Here’s what they had to say about dear old RSRD:

Credit: Mike Buck

Catch a Red Stick Roller Derby match
There are ample opportunities to catch Baton Rouge’s all-female, full-contact, flat-track roller derby league, Red Stick Roller Derby, in action over the summer. There are three home matches – June 22, July 21 and August 10. The June 22 match will pit the local roller girls against the Spindletop Rollergirls of Beaumont at Leo’s Rollerland off Airline Highway. Tickets are $8 general admission, $6 with valid student ID. Kids 11 years of age and under get in free with general admission ticket holder.

redstickrollerderby.com

 

To check out the full list of 30, check it out here.

Are you back?  Yeah?  Phew, that was a close one, wasn’t it?  Well, we’re not here to scare you, or anything, loyal Red Stick Roller Derby fans!  We aim to bring you to bring you the finest roller derby action possible, and that streak continues on JUNE 22 for MONSTERS RINK!

Join us June 22, when your Red Stick Roller Derby All-Stars will take to the track at Leo’s Rollerland in a rematch against the team they defeated on the road on May 11, the Spindletop Rollergirls of Beamont, TX!

Prepare thyselves for WFTDA derby action, Baton Rouge!

Doors open at 6 PM, with first whistle at 7PM.

Tickets are just $8 general admission, $6 with valid student ID.

Kids 11 years of age and under get in FREE with general admission ticket holder (one child per ticket holder)!

RSVP on Facebook!

Tickets are on sale NOW over at Brown Paper Tickets!

We’ll see you at Leo’s Rollerland on June 22!

Over the weekend, on Saturday, May 18, to be exact, the East Texas Bombers visited your Capital Defenders at Leo’s Rollerland for Heroes On The Flat Track.  While your CDs played valiantly, they were unable to skate away with the “W”.

First, we’d like to mention that this bout saw many a new faces for RSRD, with the roster including nine skaters making their Red Stick debut, eight of which were playing in their first bout ever!  Please welcome our Fresh Meat no more:  Fun Size!, Heisenbug, Lap Lacian, Mad Dame Curie, Miller Time, Photobomber,  Razzy La Roux, Shear Lock Combs, and Trauma Starter.

And now to the actual bout stuff (insert whistle blowing noise here)!  After a few jams, neither team had scored, but five minutes into play, the Bombers took the lead 0-15, giving your Capital Defenders an uphill battle.  Halftime score: 18-103.

For the halftime entertainment, we once again brought out the JOUSTING!  This time, the players were inside giant slices of pizza.  It’s true!

Pizza Power!

After that, members from your All-Stars team performed a jam skating routine to “Thrift Shop”.  If anyone has photos or video of this, please feel free to share (cough, cough, hint, hint, cough, cough).

In the second half, your Capital Defenders began to gel and the points became a little easier to come by.  The defense was also able to clamp down on the Bombers’ jammers.  Despite the positive adjustments, the deficit was just too much for your Capital Defenders to overcome and they fell to the East Texas Bombers.  Final score:  47-191.

Greg Livaudais has uploaded his photos from the bout and has graciously allowed us to use them.  Many thanks to him!  More photos to come from us soon.

Red Stick Roller Derby would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers, our fans, and also the East Texas Bombers for traveling to Baton Rouge.  All of you rock.  All of you.

Your Capital Defenders will face the Bombers again on July 20 in Jacksonville, TX.

Red Stick Roller Derby is back in action on June 22 in Baton Rouge at Leo’s Rollerland.  It’s rematch time, as your All-Stars will be facing the Spindletop Rollergirls once again.  Tickets are on sale NOW at Brown Paper Tickets.

UPDATE:  Our two official photo albums of the bout have now gone online at Facebook!  You can look at them here and here.  Thanks to both Craig Judd and Loui Jason LeRoy for the photos!

What’s the story behind your name and number?
My name is the outcome of an afterparty.  My friends pieced together my name for me and it just stuck.  I’ve really come into my name, and I think that reflects into my style of play.

What positions do you play?
Interesting question!  I do everything:  Jam, block, pivot, and occasionally I even referee and bench coach.

What is your favorite thing about derby?
I love the constant evolution of this sport.  Everyone involved has something to bring on and off the track, so it gives everyone an equal advantage.  You also have to constantly train because this sport has no ceiling to what you can learn from it.  Basically, I love that there is always a new goal to achieve.

What first attracted you to the sport?
At the first bout I ever went to, I was attracted to the finesse and the fearlessness of these women who were doing something revolutionary and I wanted to be a part of it.  I was a cheerleader in high school.  Other sports never appealed to me because they seemed boring. I’ve always longed for the camaraderie, though.  With derby you get the best of all of those things.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from playing?
Persistence.  You can achieve anything with it. Most of the derby girls that I know didn’t know how to skate when they started.  They stuck with it and are the best players on the track. I think our persistence in derby overflows into our everyday lives and we become overachievers for it.  This sport just keeps on giving!

