Game Report: Dublin A vs Irn Bruisers 5.11.16

It would be safe to say that the Irn Bruisers found their game in Ireland on Saturday challenging. The prediction beforehand was for a Dublin win, and they stamped their mark on the game from the very start.

Devil's Advoskate tricked by a wily Dublin jammer; photo courtesy of Alastair McAleese.

Dublin A established a big lead early on, with the scoreline sitting at 63-0 in their favour early in the first half. Glasgow fought back to stick some points on the board but Dublin certainly didn't make it easy for them, 131-16. The Bruisers struggled onwards for every point, and ended the first half with the score 172-27 to the home team.

With their opponents sitting in a dominant position after the break, it was all uphill in the second half for the Bruisers. They dug in and managed to sneak some more points past Dublin A, but for every point the Bruisers squeezed out of them the Irish skaters piled on even more and early in the second half the scores were 228-49. Despite our skaters' best efforts, the home team pulled further and further ahead and won comfortably.

Sarah McMillan fighting through the Dublin blockers; photo courtesy of Alastair McAleese.

Final score: Dublin A 401 - 75 GRD Irn Bruisers

Irn Bruisers MVP: Lindsey Watson 40

This was the Irn Bruisers last game of the season, and they're now taking a month break from training before getting back on it in December to come back stronger in 2017. Watch this space for more news on planned events for next year.

For your next roller derby fix, why not come along to our Home Teams Final on Saturday? First-time finalists the T-Wrecks will be facing last year's winners the Bad Omens to see who will be crowned champions - go here for more information and to book your tickets!

Dublin A vs Irn Bruisers - 5.11.16

Remember, remember the 5th of November (which isn't hard as it's only in two days time as I write this, and even my attention span isn't that short) - our Irn Bruisers are taking a short trip over the sea to face up to Dublin Roller Derby's A Team.

The teams last played each other two years ago, 8th November 2014, when the Bruisers dominated the game with the score 118-29 at half time, and the Irn Bruisers taking the win 249-82.

The Irn Bruisers about to face up to Dublin A back in 2014; image courtesy of Dave McAleavy boutday.com

Our team has seen a lot of change in recent times, with a number of notable departures but also plenty of new talent. Over at the Scottish Roller Derby blog, they're predicting an Irish victory and certainly that's what the current stats would support. They have eleven members on the Team Ireland training squad and have had a pretty strong season, but our Irn Bruisers won't make it easy for them. We've got plenty of fight and we're packing it all with our skates, safety gear and clean underwear ready for the weekend.

Some of the action from the last time GRD met DRD; photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy boutday.com 

The game starts at 1pm, and will be live-tweeted from @DRDscores so if you can't be there onthe day you can keep up to date with all the action. Hey ho GLASGOW!

GRD: A year in the life

Recently GRD held our Annual General Meeting at Euro Hostel Glasgow. At this meeting the Board of Directors reported to our league members on the business of the club over the past year, followed by a financial report and information on the business of each of our committees. This year with the assistance of our Web and Design committee the Directors showed us a wonderful slideshow of some of our triumphs and challenges which took place between September 2015 and 2016. 

Here at the blog we thought our readers might like to share in this little trip down memory lane, so grab yourself a cuppa and take a gander at what we've been up to!

Game Report: Maiden Grrders at Great Yorkshire Showdown 17.9.16

One Saturday back in September, before the crack of dawn, the Maiden Grrders slithered out of bed and tried to convince themselves that being awake before 6am was good for them and character-building and wouldn't lead to serious long-term health issues. Except for bench manager Silvie Postlewaight who was up at 04:30 making guacamole because she's clearly some sort of statistical outlier or alien hybrid.

The reason behind the early rise was a longer-than-expected road trip to Halifax, of which a good proportion was spent navigating roadworks somewhere in Lanarkshire. We entertained ourselves with a Best Onesie contest (there were TWO Totoros!) and a hard-fought Harry Potter quiz. Our bus driver was a total trooper and we cannot thank him enough for delivering everyone safely and just about in time for the Great Yorkshire Showdown.

Mad Natter, NitroJen & Sadie O'Hades waiting for the offense; photo courtesy of Roller Derby on Film.

The tournament, organised by Leeds Roller Dolls, saw six teams facing off to be ultimate champions: our Maiden Grrders, Halifax Bruising Banditas, Hereford Horror Bulls, Hot Wheel B Team, Manchester Roller Derby's Furies and Leeds' Whip-Its. In the group stage, the teams all played each other in thirty-minute games and the victor in each group went on to a final full-length game to decide the overall winner.

The Maidens' first game was against Halifax Bruising Banditas and was tough, to say the least. Our skaters were not long off the bus and only really started to get into their stride in the second half. They fought valiantly but sadly, that wasn't enough and they lost.

