Sick of all the rain?  Get out of the house and into some action with the Sick Town Derby Dames’ next home bout – April Showers Bring Sick Powers!  Sick Town’s very own S*M*A*S*H Unit will take on Lava City Roller Dolls’ Smokin’ Ashes (from Bend, OR).  Watch as your favorite skaters take on super-human skills – jamming at the speed of light, hitting harder than a freight train, and erupting out of thin air – as they put the POW!, BAM!, WHACK! on the Smokin’ Ashes.

As always, this family-friendly event is brought to you by our sponsors – Ninkasi Brewing, 2 Towns Cider, South Pacific Auto, Holland Chiropractic and Wellness, and many others – and features kids’ half-time events and craft tables, food and beverages, a beer/cider/wine garden, and much more.  Advance tickets are available for $10 (service fee may apply) at The Uprise Skate Shop and Aqua Seafood and Steaks in Corvallis, and The Cash House in Albany, or through your favorite derby dame.  You can also get tickets through Brown Paper Tickets.  Limited tickets will be available at the door for $13; get $1 off at the door with donation of a canned food item.

The ABC House, serving Linn and Benton counties, is the sponsored charity of this event.  April is Child Abuse Awareness month, and the Sick Town Derby Dames are thrilled to do our part to help put an end to child abuse.

It’s that time again – come watch Sick Town kick off its 2012 Season with our first bout, March Radness II – Sibling Rivalry!  This intra-league bout will pit us against…ourselves.  That’s right, our skaters have divided into two teams, Country Club Cruchers and Sick Pistols, in a fight to the finish.  You’ll see some of your favorite veteran skaters from years past as well as lots of brand spankin’ new faces.

This family friendly event will feature half-time games for kids’ participation, a kids’ crafty table, food, beer by our sponsor Ninkasi, wine, and all the hard-hitting action you can pack into one night.  Advance tickets are available for $10 at The Uprise Skate Shop and Aqua Seafood and Steaks in Corvallis, and at The Cash House in Albany (CASH ONLY; a service fee may apply), or contact your favorite derby dame.  You can also purchase tickets through Brown Paper Tickets.

Our S*M*A*S*H Unit will be making the short trip down to the Emerald City to participate in The Big “O” Tournament!  We have two bouts scheduled over the weekend – Saturday, 5:00pm and Sunday, 2:00pm. 

We’d love to see our fans in the audience, cheering our skaters to victory!  Follow the link above for ticketing information, or sign up to be a volunteer in return for free entrance.  Information on how to volunteer can also be found at the link above.

It’s that time of year again – Sick Town will be joining forces with KLOO FM to raise funds for the Oregon Special Olympics during their annual Polar Plunge!

“Participants must raise a minimum of $50 for the privilege of taking a wintry dip in an icy body of water in February and will receive a commemorative long-sleeve t-shirt and a bowl of soup, plus bragging rights!” – Corvallis Polar Plunge website

If you’d like to help Sick Town reach its goal for this fantastic cause, please visit our Donation Page.  You can pledge for an individual plunger, or to the whole team.

I started skating in August of 2010. I remember being told a few months later that I needed to go to the Derby News Network and watch Nationals. I didn’t really pay attention—for one, I didn’t know enough about derby to understand what was going on. I also didn’t know who (or what) an Urrk’n Jerk’n was, and why I needed to pay attention to her track jumping. A year later, I found out that Regionals would be in Portland. I was thrilled! I knew that I NEEDED to be there! I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to go to Regionals—and not only did he surprise me with tickets to Saturday’s bouts, but he upgraded us to Rockstar seating.

I loved every minute of it! I am blessed that my husband supports my derby dreams wholeheartedly. It was a great day! There was both good derby—and slow derby. Rat City shook up things by not moving from the pivot line. It was interesting to witness that kind of history in the making. I was also electrified by the Rose City Rollers vs. the Oly Rollers. That was a fantastic bout to watch in person and a great way to end a day of derby.

I left the day musing over what I learned. Since I like to make lists, I decided to write down what I took away from my first Bestern experience.

• There is a LOT of difference in skill level in the top ten teams of the Western Region. I don’t know if it’s the same everywhere, but it was evident in the bouts we watched. To me, this means that this fantastic sport of ours is still young and growing—there’s a lot of room for leagues to move up and claim spots in the top ten.

• To play derby at this level, you need good gear. I don’t think I saw an entry level skate ANYWHERE on the track at any time. I think as with anything, the quality of the gear (or tools, as I think of it) makes a difference in the quality of the athletic performance. If you want to skate at a high level, you need better-than-entry-level gear.

• Teams like the Oly Rollers are great because they have girls on the team that have skated far longer than roller derby has been in existence. Skaters like Atomatrix and Tannibal Lector don’t have to think about skating—they’ve been doing it for more than twenty years! They can focus on “heads-up” derby. It’s been said that to become an expert at anything requires 10,000 hours of your time. If you are only going to practice for 2-4 hours a week, how long will it take for you to be an expert? I left Besterns trying to figure out how to get more time on skates.

