2011 in Review

Lost in weekly practices, the run up to bouts and the signing up for bootcamps, it's hard to believe the year has passed so quickly. 2011 draws to a close on a very different Blitz Dames than it welcomed it, but while we've made a lot of changes, our spirit remains the same! Here's a rundown of this year's achievements.

Just Awesome proves Outstandingly Awesome
Being off skates for an injury is an unfortunate aspect of derby no player looks forward to. This year the very lovely Just Awesome had to take time off to rest her knee, but in the meantime took on the demanding and stressful role of line-up manager. This requires indepth knowledge of tactics, skaters' abilities and how not to fall apart when faced with fourteen adrenaline-loaded rollergirls.

Claiming New Territory
Halfway through the year we made the transition from spreading our three practices across two venues, to our new home, the Birmingham Futsul Arena. At first we were uncertain of the sports tile floor, but we soon realised that our wheels on the tiles sounded like a helicopter. The only problem is the excess of blue gives one an urge to do the breast stroke while skating in a pace line.

A New Drill Sergent
Previously the strange guy who skated so fast he was often called for a multiplayer block on his own, the Blitz Dames voted Rex Tangle in as their coach and he's stepped up to the challenge admirably. The hardest part no doubt is to get us to shut up and do the damn drill. About six months after he was appointed, I finally figured out what his name is about. Rex Tangle. Rectangle. Get it???

Supplies
We are proud to announce we finally have our own online store, where you can buy merch to support us and look mighty fine at the same time. Coming soon, sweat, blood and tear stained items from our top skaters! (Subject to availability.)

Bouts Hosted
Although this year had its share of away bouts, we also hosted a handful of at home double headers, giving our B team skaters a chance to show their skills. The Bout production team had a lot of new members this year, but they functioned professionally and pulled off several stellar events.

The World Cup
This year there was a little thing known as the Blood and Thunder, First Roller Derby World Cup ever, held in Toronto, Canada. You might have seen that Violet Attack's hot pants were there! Infact, Violet Attack were also there, representing Team England, while Roisin Roulette represented Team Ireland. To celebrate we made an Attack of the Rollergirls tshirts. We offered to make a similar shirt for RR, but she just gave us an unnerving stare and asked if we were feeling lucky.

Pretty good work for a year! Roll on 2012!

~ Daphne du Gorier #905

Daphne Does Derby: All Ireland Roller Derby Vs Blitz Dames and All Star Challenge

Daphne du Gorier #905 played her first ever bout for the Blitz Dames travel team on Saturday, and it was against the Irish World Cup Squad! Here is her take on the day:

"Today the Birmingham Blitz Dames played host to two fantastic bouts against the All Ireland team representing Ireland in the Roller Derby World Cup. The first was with the Blitz Dames, while the second pitted the Irish team against an All-Star lineup made up of teams from the Midlands, termed the Midlands Massive.

The BBD bout was my first time bouting for the A team, while the second was much anticipated as it gave me a chance to watch some of my roller derby crushes play at close quarters.

The All Ireland team took an early lead which they maintained throughout the game using their formidable blockers to create a solid defence even the nippiest of jammers had problems getting through. The Dames were at a clear disadvantage with two skaters playing on the A team for the first time, Violet Attack only jamming and Roisin Roulette playing for the other team! Despite this, we made AIRD fight for their points. In the second half the dames adjusted their game and Izzy Dauntless and Thunderkat made some great blocks while Suzette la Flamme and Nico Warrior racked up the points in some beautiful passes.

As virgin voyages go, I couldn’t have asked for a better bout. The atmosphere was relaxed and I was confident in the positions and lineups I was being played in.

The game ended with a score of BBD 55 AIRD 244 but the dames felt satisfied with their performance and grateful to AIRD for the opportunity. No sooner had the teams done their laps of honour, the Midlands Massive team started to warm up, and excitement was in the air!

The second bout was one that proved just how much of a spectator sport derby is. As if seeing Violet Attack, Helen Fury, Nuclear Miss-ile, Voodoo Ray, Inky Minx and Kid Block skating on a team together wasn’t enough, we had the tiny but deadly Mosquito jamming like it was going out of fashion, some mind blowing power jams and BB Bombshell slicing through the pack while skating on one foot as her toe guard had come loose.

Getting to watch this bout was a real treat as you get a completely different perspective from when you’re on track. I quickly fell in love with Zola Blood who darted off the jam line like she’d never heard of inertia, and ChemiKill Hazard (who was awarded MVP) also captured my heart. Crow Jane who I had been looking forward to seeing sadly went off with an injury but not before putting up a good fight for the AIRD team. Between these fearsome ladies, Violet Attack and Roisin Roulette, I had a hard time knowing who to cheer for and gave myself a sore throat from all the screaming.

