FOCO GIRLS GONE DERBY BRINGS YOU THE HEROES VS. VILLAINS SEASON CLOSER BOUT
Saturday, Nov. 5, at Rollerland Skate Center, 324 S. Link Lane, Fort Collins
Doors open at 7 p.m., bout begins at 7:30

With the Villains out to prove bad girls have more fun, and the Heroes ready to roll to the rescue, FoCo Girls Gone Derby’s season closer is guaranteed to be an epic battle of good versus evil. FoCo’s skaters were recently drafted for next season, and home teams have been scrambled and reassembled. Attend this 2011 season finale bout Saturday, Nov. 5, to find out whether your favorite skaters are using their powers for good or if they have joined the dark side.

For a dose of derby every day, purchase FoCo’s 2012 pin-up calendar, available for $10 at the bout. The calendar features 12 skaters chosen by fans through a Facebook poll, along with lots of great action shots and candid photos from the 2011 season.

A portion of the proceeds from this bout will go to the Fort Collins Bike Co-op, an organization that promotes bicycle riding and safety, and refurbishes bikes for those who can’t afford them.

Tickets are $10 presale and $15 at the door. Students and members of the military receive a reduced rate of $10 with a valid ID. Ages 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased through the Rollerland Skate Center ticket booth, from any FoCo derby girl or online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Purchases also can be processed by phone at 800-838-3006.

Umm...OUCH!

This blog is for all the new recruits out there working their behinds off in practice...so pay close attention recruits! This stuff is HARD!

All through my practices of Basic Skating, Derby Skills, and League Practice I thought I was in pretty good shape. No, I couldn't run a marathon, but I exercised and kept myself healthy. My first scrimmage with the league was a total SLAP in my face! These ladies make it look so easy during bouts!

I had no idea how tired I would be after jamming for 2 minutes! My legs felt like half melted jello, my chest was on fire because I was breathing so hard, and I could barely see around the track! That last bit about seeing is my own fault due to my blindness and phobia about touching my eyes with contacts, but still!

After my first or second jam I was wrecked! Slamma Jamma said I should let all the recruits know just how difficult these scrimmages and bouts can be. So recruits, here's my advice to you. TRAIN HARD!!

Use the practices you have now and push yourself to move past your comfortable limits. (safely, of course) If you're not feeling challenged enough, ask the trainers that night to mix in some sprints in between skills to get your heart and body working!

If you can complete your skills under stress during recruit practices, then when it's time for your first scrimmage.....you'll be ready to kick some derby tail!!

That's my little Skank!

I couldn't be happier, more excited, or proud!

Let me explain. During my first practice as a new recruit I made a really good friend. You may have seen her this past Saturday at our Annual Black & Blue Ball, The Original Skankster. This was her Derby debut and I was so very proud of her! She worked her little butt off and she rocked her first bout! It was her goal to make it through the ranks and bout before the season ended. I'm pretty sure she only missed 1 or 2 practices since we started in March! That's pretty impressive! If you could have seen my face during her first jam....I was like a proud mama watching her baby walk for the first time. I swear to you...my eyes were welling up a little bit! So happy for my little Skank!

I'm also super pumped for finally making it to Thursday night scrimmages! This is my last step to debuting in my first bout after I get my bearings and hopefully show all the ladies, coaches, and team captains that I'll be an asset on the track! That makes it sound like I have to prove myself to everyone, that's not entirely true. I have to prove myself to only me...and I'm the harshest judge! The ladies and coaches only want me, and the rest of the recruits, to succeed on the track and they do everything in their power to help me reach my goal. And my goal is to skate in the November 5th bout!

Hopefully I'll reach that goal before the end of the 2011 season. If not, then you can bet you'll see me in 2012!

Black and Blue and Dressed to Thrill

FoCo Girls Gone Derby
cordially invites you to attend the
Sixth Annual Black and Blue Ball
Saturday, Oct. 8
Rollerland Skate Center, 324 S. Link Lane, Fort Collins
Doors open at 7 p.m., bout begins at 7:30


Time to break out the taffeta and sequins. FoCo Girls Gone Derby, Northern Colorado’s original roller derby league, is throwing its sixth annual Black and Blue Ball at Rollerland Skate Center on Saturday, Oct. 8.

