In addition to running the store, Raven has also been very much involved with Bairn City Rollers (who she skates for), but has also made inroads into tournament planning and even a little team creation of her own. I caught up with her at the Into The Nitemare base to talk about her discovery of roller derby, the newly revealed Team Nitemare, and other facets of her involvement in Roller Derby.

It’s a Friday evening, and I’ve just found the home of Falkirk’s local Skate Store in a quiet residential area, thanks to the Queens of the Sin Bin tshirt gracing a torso dummy in the window. For now, Into The Nitemare runs its business from home, all of the stock carefully located out of the way of the two kittens who prowl the living room in that slightly uncoordinated way that immature cats do.

I’m interviewing Raven on a Friday because the very next day, she and Titan are off south to attend a bout in England along with their stall. The wide travel for the business has become an increasingly common part of their lives, and has both fed into and from their list of contacts in UK Roller Derby.

“We founded a book shop around 3 years ago, mainly because I love books; and because I discovered I hated working for other people. Heard of [Fierce Valley Roller Girls], went to a fresh meat taster, but couldn’t commit. Stayed involved in derby, started doing a range of clothes. Discovered Queens of the Sin bin, through FB, and started doing their clothes… and then Dundee Roller Girls asked us if we wanted to have a stall at one of their fundraisers… and the travel didn’t stop.“

And of course, the lure of actually skating was never far away. With the business doing well, Raven was also in contact with Wee Zoomer (who had also tried out derby at Fierce Valley) and her husband Megabloker, who had just started with the Jakey Bites.
“[Megabloker] really wanted a full, male, league to develop all the skills that the girls do [not just a constructed team like the Jakeys]. He asked if we could provide some sponsorship to start them off.” And one thing led to another, and Scotland’s first co-ed league, Bairn City Rollers, was formed. Things started moving rapidly after that, with Raven herself putting on skates again:
“I started skating in May last year; 5 days after my derby anniversary, I bouted [in Cherry Pop]. It was AMAZING.“

This drive seems to be shared by the whole of Bairn City (although Into The Nitemare also handle Bairn City’s bout arrangements), as they have left the traps after their first bout at something of a sprint. One or more of the leagues’ three teams (men’s Skelpies, women’s Central Belters, co-ed Belter Skelpers) is bouting every month for the next year, excepting December, an ambitious schedule even for a very established league, which Raven admits.

“We have pushed it hard and fast. But it’s been good. Really Good. We’re a very close knit community; there’s some politics, but you get that everywhere. But we’re a like a giant family – we socialise CONSTANTLY. Not arranged functions or events, we have an extended social support network. Some things that have happened recently, I wouldn’t have gotten through without them. It’s going to be a hard year, but I’m very excited.“

As perhaps with many roller derby players, enthusiasm for the sport pervades most of Raven’s responses to questions, whether asked about meeting Vienna Rollergirls (who were put up by Bairn City’s You Sayin’ Bolt for their visit to play Auld Reekie); “lovely lovely girls“, or her feelings about fellow Scottish derby store 5th Blocker Skates; “[owner Marshall] Lawless is awesome; she’s just generally awesome, proper derby crush, I love the way she jams. We’d not want to step on her toes.“, or Granite City Roller Girls; “Clinically Wasted, she’s brilliant: legs everywhere.“

This enthusiasm has also seen its way into sponsorship of a number of teams across the UK, and even into Europe (Trondheim Roller Derby Norway are proud sponsorees). Perhaps a little more controversially, it’s also seen individually sponsored skaters invited to join a co-ed exhibition team, Team Nitemare.”[Team Nitemare] kind of came about by accident. We’d been toying with how cool a ‘Team Nitemare’ would be, but we toyed with it and dropped it and toyed with it. And then Bob [Battle of Britain] came about. We were approached by Rollin Thunder of SDR, one of whom’s fellow skaters is sponsored. So we made a list and asked various skaters we like, and thankfully they all said yes. […] They’re not all really well known names, but they’re talent we think should be pushed to the fore.“

The obvious slippery slope argument of “corporate ownership” immediately rears its head as soon as private individuals start constructing their own teams, but Raven is adamant that Team Nitemare is somewhere between a bit of fun and a promotional tool for co-ed derby.

“It’s mainly…” she says, tailing off for a moment with surprise that someone might think she’d be making a team for self-aggrandising reasons, “…the whole point behind it is, well women’s derby is big and still growing at a massive rate. Men’s derby is catching up fairly rapidly. Co-ed is fairly new… and we just think that it needs an extra push. It’s mainly going to be exhibition stuff, 2 or 3 games at year, just to show how girls and boys can work together.

