blockers. A pack is formed at the start line by the pivot and blockers of both teams, the two jammers line up 20 feet behind the pack. On the first whistle the pack starts rolling and the jammers sprint on the second whistle.

The jammers try to get through the pack, the first one who does is the lead jammer. The lead jammer is the only player who can call off the jam early, and the decision to do so can often be a strategic one. Points are scored when the jammers go through the pack a second time, one point for each opposing skater they pass legally. Blockers do their best to stop the opposing jammer by using positional blocking or shoulder and hip checks on legal target zones of the opposing players, but they also have to help their own jammer move through the pack and the jam is over either when it is called off by the lead jammer, or when the jam has clocked up two minutes.

Want to be an Imposter?

The Imposters Rollergirls train in the Lincoln area, we were started by experienced derby girls. Many of our founding members developed their skills whilst playing with other teams and bouting around the UK and Europe. We also have an experienced coach alongside some great refs.

Give it a go!

We are currently recruiting new members. All we ask is that you're over 18, and of any size and any fitness level, with a thirst to learn about this intense and addictive sport. Training sessions are designed to fit into a modern, hectic lifestyle. The team has a wealth of experience and the willingness to impart that knowledge on to new members, whatever their skill levels may be.

Many of our girls hadn't skated since they were kids, so absolute beginners are welcome! We even have spare kit for you to borrow so there's no excuse!

All our girls will help you along in your Roller Derby journey. When you join a Roller Derby team you don't just get team mates you make friends and join a Derby family!

COME and SEE US

Wednesday 8pm - 10pm @ Dukeries Leisure Centre, Ollerton, Nr Newark.

Saturday 4pm - 8pm @ Yarbrough Leisure Centre, Riseholme Rd, Lincoln.

www.theimposters.co.uk

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