It was a fantastic day from start to finish with a great effort from all the skaters, refs, NSOs and the BBD bout production team. Thank you to everyone who made my first A-team bout such a fantastic experience. Hope to see you all on track some time.

(If I’ve made any mistakes or not linked to profiles where available, let me know and I’ll edit!)"

Blog post taken from http://daphnedoesderby.tumblr.com where Daphne blogs about all things derby on a regular basis.

The Rolling Dead...

On Saturday Birmingham Blitz Dames and Leicester's Dolly Rockit Rollers faced off against each other in not one, but two bouts!

The first bout; Dawn of the Dames vs the Raggy Dollz was the Blitz Dames' B Team's first ever bout. With a little help from a couple of friends from Wolverhampton Honour Rollers and the Norfolk Brawds, they took on DRR's B Team. The final score was Dawn of the Dames 84 - 123 Raggy Dollz.

The second bout was a BBD vs DRR A team bout. After a hard fought hour of fast jamming, hard hitting roller derby, the final score was BBD 86 - 120 Dolly Rockit Rollers.

It was a double win for the visitors (at our first ever bout in our swanky new venue; Birmingham Futsal Arena), and a fun, zombie filled afternoon all round.

Dames and Dukes at Dodgebrawl

Photo by Jason Ruffell

Last Saturday Birmingham Blitz Dames Violet Attack, Sleazy Rider, Roisin Roulette, Nina Nunchucks and our bench coach Rex Tangle took part in the UK's first ever co-ed bout at Dodgebrawl! (Plus BBD Line Up Manager extraordinaire, Just Awesome did line ups on the day!)

The Dames and Dukes were on a mixed team forming the Purple Cobras and were up against mixed team, the Average Joes.

The final score was Purple Cobras 118, Average Joes 123.... so close!

Rex Tangle got the award for Best Jammer and Violet Attack the award for Best Jammer. Nice one!

The Spy Who Shoved Me!

The final score at The Spy Who Shoved Me was Blitz Dames 120, Severn Roller Torrent 56.

Huge thanks to our old mates SRT for being such wonderful hosts and giving us a great bout!

Mixed Scrim Fun with the Harlots

The Dames would like to thank our friends the Hellfire Harlots for joining us once again for a mixed scrimmage last Saturday.

The mixed team scrimmage was loads of fun and ended in an astounding victory for the black team!

Thanks to everyone who helped the scrimmage run so smoothly.


If any other leagues would like to visit us for a scrimmage, as a league or mixed teams, drop us an email at info@blitzdames.com

Fabulous Skatefest!

Despite the bout not starting until 11.30pm(!) the Dames had a great time with their friends Severn Roller Torrent at Skatefest. The final score was Birmingham Blitz Dames 102 - 54 Severn Roller Torrent. Thanks to Skatefest ofr having us and to everyone who helped out on the day.

We'd also like to thank everyone from leagues all over the UK (and the world!) who have sent us messages of support during the riots in Birmingham. We really appreciate your thoughts at this time. It's amazing how the roller derby community pulls together!

Dames take on the Torrent at Skatefest!!!

The Blitz Dames will be taking on Gloucester's Severn Roller Torrent at 'The Spy who Shoved Me' in September. But if you can't wait that long to watch the two teams battle it out, they'll be skating against each other in an exhibition bout this Saturday at Skatefest at Rollerworld in Derby!

The bout starts at 10.30pm and there's an all night roller disco afterwards. Check out the website.

Oh, and if you want to go along and support the Dames, why not go along sporting one of our fanshirts from our online merch shop...?

Violet Attack and Roisin Roulette at the Roller Derby World Cup!

Birmingham Blitz Dames are chuffed to announce that two of our skaters have made it on to the roster to represent their countries at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup!
Violet Attack, Blitz Dames captain made the roster for Team England and Roisin Roulette made the Irish team.

The Roller Derby World Cup will be held in Toronto from 2nd-4th December 2011. To support Violet Attack as she plays for Team England, why not buy a Violet Attack tshirt from our online store? And check out our other goodies available there too!

http://blitzdames.bigcartel.com/

(Roisin Roulette for Team Ireland shirts coming soon too!)

Our online merch store is up and running!

Exciting news!

The Birmingham Blitz Dames online merch store is now up and running!

