©2011 Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.E.sign

What attracted you to roller derby?
I’m not sure. I was in grad school and wanted to do something athletic and fun.

Did you skate or play another sport before starting derby?
I hadn’t skated since I was a kid, but I felt like a super star when I was able to skate five laps around the track without stopping. I had a long way to go! In terms of other sports, I was always into different sports as a kid and teenager. I played soccer, softball, water polo, and was on the swim team.

How did you choose your derby name?
I really liked the idea of having a derby name with my real name in it so that I wouldn’t have to learn to answer to something new. I was hanging out with my BFF Tots and I drew a T-Rex on a piece of cardboard with a word bubble that said “LauRawr,” she started calling me it and it stuck. She kept the drawing and called it “the first dinosaur.”

What’s your favorite (derby) position?
I like to block, particularly to bust up walls as an offensive player.

What are you known for on the track? What’s your superpower?
Probably my positional blocking skills and derby brain. I like to know my rules, scout other teams, and pick apart strategy. I think it’s important to see the whole picture of the structured chaos that makes up derby, not just one side of it.

Tell us about your greatest derby experience.
Wow, that’s a lot of pressure! All derby has been pretty great. There are lots of little moments, like being able to hold my own against a really tough blocker, head reffing my first junior bout, being paid a compliment by a great skater…I think this category is never ending, there are always more experiences to be had.

Describe your gnarliest injury.
During my very first bout with SVRG, I was standing up from a fall and stumbled a little bit so I steadied myself with my hand and fractured my thumb. I didn’t realize it was broken so I still played the rest of the game and dunked it in a cup full of Taco Bell ice on the car ride home. I finally had to accept it was broken when my fiancé made me go to the hospital a week later because I wouldn’t use my right hand to do anything.

What do you contribute to SVRG *off* the track?
I’m the Killas Co-Captain so I spend a lot of time with Spankin’ Firecracker, my captain, working on strategies, motivating skaters, and promoting teamwork. I’m also head of SVRG 2.0 Junior Derby (Go Jerbs!) and head ref of the junior ref program. I try to give as much of my time to the league as possible because I am happy to support an organization that has given me so much.

When you’re not skating, how do you pass the time? What other passions do you have?
Well, in the professional world I am a librarian. In my private life I like to eat ice cream sandwiches with my bestie Tots, tease my honorary derby siblings (LiLo, Jonny D., and Ted W. Spin), listen to alt comedy podcasts, lift weights, run, eat pizza, dance at ska shows, watch nerdy TV shows like Buffy, watch Paul Newman movies, look at comic books, and spend time with my fiancé GilBurrito.

Who are your heroes of roller derby?
I like all the greats; Sassy (from Oly) has pretty amazing butt skills and Wild Cherri (Gotham) rocked at champs. Honestly though, I have some pretty savage peeps on my team who have supported me and helped me become a better skater. My mentors Catherine Beata Bones and Lindsay Lohanded amaze me every time I see them play.

Can you offer any advice to people who are interested in derby?
Go for it. Like, seriously. If you want to be even decent at this, it is going to take a ton of hard work and if you half ass it you will never get to the place you want to be. This means you are going to have to spend your off time working out. You are going to have to be objective about your own abilities. You are going to have to be humble and learn from people who intimidate or frustrate you. If you truly give 100% (don’t rationalize giving any less), then you’ve got this.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but our league photographers are priceless! Take Adrian Valenzuela, for example. His photo of SVRG won Derbylife.com’s 2011 Photo of the Year contest for the best color category!

©2011 Adrian Valenzuela Photography, SVRG skaters from left to right: Absolutely Scabulous, Spankin’ Firecracker, Sasha Degrader, Cannonball Iztik, and Steffin Razor

This photo is now a final contender for the 2011 Photo of the Year. Go to Derbylife.com and vote for #3 by Adrian Valenzuela by January 25^th.

Derbylife.com has also featured league photographer Donalee Eiri’s fantastic Derbyverse gallery. Imagine a world where roller derby athletes peer down at you from billboards and grace the walls of art galleries…that’s Derbyverse!

©2011 Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.E.sign, Left to right: Kozmo Trouble, Skooter Ov’r, and Juicy K. Tore

Go gaga over Donalee’s derby gallery, arrange a shoot, or purchase a photo over at Photography by D.E.sign’s website. Be sure to show Donalee some derby love at our next bout!

The Silicon Valley Roller Girls are pleased to welcome three new staff members.

