May 20, 2008 - The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), announced that it has partnered exclusively with Frozen Codebase to bring its brand of modern roller derby to the world of video games.

The gals at WFTDA are excited to be working with FCB on a groundbreaking new game. “We have long thought the sport was begging to be immortalized in game form, especially considering not everyone is willing to take the risks we do on the flat track. Now everyone can be a rollergirl – all of the fun, with none of the bruises!”

While further details of the video game’s development are pending, Frozen Codebase invites fans to participate on its user forums - visit http://www.frozencodebase.com/proto2/ - and look to their hometown WFTDA leagues for a glimpse of the action that is coming soon.

This ain’t your grandma’s Roller Derby. Skate on…

Filed under: Entertainment, Roller Derby by jane
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Jan. 22, 2008 - Academy-award nominated actor Ellen Page (Juno) has been cast to star in the movie Whip It!  Adapted from Shauna Cross’ young adult novel, Derby Girl,  the movie also marks actress Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut. 

Slated to begin shooting in Texas this summer, the story revolves around Bliss, an indie-rock adoring, dyed-hair teen who wants out of her stereotypical Texas town, filled with cheerleaders and beauty queens (including her Mom).  Bliss makes her way to Austin where she joins a roller derby team and learns a thing or two about life and love.  FYI, Cross is a real roller derby gal; who goes by the name Maggie Mayhem.

See earlier post

Filed under: Film, Roller Derby by jane
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Studies show that an average 143 lb person skating at 10mps can  burn as much as 600 calories in an hour of roller skating. Most people average in the 6 mph range and will burn an average of 350 calories or greater. With most roller derby leagues, they practice for 2 hours totalling a caloric burn of over 1200 calories in a single practice.

Besides the sport of roller derby providing aerobic activity, it also provides the benfefits of muscle toning, strengthening and not to mention some nice bruises to show off to your friends and family.

Key benefits of roller skating:

• Low-impact exercise for joints
• High caloric burn
• Aerobically as good as jogging or cycling
• Involves all the major muscle groups
• Mentally uplifting

Where and when to roller skate:

• Roller rinks
• Parks and paved exercise pathways
• As a way to regain strength after an injury
• When you find exercise boring
• Winter or any day it’s impossible to exercise outdoors

Filed under: Exercise, Health, Roller Derby, Speed Skating, Sports A-Z by Roller Chick
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Then come to the Blood and Thunder National Derby camp! Hosted by the San Diego Derby Dolls, this will be four fun-filled days of skating, girl bonding and some hard hitting with roller derby girls of all levels, shapes and sizes from across the nation! The cost is $250.00.

www.bloodandthundermag.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bloodandthundercamp/

http://www.derbydolls.com/sd/index.html

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Roller Derby, Training by Roller Chick
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Congratulations Sirens!

http://derbydolls.com/la/index.html

Filed under: Roller Derby by Roller Chick
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Dec. 11, 2007 - According to Production Charts, Drew Barrymore will make her feature film directing debut next year with Whip It,  a tale of the high-energy world of roller derby.

The film is in pre-production, with no casting announcements made yet. In Hollywood-speak, this means that the film may or may not ever get off the ground but we can only hope.

Shauna Cross (aka Maggie Mayhem) , the screenwriter, is a member of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls and author of the teen-oriented novel called Derby Girls. The producer is Nancy Juvonen, Barrymore’s partner in Flower Films, who’s produced just about everything Barrymore’s been in recently, including Fever Pitch, 50 First Dates,  Charlie’s Angels,  and  Never Been Kissed.

The official synopsis describes Whip It as the story of  a small-town, teenage girl who discovers the world of roller derby and must decide if she’s willing to go against her parents and friends in order to pursue the sport she loves. No word yet whether it’s banked or flat track derby.

All sounds good, as long as the Devo song doesn’t play under the credits.

Filed under: Film, Roller Derby by jane
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This isn’t your mama’s roller derby either. The sport is Flat Track Roller Derby.

Flat track Roller Derby is the revival of the Roller Derby you may have seen years ago on TV on a banked track. Unlike a banked track (as you may have seen on the TV show ‘Rollergirls’), flat track Derby is played on.. you guessed it.. a flat track. Leagues play on all kinds of surfaces from hard wood, to sport court, to concrete.

Each roller derby league participates in a game or match, in the derby world we call it a  ”bout”. Each bout consists of three 20-minute periods. Each period consists of a number of jams’s which are a maximum of two minutes long. A typical jam consists of five rollergirls from each team; one jammer, one pivot, and three blockers. The jammer scores the points for her team, the pivot maintains the speed and order of her pack, and the blockers attempt to prevent the opposing team’s jammer from scoring points while assisting their own jammer in getting through the pack. The jammer scores one point for each opposing team member she passes.

A number of all-female leagues (48 as of September 2007) are members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA, formed in 2005), which coordinates and sets the rules that govern inter-league competition among its members. The WFTDA member leagues create “travel” teams who play against each other in regional matches, although some leagues that are not WFTDA members have independently arranged their own travel teams and inter-league bouts.

WFTDA also publishes rankings and organizes annual championship tournaments for its members in good standing.

While not directly affiliated, many independent leagues around the world have adopted the WFTDA rules and standards either completely or as a foundation for their own rules.

There are currently over 200 DIY Womens Flat Track Roller Derby leagues in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe and the sport is growing more and more every day! This sport empowers women of all shapes, sizes and age. There are no limits to who can participate  -  mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts along with doctors, teachers and even stay-at-home-moms live for this sport which makes it all that much better.

For more information on womens flat track roller derby visit:

http://www.derbyroster.com/

www.wftda.com

www.viaderby.com

Filed under: Roller Derby by Roller Chick
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