You can buy Blitz Dames Tshirts, badges, stickers and magnets and loads of other cool stuff too.
Whether you're a fan of the Blitz Dames or just a fan of roller derby, there's something for everyone.

Check it out at:
http://blitzdames.bigcartel.com/

Victory at Smacky Races!

The final score from Smacky Races:
Birmingham Blitz Dames 80 - 43 Hot Wheel Roller Derby!

It was a tough bout which can only be described as 'an utter block-fest!'

We'd like to thank all the skaters that participated in the Fast vs Furious warm up bout which was also excellent :)

Extra special thanks (and Happy first Birthday!) go out to Hot Wheel Roller Derny for being such awesome opponents and one of the loveliest teams we have ever played against. Go Hotties!

Twisted Fun!

Huge thanks to everyone who came to our Twist of Fete fundraiser. We all had a great time, and it turns out, people are willing to pay to throw wet sponges at referees! ;)

The event was the perfect end to a sweltering day which the Dames had spent hosting a mixed scrimmage with the lovely Northampton Shoetown Slayers.

Blitz Dames appear in music video

Check out some of the Blitz Dames & friends in Joan Ov Arc's video for 'Seeds of Summer' - hosted by Bedfordshire RollerGirls

Twist of Fête

If seeing the Dames on the TV made you think you can't get enough of them, come along to our Fundrasier on 26th June at Subside. It's a Summer Fête with a roller girl twist!

Traditional summer fayre games like tombola or 'splat the rat' are given a bit of a roller girl edge.... Throw a wet sponge at a ref anyone?

There will also be your typical Dames-favoured music, cakes and other shenanigans you come to expect from the Dames.

Price is £3 entry before 9pm, £4 entry afterwards.

Facebook Event

Catch up with the Dames on 4OD

If you missed the Dames on 'Embarassing Bodies: Live at the Clinic' last night, you can watch it online at Channel 4 On Demand. Click here to watch the episode on 4OD.

Tomorrow: Blitz Dames team up with Embarassing Bodies again!

Ever the advocates of female health, the Blitz Dames teamed up with the people behind Channel 4's 'Embarassing Bodies' for a second time back in March. Previously the Dames had promoted the diversity and also the importance of checking your breasts. This time, the focus was around the female genitalia. Razor Red #227 explains:

"I was fortunate enough to accompany some of my fellow Dames to a second visit to the Embarrassing Bodies Clinic, this time the topic was vulvas. I have to be honest with myself, at first I was a little unsure as to which part of the vagina the vulva was, but I was given a larger that life example of one, I won't give it away its quite a surprise you'll have to watch the show ;).

Once again so much information was brought to my attention about this area of my body, I was shocked to find out how little I knew and how little other women knew. We learnt about how to look for any abnormal colorations, this being something I myself had never even really thought about. We also learnt that the vulva itself is not one specific part of the vagina but is a collection of different parts of the vagina as a whole.

As always we had a really good day. It was very relaxed and very informative, we even had a live model; a lady called Daphne who was kind enough to show us her vulva, I think she was very brave. The crew were great and all female which was very considerate seeing as we had a live female model.

I recomend that if you're a lady you check out this episode, I really thought I was in the know about this particular area of the body but to my suprise there was a lot to learn about that needs to be made more aware! This episode will give you a much better understanding of how to check yourself for anything abnormal and indeed what to look for. I'm definitely richer from this experience, we had a good laugh, it was a real pleasure to be invited back to take part in the show!

Razor Red

xx"

You may (or may not?) be happy to know that the Dames do not bear all for the cameras themselves this time as they have done previously! ;)

The Birmingham Blitz Dames can be seen on Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic tomorrow night, Wednesday 15th June 2011, 8pm on Channel 4.

The Blitz Dames are available for interview and are happy to talk about the episode.

Swapping skates for trainers? Must be for Charity...

Dames and other fun-runners for RMHC

Last Sunday, Dames and Dukes Superoxide, Suzette la Flamme, RUFFty TUFFty, Max Dissent, Nico Warrior, Coletta L Damage and Cherry KO ran the 8.5 miles of the Great Midlands Fun Run for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Ronald McDonald House is an independent Charity which aims to provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation at hospitals across the UK, enabling families to stay close to their child and maintain a degree of normal family life. The charity is close to the Dames' hearts as our very own Freedom Fyta works for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham.

Together the Dames raised over £740 including giftaid for RMHC. It's not too late to make a donation though. Just click here.

Smacky Races

Birmingham Blitz Dames are pleased to announce their next home bout: Smacky Races against Hot Wheel Roller Derby!
This is a double header including a mixed B team bout, Team Fast vs Team Furious.