FoCo’s skaters will be dressed to dazzle as home team Chanel Cartel, in black evening gowns, faces off against home team rivals the Deathrow Dolls, decked out in their finest blue formalwear. This is no choreographed dance, however. Roller derby is a serious sport played according to rules determined by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

The annual Black and Blue Ball is a chance for skaters to get glamorous, while still playing the rough-and-tumble sport they love. Appropriate attire takes on a different meaning in roller derby, and fans are encouraged to get involved in the pageantry by voting for the skaters they feel are the ugliest-dressed, hottest-dressed and an overall Belle of the Ball. Voting is unlimited at $1 per vote. Ballots must be cast by the end of halftime, with the winners announced during the second half. Prizes will be awarded, and winners will be available for photos with fans following the bout.

A portion of the proceeds from this bout will go to the Fort Collins Bike Co-op, an organization that promotes bicycle riding and safety, and refurbishes bikes for those who can’t afford them.

Tickets are $10 presale and $15 at the door. Reduced rate of $10 with a valid student or military ID. Ages 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased through the Rollerland Skate Center ticket booth, from any FoCo derby girl or online at www.brownpapertickets.com or www.focogirlsgonederby.com. Purchases also can be processed by phone at 800-838-3006.

Who We Are

Typical statement made after someone discovers I'm part of the FoCo Girls Gone Derby League..."No Way!?!", "You're joking!", "You don't look like you play derby!" My inner response to that is "What does a derby player look like?"

The fact is there is no typical player. We're all different personalities, sizes, and shapes. We all hold different talents on the track whether it be speed, blocking, hitting, or juking. Our commonalities are that we love derby, are all productive members of our community, and we lead the same lives as everyone outside of derby.

Some players are in retail, marketing, counselors, business leaders, students, and medical professionals. Most are also wives and mothers following their dreams. We work hard during our days and we work just as hard during our practices.

I wonder what picture of a derby player the average person holds in their head? Are we only women that wear fishnets, short skirts with tattoos and piercings, and a neon colored mohawk? If that's the preconception, then we need to get those people into a bout to see for themselves that all the participants of FCGGD are valuable members of society despite our pension for fishnets. Most likely you've already run into one of our skaters, refs, or non-skating officials during your normal day to day errands.

We might be serving you in a restaurant, helping you make your business more successful, or creating the art that is hanging in your living room. In my case, I just may be giving you that flu shot this year!

FoCo Punchy Brewsters vs. Cheyenne Capidolls

Fresh from their win in Pueblo on Aug. 26, FoCo’s Punchy Brewsters are ready for the next challenge. The team may be FoCo’s newest, but its skaters have tasted victory and are hungry for more. FoCo Girls Gone Derby’s second travel team, the Punchy Brewsters, take on their neighbors to the North, the Cheyenne Capidolls, Saturday, Sept. 10, at Rollerland. Doors open at 7 p.m.; bout begins at 7:30.

FoCoGGD also is proud to celebrate league founder Jerica “Urrk’n Jerk’n” Martin, who has been selected to compete on Team USA for the Roller Derby World Cup! Martin skates with Denver’s Rocky Mountain Roller Girls and is a national champion from last year’s ultimate derby competition. The tournament will be held Dec. 1-4 in Toronto and is the first of its kind. Seven skaters from Colorado were chosen – more than from any other state – proving once again that Colorado is home to some of the best derby players in the world.

A portion of the proceeds from this bout will go to the Fort Collins Bike Co-op, an organization that promotes bicycle riding and safety, and refurbishes bikes for those who can’t afford them.

Tickets are $10 presale and $15 at the door. Students and members of the military receive a reduced rate of $10 with a valid ID. Ages 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased through the Rollerland Skate Center ticket booth, from any FoCo derby girl or online at www.brownpapertickets.com or www.focogirlsgonederby.com. Purchases also can be processed by phone at 800-838-3006.

The Best

The trait that I think makes FCGGD great is that they don't hold the typical "try-outs". They believe that if you have the drive and the desire to play derby then you should play! It doesn't matter if you've never placed your foot in a skate or aren't the typical athletic body type. Big, tall, green, or small there is a place for you in derby! To begin you just simply attend one of the regularly scheduled information sessions at RollerLand. In that session you're given information about how practices are run, average time commitments, the financial cost of derby, and how FCGGD benefits our community. From there, you'll have some time to think about joining and then come back for the fabulous, but always necessary paperwork session! (WhooHoo!) Then, after that meeting you'll be ready for your first practice (which you can read about in a previous blog).

Like I said before, the only requirement for FCGGD is that you have the passion for derby. All new recruits go through the same steps of training so it doesn't matter if you've never skated, haven't skated since the 2nd grade, or think you have the wrong body type (Boloney!). Basic skating skills will be your first 4 weeks of training. If you need more training with skating than you get more! There's no pressure except the pressure that comes from yourself.

Bottom line: there is no reason for you to be sitting there reading this blog when you could be skating with FoCo Girls Gone Derby!