• You don’t have to pay the extra money for Rockstar seating—at least in Portland. We abandoned our guaranteed seats because the other seats were actually more comfortable. I still appreciated my husband’s gesture.

• Skaters that made the World Cup derby team completely deserved it. I loved seeing hometown skaters Soulfearic Acid and White Flight on the track, as well as Atomatrix and Tannibal Lector, among others. They were all impressive skaters and athletes.

I had a great day of derby. Both my husband and I would definitely go again. It was thrilling to see history in action—and I expect we’ll see some WFTDA rule changes after Rat City’s “slow derby” strategy. I’m excited to watch Rose City represent at Nationals; I expect they will be a team to watch. I’m especially looking forward to watching them skate against the Kansas City Roller Warriors. A KCRW inter-league bout was the first derby bout I ever attended; you might even say they started my derby fever just over a year ago. You can bet I’ll be glued to the live feed this year—watching as much derby as I can!

Our 2011 Season is coming to a close, and this is your last chance to catch the Sick Town Derby Dames’ S*M*A*S*H Unit in action until next year.  The Trampires, a home team of the Dockyard Derby Dames (Tacoma, WA), will be heading down to join us for an action-packed evening of hard hits, fast jamming, and loads of fun.  Our family-friendly bouts always include a kids’ table, food and drink, BEER, a DIY poster table, half-time entertainment, and much more.

Tickets are available in advance for $10:

-The Uprise Skate Shop, 1110 NW Van Buren Ave, Corvallis
-Aqua Seafood Restaurant and Bar, 151 NW Monroe Ave, Corvallis
-The Cash House Pawn Shop, 1250 Ferry St SW, Albany
-From your favorite Sick Town Derby Dame
Or at Brown Paper Tickets

Tickets will also be available at the door for $13

This Saturday, our Dis-Orderlies will be traveling to Medford for a rematch against the Sis-Q Rollerz!  If you don’t have plans already, join us for what’s sure to be an intense game.  The Sis-Q Rollerz are in a brand new venue, and would love to debut it with a full crowd.  After the bout, hang around The Venue for the after-party, when TallBoy will be playing for the crowd.

Purchase advance tickets here.

Sick Town is hosting it’s 1st annual Skate-A-Thon on October 8, 2011, and YOU’RE invited!  This event is open to anyone with a pair of skates.  Got a skateboard?  We’ll let you play, too.  We have up to 26 miles of beautiful paved paths, divided into different skill levels – beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  Skate as much or as little as you want.

All paths end up at Willamette Park, where we will be hosting a FREE BBQ with vegan/vegetarian options, sponsored by Corvallis Tourism.  There will also be a host of off-skate activities in the park, including an 18-hole disc golf course, horseshoes, a slip-n-slide, games, and Zumba.  Friends and family can enjoy the park while you work up an appetite with fellow skaters.

Sunday, we will be opening up our practice space for a Black vs. White scrimmage.  Space is limited; first come, first served.  Be sure to bring your insurance number.  All skill levels are welcome.

For more information and to RSVP, visit our Facebook event page.

That’s right, folks, it’s time once again for our favorite bout of the season…Skatemberfest!  This year, fans get to enjoy watching BOTH of Sick Town’s home teams, the S*M*A*S*H Unit and the Dis-Orderlies.  The action will begin with a 30-minute mini bout, pitting ECRG’s B Team against our Dis-Orderlies.  Then the main event features our S*M*A*S*H Unit taking on the Team WaOr (a mash-up of skaters from Rat City, Emerald City, Rose City, and Team Finland!).

As always, this bout is family-friendly!  We’ll have food, beverages, a beer/wine selection, kids activity table, DIY poster-making, and a suprise half-time.  Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets (follow the link at right), The Uprise skate shop (1110 NW Van Buren Ave, Corvallis), and The Cash House (1250 Ferry Rd. SW, Albany).

One of my favorite events this summer was the “Anyone Can Join” Fourth of July parade in downtown Corvallis. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of a theme; add sparklers and fireworks to the mix and I’m over the moon! Sick Town came decked out in red, white & blue with kids and pets in tow all to celebrate Independence Day! It was an awesome event with a great crowd, everyone celebrating our Country and of course the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. We have a number of skaters with loved ones and children serving in our military, which is why it felt so important that Sick Town get out and celebrate with a bang!

Sick Town was excited to have an opportunity to hang out with members of our community.  All of the Sick Town kiddos had a blast hanging out with each other and tossing candy to the crowds on the streets watching the parade. There were even llamas in the parade all dressed up in sparkly hats and funny glasses – I think the grown ups were as excited about them as the kids! It was a rad event, definitely a high light of my summer!

Cheers,
Jollie Knock-Hers #1984