Final score: GRD Maiden Grrders 24 - 187 Halifax Bruising Banditas.

Stinger Belle & Penny Pinch'er holding back the Halifax jammer; photo courtesy of Roller Derby on FIlm.

After a brief respite while our opponents played each other, the Maidens were soon back on track to face up to the Hereford Horror Bulls. It was another hard game for GRD but they retained more control than the first and were able to put some more points past the opposition. Despite some great team work, they were again defeated but learned a lot from their experience and they'll be putting that all to good use in the future.

Final score: GRD Maiden Grrders 68 - 125 Hereford Roller Girls.

Spin Diesel on the jam line while our blockers are ready for the Hereford jammer; photo courtesy of Roller Derby on Film.

The final was played between Halifax Bruising Banditas and Leeds Whip-Its, with Halifax taking the tournament title.

We'd like to thank the organisers and all the teams, officials and other support staff who made the day possible!

Game Report: Newcastle Canny Belters vs Irn Bruisers 10.9.16

It was one sunny September morning when a bunch of tough women in yellow hopped in the back of a minibus, drove to England and turned left towards that haven of brown ale, black & white stripes and people unfamiliar with outerwear. We'll gloss over how long ago it was because Team Blog have clearly been neglecting their duties due to being on important business...in Zurich. Or something like that.

The Bruisers last met the Canny Belters on home ground back in February, as part of the British Championships Tier 1 tournament which was so successfully hosted in part by GRD. That game ended in a win for the visitors, with the scoreline 109-238 in the Canny Belter's favour. So the Irn Bruisers had it all to play for, but would the Belter's home ground advantage prove too much for them?

Sarah McMillan skipping up the inside line to avoid a hit from Anita B Nasty; photo courtesy of Dave Moore.

The Irn Bruisers line up has seen a lot of flux in recent months, though there are plenty of familiar faces. Despite putting up a fierce fight, it just wasn't enough against an incredibly strong Newcastle team and the home team took the win.

Final score: Newcastle Canny Belters 261 - 96 GRD Irn Bruisers

Bruise Missile fighting to get past the fierce defences of Missy Pow Pow; photo courtesy of Dave Moore.

Game Report: Grrders graft against Granite

On Saturday 27th August our beloved Maiden Grrders travelled up to Aberdeen to take on Granite City Roller Derby's A Team, the Northern Fights. As the first away game with the current roster we were keen to put our best skates forward and test our mettle against the awesome talents of the Fights. Our friends at Scottish Roller Derby recently interviewed some of GCRD in the lead up to the game to hear all about their progress in what has been a busy year for the northern team, which you can catch up on here. As mentioned in the blog it has been three years since the two teams faced off against one other and a lot has changed for both leagues. While the Maidens have been doing some restructuring recently the Fights have been building on rock solid foundations and let me tell you, it really showed! 

The afternoon was a double header starting with GCRD's Fight Hawks playing against a mixed team going by the name of the Black Mambas. The Mambas featured guest skaters from Mean City RD, Doonhame Derby Dolls and Ayrshire Roller Derby, many of whom would be familiar to anyone who caught the Magic vs Science game in Glasgow last week!

Final score: Fight Hawks 253 - 152 Black Mambas.

The start of the second game was slightly delayed due to an injury in the last jam of the previous match. Unfortunately Firefoxx of Doonhame Derby Dolls took a nasty fall in which both her ankle and head were hurt and so all precautions were taken by the excellent EMTs and Officials to make sure she was properly taken care of before play resumed in the hall. GRD send our love and good thoughts to Firefoxx and all of Doonhame. It's really tough when accidents happen in roller derby and we all wish her a speedy recovery! 

It wasn't long before our Maidens took to the track to face up against the Northern Fights. Granite's Rock N Riot took lead jammer status soon after the first whistle and the Maidens had to hustle hard to try to regain some ground. A few power jams early on gave Glasgow a chance to claim back an advantage but the Fights walls were formidable and held strong against the Maidens' offence.

Despite the tough opponents Glasgow kept their heads up and rallied again and again, but it just wasn't enough to hold off the strength of the Fights' jammers. We dealt blows but they absorbed them all and hopped, skipped and jumped right along the track boundaries to rack up the points with some particularly fancy footwork from Clinically Wasted and Udder Mayhem. 

Udder Mayhem showing off some awesome balance mid-jam
Photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy of Boutday.com

Glasgow jammers Spin Diesel and Bruise Missile were both successful in getting lead jammer status in the first half,  making tactical calls that shut down the opposition before they could score. Our walls were pulling together and offence going in hard, but by the half time whistle Granite held a convincing lead.

