contact rainycityrollergirls@yahoo.co.uk meet the girls, find out about the game and put some skates on and give it a go. all are welcome.
We always need new recruits, whether you have skated before or not. Come along to learn more about the fabulous world of Roller Derby with the Rainy City Roller Girls.
Roller Derby is one of the fastest growing all girl contact sports in the UK and if you like the idea of roller skating, wearing fish nets and don’t mind knocking other girls to the ground then this sport might just be for you!!!! We need girls to join our league, so if you think you’ve got what it takes and you’re not that scared of a contact sport on wheels then come down to practice and see if it’s for you – It’s over 18’s only…
Don’t worry you can borrow skates and safety equipment, just come along or if you like get in touch to say that you are coming,
If you are over 18
If you feel like you need a new challange
If you want to learn what life on 8 wheels is like
THEN WE WANT YOU
If you are not sure about skating you can still get involved – coaching, NSO’s, jeer leaders, penalty markers, general organisers, cake makers, promoters, designers etc we need you ALL!
And if you get the Derby bug this is what you will need if you wanna be a Roller Girl!!!…..
When you first start your Derby career the list of things you need can be daunting this little article is desingned to help.
To Derby you need
Wrist Guards
Helmet
Skates
Elbow Pads
Knee Pads
Mouth Guard (gum shield)
Lets start with your biggest expense…skates, what to look for where to get them and which ones to buy.
Budget- Riedell R3s or Torqs and appear to take a serious bashing before dying.Minxs Vandals and Vixens are all great skates but its probably best to be certain you want to derby before comiting that sorta cash, or if your rich uncle Ivor just popped his clogs custom skates are a great way to garuntee you get what you need form your skates………..at a cost Do not buy anything by Roller Derby the quality is poor and they are not bout legal(I mangled a pair of cobras within three months)
Most girls favour Riedell skates mainly because they are the most easily available and therefore cheaper and easier to buy replacement parts for. If you have the budget aim for a skate with a metal plate (this is the bit that runs along the base of the boot that everything else bolts on to) they are much stronger and last longer than plastic plates. Check out second hand skates if cash is tight, ebay, facebook and your leagues forums are great places to find these contact your league to see if they have any special deals with local retailers.
On to Knees this one is topic of hot debate the most common pads are 187’s Force III’s and smiths Scabs although I personally swear by protec Drop ins. All of these pads come in at around the same price bracket of 50-90 of your English Pounds depending on your size and bartering skills. These are some serious pad though rookies can get away with basic pads such as Anarchys, these are however only basic and will need to be replaced once you start to get bouting.
Wrist Guards- take it from me don’t buy cheap ones most of our League use SFR guards and they work well of the two girl wo used anarchy guards both sets suffered the same fault within weeks of eachother so I recommend avoiding them.
Elbows as above really but you can get away with your basic ones much longer becasue they don’t take as much flak.
Moouth Guards most giirls opt for shock doctor but there are huge numbers of retailer offering custom gumshields and we are yet to find a dodgy one.
Helmets, the derby world is dominated by two types, the Nutcase and TSG brands, both offer good protection won’t send your bank manager into a fit and come in pretty designs. Basic models are fine when starting but the fit is crucial, a badly fitted helmet can actually do more harm than good. Make sure you get the right size and play around with the padding and straps till it feels right then get someone else to check the fit.
Notes on wheels and bearings, I’m not even going to attempt to tell you what to buy, there are just too many varibles, the floor, your skate style, your budget and personal preferences. The best way to figure out what will work best for you is to check out what other girls are using and ask if you can do a lap or two on them (most girls won’t mind)