Tickets £6 in advance from http://blitzdames.com or £8 on the door. Kids under 12 £4.

The bout will be held at the Doug Ellis Sports Centre on 2nd July 2011, doors open at 1pm, first whistle at 1.30pm.

Check out the Facebook Event.

Fundraiser Fun!

Thanks to everyone who came to our Smells Like Blitz Spirit fundraiser at the Sunflower Lounge last night. We had an excellent time and rasied a fair bit of cash for the league in the process. Making money should always be this fun!

Smells Like Blitz Spirit!

We'd like to thank everyone who came and supported us at Jam Busters, our first home bout in absolutely ages last Saturday! Extra special thanks to the Lincolnshire Bombers obviously who came down and were such awesomely tough opponents. The final score was 32 to the Dames and 84 to the Bombers. Well done guys, very well deserved!


But after all that bouting, now we're in the mood for a party....Smells Like Blitz Spirit!

Party with the Dames at the Sunflower lounge in Birmingham, cakes, rollergirls and DJ sets from Count Trackula and Hayden CollideHer. Only £3 on the door from 8pm till late.

Support your local roller derby, and have a good few beers while you're at it ;)

Good job then that we have a fundraiser coming up:

Helsinki & Hellfire Harlots Happiness!

Last weekend Violet Attack, Roisin Roulette, Suzette la Flamme, Nico Warrior, X-Raych and Metal Ed attended MayDay in Hell hosted by Helsinki Roller Derby.

The bootcamp took place over the May Bank Holiday weekend (also a big Holiday in Finland!) and the Dames participated in two bouts. Bout 1 was Snow Whites vs Black Swans and Bout 2 was White Noise vs Black Metal.

For the first bout, Suzette la Flamme won the award for Hardest Blocker for the Black Swans. For the second bout, Roisin Roulette won the award for Most Valuable Player for Black Metal and Violet Attack won the award for Most Valuable Player for White Noise. A pretty sucessful day for the Dames!

The bouts were streamed live on DNN and if you missed them you can re-watch on Justin.TV here!

We'd like to thank all the guys and girls from Helsinki for putting on such a great weekend for us!


Those Dames who didn't spend their Bank Holiday weekend in Scandinavia were lucky enough to have been joined for a mixed scrimmage by the Hellfire Harlots. It was a fantastic day and we'd like to thank the Harlots, and our friends from Severn Roller Torrent for joining us.


One last reminder....

The Blitz Dames JAMBUSTERS bout against Lincolnshire Bombers is TOMORROW!

Don't forget to buy your tickets now at http://blitzdames.com

Jam Busters Tickets: On sale now!

On 7th May Birmingham Blitz Dames will be bouting the Lincolnshire Bombers at home from 3pm.

Tickets are on sale now from http://blitzdames.com for £5.

Blitz vs Bombers... who will win? Join us to find out. This is the Blitz Dames' first interleague home bout in nearly two years so it should hopefully be a good one! Get yourselves there!

Jammunition: Sirens 141 - 101 Bombshells

Massive thanks to everyone who came and supported the Blitz Dames yesterday in our first open door intraleague bout. A big shout out too to the Mersey Misfits, an up and coming league from Wirral who chose Jammunition for their first league bout road trip! We are honoured ladies!

After a very close fought bout, the final score was Sirens 141 - 101 Bombshells, making it one bout win a piece so far for the BBD intraleague teams this season.

We'd also like to thank everyone who came along to help out, referee, pedle wares, NSO (looking lovely in their special grey t-shirts ;) ), play music, announce, lay the track and be generally helpful. We could not have done it without you all!


The Blitz Dames' next bout is 7th May 2011 at home to the Lincolnshire Bombers. More details coming soon!

Jammunition!

The second Blitz Dames intraleague bout of the season. The Bombshells will be taking on the Sirens again on 16th April 2011 at Stockland Green Leisure Centre in their 'Jammunition' bout and this time YOU can come and watch.

It's only £3, what a bargain! Reserve your ticket here and pay on the door.

See you there!

(Facebook Event)

Wonderbrawl - Birmingham Blitz Dames vs Tiger Bay Brawlers

Wonderbrawl was a week ago but I still have my number written on my arm (I have washed since, and more than once…) and I found bright orange threads in my elbowpad Velcro at skate practice yesterday. At least one Tiger Bay Brawlers uniform took a battering!

