Photo by Tough Girls on Eight Wheels
By AmericanHurl Doll
SFV kicked off the new season with a rowdy carnival funhouse themed bout that got everyone pumped up and asking the all-important question, “Are you a Freak or a Jerk?” Our first match-up of 2015 was the latest Freshie Bout (an SFV tradition), that featured some of our newest skaters. The Freak Show, led by their creepily awesome Coaches Philly Sleazesteak and Bad Lux, took on The Circus Jerks, led by their amazing Coaches Rebellious Moose and Kat Von Reap, and proved that they had just the right amount of freakiness and bizarre behavior on the track to defeat The Jerks with a final score of 207-185. The fans came in numbers. The bout was our first ever sellout -and what a loud, intense and riotous matchup it was!
These dedicated skaters demonstrated that SFVRD has a bright future with so much talent moving up the ranks. Here are some retrospectives by the Captains of both teams:
By Dovahkill, Captain, The Freak Show
It is so inspiring being around such incredible women! Watching them go from barely being able to stand on skates to knocking the snot out of each other makes me so happy. I spent most of 2014 on the disabled list and was so excited to be able to get back on skates in November and play on The Freak Show. It was difficult getting in a good amount of practices because of rain and the holidays, but you wouldn't be able to tell from watching that game. I am so proud of everyone for playing hard, but remembering to have fun and that we are playing our sisters. We are all a part of SFVRD and there was so much love on the track that night. I am excited to see where everyone takes their roller derby journey and to see new skaters start theirs!
By Kra$ha, Captain, The Circus Jerks
As Captain of The Circus Jerks, I wanted to make sure that no matter what happened with the game, everyone would have a positive experience. After each practice, I would ask everyone not only what skills they needed to work on, but also what skills they were good at too!
It's important to recognize your strengths as much as your weaknesses and keep a positive attitude. It was also important for us to bond as teammates. We had a team potluck where we went over strategy with our amazing coaches, Moose and Reap, watched tons of derby, and just hung out so we could get to know one another -- because you play your best when you're working with people you know and trust!
As for the game, we came up from behind and had an amazing second half where we were in the lead for a while! The best part is when the score was called and we all knew we didn't win, all I saw were smiles - because everyone knew we put up a good fight and had a lot of fun doing it! I loved seeing all my teammates progress over time. Everyone made huge strides as skaters and it showed. I'm so proud of my team!
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