2011 – The Year in Review

It’s been a busy, wild 2011 for the Tri-City Roller Girls. Here are a few highlights from the year that was:

Strengthening Ties - The home season brings to mind so many great memories it’s impossible to share them all. You’ll just have to be there with us in 2012 to experience the awesome first-hand. Tri-City did have some great tilts against their closest neighbors, including Guelph, London and Toronto. Roller Derby is exploding in Southwest Ontario, so there will be more local rivalries developing every day in addition to our touring guests from afar.

Tournamental – The season began to pick up speed at the Beast of the East tournament in Montreal. Previously considered a guaranteed host-domination affair, the 2011 version of the Beast featured thrills, upsets and a raised bar all around that spells great things for the future of Canadian derby. On the All-Star front, Thunder managed to gain spots in both The Midwest Brewhaha hosted by Brew City and Philly’s East Coast Derby Extravaganza. Our ladies acquitted themselves admirably in their quest for their first WFTDA ranking.

What-da?- Tri-City entered the official rankings of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association mid-season, landing at 17th place of 26 in the North Central Region. Thunder rose one place in the fourth quarter by leap-frogging Sioux Falls and will begin 2012 in 16th. Our friends over at TORD are newly-arrived at WFTDA and not yet ranked, but I am certain the CN Power aim to make a splash in the months to come.

Flat Track International - Speaking of Toronto, they were also the proud host of Blood and Thunder’s Roller Derby World Cup, of which you might have heard a thing or two lately. Tri-City’s own Motorhead Molly was part of a star-studded Canadian squad that took home silver, having proved the only team tough enough to put a double-digit dent in the American juggernaut. The international presence in our ‘hood also allowed TCRG to host a boot camp with Team USA coach Bonnie D. Stroir and have a scrimmage with Team Germany, who may have been lured by the lingering atmosphere from Oktoberfest.

When Ya Get Drafted - The Team Draft for 2012 happened last weekend, and the following skaters were welcomed into the rosters of the Tri-City home teams:

 New Vicious Dishes

Scat Girl #65

Finite Skate Automaton #1011

New Venus Fly Tramps

She Rough #89

Anne-Grrr #14

New Total Knock-Outs

Thieving Magpie #79

Preying Man Tease #6T9

Scorcheon #64

Ova’Kill #11

Eurogasmic #6

Chantal Krazyasskick (number forthcoming)

The Teenanator #703

Much Derby Love - This part is for you. The fans, the volunteers, the parents and derby widows, the co-workers who get dragged to bouts, the journalists, coaches, photographers and of course, the skaters new and old. Thank you. This could not be done without you. We are all part of something bigger than ourselves, you included. Especially you. Whether you want to bout together or just shout together, whether you’re derby elite or fresh off the street, TCRG loves what you do, and can’t wait to find out what the future holds for all of us.

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For Christmas, I want a brand new pair of rollerskates!

The Tri-City Roller Girls will be skating in the annual K-W Santa Claus Parade on Saturday November 19th. The fun begins at 10 am lasts for about 1.5 hours, going along King Street from Waterloo to Kitchener. The parade has approximately 100 participating groups with 14 different bands.  We hope to see you there!

TCRG at the Christmas Parade

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Take Back the Night 2011

The Tri-City Roller Girls will be participating in the 28th annual Take Back the Night (TBTN) march and rally on November 5th, 2011. The event addresses the rights of women to be safe, without violence, regardless of age, creed, location, numbers, or attire. The opening rally will be at Waterloo Public Square and we will be rolling with the march down King Street, through Victoria Park, and ending at Kitchener City Hall.

Take Back the Night LogoFrom the TBTN website:
“TBTN draws attention to the pervasiveness of violence against women in our community. In 2010, Waterloo Regional Police Service responded to 373 sexual assault reports and 6137 domestic violence reports. When we consider that less than 10% of sexual assaults are reported to police nationally, we begin to glimpse the magnitude of gendered violence in our community. TBTN is an opportunity to publicly celebrate women’s solidarity; women will not be passive and accept violence against them but will instead take action together for change. As a symbolic gesture to say that women should not have to be escorted by men in order to exercise their mobility rights without fearing violence, the march is for community women, transpeople, and children. Men can support TBTN by standing along the route, as well as joining the marchers for the opening rally, and the teach-ins and refreshments following the march.”

Please join us on Saturday November 5th. All women deserve a life without violence.

For more info about Take Back the Night (Waterloo Region) check out the website at http://www.sascwr.org/news/take-back-the-night-2011/.

You can also see the Facebook event for the march here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=262663697107332


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Thunder take on the Derby Darlins

7PM on October 15 @ the New Hamburg Arena 251 Jacob Street
Is that a storm coming? We predict . . . THUNDER. The Tri-City Thunder will be hosting the Killamazoo Derby Darlins on Saturday October 15th. This is the last game of the season, and you know the suicide seats are calling your name, so come check out the action at the New Hamburg Arena.

DMN8!

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