Birmingham Blitz Dames v Tiger Bay brawlers was the first bout at Wonderbrawl, Manchester Roller Derby’s first home bout at the Manchester Academy. A big black room, a stage, seating down one side, a balcony, bright spotlights and an oval track – magic in the making.

The Dames bouted Croydon away a week earlier, and four of us (Nina Nunchucks, Superoxide, Suzette la Flamme and Nico Warrior) took part in the Dolly Rockit’s birthday bash in Leicester the day before, so some of us still had numbers written on our arms from previous bouts… We were joined on the track by Tuxspeedo, a Blitz Dame who’s working away in Manchester, Razor Red as alternate and the team otherwise unchanged from the Croydon bout. We didn’t know much about Tiger Bay, other than that they won their first bout against Bristol Harbour Harlots quite recently ; and some of us had seen BB Bombshell skating in mixed teams, in Windsor and Manchester.

The game was a pretty close one; both teams had successful and less successful jams through the first half, neither able to develop a significant lead. Tiger Bay blockers I think were working hard on getting their jammers through the pack, with the smaller jammers often being towed through on the shirt-tails of bigger blockers, so the Blitz Dames pack found themselves working to contain Tiger Bay rather than to help their own jammers through, and BB Bombshell and Queen la Queefah in particular made it hard work for the Dames’ point scorers. Billie Pistol and Crash Bandicute showed some impressive jamming in the Tiger Bay style and Kid Block also stood out as a big presence in the pack. Tuxspeedo, skating in her first bout, jammed effectively for the Dames and strong skating from Violet Attack and Nina Nunchucks also got them past the Tiger Bay blockers. Nico, Suzette and Superoxide showed no signs of fatigue despite their heavy bouting schedule and kept working through the tiny spaces available in the disciplined Tiger Bay pack. Sleazy Rider and Violet Attack jammed and blocked tirelessly, seemingly on track almost the entire bout.

During the second half Tiger Bay’s Queen la Queefah was wheeled out with a broken and dislocated ankle. BB Bombshell and then the Dames’ Izzy Dauntless fouled out; both power blockers treading the line between heavy and illegal hits throughout the game and both made major contributions to their teams before one trip too many to the box saw them removed from play. Tiger Bay had drawn ahead with a couple of high scoring jams and at one point were 20-odd points or more ahead. With five minutes left the deficit was around 20 points; the Dames worked hard to pull the score back, sending out their more experienced players for the last few jams but time ran out with Tiger Bay ahead 123-110. I had a lot of fun this bout; mainly playing blocker 4 and concentrating on jammer killing. I got away with it for a couple of jams, and then Tiger Bay spotted what I was up to and it got harder!

Awards for the Dames went to Diabolus Rutilus for Most Feared Player, Roisin Roulette for Best Blocker, Izzy Dauntless for Pentalty Queen and Violet Attack for Best Jammer and MVP.
Awards for Tiger Bay went to Queen LaQueefa for Best Blocker, Crash Banicute for Best Jammer, BB Bombshell for Most Feared and Penalty Queen and Kid Block for MVP.

We’re learning all the time, and have identified some areas to work on for next time; it was a hard fought bout with plenty of incident. Then we got to watch Manchester Roller Derby take on the Hot Wheel girls – plenty of roller derby action in what we hope will become a regular venue!

~ Roisin Roulette #N17

Blitz Dames take over the media... and UK bouts!

Today the Blitz Dames have entirely taken over Birmingham's media. They're on TV, radio and in the newspaper, all in the same day!

Tonight, Channel 4, 9pm - The Blitz Dames are on 'Embarassing Bodies' raising awareness of breast cancer and learning how to check their own boobs for lumps or abnormal tissue. (If you missed it, check it out on 4OD).

This morning the Dames were on BBC Radio WM - Violet Attack, Roisin Roulette and RUFFty TUFFty were on the morning show with Joanne Malin this morning. If you missed it you can listen to it online here. (If you don't want to listen to the whole show, skip to 2hrs 17 in!)

The Birmingham Mail features the Dames - Today on page 21 of the Birmingham Mail, check it out!


And if that's not enough for you, the Dames are invading TWO double header bouts this weekend! That's right... two!


Tomorrow, Superoxide, Suzette la Flamme, Nina Ninchucks and Nico Warrior will be skating in a mixed bout at the Dolly Rockit Rollers' 'Birthday Bash.' The Dolly Rockits will then take on the Romsey Town Roller Billies.



And then on Sunday the Dames take on the Tiger Bay Brawlers at Manchester Roller Derby's 'Wonderbrawl' Manchester then take on Hot Wheels Roller Derby.


Phew. That should be enough Dames action keep you going through the weekend!