We’re not going to ask to be on the rankings. And our players all play for other established leagues – we’d never expect them to come play for us over them! That would defeat the whole thing! It’s all meant to be a bit of fun.“

Since the interview, another sponsored Co-ed team, Team Daring, has been announced. It will be interesting to see how this aspect of derby evolves in the coming year…

Fun comes up a lot for Raven in other contexts as well. It’s clear that while she loves roller derby, and takes the sport seriously, she’s also quite committed to the need for the sport to be entertaining. This becomes clear when we get on to discussing some of the hot topics of roller derby, and after dealing with the issue of new mins, where she shows a serious side:

“You can’t stay still. Every thing you do; every time you watch a video, go to a bout, go to a social skate, go to training, it’s all about learning. Everything’s a learning curve, a learning process. So, yeah, it’s going ot be hard for some people, but at the same time, it’s that progression, it’s going to push people. I think it’s a good thing, I do think it’s a good thing. I think it’s going to take a lot of people… I mean, I read some of the bits of it and I thought what, oh no! But when it comes around again, I think it’ll be okay.”

and a commitment to safety

“And I like the fact that Derby is the only sport in the world where you have to take a written test! I think that’s amazing, there’s no other sport in the world that does it. But that’s one of the selling points for people. You get asked, ‘oh, well is it just punching people?’ and you can say, well, no you have to set a full set of minimum skills tests, and a full written test about the rules. You can’t just ‘go up and lamp someone’!”

but then almost immediately switches tack segueing into the topic of derby names and ‘proper sport’:

“… the rules test, the new minimums, the new blog on should derby names be your real name, I mean ‘people won’t take you seriously if you don’t skate under your real name’(!)

Some of the greatest sports people… and performers like Madonna; Lady Gaga, she doesn’t go by her real name!“

The awareness of the overlap between competition and performance (which is a part of most team sports) is also clearly deep in Raven’s psyche, as we talk about what’s special about roller derby, compared to other sports. “It attracts people who don’t feel to be comfortable in “mainstream” situations. Slightly alternative, a bit different, a bit geeky. it attracts the less confident, because you get to put …on a set of skates, and the derby uniforms – I’ve never been excited about wearing a skirt before in my life before that Saturday.

It’s totally out of character – I’m a baggy jeans, doc martens and a big baggy jumper kind of girl. So for me to wear short shorts and a dress, and face paint; not only is it out of character, it also gives me that confidence to say “let’s go and do this!” So is it a costume, or armour? “For me… costume, definitely.“

Finally, I get on to the other big event in Into The Nitemare’s future: their UK tournament at the end of the year. We don’t have quite as much time to discuss the details of selection as either of us would have liked, but as with Team Nitemare, Raven’s Battle of Britain features teams that she, well, gets on with. “Obviously we sponsor Rainy City, the Reapers… Shoetown, oh, how could I forget my Shoetown girls, are also sponsored… but we have the Central Belters because I skate with them, and we asked the Lothian Derby Dolls because we thought they’d be at the right level to play the Belters and Belfast to challenge Rainy City. We’ve had a huge amount of help from the Scottish Roller Derby [community] in arranging things.“

Organisation is understandably still under development, but as always Raven seems committed to making the tournament entertaining. A tournament is a process for finding the best team, in theory, but if there are no upsets, the brackets can be predictable. “It’s going to be 3 teams per group,” she says, speaking about her current concern, “But just putting them in the right way to stop the result being predictable. The obvious final would be Rainy v Belfast… but we don’t want that, we want something a bit different.“

Whether she gets her wish or not, Raven will certainly make sure that the event is run in the derby spirit of hard work and a sense of humour, and perhaps that’s the most important thing.

Team Nitemare: http://www.facebook.com/TeamNitemare

Battle of Britain: https://www.facebook.com/events/307235179377214/

Into the Nitemare Derby Store: http://into-the-nitemare-roller-derby-store.myshopify.com/

Come along and get bitten by the Roller Derby Bug that’s sweeping the nation!

All we ask is that you are over 18, have a bit of gumption, a splash of spirit, a dose of commitment and a sense of humour.

We have skates and protective equipment all waiting for you to try on before the Derby Bug bites you and you rush off to buy yourself some pretty new gear

Joining GCRG is a brilliant way to get fit and meet new people!

Yes this is a women’s sport but GCRG are on the look out for referees, so any guys who would like to get involved in the sport should pop along too!

See You on the Track!!

GCRG xx

The action begins at 15:30, tickets are already moving so make sure you grab some while you can. We’ll see you at The Peak!

