AWAY January 31 Sexpos vs Bytown Blackhearts, Ottawa, ON [108-65]

AWAY Feb 14 Scrimmage Montreal vs Boston Derby Dames, Boston, MA

AWAY Feb 21 Skids vs Albany Allstars, Albany, NY

AWAY April 4 Skids vs Calgary Roller Derby,
Calgary, AB

AWAY April 5 Skids vs Oil City Derby Girls, Edmonton, AB

HOME April 27-28 Beast of the East

AWAY May 3 Skids vs Harrisburg Area Roller Derby, Harrisburg, PA

HOME May 9 Skids vs Philly Rollergirls' Independence Dolls & Sexpos vs TBA

HOME May 23 Racaille vs Toronto's CN Power

HOME May 30th Ditas vs TBA & FDR vs TBA

HOME June 20 Ditas vs Racaille

AWAY June 27-28 East Coast Derby Extravaganza, Philadelphia, PA
Skids vs Ohio Rollergirls
Skids vs Atlanta Rollergirls

HOME July 4 FDR vs Racaille

HOME July 25 Skids vs Rhode Island Riveters & Sexpos vs Providence's Killah Bees

HOME Aug 8 MTLRD CHAMPIONSHIPS

AWAY Aug 15 Skids vs the EH Team & Sexpos vs
HCRG B Team, Hamilton, ON

AWAY Sept 19th Sexpos vs Hellions of Troy, Troy, NY

2008 MTLRD SCHEDULE: SEASON II

AWAY March 29th: MTLRD Travel Team vs Dutchland Roller
Derby, Lancaster, PA [Final score: 56-149]

HOME April 18-20th BEAST OF THE EAST: 1st Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Tournament
[1. Hamilton Harlots 2. La Racaille (MTL) 3 & 4 Les Contrabanditas and Les Filles Du Roi...lack of time and broken bodies did not allow the finals for 3rd place]

HOME May 3 - FIRST BLOOD: Part II
Racaille VS Ditas [115-120]

HOME May 17 Ditas VS Filles Du Roi [101-68]

HOME May 31 **Double Header**
Filles Du Roi (filles-ditas) vs Boston B Party [72-83]
Racaille vs Female Trouble (Baltimore) [76-120]

AWAY June 7th: MTLRD Travel team vs San Diego Derby Dolls, San Diego, CA [101-30]

HOME June 14 Ditas VS Hamilton Harlots

HOME June 28 Racaille VS Filles Du Roi

HOME July 12 Travel Team vs Hammercity Rollergirls [58-48]

HOME July 26 Championships Racaille vs Contrabanditas

AWAY JULY 30th-AUG 3rd: RollerCon '08, Las Vegas!!

AWAY AUG 16th: MTLRD Travel Team vs Long Island Roller Rebels, Long Island, NY

AWAY AUG 22-23: MTLRD pick up team @ Vancouver tournament

AWAY SEPT 13th: MTLRD TRavel team vs Maine Roller Derby, Portland, ME

PLAYERS:
-Jess Bandit
-Lady J
-K-Dawg
Ashley Thudd
Georgia W Tush
Trash N' Smash
Iron Wench
Lyn-dah Kicks
Cat Attack
Maud E Tabersmack
Boxcar Bethy
Beater Pan-Tease
Rae Volver
Lil' Momma
Bon-Bon Scott
Lil' homewrecker
Wrath Poutine
Ana Thema
Miss Sassy Craft
El Kaboom

the home dates are not confirmed yet, but the away bouts are.

March 29 MTLRD Travel Team vs Dutchland Allstars (Lancaster, PA)
April 19 TBD
May 3 Racaille VS Ditas
May 17 Ditas VS FDR
May 31 Double Header FDR vs TBD & Racaille vs TBD
June 7 MTLRD Travel Team vs San Diego Derby Dolls (San Diego, CA)
June 14 Ditas VS TBD
June 21 East Coast Extravaganza...hopefully!!
June 28 Racaille VS FDR
July 12 MTLRD Travel Team @ home
July 26 Championships
July 30-Aug 4 ROLLER CON!!!!! Las Vegas, NV
Aug 16 MTLRD Travel Team vs Long Island Roller Rebels (Long Island, NY)

Oct 28th! but unfortunetly it's not in Montreal. The New Skids will be playing the Hudson Valley Horrors in Hyde Park, New York.