What are your goals as a player?
Oh man, I could go on about this forever.  My main focus though, is always to be a better team player on and off the track.  I pride myself at being a great all-round player.  I believe the best players are universal.  If you primarily block, get in there and jam as often as you can.  It will improve your footwork and help you think like a jammer.

What is your most memorable moment on the track?
This is too difficult!  I can’t narrow it down out of three, so here they are:  Winning the 2012 Southern Belle Ringer with Acadiana Roller Girls, having Mercy from Rose City block me on the track while I was jamming and Demanda Riot swooped in and gave me the best whip I’ve ever taken in my life to get me lead jammer, and last but CERTAINLY not least, taking home my first “W” with Red Stick Roller Derby back in April against Magnolia Roller Vixens.  It had been a long time since RSRD claimed a win, and not that winning is everything, but it was satisfying to know that all of our hard work and our team as a whole is coming together and paying off!

What type of gear do you prefer?
I think I have been through more gear than anyone else!  But I’m currently wearing (and in love with):  Atom wrist guards, Destroyer P-Series elbow pads, Smith Scab’s knee pads, Triple-8 helmet, and brand spankin’ new Luigino Vertigo Q-6 skates.

Do you have a favorite song to skate to or a theme song?
“I Saw Red” – Sublime & Gwen Stefani

What is your favorite sign or cheer you’ve seen or heard from the crowd?
That would be from the beloved Westboro Baptist Roller Derby group, “Jesus Hates Track Cuts!”.

Honey Badger (on far left) doesn't care which position, she'll play any of them, including pivot

If you could arm wrestle any person in the league, who would you arm wrestle and why?
I’ve already arm wrestled Reftor, but I demand a rematch!

Is there a teammate with whom you work the best?
I love being on the track with Glock.  I feel like we not only kick butt as a duo, but we have fun and look good while doing it!

What sports did you play before you laced up the quads and took to the flat track?
Like I said earlier, I was a cheerleader in high school. I am an amateur bowler, flip cup champion, and professional procrastinator!

What do you do when you’re not skating?
What do you mean “not skating”?  Seriously though, I’m either studying derby, reading derby articles, or looking at cute cat and dog pictures online.  I also lease apartments to pay for my habits.

Do you have any advice to anyone thinking about taking up derby?
Do it. It will change your life forever and make you a better person than you could have ever imagined yourself being.

When did you join Red Stick Roller Derby?
I joined in January of this year.  I transferred from Acadiana Roller Girls in Lafayette, LA. I’ve been playing roller derby for about 3.5 years.

See Villainelle and the rest of your Red Stick Roller Derby Capital Defenders play this Saturday, when they take on Jacksonville, TX’s East Texas Bombers at Leo’s Rollerland.  Doors open at 6PM, bout starts at 7PM.  Tickets are just $8 for general admission and $6 for students and are available at BrownPaperTickets.com or at the door.

QUIZ TAKER: Sharon Tohline, 32, English instructor at Southern University and player for the Red Stick Roller Derby’s Capital Defenders.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO: “I’m in the middle of grading finals right now, which means I run Spotify (an online music service) constantly to keep me sane. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Brandi Carlile. She’s playing at the House of Blues this month, and I’m hoping to get tickets.

“When I skate, though, I listen to Janelle Monae. My favorite current song is ‘We Are Young,’ which is technically by Fun, but Monae sings it with them.”

WHAT I’M READING: “I have a whole stack of books on my bedside table, waiting for me to finish grading so I can crack them open. I’ll probably start with Katherine Dunn’s ‘Geek Love.’ I’m also looking forward to picking up Junot Diaz’s short story collection ‘This Is How You Lose Her.’

“When I go for long runs, I like to listen to audio books, too. My recent favorite is David Sedaris’ ‘Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.’ You can’t just read Sedaris — you have to listen to him to get the full effect.”

WHAT I’M WATCHING: “I’m a documentary fanatic, and I’m looking forward to seeing Ken Burns’ ‘Central Park Five.’ If you’re looking for a less nerdy answer, though, I’m the sort of screaming fangirl who will probably watch Baz Luhrmann’s take on ‘The Great Gatsby’ at least 12 times.”

WHERE I’M SURFING (ON THE INTERNET): “I’m a sucker for high quality advice columns, and there’s a great online one called http://CaptainAwkward.com. The author writes advice for nerds, basically, and I’m a nerd at heart .”

WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE? “Well that whole thing about loving advice columns is pretty embarrassing.”

BONUS QUESTION:

What makes roller derby fun?

“Everything! For me, though, the most fun part is teaching. I’m a veteran skater now; I’ve been with the league for three seasons, which means I’m getting to help teach our newest skaters (shout out to our awesome newbies!) the tricks of the game.

“If you’re new to the sport, though, I think the thing that makes it the most fun is the adrenaline that comes from realizing what you’re truly capable of. Derby draws out the strength in us all, and I think that’s what makes it so fun to watch. Spectators have the opportunity to witness a group of women facing challenges and finding new strength within themselves.”

Kyle Peveto

Advocate staff writer