• eViL JINius (formerly of Charlottesville Derby Dames)
• Jack
• Danny

Six skaters have been recruited to join the league starting in the 2012 season.

• MonaStat (formerly of LA Derby Dolls)
• Foo Bar
• Bullet Sucker (formerly of South County Derby Girls)
• Asian Orange (formerly of Inland Empire Derby Divas)
• Adri (Help her choose a derby name! Leave suggestions in comments.)
• Sarah (Secret identity to be revealed as soon as it’s on the international roster…)

©2011 Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.E.sign, Back Row, Left to Right: Asian Orange, Juicy K. Tore (Recruitment Coordinator), Foo Bar, Aim DeKill (Assistant Coach), Adri, Front Row, Left to Right: Bullet Sucker, Sarah

After an 8-week bootcamp to learn the derby basics from coaches and seasoned skaters, recruits were tested on their WFTDA minimum skills. Those who passed were invited to try out for the league.

If you’re interested in becoming a rollergirl or official, shoot us an email (recruitment@svrollergirls.com) to get invited to our spring 2012 bootcamp, and skate, skate, skate!

Sasha Degrader, Photography by D.E.sign

How did you find out about/get into roller derby?

My brother told me about SVRG.  I had just gotten out of prison (for the last time) and did a lot of sitting on my mom’s couch with nothing to do, trying to stay out of trouble.  As soon as knew it existed I was committed to doing it.  The fact that the last pair of skates I wore was from Toys”R”Us made no difference to me.  I paid for boot camp and all my equipment by modeling through Craigslist.  Had I not done that, there would have been no way I could have afforded boot camp.

What kind of skating skills or athletic abilities did you have before starting derby?

Me and my bestie, Corey, were die-hard roller skaters as kids.  We used to lube up our wheels with my mom’s sewing machine oil and go skate down any downward slope we could find.  I also played softball from t-ball through college at DeAnza.  I was a catcher, 1st baseman, and right fielder.

How did you derive your derby name?

My derby name is a parody on adult film star, Sasha Grey.

What is your primary position?

Blocker

What is your greatest strength as a skater? What do you contribute most to the team?

I think my greatest strength is that I love feeling out of control.

What has been your greatest experience on the rink?

The Sk808 Tournament was probably the most fun I’ve had at any derby event.

What is your worst injury/biggest bruise/nastiest burn, and how did you earn it?

The most annoying injury ever is a hip flexor injury.  It’s like you’re injured but not.  It takes months to heal and never totally goes away.

What are you looking forward to the most this season?

I’m looking forward to our downtime to catch up on my endurance and strength conditioning.  I am also taking figure skating lessons starting in November.

What do you contribute to SVRG *off* the track?

Sponsorship is my new mission.  I have no idea what I’m doing but I know that whatever I do, God wants me to be successful.  It will be a good learning experience and any failure is in not trying at all.

How do you spend the non-derby part of your life? What other hobbies and interests do you have?

I work two jobs.  I work with Lindsay Lohanded at her office during the afternoons, and I work at coffee society on the weekends and some weeknights.  I do H & I,  and I go see bands play with my fiancé, Jack.  Sometimes it’s really nice to just do nothing though.

What’s the one piece of advice you would give women interested in playing roller derby?

You have to make sacrifices if you want to do it, but if you do it right, it should change your whole life for the better.  I wouldn’t trade this for anything.  It’s going to be hard, you have to want it.  There has to be no other option.

By the numbers, let’s take a peek at each of our teams’ performances this year. For those of you who are new fans of SVRG, we actually have three full teams: A (a WFTDA-ranked team), B, and C level teams.

Hard Drivers (C-level)
vs. Rollin’ Roulettes WIN (158-72)
vs. Cal State WIN (236-41)
vs. Monterey LOSS (202 – 88) *unofficial score

KillaBytes (B-level)
vs. Sac City WIN (119-118)
vs. Undead Betties LOSS (132-147)
vs. Ressurection WIN (149-69)
vs. Pikes Peak B WIN (140-67)
vs. Jet City B WIN (106-78)
vs. Battle Borne WIN (169-126)

Dot.Kamikazes (A-level)
vs. Slaughter County LOSS (182-104)
vs. Humboldt WIN (119-84)
vs. Angel City LOSS (187-81)
vs. Pikes Peak A WIN (147-120)
vs. Jet City A LOSS (129-68)
vs Angel City A LOSS (118-143)
vs. Tuscon LOSS (109-91)
vs. Assassination City WIN (248-40)
vs. Sin City WIN (198-63)
vs. Lava City WIN (226-56)
vs. Dockyard WIN (219-58)

I really love this image that Flattrackstats creates. It gives you an across-the-year view of how our WFTDA-ranked team did.