After that? Who knows! We have some exciting out of town bouts lined up for our allstar and league teams this season. As for MTL bouts? We'll we need to get our act together and figure out our second season, because it's going to be even bigger and better than last year!

While you're waiting...you should donate to help us get to california, donate to georgia w tush to get her to cali, read nia capp's site www.derbyluv.com, and don't forget about us. Oh yeah, and if yer a girl you can come out to our tryouts the first week of november!!

hell yeah!


xo
the MTLRD gang

Blood, Sweat and Beers: Roller Derby in Mile End
Posted by John in Sports

MP alumnus Meg Hewings wrote an article in the Gazette not too long ago about the trials of the NWHL, the fledgling women's elite-level hockey league, which can't pay its players, struggles for sponsorship, and has sparse crowds in spite of the calibre of play. So why is the Montreal Roller Derby League (MTLRD) able to cram legions of rowdy fans into its events?

I submit that there are three answers to this question: First, the organizers have a great grasp of the concepts of spectacle and performance. Second, beer is sold for $2.50 a can. Third, there's something about women in miniskirts teetering on roller skates and delivering bone-crushing bodychecks that seems to appeal to a broad demographic.

Indeed, the event on Saturday evening, which featured three teams (La Racaille, Les Filles du Roi and Contrabanditas), had some random arena in the sketchy warehouse/railway tracks region of eastern Mile End filled with people. I'd been led to understand that roller derby is big in some lesbian circles, and this may be true, but the crowd was totally random. Hipsters, emo teens from the South Shore, families, nerds -- I defy someone to categorize it accurately.

I don't think "roller derby fans" would be accurate, by the way. Most of the people sitting around me were as confused about what was going on as I was. Or, at least, much more interested in big collisions than in the nuances of the game. The rules are pretty simple: your team gets points when one pre-designated skater (roller?) passes members of the other team, who are jostling with members of your own team and trying to knock you down, while also trying to make room for their own pre-designated skater/roller to pass your teammates. But as soon as someone gets shouldered off balance and crashes into the concrete, who's paying attention to the rest of the action?

Regardless, it was extremely entertaining. There's a range of roller-skating skill on the teams, but it's almost as fun to watch a neophyte wobble around (and inevitably get knocked to the ground) as it is to watch one of the talented skaters dart through the pack. Many of the athletes' pseudonyms are pretty funny (e.g., Georgia W. Tush). Local drag hero Plastic Patrick hosted the event, a good portion of the Guns N' Roses catalog was played, a couple of pasty, doughy luchadors fake-wrestled between games, and enough cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon were consumed to build pyramids taller than some of the kids in the stands.

I have no idea which team won. And I'm pretty sure that doesn't matter.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070518/CPACTUEL/705180821/5159/CPACTUEL

Le roller derby: freak show ou sport extrême?
Le roller derby est de retour à Montréal. Des filles, de l'action, du jeu rude. À voir absolument! (Photo André Pichette, La Presse)
Agrandir l'image

Le roller derby est de retour à Montréal. Des filles, de l'action, du jeu rude. À voir absolument!
Photo André Pichette, La Presse

Jean-Christophe Laurence

Vous pensez que le hockey est rude? C'est que vous n'avez jamais assisté à un tournoi de roller derby. Très hot dans les années 60 et 70, ce sport-contact en patins à roulettes est en train de revenir en force.

Depuis quelques années, des dizaines de ligues féminines ont explosé dans les milieux underground aux États-Unis. La bonne nouvelle, c'est qu'après Los Angeles, New York ou Dallas, Montréal vient d'emboîter le pas.

«J'étais tannée d'attendre que quelqu'un lance le truc ici. Alors j'ai pris les devants, raconte la fondatrice Alyssa Kwasny. C'était il y a plus d'un an. J'ai placé des petites annonces sur le Web. Treize filles sont venues à la première rencontre. Certaines ne savaient même pas dans quoi elles s'embarquaient. Elles pensaient seulement que ça avait l'air cool!»