Full Metal Track It Write Up

Photo courtesy of Neal Humphris

30 January 2011: Full Metal Track It
Usually we’re busy stuffing our faces with roasted food, Sunday lunchtime, but not this week. No, this week the Dames bouting team, Refs, NSOs, lineup and bench team and travelling supporters were meeting up at the van hire centre or outside the Mailbox with skates, pads, snacks, flags, snacks, boutfits, make-up bags, snacks drinks and more snacks, ready for the 3hr drive to Croydon Roller Derby’s bouting venue in Carshalton.

Having agreed that it would be childish to race all the way there in our two minibuses, we settled in for a Dames road trip. Bus 2 took an early lead, but timing and an attention-grabbing moon from Violet Attack and Little Ruffty helped Ruffty (at the wheel of Bus 1) gain ‘Lead Driver’ status as we approached the M40 and the driving contest was effectively won there and then.

Croydon were well organised and when we parked at the venue just after 4pm the track laying was well underway and we were met and directed to the changing room. This was a first public bout for several Dames (Izzy Dauntless, Nico Warrior, Kathleen Hamma, Rip Lashes and Razor Red) and there was some nervous chatter, and some nervous silence, as we waited to warm up and have equipment checked before the game. But as soon as the first whistle began we just played roller derby.

The Dames hadn’t bouted as a team since April 2010 and some of the more experienced blockers were initially a trifle over-excited to be back on track; I for one didn’t play as sensibly as I should have done, being sent to the penalty box twice early on. The first half points were fairly evenly distributed but with there was a succession of Dames stuck in the penalty box, including one jam where the box was full and blockers were waved off. Croydon later had an amazing 20-point jam (Jessica Rammit jamming) to go into the lead and by half time the score was Croydon 50-41 Blitz Dames.

Dames Captain Violet Attack gathered her troops for a quick team talk: she told us that the Dames were allowing the Croydon jammers to fly past on the outside far too easily. If we could just keep 5 players on the track for each jam, we could stop Croydon scoring. Without their power jam, Croydon would not have been in the lead. Dames blockers just needed to play with less heart and more head, and stay on the track so that our jammers would have the help they needed to slip through the pack.

We don’t like to disappoint Attack. And so the second half was a different story, with the Dames holding the Croydon jammers back more effectively, and Dames jammers steadily scoring points. There was brave and determined jamming from Nico Warrior (and I’d like to send our thanks to the Warrior friends and family for their passionate and noisy support) slipping through walls and bouncing back up every time she was knocked down, and confident and crafty jamming from Nina Nunchucks; Violet Attack as ever caused problems for the opposition wherever she chose to play, and Sleazy Rider and Izzy Dauntless were tireless in knocking holes or positionally blocking in the pack. Rookie skater Razor Red worked well at the front of the pack with Bitchy or Doc, and teamwork across the second half saw the Dames outscore Croydon with 74 points in the half against Croydon’s 31.

Croydon players we were particularly wary of were Jessica Rammit and Amazon Dragstar, Mary Blockins, Mosquito and Jeopardy Jinx; we felt that the level of derby skills was good from both teams, and everyone will have learned something from the bout. Croydon were lovely hosts, we felt welcomed and well looked after (they fed us! brought fruit and water and cake! gave us goodie bags!) and we hope we can return the love in a home fixture before too long.

Everyone involved in a roller derby game has a slightly different view and interprets that view in their own way; whether you’re in the suicide seats, the back of the stands, skating in it or standing in the centre of the track, you can’t see everything. This, then, is my recollection of the game; I was on the track a lot, I am well known for my inability to think and skate at the same time and obviously missed a lot of what was going on around me. So if I fail to mention someone’s brilliant play or amazing piece of skill, sorry, I was probably in a world of my own at the time.

~ Roisin Roulette #N17

Full Metal Track-It Final Score....

The final score from the Blitz Dames' bout yesterday against Croydon Roller Derby....

Birmingham Blitz Dames: 115 - 81: Croydon Roller Derby

Well done to everyone who skated yesterday, huge thanks to the refs, NSOs and Croydon Roller Derby for being such fabulous hosts. It was an honour to be in your first open home bout with you!

Blitz Boobs on Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies

Channel 4's medical programme Embarrassing Bodies returns tonight at 9pm. If you watch this series, you might spot a few of your favourite roller girls learning how to check their Blitz Boobies...

Back in July 2010, the Birmingham Blitz Dames were asked to appear on Embarrassing Bodies to assist in demonstrating how to do a breast check, looking for lumps or changes in tissue which could indicate breast cancer.