Half time: GCRD 212 - 34 GRD

The Maidens were down but not out! With a commanding pep talk from Captain Penny Pinch'er the Maidens returned to track in good spirits all ready to roll.

Lead jammer goes to Bruise who swoops through, grabs points and casually calls it like nbd @WeAreGRD @GRDLive

— GCRD (@GraniteCity_RD) August 27, 2016

The second half was well underway and it seemed that the Maidens had found their feet with more offence being dealt and more tactics being deployed. There was some great chasing at the front of the pack from Raptor and beautiful blocks from Penny, as well as new Maiden jammer Fury L Spark giving everything she had to try to break through the opposing blockers. We fought hard in every jam but the Fights were relentless and their points rained down on that sunny afternoon.

Final score: GCRD 463 - 61 GRD

Northern Fights Best Blocker: Clinically Wasted
Northern Fights Best Jammer: Udder Mayhem
Northern Fights MVP: Kami-Tazzy

Maiden Grrders Best Blocker: Sadie O'Hades
Maiden Grrders Best Jammer: Spin Diesel
Maiden Grrders MVP: Bruise Missile

In a recent game report I wrote about how no matter what happens on track - especially in a country as small as Scotland - other leagues become like family and we can be pleased for our opponents. The same can be said about the Maidens defeat in Granite City. We took a thorough beating but our spirits were not broken; we made the Fights work for their scoring passes and are proud of ourselves for playing against such a tough team. Even more so we were impressed by the level of gameplay that the Northern Fights brought to the game and are proud of them for the amazing progress they've made over the past few years. When our competitors up their game it raises the level of play across the country. We learned a lot from Granite this weekend and are really excited to get back into training to put some of those lessons to good use! 

We'd like to thank Granite City Roller Derby for inviting us to play, and the Fight Hawks, Black Mambas and Northern Fights for two excellent games of roller derby. We'd also like to thank all their events staff, EMTs, announcers, and of course Mr Dave McAleavy of Boutday.com for the amazing chronicling of events through his brilliant photography. 

Hard as nails. GCRD Northern Fights and GRD Maiden Grrders.
Photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy, Boutday.com

If all this talk of competition and camaraderie is warming the cockles of your heart then you won't want to miss our next display of healthy sportspersonship at our second Home Teams game of the season! Join us on the 24th of September to see reigning champs the Bad Omens take on the Death Stars as they face off for a place in the final. Tickets are cheaper in advance and you can also get a special offer on a combo for game and our fundraising gig on the same night for a mere £9! 

Game Report: GRD vs Rainy City Roller Derby and Tiger Bay Brawlers

This weekend both the Maiden Grrders and Irn Bruisers travelled to Oldham to visit THE THUNDERDOME! We played three excellent (and very hot!) games of roller derby against fierce opponents Rainy City All Stars, Tiger Bay Brawlers A and Tiger Bay Brawlers B. The scores were as follows:

Rainy City 373 - 36 GRD Irn Bruisers
Tiger Bay B 360 - 96 GRD Maiden Grrders
Tiger Bay A 351 - 131 GRD Irn Bruisers

We had a great time and are so glad to have been able to play against such competitive leagues. Despite not winning any of our games we're proud of the strong performances our teams put forward and learned a lot. We're excited to see how our friends in Rainy and Tiger Bay progress over the coming months.!

Thanks to all involved in organising the Euro Weekender and to Rainy City for being fabulous hosts!

The Maidens' Nikki BlockHer Glory bursting through Tiger Bay B's defenses.
Photo courtesy of Roller Derby On Film.

Don't forget our Home Teams Season Opener is THIS WEEKEND! We've still got tickets available for £6 in advance for two games of roller derby (or £8 on the door). Come and see us strut our stuff on skates as the T-Wrecks take on the Bad Omens, shortly followed by the Death Stars doing battle against the T Wrecks. A full afternoon of dino-lightsaber-crowing fun, what a great way to spend a Saturday! 

Tips and Tricks for Team Travel

This weekend is going to be crammed full of delicious derby action with both our Bruisers and Maidens playing games down in Manchester as part of the Euro Weekender hosted by Rainy City Rollergirls. The line up is pretty special with four amazing games scheduled over two days:

Saturday 11th June
1pm - Rainy City vs Glasgow Roller Derby
3pm - Tiger Bay Brawlers B vs Glasgow Roller Derby B
5pm - Tiger Bay Brawlers A vs Glasgow Roller Derby A

Sunday 12th June
3pm - Rainy City vs Kallio Rolling Rainbow

While we are really excited to see and play our long time friends from Rainy and Tiger Bay, we know that trips away from home take some special preparation. Going away with a team is very different to most other adventures you might go on in your leisure time so we've gathered some tips from skaters and officials to make sure you can put your best skate forward when on the road. 

