I was lucky enough to be able to get a ticket for Saturday before everything sold out. And I mean sold out. The entire event sold out really fast, and I was really happy to be able to go out and watch some of the action. I went with my friend Jenn and it was a totally awesome day!
We got there at about 10 and there were already tons of people there. There was so much energy in The Bunker, it was totally infectious and I got super pumped as soon as we went in. There were two bouts going on, and we quickly found places to sit and watch New Zealand take on the US. What a game! The US killed it - 470 to 8. It was intense, and the crowd was going nuts! It was so cool to see derby players and fans from countries all over the world. Derby is really taking off in popularity and it is awesome to meet people that you share that common interest with, even if they are from the other side of the world!
Then we walked around to look at all the stuff that was on sale. We were both thinking of getting our Fresh Meat package that day, and not going to lie, I was a bit apprehensive about dropping that much cash in one day. For those of you who don't know what a Fresh Meat package is, it's basically everything that you need to start out as a new derby player (Fresh Meat). You get skates, wheels, pads, helmet and mouthguard. We were talking to some really nice girls from RollerBug who let us try stuff on. They had my size in Sure Grip Rebels, black with hot pink wheels (exactly what I want!) I tried them on and they fit like a glove. The only problem is that they're made of leather. As a vegetarian, I really don't want skates made from a poor cow's skin, just so I can play derby! The awesome thing is, with derby being a bit of an 'alternative' sport, they recognize people with 'alternative' lifestyles, and they actually make vegan skates! (I know alternative is totally the wrong word, but I couldn't think of anything else haha) So anyways, when I do end up buying my first gear, I'll definitely be buying vegan skates! And I'll probably get it from My Roll Life which is the newly opened skate shop owned by our team captain GoldieLockN'Load.
They didn't have Jenn's size at RollerBug, and I kind of wanted to get our stuff together, so we just ended up getting some Derby Skinz shorts, and Jenn got a really cute black cardigan with pink rollerskates on it :)
guess which shorts are mine? haha I also wanted to get a PivotStar hoodie, because they have a purple and green one which are the exact colours of my team, the Rollergettes!
unfortunately, they didn't have my size left, so I'll just have to order it online (cough cough, Christmas cough)
Anyways, after that, we got ready for the Finland Canada game. We were sitting on the floor, right at the top of the track aka we had a wicked view! We brought a ton of snacks (looove bulk barn!) so we were sitting there chowing down on sour keys and beer nuts, watching this game that was actually amaaaaazing! Literally, in the first jam, Canada got 35 points! It was unbelievable. They kept playing like that, with the score rising and all of us going nuts on the sidelines. 300, 350, 400.... everyone was wondering if they'd be able to make it to 500! It was the last jam, maybe about 2 seconds left in the bout and Canada was at 499. I don't exactly know what happened, but the ref made a call that I guess wasted those last 2 seconds and didn't allow our jammer to score one more point. It was madness! Although we didn't make it to 500, I'd say a 499 - 31 game isn't something to shake your head at. It was a mind blowing game, and I am so happy to say I was able to be there! After that, we were pretty much all tuckered out from being there all day and screaming basically all day, so we headed home, with visions of roller skates and derby skinz dancing in our heads.
All in all, my experience at the Roller Derby World Cup was absolutely amazing. It totally made me even more excited (if that's possible) to start out next season with the Rollergettes. It was so cool to see all these wicked derby players and to give us something to look up to. Also, it was neat to see everyone's different style. Roller Derby attracts some pretty wild characters with equally wild senses of style and it was great to be able to see that all day and get some inspiration. Lots of pin up style outfits and hair, lots of fishnets, booty shorts and Doc Martens. And LOOOTTSSSS of tattoos. It was pretty amazing to see all of that :)
Then this morning at 10:30 was the Canada vs England game. SEMI FINAL! AHH! It was broadcast on Derby News Network as all of the games had been. I sat on the couch in a blanket and my jammies (may or may not have been wearing my pink sparkly Derby Skinz haha) and watched that one on my laptop. It was a really physical game. England played some great defence, but couldn't keep up with Team Canada who came out victorious! 161 - 90. At the end, they played the Hockey Night In Canada theme song as they did their victory lap. It was a great moment! On the other track, USA was playing Australia in the other semi final. US pretty much kicked ass with a 532 to 4 final score. AKA CANADA VS USA IN THE FINALS!!!! omgggg!!! so excited! That game is going to be live broadcasted at 4:30 on Derby News Network as well (thank god). So basically, no one call me or text me during that time because I'll be watchin' derby!!! :)
So that was my wonderful, wacky weekend in a nutshell. If anyone wants to know anything about roller derby, or the team that I've just started playing with, just let me know and I can (with my limited beginner knowledge) hopefully help you out, or ask one of my derby sistas who know!
I <3 DERBY!
Glitter Gunslinger, signing off