The producers were hoping for ‘at least six’ ladies from the team who knew each other and would be comfortable getting their boobs out in front of each other, the show’s doctor and the cameras. They came to see us skating for a typical training session at Stockland Green Leisure Centre, to get an idea of the make up of the team – they were looking for a group of women of different body shapes and ages.

In the end there were twelve Dames able to take part on the day. The filming was done in a small gallery at Compton Verney on Tuesday 27 July 2010. Everyone was a bit nervous at first, because it is a strange way to spend a morning. They were introduced to the all female team of director, doctor and camera crew, and signed some waivers saying they were happy for their breasts to be shown to the nation(!)

The breat-baring Dames were then filmed having a look round the gallery where there were photos on display showing different shapes and sizes of breasts belonging to different women, all healthy and ‘normal’ but incredibly diverse.

It was then time for the Dames to whip their tops off and stand in a semi circle while Doctor Dawn talked about how useful the programme was, and explained that they film this same segment every year with different sports teams, and every year after it airs they get calls from women who have never done breast self examination before but have done so because of the show. She’s quite sure that lives have been saved through this. This is the reason that the Blitz Dames are proud to have volunteered to take part in the show.

During the filing, the girls were assured that the camera would not focus on any one person for too long, and that generally it would be at either face or breast level, rather than showing face and breasts in the same shot. There was a discussion about bra fit and breast size and shape, how the girls felt about their boobs and generally, it was agreed that we’re all bloody gorgeous clothed or naked!

Promise Payback agreed to be the guinea pig, standing next to the doctor and demonstrating how to work around the breast, checking all of the breast tissue under the fingers and extending the examination up towards the armpit. Then everyone gave it a go, taking it in turns to look in a mirror, and nobody found anything worrying. Violet Attack volunteered for her boobs to be used as a backdrop for some facts that the production team will put up on the screen.

The following Tuesday, the camera crew joined the Blitz Dames again at the training session at Stockland Green Leisure Centre, filming the Dames in action in their natural environment, this time, with tops on ;)

The Birmingham Blitz Dames can be seen on Embarrassing Bodies on Friday 4th February 2010, 9pm on Channel 4.

For all press or media enquiries please click here. The Blitz Dames are available for interview at short notice and are happy to talk about the episode.

Luludemon Forty Four & Blitz Dames coaching session

Luludemon Forty Four, the roller girl behind the Pivotstar brand and a member of the Terminal City Rollergirls’ travel team, dropped in to coach a Thursday night practice for the Birmingham Blitz Dames on a chilly January night recently. On an extensive roller derby tour of her native UK, Luludemon’s enthusiasm for playing and coaching roller derby was still evident mid month when she reached Birmingham.
Sleazy Rider and Roisin Roulette had skated with Luludemon before, on a boot camp in Washington State in 2010, and she’s a ‘facebook friend’ of Bitter Sweet and other Dames, so it felt like having an old friend come visit.
After a lane drill warm up and stretch, we moved into the jammer skills coaching we’d asked for. Luludemon is one of those jumpy jammers with quick feet who create openings for themselves by dodging from side to side and she soon had all the Dames hopping and jumping from one foot to the other with fierce concentration. We then moved on to perfecting our cross-overs and skating form to maximise speed round the track; some of the Dames remembered working with a speed skater last year on many of the same points while there were some genuine breakthrough moments for others.
We practiced working as a blocker with the jammer to draw a wall to the inside or the outside, toe stop starts and running on toe stops; and Luludemon talked us through her tips for jammer confidence and how to take control of the jam from the starting line. Some of the Dames were entranced by Luludemon’s wise words and obvious skating skills; others were just entranced by how cute she is and how good she looks in Pivotstar shorts. There was a bit of a rush on the Pivotstar merch table after practice as a result!
So we were delighted to welcome Luludemon to our Thursday night practice, and will be repeating her drills over the next couple of Saturdays for those Dames who couldn’t make it.

~ Roisin Roulette #N17

Also, check out Luludemon's own blog about her visit to us!

Luludemon Forty-four coaches the Birmingham Blitz Dames

Bombshells vs Sirens Intraleague Bout Write-up

Bombshells v Sirens 8 January 2011.

The Birmingham Blitz Dames got 2011 off to a passionate start as the Bombshells and Sirens met on the track for their first intra-league bout of the year on Saturday 8 January 2011. Trash talking and rivalry aside, this was a first opportunity for many of the league’s rookie skaters to take to the track under bouting conditions and in all 17 skaters made their bouting debuts in front of a small but appreciative closed-door crowd.
Head Ref on the day, Metal Ed, had recruited Referees from Manchester Roller Derby and London Rockin Rollers and the home NSO crew were greatly assisted by El Toupee, Lorna, Alex and Russ. This was a first bout for BBD referees Mr Kripling and Paul also.