1. What's the absolutely critical item that you need to bring with you when travelling?
Siobhan Sinclair: My iPod and a book for the journey!
Candy Moho: Food (lots of), ipod and a copy of the rules.
Jeneral Strike: Book to read! then I can never be bored.
Cara Viola: A folder with all the information in it that I will need for my trip. Not an exciting answer but if I have all the info it keeps me calm.
Sarah McMillan: My bruisers lanyard from 2015, which has a card on it with a lot of really lovely things my teammates said about me; it reminds me that even if I don't feel good about my derby, others see differently! Thank goodness for team mates!!
Sadie O'Hades: Audiobooks on my mp3 player. My knitting! And I have a lucky hippo that my grandma gave me that always travels with me.

2. Front of the bus or back of the bus?
SS: Back usually.
CM: Front, in a seat by myself so I can be antisocial and spread myself out.
JS: Front.
CV: Front.
SM: Back of the bus, lying along all the seats ideally!
SOH: Don't really mind.

3. Sleep all the way or party bus? 
SS: Sleep most of the way usually!
CM: Sleep and eat.
JS: Usually party, I like the distraction.
CV: Sleep
SM: Sleep!
SOH: Sleep or quiet things like read.

4. What about snacks or food or drinks, is there anything you always bring from home just in case?
SS: Always bring on the plane/bus a bottle of water, bottle of irn bru and a packet of mento (I LOVE mentos).
CM: I bring all the food in case I can't find any vegan food (will usually always have a huge tub of pasta, snack bars and roasted nuts).
JS: I bring as many snacks as possible, I'm too tight fisted to want to buy much.
CV: These days its hydration tablets and Naked bars.
SM: So much! Soy creamer for coffee... Kale chips... Trek bars
SOH: TEABAGS. Megan Hyndman recommend this to me recently and she's very right, can't leave home without them. I also like to bring a nice filling sandwich in case I don't have time to find anything else. 

5. Any top tip or funny story you could pass on to reassure someone who's never travelled with a team before?
SS: Top tip: Travel with Cara Viola  and ALWAYS bring a jacket even if you think the weather will be warm (ahem Malmo..).
CM: Don't get drunk on the bus, it's a long way home.
JS: Hmm, I've not done it so much. Maybe look forward to getting to know your team mates better.
CV: If possible travel with a buddy or in a group. That way if something goes wrong then you can tackle the problem together. 
SM: We are so lucky to be involved in a sport that we get to travel to play; it's not a holiday, but you should be aware of how hard you've worked to get there and enjoy the experience!
SOH: Check out any travel connections you need to make before you go so you minimise confusion at important connections. Also, if you travel with a novelty suitcase that makes noises prepare to hear that A LOT before the end of your trip... On the Malmo trip one of our skaters had an R2D2 case that beeped and was super cute at the start but got very vocal as time went on!

6. What's the farthest you've travelled with your team?
SS: Malmo, Sweden and Nantes, France (Think they are similar distances away).
CM: Berlin, and Telford is probably the longest bus trip.
JS: Malmo, but we all travelled separately and met there, does that count? (Yes! - Ed.)
CV: 3,615 miles (Fort Wayne, IN)
SOH: Malmo, Sweden. Excited to find out where derby will take me in future.

7. What is the best derby-related trip you've ever been on? 
SS: Nantes with the Maidens in 2015! Was the funniest roller derby trip I have ever been on and as a brand new Maiden at the time I got fantastic tournament experience and the trip was a fantastic bonding experience for the entire team as we all stayed in the same place and hung out as a team the entire time! It was just AWESOME!!!!!
CM: Several spring to mind, London for Roll Britannia in 2009 cheering on GRD and ARRG when I was in GCRG, EROC is a good trip, and some good bootcamps.
JS: I've had a great time going to watch games- less nerves just the fun of a road trip!
CV: The first time the Bruisers went to the states to play at ECDX. It was a pretty big deal for us to travel this far and complete with American teams. It’s also a pretty awesome tournament.
SOH: My first derby trip was a really fun one. I travelled with the Maidens to Granite City long before I was bout ready myself. The bus was great, very fun and we even had ice cream and walked along the beach before we came home!

Kitty Slyde showing that good things can come in small handluggage on GRD's trip to Nantes in 2015. 

As you can see, everyone's got a different idea about what they need to bring and do for the best time while on the road, but what we all have in common is how much we love that our sport takes us to wonderful places. What do you think makes derby trips special? If you've any tips to share please leave them in comments section, we'd love to hear from you.

Disappointed you won't make it to see us in Manchester? Never fear, catch us on home turf next weekend instead. Tickets for our Home Teams Season Opener are on sale now for just £6 in advance!