Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Tag: Roller Derby

  • 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!

  • Welcome 2019…let’s make this a f@#king amazing year!

    Welcome 2019…let’s make this a f@#king amazing year!

    It is the last day of 2018, and what a wild, crazy year this has been.

    We visited my friends Jen and Chris in Pittsburgh, and they took us to visit the National Aviary. We saw Puddles Pity Party at the Southern Theatre.

    In the Spring my husband and I took a trip to Wisconsin to visit The House on the Rock. I had wanted to see it since the first time I read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and we decided to head that way to see it. It was amazing and wonderful, we wondered around for almost four hours and still don’t think we saw everything. We also visited the Cave of the Mounds, Mount Horeb the Troll Capital of the World and the lovely little town of Spring Green.

    I took a trip with The Lady Gang to Put-In-Bay. I saw a whole lot of drag shows including: Stadium Virginium Pop, Wonderful World of Nina, Heroes and Villains, Heels of Horror, and Nina and Virginia’s Christmas Pageant. I went to a bout for Ohio Roller Derby. Walked in a Color Run. Went to the Ohio State Fair with my mom and both of my sisters. Helped to establish an Ohio chapter of the International Wenches Guild. Went to a bunch of brunches. Bought a season pass for the Short North Stage, and have seen a bunch of shows with my friend Susan.

    On top of all this amazing I am officially done with school as of December 23, and will graduate with my Bachelor’s degree in English – Creative Writing in February. That is how you move into 2019 in style.

    Tomorrow I will let you know what my word for 2019 is, and maybe share a peek of my year in review Tarot.

    Goodbye 2018.

    Happy New Year!

    Betsy

  • 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.