The Bombshells, led by Saintly Sin and co-captain Superoxide and wearing team colours of red and black, were skating under a temporary red warning sign logo, versus the immaculately turned out Sirens in white and purple with silver details. Bombshells Razor Red and X Raych in particular both displayed serious war paint and boutfit preparation while Tuxspeedo picked up Best Boutfit for the Sirens.

Initial predictions were that the bout would be close. There were last minute lineup adjustments on both sides; the Sirens were picked from a larger pool of eligible skaters, but overall the Bombshells had more experienced skaters.

The Sirens took to the track without their power blocker and tactical wizard Diabolus Rutilus, still celebrating with the Barmy Army down under, and Kylie Volatile, temporarily sidelined due to injury; they were led by Izzy Dauntless and Rip Lashes both making their bouting debuts (although Rip Lashes has taken part in a number of bouts as a referee since joining the Dames in 2008). Raging Bulmer was a last minute addition to the Sirens, while Kylie ran their line-ups and Rex Tangle bench coached.

The Bombshells were without Bitter Sweet due to injury and Cherry KO due to unforeseen circumstances. Sirens rookies Nigella Awesome and Thunderkat joined the Bombshells for the day.

Bombshells took a decisive lead towards the middle of the first period with a 14-point jam from Sleazy Rider; throughout the bout they frequently played one rookie per jam with four more experienced skaters; this meant that Saintly Sin , Sleazy Rider, Roisin Roulette, Nina Nunchucks, Queen Boudi See-ya and Superoxide had a lot of track time. One of the new Bombshells (Dirtbag Dan) had turned up for a practice unaware that she might be on the roster and played blocker and pivot; another rookie (Razor Red) played pivot, blocker and jammer at various stages in the game. Bitter Sweet ran lineups and bench managed confidently, getting the Bombshells on the track within seconds of each jam being called off, and the ‘simple plan’ Bombshells tactics worked well; Violet Attack was the only Sirens jammer to score significant points more than once, while Nina Nunchucks had three high scoring jams for the Bombshells in the second half (15-0, 15-0 and 10-0) which helped build an unassailable lead. Superoxide sustained the worst injury of the game (taking a block on her lower jaw) and was forced to retire from jamming towards the end of the second period, but there were thankfully few other injuries. Margo Headsplitter and Maddie Hit-her played as utility blockers, fitting into the pack as and when required.

The Sirens were playing a long game with an eye to building their team of the future, and sending out their rookies in 2s and 3s to gain maximum exposure and experience from the bout (while making the best of their situation since they had fewer ‘old hands’ to call upon). Violet Attack, Suzette la Flamme and Bitchy the Killer were the cool heads directing the newer skaters, such as Drue Darkness, Section Her, Ruffty Tuffty, Raging Bulmer and Promise Payback, but with strong performances from Nico Warrior, Kathleen Hamma and Tuxspeedo and determined blocking from Izzy Dauntless and Rip Lashes, none of the Sirens rookies looked lost or struggled to keep up with play. Izzy Dauntless was the Sirens’ hardest blocker as voted for by the Bombshells; other awards went to Nico Warrior and X-Raych (best rookies on each team) to Violet Attack and Nina Nunchucks (best jammers).

Final score was Bombshells 132-65 Sirens, or, Blitz Dames scored 197 points in their first bout of 2011! Many thanks to the Dames, Dudes, Refs and NSOs who helped make it such fun; we had a blast and we’re going to do it all again as soon as we can.

~ Roisin Roulette #N17

Intraleague Bout final score

Final score:

Bombshells 132 - 64 Sirens

Well done to everyone who bouted today and big thanks to all the refs and NSOs for making it go so well!

Intraleague Bout!

Tomorrow afternoon, the Birmingham Blitz Dames will be having their first intraleague Sirens vs Bombshells bout!

The event is by invitation only.

This will be the first bout for a number of the Dames and we are all very excited!

Izzy Dauntless, Rip Lashes, RUFFty TUFFty, Nico Warrior, Kathleen Hamma, Tuxspeedo, Drue Darkness, Evil Twin and Section Her will be bouting for the first time for the Sirens and Cherry KO, X-Raych and Razor Red from the Bombshells will be bouting for the first time.

Watch this space to see how it goes!