Join the Facebook event to keep up to date with the latest information.
Purchase tickets for Scrape Fear here.

We will be supplying you derby fans with two exciting bouts!

Granite City’s co-ed team ‘Of Fights and Men’ skate together for the first time against the much respected and fantastic ‘Jakey Tayzers’.
So come along and watch the mixed teams of men and women battle it out on track!

That’s not all…

We are so excited to also announce that the first bout of the day will be an all female ‘Cherry Popper’ to get you warmed up! Two teams made up from 7 different Scottish leagues, with some skaters making their debut. Ladies from Nasty Nessies Roller Girls, Dundee Roller Girls, Bairn City Rollers, Fierce Valley Roller Girls, Auld Reekie Roller Girls, Glasgow Roller Derby and of course Granite City. Watch, support and take note -

You will be witnessing some of Scotland’s best new talent on track.

So get this date in to your diaries, it’s not to be missed.

Tickets on Sale soon! Online Advance: £5, Door: £6 Under 14s Free with paying adult
Doors open: 11.30am. First bout 12pm.

Cakes, Merchandise and Local Vendors will also be there.

Join our Facebook Event

Disc
Dundee International Sports Centre, Mains Loan – Dundee
Details

Date/Time

Date(s) – 13/07/2013
11:30 am – 5:00 pm

Location

Disc

Firstly: London Rollergirls’ London Brawling are holding a Bootcamp in Edinburgh, hosted by Auld Reekie Roller Girls. The tickets went onsale at midday today, and the Intermediate session has entirely sold out already. However, if you’re New WFTDA Mins passed, you can still book onto the Advanced session, where there are a small number of places free.

https://www.facebook.com/events/571365989561526/ is the link for the event.

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Secondly, in order to give people enough time to bid, Glasgow Roller Derby have extended the deadline on their fundraising Auction for ECDX by a whole week. It looks like the counters for time available haven’t been fixed at the time of writing, but I am informed that there is really a week left, not less than 4 hours!

This could be your chance to get tickets to the Sealife Centre, rock CDs, gardening work, or even a custom doll made in your image, for a bargain price, and also help one of our two history-making Scottish leagues get to Philadelphia in late June!

http://glasgowrollerderby.com/auctions

Everyone remembers the excitement of the last roller derby world cup, when a group of our best female skaters made the trip to Canada to take on the rest of the world. Well now its the boys turn. With an all male Roller Derby World Cup in the pipeline for 2014 its time to get the wheels in motion, and that is exactly what they are doing.

Already sporting the team title ‘The Power Of Scotland’ the team are now looking to start recruiting. Not only skaters but NSO’s, a Team Manager and Coaches.

The first training session is planned for the 1^st of June and anyone who would like to be a part of the team, whether on skates or off is urged to make it along to the session at the Grangemouth Sports Complex, They’re even going to treat you to an after party! All of the details are posted below as well as links you can follow if you would like to apply to skate, coach or manage.

This is sure to be a huge event so get the date in your calendar and come show the boys some support!

The first training session for potential team members will be on:

01/06/2013
13.30-18.00

Grangemouth Sports Complex (Hall 2),
http://tinyurl.com/c6jq592

Session cost: £10

1. ALL skaters and support staff who wish to attend the session should fill out the registration form located here: http://tinyurl.com/cjvhd2h

2. We will require a Head Coach, Assistant Coach and Team Manager. If this interests you then please fill out the separate application form here:http://tinyurl.com/cednotc

3. We will require NSOs, Referees, First Aiders and general support staff at all stages of the training event and further try-out dates. If you are interested in helping then please fill out the general registration form in section 1.

4. Everyone attending the event in an official or skating capacity should try to arrive 30 minutes before the practice time to ensure you are registered correctly and to kit up.

5. If skating, please bring your own supply of water/drinks. There are vending machines and a café at the venue. All skaters should bring a black and white numbered t-shirt.

6. All skaters should be at mins passed level and over 18.

After the first session there will be an after party at Stenhousemuir Cricket Club (Time:TBD), cost for entry: £3 per person:

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/stenhousemuircricketclub/location/

If you have any questions then please contact powerofscotland@gmail.com

Brawny jamming v Preston , in FVRG’s second public bout. (Photo: Claire “ChaosFaerie” Brunton/zenspirations photography)

My sister Meadhbh started with Belfast Roller Derby in August 2011 and wouldn’t stop talking about it. I went to see her bout in an intra league game in November, despite being totally baffled by the rules, I loved it. She told me about Fierce Valley and with a bit of encouragement I got in contact and I haven’t looked back.

