 Bruisers and Dolls - black & white & red all over. BOUT REPORT by Coco Pox
PHOTO by Disco’rd Diva
The Leeds game was a tense fixture for the GRG Irn Bruisers, coming not long after a first defeat in over a year by any team that was not LRG. Nonetheless, the league had been training hard and we were bringing a strong roster with plenty of bout experience down to meet the Roller Dolls.
This was the first time we’d taken on Leeds and their reputation as a fast and fearless team with gung-ho commitment to derby preceded them.
The eventual outcome was anybody’s guess but of one thing we were sure – this was going to be a mega-exciting game.
Continue reading Rack ‘n’ Rolling
 No, I insist! YOU go first... BOUT REPORT by Coco Pox
PHOTOS by Thomas Mathieson
A Glasgow v Edinburgh derby double header.
Seriously, is there a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?
The sun was shining, lesser sporting events such as the World Cup and Wimbledon were chugging along, but everyone in the country who cares about speed, skill and strategy on skates was jostling for a trackside seat at Central Belter.
For the first time in Scotland (and maybe even the UK), BOTH of the day’s double header events were scheduled as full-length 30/30 bouts, cos after all you can’t have too much of a good thing. Except maybe lemon ice slices because I ate six and that was definitely at least three too many.
Continue reading What a Belter
 Party night with the GRG Get your ska on and join us at Stereo for a fantastic fun-filled night of music, dancing, and vegan cupcakes!
Roller Derby is the world’s best sport but it’s also quite an expensive one, what with all the hall hire and travel costs and ice packs to replenish (if you’re an ice pack manufacturer reading this, how about a loyalty card?).
We have exciting and ambitious plans to spread the derby love and expand our beloved club but the GRG coffers are looking a tad poorly, so please come down and help us feed them up a little.
Our hotshot fundraising team have begged and bribed and secured four fabulous bands to take the stage in support of this very good cause so get in early and show some love for Crossfire, Murderburgers and Bucky Rage, not to mention the GRG’s very own Haberbashery blowing her horn for The Amphetameanies! Spinning the decks for a boogie later on, we’ve got DJ Laura Elite.
Hear from Habs herself in today’s Evening Times. You can even get your copy signed at the gig – for a small contribution to the GRG donation bucket of course…
Doors open at 8pm and you can buy tickets on the door, drinks at the bar, and plenty of lovely merch and baked goods at the gig. See you there!
NB// In all the excitement, we put the wrong day on the flyer. Come to Stereo on FRIDAY 30 JULY. You can come back on Saturday if you like, but make sure you come on FRIDAY too. Ok?
EDIT// A big thanks to all the bands and Laura for donating their time and talent, and thanks also to everyone who came down and supported us by buying tickets and merch and cakes and making donations! A fantastic night was had by all.
 Sports Weekly. We were on it. Did you hear us on the radio on Saturday morning? Former rugby international and current radio presenter John Beattie (who captained the Scotland squad!) came down to the ARC last Wednesday to report back on roller derby for Sports Weekly.
It was our last training session before the Belter and adrenaline was pumping so what better time to find out who hits harder – rugby players or derby skaters? The evidence was inconclusive but I think we’re all agreed that when the two collide, both parties feel the pain.
Listen to the full show, complete with real derby practice sound effects, on the BBC iPlayer or download a podcast version instead. We’re 42 minutes or so into the iPlayer show and around halfway through the podcast, but it’s a great programme so we’d encourage you to listen to the whole thing.
As well as the GRG, this week’s edition of Sports Weekly features the National Scottish Swimming Championships at Tollcross, team Lanarkshire heading to the International Children’s Games in Bahrain, the latest (then) from Wimbledon and a preview of the British Weightlifting Championships.
The iPlayer link expires at 1002 on Saturday 3 July 2010 so get a move on!
 GRG win the Fling! Photo by Slo Mo. TOURNAMENT REPORT by Troublegum
The countdown had been on for months. Yet still, I found myself completely disorganized on Friday 21 May, the evening that saw myself and my best mate and co-skater Zombilina say goodbye to our husbands and kids and gallivant to Aberdeen for the two-day Highland Fling. This event was Scotland’s first ever roller derby tournament and the mammoth job of organizing, running and even skating in this event was down to none other than the Granite City Roller Girls, under the sure leadership of the lovely Candy Moho. The dates had long been marked in all the Scottish derby diaries and forums and everyone was keen to see how well our rookie hosts would perform, both on and off the track. Organizing a bout was one thing but an entire tournament?! Either these girls were mad or they have the biggest hearts in derby, but from the get go we all knew it would be an amazing success!