As with everything in life, after you reflect, you just keep on moving forward. So what’s next for SVRG? Our last home bout for the season takes place on Saturday, October 15th at our dear old San Jose Skate.

The Dot.Kamikazes will be taking on Blockwork Orange (Orange County Rollergirls) and the Killabytes will be facing  Atomic Assault Central California Area Derby.

Buy your tickets at BrownPaperTickets.com here. And hell, we even took $3.00 off for this game because we love our fans that much.

See you there!

Skater of the Month: Teddy Wreck-Spin

How did you find out about/get into roller derby?

I was originally asked to announce for SVRG. I saw how much fun everyone was having on skates so I decided to join in.

What kind of skating skills or athletic abilities did you have before starting derby?

I played a little bit of football and baseball when I was a kid. I rollerbladed when it was really cool. My whole family is very athletic, it was time I joined the party.

How did you derive your derby name?

“Teddy Ruxpin” was the creepy talking bear from the 80’s. Someone else thought of it for me and I took it. I’m horrible at that sort of thing.

What is your primary ref job?

I love to jam ref. Front inside pack is also a favorite of mine. I love skating backwards.

What position would you choose to play if you played roller derby, and what would you be known for on the track?

I think I would do best as a pivot. I’d be best known for ruining your day.

What is your greatest strength as a ref? What do you contribute most to the team?

I’m pretty capable of skating all ref positions. I like to be able to show up to a bout and have many options to be able to help out.

What has been your greatest experience on the rink?

I’ve met so many amazing and beautiful people through derby, the SVRG zebras/skaters are the best. In the 2 seasons I’ve reffed derby I’ve also lost almost 70lbs. Derby has changed my life. I don’t like to think about what I would do without it.

What is your worst injury/biggest bruise?

I fell on my skate once and got a wheel up the butt. Sitting down was tough for about a week. Luckily, that’s the worst I’ve been hurt.

What do you contribute to SVRG *off* the track?

I recently took over as head of PR/Marketing for SVRG. It’s been great to work with these girls in such a capacity. SVRG has done a lot for me and I like to give back.

How do you spend the non-derby part of your life? Work, school? What other hobbies and interests do you have?

I work in radio.  I also have my own podcast, teddyandchris.com.

What’s the one piece of advice you would give other men who are interested in being a referee?

Being a skating ref is 80% game/rules knowledge and 20% skating. If you know how to skate that’s awesome but you need to know the game. I like it when before or after a game a skater approaches me and says, “I’m so glad you’re here.” It’s the best feeling.

Photo by LeVar Hurtin' (IGP PHOTO)

We’re baaaaaa-aaaccckkkkk! SVRG Comes Home for our August 20th Double-Header!

 August 12, 2011

by Absolutely Scabulous, #.08 BAC

After two months on the road, your Silicon Valley Roller Girls are back home on August 20th with a double-header derby extravaganza.  Your Dot. Kamikazes are matched against Slaughter County Roller Vixens’ Saint’s of Slaughter, with the KillaBytes bouting against our friends from the East Bay, the Undead Betties.

SVRG burst into the 3rd quarter ranked 12th in the Western Region (see full regional rankings here), giving this home bout some serious weight playing 13th ranked Slaughter County. Record-wise, teams are fairly evenly matched with SVRG (7-4) playing more games than Slaughter County, but Slaughter having an undefeated record (5-0). As always, rankings and records don’t hold the full story; Slaughter County boasts two Olympic-skaters, Alyssa Davis and Ceilidh Sligh, respectively known as Toucan Slam and On Da Sligh. SVRG got a sneak peak earlier this year, watching On Da at the Wild West Showdown. The Dots are fired up with a fresh roster of all your favorite skaters ready to take on the Saints!

The Killas are gearing up to take a byte out of the UnDead Betties. Word on the rink is that the Betties have stepped up their game play, and become some seriously fierce competition. SVRG loves playing the Betties–their sport-woman-ship, strategy, and overall clean game play makes them a solid competitor.

Tickets for this double header and selling out quickly, so buy yours today at Brown Paper Tickets. Pricing for this event is $15.00 general admission, $8.00 for the kidlets. You can’t beat those prices with a stick (or a solid shoulder block)!