Avis aux intéressé(e)s : le deuxième match de la saison aura lieu demain soir à l'aréna Saint-Louis, dans le Mile End. Le tout se fera dans une ambiance punk, digne des meilleurs manifestations «do it yourself» (faites-le vous-mêmes). Entre freak show et sport extrême, la soirée sera animée par deux lutteurs mexicains en « hot pants» et l'ineffable Plastik Patrik, travesti bien connu du nightlife montréalais

«Avant, le roller derby était un gros truc professionnel, souligne Alyssa. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes plus dans l'esprit associatif, alternatif. Ce qui explique ce côté marginal. Cela dit, on ne veut pas seulement s'adresser aux amateurs de punk. Il y a toutes sortes de filles dans notre ligue. Des étudiantes, des infirmières, des profs, des filles avec des enfants. Alors nous visons toutes sortes de publics.»

D'accord. Mais qu'est-ce qui peut bien pousser ces filles à se crêper le chignon en patins à roulettes ?

Le roller derby a beau être un show, c'est aussi un sport dangereux, propice aux gros bleus et aux commotions cérébrales. Qui plus est, chacune doit payer une mensualité pour être membre de cette coop roulante.

«Il y a un paquet de raisons, répond Alyssa. Personnellement, j'aime bien ce côté inclusif. Il faut avoir de la technique, mais on n'a pas besoin d'être super en forme. Ni de mesurer six pieds. Pour certaines, c'est aussi une façon différente de faire de l'exercice. Pour d'autres, c'est carrément un exutoire. Ça permet de laisser sortir le méchant !»

La Montreal Roller Derby League compte actuellement une quarantaine de joueuses divisées en trois équipes : les Contrabadidas, les Filles du Roy et la Racaille. Mais les portes sont ouvertes pour de nouvelles inscriptions. Après la saison, qui se termine fin juin, plusieurs iront panser leurs plaies ou passeront à autre chose. D'où l'importance de renouveler le «roster».

Montréal peut-il faire vivre une ligue de roller derby ? Pour l'instant, c'est bien parti, note Alyssa. Malgré son côté marginal, le circuit a déjà attiré l'attention des médias anglophones, de RDS et de l'émisison Infoman.

Quant au public, il semble au rendez-vous. Contre toute attente, l'aréna Saint-Louis était plein lors du premier match de la saison, il y a deux semaines. La plupart des spectateurs étaient dans les gradins, bien à l'abri. Mais sachez-le : pour un 2 $ supplémentaire, on a le droit de s'asseoir au bord de la piste, aux premières loges pour recevoir un patin (à quatre roues, précisons) en pleine gueule.

On appelle ça les «billets suicides».

Les règles du jeu

Le roller derby revient à Montréal. Rudesse, coups parfois vicieux et vitesse sont à l'honneur. (Photo André Pichette, La Presse)
Agrandir l'image

Le roller derby revient à Montréal. Rudesse, coups parfois vicieux et vitesse sont à l'honneur.
Photo André Pichette, La Presse

Grosso modo, le roller derby fonctionne comme suit : deux équipes de cinq «rolleuses» tournent autour d'un anneau.

L'important n'est pas d'aller vite, mais de marquer des points.

Chaque équipe compte une attaquante, dont la mission est de franchir le mur de «bloqueuses» qui se dresse devant elle et ce, pendant des rounds de deux minutes.

Chaque «passage» compte pour un point. Les bloqueuses ne doivent pas seulement nuire à l'adversaire, mais aussi faciliter le travail de leur attaquante.

Tous les coups sont officieusement permis et les règles sont transgressées avec plaisir. Comme à la lutte, les arbitres se font un devoir de fermer les yeux.

Un peu d'histoire

Le roller derby ne date pas d'hier. Cet ancêtre du sport extrême a été créé en 1935, au plus creux de la grande dépression, par un promoteur nommé Leo Seltzer.