Continue reading Going for gold
 It's the sport issue. And we're in it. Pick up this month’s DIVA Magazine – July’s brilliant Sport Issue – and find out just what kind of person it takes to make a rollergirl. It’s not just about being able to paint war stripes on your face and get back up without crying after a Sister Grimm shoulder-check (although those skills definitely help). Thanks to Freddie Fraggles for supplying a couple of ace photos as illustration.
We were thrilled when DIVA asked us to put our heads together and break down the skater psyche for them and even more so when they mentioned one of our favourite words – competition. Who doesn’t like to win stuff?!
For this unmissable chance to get your hands on some FREE tickets to Central Belter on Saturday 26 June and a fantastic GRG goody bag, click on over to DIVA online. It could be you!
But in case it’s not, don’t forget that you can still buy a ticket in person with money from Hepcat Tattoos or online with a card from Brown Paper Tickets. The link to BPT is on down the page a wee bit.
It’s looking like the Belter is going to be another sell-out bout so unless you’re feeling REALLY lucky, we’d advise actioning a buy now/avoid disappointment later scenario here.
 Bam Bam in action, photo by Thomas Mathieson It’s sunny! Skating outdoors! Barbecues! And lots of bouts! But while we’re all excited about the summer schedule and our June 26th double header, our happy glow is tinged with sadness – the GRG has lost a much-valued player and pal, seduced away from us by promises of new things to look at, less rain and Home at journey’s end.
We knew it was coming, she’s been threatening to go back to Oz for the last six months or so, but last week D-Day finally came and we all had to suck it up and say bye-bye to Bam Bam.
Our loss will be Adelaide’s gain but before she makes it back down under, she’ll be couch-surfing her way around Europe, stopping off in Vegas for Roller Con and skating with every derby league that lets her along the way. Jealous much? We are.
Hopefully she’ll be deported and have to come back to Glasgow soon but in the meantime, you too can follow Bam Bam’s adventures to Amsterdam and beyond right here.
Check in every day to see where Bam Bam is that’s nicer than where you are, criticise her photo composition and suggest must-see sights in that week’s city! Some may call it stalking, but we prefer ’showing an interest’…
In case you missed it, the fabulous Rhona McLeod from Reporting Scotland came to visit the GRG at training last week. We all had a blast and the final piece went out yesterday!
Watch the clip online here on the BBC Sport Scotland player.
Save the date folks, it’s gonna be a “Central Belter!”
Auld Reekie’s 2 teams come to visit us here in Glasgow – this is one you definitely won’t want to miss!
More info here and you can go ahead and buy tickets right here now (or click on the Brown Paper Ticket badge below)…
On facebook? here’s the event page!
Some people go on holiday. They pack a few t-shirts and a swimsuit and they fly off for a fortnight on a beach somewhere sunnier than here, getting a bit of a tan, drinking beer and cocktails and just generally chilling out and doing nothing, until the clock runs down and it’s back to real life again. Twelve whole months of grey, dreary, normal life to endure before the next one, a whole YEAR of waiting ahead. Bummer. But at least it’s something to look forward to.
Rollergirls don’t go on holiday. Why? Because our real life is roller derby, and why would you want to take a holiday from a real life as fantastic as that? You’d have to be mental.
Instead, we go couch surfing to visit other rollergirls and train with other roller derby leagues. Or we go on road trips to play roller derby and watch other rollergirls play roller derby. Or we go to roller derby bootcamp to talk to other rollergirls from all over the world about roller derby and learn how to play roller derby better. And sometimes, for a change – which apparently is as good as a holiday anyway – we all pile into a few cars and drive 5 hours there and 5 hours back just to laugh at our refs playing roller merby.
This past weekend, we went to Birmingham for Blood & Thunder Camp and did all of the above.
It was *AWESOME.
And we’ll tell you all about it when the special memory of ‘Core (abs and back) with Quadzilla’ has faded enough that we can lift our arms high enough to type without crying from the pain.
Continue reading The things we do for fun
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