High Rollers v. Guns 'n' Rollers open thread

photo by Zeb Andrews.

I haven't heard much about what has been going on in the practice barn with these two teams, but I'll assume that the High Rollers have kept pushing in their team-building efforts, and that the Guns 'n' Rollers haven't let up since January 24 either. G'n'R didn't exactly shine in the season opener, but their roster is still strong and they have a coach who should know what he's doing.

I favor the High Rollers in this one, and I'll be parking my ass down in front of the Players' Club, but as with Heathers v. Betties, I don't expect this one to be a rout.

I beg you to differ in the comments section.

Help find Layla Smackdown's missing purse

Extraordinary bummer: Layla Smackdown, beloved skater for the High Rollers and the Wheels of Justice, sets her purse down for a few minutes at the Heartless Heathers Anti-Valentine's Day Party and returns to find it gone:

My purse was taken on Saturday night from the Anti VD party.

It's a small rectangle clutch, about a foot long by 6 inches. It's entirely encrusted with beads. The pattern is multi-colored circles, some bigger than others. It's kinda tripped out. It's got a chunky blue zipper, and is lined with red velvet.

This purse is ONE OF A KIND, because I made it. If you know who took it, or see someone around with it, it is ABSOLUTELY MINE. They can keep the shitty make-up, my cell phone (now useless) and the approximately 16 dollars that was in there. Hell, they can even keep the half pack of Bubbalicious Watermelon Wave I really really want the purse back. No pictures exist, so here's a ghetto paint rendering of it (below). Imagine it like this, but way cooler, and covered entirely with beads.

Please contact me if you have any leads.

xoxo
Layla
layla.smackdown@gmail.com

Come out and party with the Heathers Saturday night

Got that? Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 9:00pm - 1:00am
1322 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR
Suggested donation for this funder: $5.00
Buy some raffle tickets too!

I'm going to buy some new underwear for this event.

Bout pics: Steve Price is uploading

here.

I bet I know how this ended:

Happy Valentine's Day - Heathers 131, Betties 107

Kanna and George with George's sign, the beauty of which is not adequately captured by my cell phone camera

Elwood has a good recap with stats here.

Down Goodie, Ringer, Vom, Viagrrra, and with Firecrotch sidelined during the bout, the Heathers' superior bench, stamina, strategy, and team cohesion combined to produce a big victory. Defensive and offensive games were both impressive.

And I won't be saying HPV any more because Megan tipped me off about human papillomavirus. Where have I been?

Anyway, your commentary is requested.

Stand by the Jams

Look at those Heathers:



and



Vids via Intendeduse1.

Don't Expect a St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Graphic by George


Sure the Heathers vanquished all foes in the season opener, and the Betties crumbled against each team they were up against, but don't roll into the Oaks Park Hangar Saturday night expecting the top-seeded Heathers to demolish the Betties.

We've been hearing murmurs from the practice shed that the Betties we will be seeing on February 14 won't necessarily be the same team we saw in January, one big possible surprise being the return of D Konstructor to the Betties' already strong jammer squad.

As for the Heartless Heathers, they continue to refine their strategies and build their team cohesiveness, factors that proved so impressive and powerful in their 2008 championship and in 2009's debut bout.

But neither they nor their fans can afford to be complacent. This may just be a tough bout.

Clips of Heathers vs. HRMF by Intendeduse1

These clips have a lot to recommend them. I doubt that our blogger style sheets will accommodate the vids' full width, so be sure to click through to youtube if you can and rate the vids up for the videographer, Intendeduse1.

New York Times Mag feature on the Gotham Girls

Photo by Finlay Mackay for the New York Times

Worth a read:

You Just Can't Keep the Girls from Jamming

"The rapid growth has made the game more competitive. Suzy Hotrod, whose real name is Jean Schwarzwalder, still dabs lipstick on her cheeks before she skates, but that was the extent of the theatrical gestures on display at the nationals. The country’s eight best teams had come to Portland, Ore., not to perform but to win. In its 70-odd-year history, roller derby has been many things, but never until perhaps now has it been a legitimate sport."