Dans les années 50, le phénomène explose, avec ses ligues organisées, ses diffusions à la télé, ses joueurs vedettes et ses équipes-cultes comme les New York Chiefs et San Francisco Bay Bombers. Sa popularité culmine à la fin des sixties et atteint même Hollywood, qui produit deux ou trois films sur le sujet -dont Kansas City Bomber avec Raquel Welch, et Rollerball, relecture futuriste mettant en vedette James Caan.

>> À voir sur YouTube : extraits deTony Roman, des Bay Bombers de San Francisco, un des plus célèbres «rolleurs» de l'histoire. Rien à voir avec le chanteur québécois Tony Roman.

__________________
Ligue de roller derby de Montréal: samedi 19h30 à l'arena Saint-Louis, 5633, rue Saint-Dominique. Entrée 12$

Info : www.mtlrollerderby.com
Pour jouer : courriel à suziequadtro@mtlrollerderby.com

Hell on wheels
The Montreal Roller Derby's first-ever show embraces the mayhem
Natasha Aimee Hall, The Gazette
Published: Thursday, May 10, 2007

"Let's get ready to rrrrroooooooollllllll!" the announcer hollered.
Theresa Paternostro, 84, had no idea what she was in for. She thought she'd come to Arena St. Louis on St. Dominique St. last Saturday evening to watch her granddaughter, Jessica, roller skate and she had, in a manner of speaking.
But the Montreal Roller Derby's First Blood the kickoff of what organizers say is the city's first women's derby league is a far cry from a wholesome night at the roller rink. "She's in for a shock!" said Paternostro's daughter-in-law, Joan. Boy, was she ever. There was to be no roller-dance routine, no hand-holding, no disco ball or mood lighting, nor Olivia Newton-John crooning Xanadu over the hi-fi none of that.
Instead, there was blood lust, brutality and bruises in the bare-bones, dimly lit arena with rickety wooden stands and an echoing PA system that made the hosts sound like they were underwater.
And there was, as ultra-androgynous host Plastik Patrik declared, "Sex, blood and rock 'n' roll!"
Spectators were awash in a sea of punky hairdos, tattoos, push-up bras, red lipstick and piercings and that's just the crowd.
They had nothing on the girls: In a fantastic flurry of fishnets, gold lam and miniskirts, they swarmed the arena like bats out of hell on a mission to search and destroy. They came, they skated and they conquered.
In one corner, Montreal's very first roller derby team, Les Contrabanditas an impressive crew of menacing chicks clad in black and red miniskirts complete with tiny crinolines. In the opposite corner, their former proteges, Les Filles du Roi a bunch of brawny broads decked out in royal purple outfits, topped off with tiaras and spectacular gold lame undies.
As the bout began, all hell broke loose. It was mayhem, a melee of rollergirls flying, crashing and tumbling. The sold-out crowd was delirious. Whistles, hoots, boos and cheers filled the arena in a deafening din. The brave hearted and the desperate opted for the only spots left: the suicide seats. At only $2 each, you got more bang for your buck, quite literally, with a place on the edge of the track and a waiver to sign relieving organizers of any responsibility or liability for property damage, personal injury or death! (Sounds like fun, doesn't it?)
"Might as well be close to the action," said Thibault Duchene as he staked out his suicide seat, "where there's a lot more punch no pun intended."
No one seemed to quite understand the rules, not that it mattered. Just the sight of these women whirling around the track, elbows up, jostling and shoving each other face down into the concrete was mesmerizing. "These girls are tough," fan Dan Haber said.
The match consists of three 20-minute periods, divided into jams that last up to two minutes each. In each jam, four blockers from each team form a pack and one jammer from each team tries to manoeuvre through the pack, winning a point for each opponent they pass. Penalties are given for fouls and poor sportsmanship but what's a little cut and scrape between girlfriends?
"What happens on the track is supposed to stay on the track," said Les Contrabanditas co-captain Marie-Chantal Trachy, a.k.a. Trash 'n' Smash, in an interview before the match. "That's the roller derby spirit. Afterward, we're all friends again."
"You're not yourself on the track, you're your derby persona," said Les Filles du Roi co-captain, Paternostro, a.k.a. Jess Bandit, who, at 22 is the youngest team member.
The score was close the whole game, but in the end Les Filles du Roi emerged victorious. A final tally of 133 to 98 points was agreed upon after some debate between referees and teams. For Trachy, 27, the sting of defeat evidently doesn't compare to the sting of the bumps and bruises.
"I hurt all over but it's worth it," she said. "Even if we lost, the event was a huge success and that's a victory in itself."
The day after the derby, Paternostro was also "a little bruised, a little sore," but still flying high from the action. So what did her grandmother think of her roller derby debut?
"She loved it!" said Paternostro, "she'd never seen anything like it girls on skates knocking each other down. She likes watching people fall down and get hurt."
Secretly (or not-so-secretly) don't we all?
The next Montreal Roller Derby event, Triple Threat Battle, is on Saturday, May 19, at Arena St. Louis, 5633 St. Dominique St. at Villeneuve St. Regular tickets are $12 at the door. For info, visit www.mtlrollerderby.com.