Have to say my sister, eh Sylvia Wrath. She really is though, I’m so proud of how far she’s come with roller derby, now being Captain of the Banshees. I got the chance to scrim with her but I’m not sure I’d want to play against her!

It was a nightmare choosing a name, I struggled to find something I thought was good enough. Some things I thought were hilarious, flopped when I told other people… Brawny Tyler just popped into my head one day; I do love a good power ballad, particularly Total Eclipse of the Heart. I’m a little ashamed of her most recent song for Eurovision though, she’s letting the side down.

Fear, particularly of falling and hurting myself. As my confidence grew though, the fear subsided, or at least the drive to get better started to override the fear. That and a pair of padded shorts.

Because derby has taken over my life I always feel the need to tell people about it. Recently the trainer taking my gym induction, I talked her in to contacting FVRG about Fresh Meat.

Embracing and being more positive about the new WFTDA mins. At first it was a bit daunting but at least it’s forced me to focus on certain skills like transitions. After picking up some good tips at the GRD bootcamp I’m sure I’ll get it…eventually!

I’m finding it hard getting used to being split up as we prepare for the intra-league, it feels strange to be pitting myself against people who have been team mates. It is all in good spirit though and I’m really looking forward to it. Ask me next week though and I’ll probably say climbing Ben Nevis!

Firstly, and very soon indeed,

Harsh Tug @ The Flying Duck

The night of the 24th of May sees The Notorious B.A.G. provide a night of hip-hop, gangsta rap, and other musical genres which this correspondant is too old to properly appreciate, hosted at The Flying Duck.

All proceeds go to the ECDX fund.

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If you’re still up for more Glasgow Roller Derby related musical goodness, GRD-skater-based-duo SummerSlams are DJing an event, “Bitch, Please!”, at Nice N Sleazy on the night of the 31st of May, promising an eclectic mix of musical genres, and specially featuring Glasgow-based Grime artist Patricia Panther.

Once again, all proceeds go to the ECDX fund.

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Both of the above events start at 11pm, and are £3 entry.

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Finally, if you’re not one for late nights and music, the long promised GRD Fundraising Auction has launched, with “items” up for bidding including tickets to various events, custom art works, cupcakes and one day’s time from a GRD skater. You can check out all of the possibilities on the special GRD Auction page.

A last-minute cancellation by one of their hosts means that as many of 6 of their skaters have nowhere to stay in Edinburgh for the entire period they’re visiting.

We know that the derby community is full of helpful and supportive people so:

If anyone can put up any number (up to 6) Viennese roller girls from 16th to 21st May, then you will have their eternal gratitude. (Edinburgh much preferred, but I suspect that in reasonable distance would work if needed.)

Contact: Sabine HansaBlast Anderson or Anke Schaffartzik via Facebook if you can help.

Situation resolved: thanks to You Sayin Bolt of Bairn City Rollers, housing has been found for all of the potentially homeless skaters for Vienna. Thanks to everyone who offered a place for them!

Buffy: First of all, I’d like to address what the new minimum skills actually mean for non-WFTDA leagues. Basically, they are as big a deal as your league wants them to be. The first page of the document has some interesting stuff to say that I think a lot of people are forgetting:

The minimum skills are:

- Required for charter team skaters playing WFTDA sanctioned games.

- Strongly recommended for skaters playing in interleague scrimmage or games.

- Strongly recommended for skaters playing in intraleague (home) scrimmages or games.

- Recommended for new skaters to graduate to contact drills and intraleague (home league) scrimmages.

What this means is that if you’re a new league or for whatever reason just don’t yet have a sufficient number of skaters to field a team who all meet the new minimums you can still scrimmage, and even bout, as long as you agree it in advance with any prospective opponents.  The goal of this update is not to turn Derby into a game for only elite-level skaters, but it is definitely a move to ensure that WFTDA tournaments and games between WFTDA members represent a good standard of play.

I do expect that in the near future the new minimums will become the standard for interleague competition, as more and more teams are able to meet them – but remember that as the standard of play rises so will the standard of coaching available. The way up for a new league hasn’t suddenly become longer, but it does maybe need a little more thought now.

Gadget: So early April saw the release of the updated WFTDA Minimum skills assessment to a very mixed review from my fellow skaters.

First and foremost, I’d like to echo what Buffy has so rightly pointed out, these minimums are only compulsory for WFTDA leagues! Of course they are strongly recommended for all others. If a league plays under the WFTDA ruleset, it would make sense for that same league to start updating their minimum skills for the league as a whole, whether WFTDA or not.

