When the London Rockin Rollers were invited by the Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz to partake in Europe's first Interleague bout we were thrilled! We were shitting ourselves too, don't doubt it, but honoured that they considered us up to the job. The SVRG have been going since the summer of 2006 and we are derby infants in comparison – the Rockin Rollers were officially incepted in March of this year. But we have had a lot of nurturing and solid advice from SVRG's Miss Tsunami, Dolly BustHer and coach Rockdog for which we are grateful and truly do consider them a sister league for all their help. In Miss Tsunami's words, our league "has got SOUL". And so we were given the date for our first public bout. October 14th 2007.
The evening of Friday the 12th, our girls descended upon Stuttgart where we were met by some of our hosts. We were gob smacked to hear from Rockdog that the bout had been advertised on huge television screens in the city! Having hauled our gear into our hotel rooms, we then hauled our arses off to meet the rest of the SVRG at an alternative nightclub where the Quakes had just got off stage. The place was pumping – there were almost as many people outside as there were inside! Everyone seemed to know about the bout on Sunday – there was a real buzz of anticipation in the air.
Friday night was a melee of roller girls, vodka, beer, shots, raucous renditions of 'Vindaloo' ... and a vague memory of dancing to The Benny Hill Boogie. At one stage Bruizilla had Margy Bargy over her shoulder like a rag doll, dancing around the square. The last of our girls rolled into the hotel at approximately 7am. (no one knows for sure but the last confirmed sighting was at 6.30am).
We were awoken at 11am to meet outside the hotel for 12. An SVRG crewman greeted us to take us to the mixed scrimmage. Completely rooted but keen to see the venue, we got a tram to the Zapata nightclub where we met the lovely ladies of the SVRG. The newly waxed floors gave everyone a shock but we bumbled through the scrimmage, more arse than class, then waved our goodbyes to meet separately for lunch and discuss tactics (or in our case, survival!)
Saturday night alcohol was off the menu for all (except Danger Doll who insists a glass of wine is a formality with every meal in France). The SVRG had booked out a private room in a restaurant for a bit of chat and chew. With interest we noted that traditional German cuisine is basically all the same colour – beige! After a bit of chatting and chewing, we all retired in a most civilised manner.
Then rise and shine for the day of the bout! When we got there the SVRG crew had all hands on deck transforming the nightclub into a roller derby friendly venue. About 20 mattresses were strapped around dodgy concrete pillars and any potential hot spots. We were completely reassured and invested some time practising bouncing off them (something we were to do a lot of later that evening). We had a fantastic green room provided backstage and the SVRG put on food and water – there was a spa bath option too (these girls know how to host a bout!)
Doors opened at 5pm but at 4.30 the punters were already lining up. By 5pm, the doors opened to a capacity 500 strong crowd! They actually couldn't all fit in the main hall and were spilling into the other bars and outdoor areas. It was insane! The lights were dimmed, the night club lighting was set on the track and the DJ was belting out punk and oi! classics – all setting a true rock'n'roll atmosphere. Backstage we were psyched. Finally we were lining up for our intros .. The SVRG skated out first to a stadium roar. The Rockin Rollers followed, not sure what kind of reception we'd get as the visiting team... but the cheering continued just as mental.
And the bout. Fookin hell. It was an insane pace and totally fierce. Adrenelin junkies were satisfied – it was a white knuckle ride from start to end. Roller girls were flying everywhere and being bounced off every pillar much to the crowd's delight. The MC whipped the punters into a derby-induced frenzy. The SVRG had the game in the bag but not without a fight –in true bulldog spirit,we never gave up and made sure they had to fight for every point. But alas, the Golden Skate remained in Stuttgart, the SVRG victorious in a clear-cut win – 94 to 71. There were no tears from London – the SVRG really are the best league in Europe hands-down and we were euphoric to have bouted them. Cheers and hugs all round in true derby sisterhood!
Unfortunately the bout wasn't without a casualty - Kiara Oke took a bad fall and broke her arm. There was a Lap of Honour done with her helmet at the end and the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
A HUGE thanks to the SVRG for hosting the bout and doing it in true rock'n'roll style from start to end. Thanks for the unbeatable hospitality and true camaraderie. Keeping it real in every way. We salute you!