Sunday 9th April was pretty much the most exciting day of 2017 so far for Hertfordshire Roller Derby – the home bout. It’s the day we get to invite other leagues to our home turf and host a day of awesome skating, tough derby, a banging cake stand and a not-to-be-missed raffle.
So, you’ve heard all about this Roller Derby lark, but you’ve never seen a live game… Well, as it turns out, we are playing THIS SUNDAY, and we think you should definitely come! But if that’s not enough to persuade you, here are our top 10 reasons to watch a live Roller Derby bout…
Don’t know the rules? No problem! Roller Derby isn’t as complicated as it looks, and our learned announcers will help explain the game and tell you what’s going on. There’ll also be a brief explanation in the programme, plus loads of lovely members around to help – just ask!
At HRD we all have job to do on and off track. As someone who’s always enjoyed organising things, when it came to choosing a role I put my hand up to work in the Bout Coordination area. I’ve been with HRD for almost 5 years, and in that time I’ve worked on Home Bouts for British Champs, standalone games outside of champs, I’ve supported at bigger events like Heartlands and Champs finals and the inaugural MRDWC in Birmingham 2014. I’ve often thought of planning a bout day as a bit like planning a wedding; there’s people coming from near and far, you have to ensure you have the right officials present, you have to check the venue capacity and regulations thoroughly, and there’s definitely got to be enough cake for everyone. Whereas with a wedding if you get sick of catering to your third cousin twice removed you can scrap it all, save the money and elope to Gretna Green, there’s no eloping in Derby. The show must go on. Continue reading “Gearing Up For Our Home Bout”
When you hear people talk about their Derby Family, you picture a team, they train together, they might socialise together and they support each other in their derby lives.
One year ago I stepped into the training hall for Hell’s Belles, and I’ve never looked back. I came to Hertfordshire Roller Derby as a transfer from a different league. I wanted to change my training and be in a more competitive environment, and straight away I knew I had found what I was looking for. I started out on the intermediate track, and that first session,… Well, I came away very sweaty! There was a good strong mix of skills and endurance. I was buzzing! (On the inside at least – I was too shy to even pay my subs myself, I got someone to do it for me!) Continue reading “Transfer, Training, and Time Out: Tenacious V’s Year with the Belles”
The start of my roller derby journey was pretty random, I had gone ice skating back in January 2015 which reminded me of how much I used to love the feeling of ice skating as a kid and throughout my teens. I was never able to do anything fancy, pretty much just go forward and slow down enough to stop without crashing into the sides of the rink. I did complete a basic ice skating course in my twenties with one of my best mates, but hadn’t done any skating since. Continue reading “TanShee Scream on Passing her Minimum Skills”
Since signing up to do fresh meat in July of last year, my life has been the most intense adventure, I have been nervous and at times scared, but I have also felt excitement and sheer joy. I have seen how far I can push myself and with the help of others I have seen that I could still push further. I feel that I am a better person since signing up, rebuilding myself and becoming a person that I like a lot more! Continue reading “From Graphics Badger to Honey Badger – Husslepuff on Fresh Meat & Beyond”
This Valentine’s day, we’re celebrating all the love and shoves that derby brings. We also celebrated Galentine’s day because there’s just so much damn love to go around.
Continue reading “Bruises are red, they’re violet and blue. A celebration of our derby wives <3”
Last week we welcomed our new skaters as they arrived for their first Fresh Meat session. We did our best not to terrify them, but asking them a ton of questions as they kitted up probably didn’t help. Continue reading “Welcoming the new Fresh Meat – January 2017”
Continue reading “It all started with a stopwatch and a whistle”
As 2016 turns into 2017, we welcome our new co-Captains Cole and Stings Like Abbie. Cole and Abbie have been with the league two years and both skated in the British Roller Derby Championships.
Continue reading “HRD Co-Captains Talk Leggings, Derby Names and 2017 Plans”