How to Prepare for Your Next Fresh Meat Class

      Our next fresh meat class starts up on May 9^th!  If you ever thought about taking the plunge into roller derby-dom, here’s some tips on how to get prepared. 

1.     Do your homework.  Not just with gear or what’s the newest trend with knee socks, but with the game.  There are a lot of great websites that will teach you about the history and rules of this great game.  Here’s some examples:

·          www.wftda.com - Women’s Flat Track Derby Association website.  A lot of leagues follow this rule set and you can download the PDF rule book for your viewing pleasure along with practice tests.

·          www.derbynewsnetwork.com - DNN is your one-stop shop for all your derby news needs.  Even better is that they stream select bouts throughout the country for free.  They also have a schedule of Derby bouts happening in your area.  One of the main ways to understand Roller Derby is to watch Roller Derby.  Related: Their sister site www.derbylife.com, which feature columns and advice from fellow derbyists.

·          Read this book.  Roller Derby is a nice short book that will give you an overview of the history of Derby and basic rules. 

·          Get pumped up by watching movies about real Roller Derby (a.k.a. not “Whip It”).  If you have Netflix, “Brutal Beauty”, “Blood on the Flat Track” and “Hell on Wheels” are all available on streaming.

2.     Research your gear.  Online shopping is great for the convenience, but you never know what would actually work for you unless you try it on.  Lucky for us Bruised Boutique is a great derby shop right around the corner in Nashua, NH.  They have great knowledgeable staff and one of our very own skaters (say hi to BA!) there to help you with everything you need to start your Derby career right.

 3.     Skate as much as you can.  You can get a head start by going out to the park or rink and get comfortable on your skates (plus dodging little kids is sort of like Derby).  There are at least five skating rinks in the Boston area and we hold Meat and Greets at Roll-on America every month. 

4.     Reserve your spot for our next Fresh Meat class!  Our next class starts on May 9^th and is a 12-week program designed to help you become ready to skate and hit with the best of them!  For more info contact us at info@baystatebrawlers.com.

We’ll look forward to seeing you on the track!  Now go study up!

  

-       Scandinavian Flick Off (300hp)

Hard Hitting Action!

            Bout season is quickly approaching for the skaters of BSBRD!  This Saturday April 14^th will be chock full of exciting action as the Petticoat Punishers take on the ladies of Mass Attack Roller Derby in a rematch from last season.  After that battle takes place, our brother league Mass Maelstrom will be going head to head against the Connecticut Death Quads! 

            Doors will be open at Landry Arena at 5pm and all the awesome action starts at 6pm!  You can bring your own chair if you want a seat in the crash zone (which is honestly the best seat in the house!)  Baked goodies and beer will be available.  There’s no way we wouldn’t feed you!  Merchandise will also be available so bring cash.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for the kids.  Cheap fun for the whole family!  More details are included here.

            We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the start of what is looking to be an amazing year with the Bay State Brawlers! 

Behind the Scenes of a Bout

Buy a shirt from our merch table!

         With the start of the bout season only less than a couple weeks away, this is a good time to remember that there are many people (really…a lot of people) who make a bout organized and entertaining to watch.   They are our unsung heroes.  Some of them may be significant others of skaters or really, really great friends.  Some may just be fans of the sport but prefer to lessen their risk of injury by helping out instead.  A lot of the volunteers are skaters who are getting their hands dirty to make sure everything is running smoothly.  I’d like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on the folks who work behind the scenes.

            Referees: Team Zebra makes sure we’re all playing nicely.  I assume professional sports have conditioned us to not be pleasant to the folks in stripes, but in derby we respect these guys and gals.  They take it upon themselves to read a 50-page rulebook and know it inside and out.  They can smell an illegal elbow to the face a mile away and they make sure they call us out on any other naughty things we may be doing on the track.  In a bout, there are five zebras so they can catch anything at any angle.  Two of the refs watch the jammers on the inside with one watching the pack from the inside while the two outside refs keep an eye on everything on the outside of the track.

            Non-Skating Officials: It takes a small army to be able to keep score, track penalties, time the skaters in the penalty box, help the outside referee relay penalties to the person who is keeping track of the penalties, time the jams, and let everyone know there is a time-out.  Without these fine people, how would we know the score?  Skaters would be skimping on their penalties…maybe. (Insert wink here.)

            So say you’re at one of our bouts and you find that you’re hungry?  Or maybe you think you would really like a t-shirt with the logo of our league on them?  We have people for that too.  From ticket sales at the door all the way to security and bake sales, there’s a list of jobs that volunteers can help with off of the track.  These friendly faces are working hard so you can have a good time. 

            Thanks to the folks who help make our bouts happen!  Also if you feel the track calling your name but would like to not risk the injuries, the refs and NSO’s will welcome you with open arms…and possibly a whistle.  Email us at volunteer@baystatebrawlers.com to help out!