check out the gazette article at:

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=e09a9acf-2499-4b4e-8455-5d383d4fa989&p=2

it's about jess bandit's nonna!

also thanks for coming out to our bout! it was a great turnout.

dont forget to come to our next bout on may 19th! same place. same time. same price.
if ya wanna volunteer please msg me.

that's all.

p.s. i'm drunk

georgia w tush

http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/022207/news3.html

Rocking the rink

>> Roller derby mania hits Montreal



READY TO ROLL: Les Contrabanditas


ANDREA ZANIN

"It's kind of a retro sport that's back, and a lot of people don't know exactly what it is until they see it. The new era of roller derby is a mix of burlesque and competitive sport and rock 'n' roll—that's what's cool about it. It's a sport, but it's slightly off, something's different with it." So says 22-year-old Alyssa Kwasny, president of the Montreal Roller Derby league and captain of les Contrabanditas, Montreal's first-ever roller derby team.
Harlots in helmets

Les Contrabanditas begin to trickle into Laval's Récréathèque for their Sunday night practice. They're easy to spot among the usual crowd of parents, kids and teenage boys. Tattoos, studded belts, dyed hair, septum piercings, leopard-print pants… yup, there's definitely a theme here. And that's before they hit the changing rooms.

When they come out, they're clad in short red skirts, black lace crinolines and fishnets. They each sport a pair of retro-style roller skates, or "quads." Some have bright red lips; some cut out the necklines of their T-shirts to expose some cleavage. They're not exactly the kind of uniforms you'd find on your average athletes. But les Contrabanditas will be the first to tell you they're anything but average athletes.

Twenty-nine-year-old Kim Martin, aka Special K (#8 1/2), explains, "It's really easy to skate in skirts, and it goes with roller derby—kinda girly, a rough sport but with a feminine aspect to it. But we're totally protected with gear, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, helmets, mouthguards." Before long, they're on the rink, flashing an alarming amount of thigh as they lap the track to warm up.

Their coach, none other than Montreal club promoter legend Dom Castelli, has the skaters stretch before they start their endurance work. "You should be feeling some sorta pain!" he bellows. He wears black cutoffs and a red necktie along with his skates and helmet. The ladies have dubbed him Long Dom Silver (a name coined by Martin, who hastens to assure, "Though I don't know that personally about his privates").

As the team works out, Castelli recounts how he landed himself the coaching job a few weeks ago by mouthing off at the team. "You guys are way too slow! This is not a coffee break!" Heckling aside, he speaks about them with visible pride. "There are a lot of very talented ladies on this team. It's an aggressive team for an aggressive sport."

Martin, who is also a Montreal Roller Derby board member, cheerfully explains the appeal. "It's such a great sport for women to play, it's an aggressive outlet. You get to go in and bodycheck people!"


ROCK 'EM SOCK 'EM: Kim Martin (centre) with teammates
Play, girl

The standard jam is played by five girls from each team—three blockers, a pivot and a jammer. "Eight of those girls are in what you call a pack, four from each team," says Martin. "The ref blows the whistle and the pack starts skating." The pivot sets the pace and directs the team in its efforts.