How did you find out about/get into roller derby?

Friends of my friends wanted to start a league when I was a freshmen in college, and I thought it sounded cool but I was too afraid of getting hurt! Then, the summer I graduated, I had a lot of free time on my hands. I had seen fliers for the Glass City Rollers in my favorite Toledo bars, and just thought, ‘What are you waiting for? You can be scared when you’re DEAD!’

I got picked on a lot in grade school gym class, so I’ve always been more interested in solo, non-competitive sports like running, weightlifting, and roller-blading. Maybe that’s why I like jamming so much!

Physics is my geeky guilty pleasure – and you can’t explain a good whip without citing Newton’s laws of motion!

Jammer! When I block, I love playing the 2 spot to a great pivot.

I take feedback really well and I have a positive attitude that just won’t quit. This is a fun sport and if we’re not here to get better, then what are we here for?

At my first exhibition bout, I passed the pack 4 times in a power jam – Coach Panda told me not to worry, that I didn’t have to get the unicorn at my very first bout.

Nothing too terrible yet. Once I got hit in the eye, and it was all red and puffy, but later I realized that I had put hot pink eye-shadow on right before the game and it really wasn’t that bad.

My partner Romel! Sometimes I suspect that he only wanted to ask me out because I played roller derby!

I communicate really well with Bad Tempt-her and my wonder twin, Maui Howlee. And Stevie Knickers always reminds me to “use the ass for good!”

My goal this season is to roster for the Killabytes at least once – here’s hoping!

I am the Volunteer Coordinator on the Bout Production committee. I had major fun at the last bout putting everyone to work; everything went so smoothly! These girls really know their bout day tasks!

Pinpoint one skill to work on each practice – just one goal. You’ll really feel your accomplishment if you can keep and achieve just one goal a day. Case-in-point, my first scrimmage, I had five major penalties. The next scrimmage, my goal was to significantly reduce this number. I was able to focus hard on the goal and I ended up with no majors at all!

Photo By Dave Wood Photography

June’s Skater of the Month is Broken BabyDoll!

How did you find out about/get into roller derby?

I found out about SVRG back in May of 2007. For my birthday I went to see B.A.D play and some girls from SVRG where there representing. I was completely hooked after the first jam and wanted to get involved as soon as possible. About a week later I went to the rink and bought a cheap pair of skates and started going to open skate. About mid-June I went to my first practice and never looked back.

What kind of skating skills or athletic abilities did you have before starting derby?

I haven’t been on skates since I was little. I got my first pair when I was 3. We use to go to the local skating rink in Missoula, MT until it was closed down. As far as other skills I played basketball and used to dance. 

How did you derive your derby name?

One of the skaters that would help us out Little Miss Sunshiner helped come up with the name. Because I was so small I got knocked around and she kept saying I looked like a baby doll being thrown. The Broken part came because I want to keep my nick name BB. Go figure that about a year later I would have 2 back surgeries and really live up to the name.

What is your primary position?

I play both blocker and Jammer. 

What is your greatest strength as a skater/what do you contribute most to the team?

My brains and understanding of the game. 

What has been your greatest experience on the rink?

My greatest experience was playing my first game after having 2 back surgeries.

What is your worst injury/biggest bruise/nastiest burn, and how did you earn it?

Sadly it was a sprained ankle while doing spank ally. 

Who are your biggest fans?

My family. They have been supportive since day one and continue to be so. 

Who do you like to partner up with on the track/which teammates do you work well with?

I like to partner up with everybody. I can’t think of one skater. I pick different ones based on what skill I want to focus on.

What do you contribute to SVRG *off* the track?

I am the Head of Safety.

How do you spend the non-derby part of your life? Work, school? What other hobbies and interests do you have?

I have no other life right now. 

What’s the one piece of advice you would give women interested in playing roller derby?

Be willing to listen and work hard, it does pay off in the end.

photo by: Dave Wood Photography

SVRG needs a new slogan for marketing purposes that is in-line with our sports-oriented, classy, and technology-based theme and our mission statement, which can be found at www.svrollergirls.com

CCRD’s is ‘cheaper than anger management’, Salt City’s is ‘like salt in an open wound’ (or something like that)… What should ours be?

Feeling creative? Please feel free to post here or email your submissions to PR@svrollergirls.com SVRG’s Board of Directors will be voting on the top picks at the end of June and award the winner with their HSJN tickets!