Buffy: The old minimums were built primarily with safety in mind; though I think it’s fair to say that was never their sole purpose. For instance 25 in 5 was not a safety requirement, but it helped ensure a base standard of athletic ability which was necessary for competitive play. Just as 27 in 5 represents the increase in the general athleticism of the sport today.

Gadget: Lets look at what’s been added and taken away. We see the addition and subtraction of various skills. Like so many other skaters, I am glad to see the back of the unnecessary baseball slide fall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use this fall in active gameplay. The new minimums focus very much on specific skills that, if you were brought up on the old minimums, you very quickly learned you needed to succeed in the game. As well as skill, it is upping the expectation of speed from the skaters, with the addition of 27 in 5 and being able to complete one lap in 13 seconds from standstill. Other skills that have been introduced are reverse crossovers, transitions. A lot of the minimums now have clearer descriptions on what is expected, thus making it far easier for leagues to interpret and teach to their aspiring future derby players.

Buffy: Derby is no longer simply a game about skating fast and turning left. The sport has evolved in ways few people could have anticipated in 2009, when the minimums were last updated, and as a result the modern game changes pace and even direction very quickly. So I think it’s right that things like transitions are now seen as part of the core skill-set. As many of us will have seen, a poorly executed transition can lead to serious injury. Putting too much torque on the ankles can lead to anything from strains and sprains to spiral fractures (where the bone is broken by twisting it, not snapping – which almost always requires surgery). To say nothing of the obvious risks to suddenly changing direction and falling in front of other skaters.

This aside, the bulk of the minimums have actually been streamlined – the section on “sticky skating” (or skullcrushing as some called it) has been condensed to one line: “Propels self while keeping all 8 wheels on the floor.” Skaters now simply have to be able to competently land legal hip and body checks while skating at a decent speed. It’s less about box ticking and more about ensuring that people are comfortable and, most importantly, safe on skates.

Gadget: Personally, at first I was disheartened at seeing the addition of 27 in 5, particularly because I remember how long it took me to achieve in the first place then again when returning from injury. However after some reflection, I think it’s a great addition. Having 25 in 5 before wasn’t really that good of an indication of a skaters endurance. Yes they can skate fast for 5 minutes, but could they skate fast for multiple jams in a row? Most of a period? A game? Unfortunately for some skaters, the answers to these questions are no. I also feel that new and old skaters alike will benefit greatly from the inclusion of these skills, making them better, more skilled derby players in the long run. I love that I can transition, not particularly fast, but I can. And I look forward to the day that I do this on track without having to think about it.

Buffy It’s probably been apparent that I’m all for this change, especially as the WFTDA have been careful to be inclusive in their approach. They are not saying you must be able to skate this well to play, they are simply saying that this is the standard expected in their own competitions. I’ve seen skaters who could technically pass their minimums thrown into bouts well before they were ready, this is disheartening for the person concerned – it’s easy to keep a nice strong stance when you’re asked to do so for a minute or two in order to be assessed on it, it’s quite another to be able to maintain it while keeping up with a fast pack and trying to not be taken out by an opponent.

As a referee I technically do not need to be able to pass minimum skills, the required standard of skating for referees is entirely up to the leagues they train with. Most leagues will use the minimums for skaters as the basis for referee training, and there will be a level that each league expects before allowing a new official to start refereeing scrimmages and then later bouts. Personally, I’m an advocate of strong skating skills for referees. We need to be fast at OPR and able to quickly change pace to follow the skaters from the inside, this is particularly true of Jam Refs. We also all need to be confident enough to do all this without thinking about what our skates are doing, while making decisions which can drastically alter the game.

Conclusion:

Buffy: The old minimum skills really were the minimum required. Some may find it disheartening to hear this but very few established skaters were struggling with any of the old skills. A skater who can pass these is actually pretty good, not merely safe to share a track with. This means that when new skaters do pass, they’ll know that they’re at a higher standard than the generation of skaters before them was when they first took to the track. Our sport is evolving and improving, which I think we can all agree is a very good thing.

Gadget: Yes it will take time to be able to do all of these skills. Chances are, you can probably achieve most of them, if not all already. Don’t be disheartened if you can’t. Everyone else had to learn and you can too. You need to work hard, the same as you did for your original minimums. Your league will thank you for it as you will become a better skater who is more agile, fast and overall more skilled.

My final thought is that I’d like to echo what Buffy has said, these new skills will make new skaters joining bouting ranks more equipped to deal with the state of play that is now happening at scrimmages and bouts.