Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Tag: Ohio Roller Derby

  • I am Starting a Roller Skating Club

    I believe I have spoken on the blog before about my love of Roller Skating. I have been roller skating since I was probably 5, but possibly even younger than that. I grew up having old skates that my cousins and I could hold skate parties with in my grandparents garage and driveway. I was also a frequent attendee of our local skating rink in Newark, Roll-a-Way spending hours there on my quad skates happy as a clam.

    I bought a new pair of quad skates in 2004 or so when I learned about Ohio Roller Derby, then the Ohio Roller Girls, and I wanted to do derby so badly. I bought my skates and I began going out to try to get my skate skills back. I would train with them several times in anticipation of trying out, but it never worked out that I could play. And after a fall, not skating related just klutzy, I tore my ACL and because of the nature of derby I knew that continuing to train would eventually lead to surgery, so I stopped training and became an athletic supporter instead (See Eight Wheels of Badass Joy, Talk Derby to Me: First Bout of 2019, and Skatemare Before Christmas)

    Then in 2020 the pandemic happened and I started to see people buying skates and skating on Instagram (Nicole Byer being a huge Inspiration as was Rolla Skate Club). I decide I would like to get back on skates, so I go to the internet. I already have skates, a couple of pairs in fact, but I needed new pads (knee, elbow and wrist), a new helmet, a skate strap and I decided I wanted a pair of toe covers since mine were pretty scuffed.

    I found my pads as a set on Moxi. They were roughly $75 for the full set of Knee, Elbow and Wrist pads. And on the same site I found a turquoise and pink leopard print helmet and I just had to have it, so I put in an order. I got a skate strap from PeaceGrenade on Etsy in Magenta Glitter. I got an amazing sticker that says Skate Witch from Simply Savage Design which lives on my helmet and I just ordered another couple to add to new things. I bought my toe caps from Rollerstuff they are super shiny leather and I LOVE them. All together the whole set looks like this:

    So…now I had skates, and gear, and no one to skate with. I had a thought and then I went to social media and I said:

    So…I added this on Instagram and Facebook just to see if anyone would respond or be interested, and the answer was a resounding yes. I had many friends respond that they were in, that they were looking for a reason to buy skates, and so on. I created a Facebook Group called Skate Expectations and we have our first meet up this Friday after work. I am so excited that this is becoming a thing, and also I am somewhat surprised, but so excited. I am hoping that I can branch this out into more interesting things. I have ideas!!

    More to come! Happy Skating Ya’ll!!

  • Skatemare Before Christmas

    Skatemare Before Christmas

    On Saturday the 30th Seth and I went out to support Ohio Roller Derby (OHRD) at their fundraiser/ exhibition bout Skatemare Before Christmas. This bout pits team Halloween, The Roller Ghouls, against team Christmas, The Jingle Belles. They also premiered their rookies dividing them into team Candy Corns versus team CandyCanes. I came out to represent team Christmas this year, so Seth decided to root for team Halloween.

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    The rookie game was up first. The Candy Canes came out strong scoring in the first couple of jams, but soon enough the Candy Corns had tied things back up. In the second half the Candy Canes came back and they would win! Score one bout for Christmas.

    During the time between the rookie bout and the main event there was a show put on by a local break dance school. The kids appeared to be between the ages of 5 and 13. They were adorable and some of them were so talented!

    The final bout was much more fast paced. Once again the Jingle Belles came out strong at first, but then the Ghouls got a good run and took over the lead. It was a good back and forth battle for a while, but in the end the Jingle Belles came out on top.

    Team Christmas wins for this year!

  • Talk Derby to Me: First Bout of 2019

    Talk Derby to Me: First Bout of 2019

    I love Roller Derby. I love the action, the chaos and the roller skates. I love the fun names and the amazing athleticism. And while my personal roller girl dreams may have been thwarted I will always be ready to go out and support my local roller derby team.

    Saturday in the Ohio building at the Ohio State Fair Grounds Ohio Roller Derby All Stars and Gang Green took on Toronto Roller Derby in a double header bout. First bout was the All Stars versus the Toronto A Team. This bout was a roller coaster. The teams were very evenly matched and the lead kept moving between them. The absolute MVP for OHRD was Catch Mikatchu, a diminutive skater whose ability to pivot on a toe stop was masterful. Mikatchu could also push a trio of Toronto players several feet in order to find a way around them. Absolutely amazing, and lead to an OHRD victory for the first bout.

    Bout number two was not quite as close. The Toronto B Team’s defense was a little too much for Gang Green. It was obvious that the skaters for Gang Green were beginning to get frustrated which led to them committing a significant number of penalties. Toronto would take the win on that bout.

    The half time of both bouts was filled with exhibitions by the Columbus Saber Academy. Seth wants a light saber pike, and I don’t exactly blame him.

    For more on Ohio Roller Derby click here. For more on Toronto Roller Derby click here.  For more on  Flat Track Roller Derby click here.

  • Eight Wheels of Badass Joy

    Eight Wheels of Badass Joy

    I can remember the first time I put on a pair of roller skates. I was 5. We had a field trip to roll-a-way skating rink for my Daisy girl scout troop. My mother strapped me into the skates and I was off. My mother was terrified because I had my tongue sticking out the whole time and she was sure I was going to fall and bite my tongue in half. That never happened (thank god) but inside me a love sparked that I carry to this day.

    As a preteen I would slip my Paula Abdul tape into the boombox and skate in circles in my garage for hours. Round and round to Cold Hearted Snake and Hush just me and my favorite skates. In the late nineties I would flirt with inline skates, but I always came back to my favorite quad skates. In my teens I would stop skating for a bit,  switching with my friends to skateboarding which was not my forte.

    In my twenties I was at the Columbus International Body Arts Expo when I saw a flyer on a table for a newly forming Roller Derby team in Columbus. I was immediately interested, but was trepidatious so I just didn’t pull the trigger. One of my coworkers joined, and I was there at the very first exhibition bout. I was mesmerized by these ladies, who were skating rock stars.

    With names like Scarlette Fury, Ruby Doom, and Holly Hotwheels these badass women were the hardcore skaters that I always wanted to be. They were fast, and hard hitting. They were semi-violent tank girls on quad skates. All I wanted was to be one of them, be friends with them, and to support them in any way possible.

    Since then I have gone to at least one bout every year. I trained with them for a couple of wannabe sessions a few years ago, until a freak non-skating knee injury led to a torn ACL. I have volunteered by working the door, and anywhere else they need me. And next season my friend Susan and I are going to be Roller Derby cheerleaders for Ohio Roller Derby.

    It has been a while, but I am also beginning to want to get back on my skates. I have begun checking out paths that are smooth enough for skating, and safe enough. I need to get my skates out to give them some TLC. I think I am going to paint them, and maybe glitter them up a bit. It’s time to skate again.