The jammers stay behind the pack, and take off when the ref blows a second whistle. They race to push through the pack first, and then score points by lapping the track and attempting to pass through the pack over and over. Of course, the opposite team tries to take them down while their own helps them through—leaving plenty of opportunity for roller derby's trademark pushing, shoving and other antics.

"It's a tough sport," says Kwasny, aka Georgia W. Tush (#40 oz.). "A lot of our skaters are injured, like me. Bruises have become a sort of trophy to show off at practices."

Martin agrees. "It's like we've earned them. I don't know, maybe it's some sadomasochistic thing running through us!"

The referee skates by, sporting goth-black hair and a lip ring. "Even the referees get injured in this sport," she deadpans.
From Depression-era derby to retro revival

Roller derby was born in the 1930s, the brainchild of film publicist Leo Seltzer, who was seeking ways to boost his Depression-era earnings. After a strange progression from dance marathon to walk-a-thon to rollerskating race, the first incarnation of roller derby was a simulated cross-country race with two-person teams lapping a track thousands of times. But audiences were most enthusiastic when teams crashed into each other or got into tussles in an effort to get ahead. As a result, eventually roller derby evolved into its current form, with kooky stage names and creative uniforms to complete the picture.

Until the early 1970s, roller derby sustained enormous popularity as a form of sports entertainment. At its peak, the sport drew crowds in the tens of thousands. But by the '80s it had fallen into obscurity, and it stayed there for two decades despite several attempts to revive it.

Not long after the turn of the millennium, a new grassroots roller revival began to take shape in the States, largely led by DIY-style women's teams. By now, more than 130 leagues have sprung up in urban centres all over North America, many of which are members of the new Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), which sets the rules for the sport.
Getting in on the action

Kwasny pinpoints the beginning of the wave north of the border: "January 2006. That's when stuff really started happening in Canada." Fledgling teams and leagues began to form all over the country—in Victoria, Toronto, Edmonton, London, Vancouver, Hamilton—and now, Montreal.

"I heard about roller derby happening in the States, and it just sounded really sweet, but I didn't even really know what it was," she says. "I knew there was body contact and roller skates, so I kind of imagined from there. I waited for it to happen in Montreal, but nobody was doing anything, so I decided to avoid my schoolwork and do it myself."

Kwasny, a political science student at Concordia, did some research and put out feelers for interest. She launched the Montreal Roller Derby league in April of 2006, and became captain of its first team, les Contrabanditas. Thanks to the sudden surge of interest, "the Canadian teams are all on the same level and we've really helped each other out, we're all figuring this out together."

Thirteen women showed up at that first meeting, of whom more than half are still involved. Interest has been steadily growing, and new players continue to swell the ranks. A second Montreal team has recently formed—les Filles du Roi, whose Web site cheerfully describes them as "sluts and criminals." Recruitment efforts are in full swing for a third team, as well as for referees and sponsors.

Martin outlines the requirements for joining: "You have to be at least 18, but the oldest person on our team is 38 and she has three kids. All sorts of women play this. It doesn't matter if you're big or small, there's a position for everyone."

Kwasny grins, "But of course when we practise we whip you into shape."
It ain't easy being sleazy

The league is faced with the ongoing challenge of finding appropriate venues for their practices and games. For instance, on February 24, Toronto's Gore-Gore Rollergirls will be playing an exhibition bout against les Contrabanditas—but unfortunately, due to a too-small venue, fans will have to wait; this one's just for friends and family.

"There are no roller rinks on the island; there's one in Laval and one in Longueuil," says Martin. "So we're going to build our season around when we have a place to skate in."

"The moment the ice comes off the hockey rinks in April, we're gonna be playing les Contrabanditas vs. les Filles du Roi," Kwasny promises.

"I wouldn't have thought, ever in my life, I'd be playing roller derby," says Martin. "I just think it's awesome. More and more girls are interested in playing. I just don't see how this could stop."
For more info, check out www.mtlrollerderby.com or
www.myspace.com/ mtlrollerderby.
Interested players can send an e-mail to
suziequadtro @mtlrollerderby.com.