Notice Anything Different?

If you happened to be in the sold-out crowd for Houston Roller Derby's opening bout, you may have noticed some changes this season. The first is the structure of the bouts. Bout nights have always been double-headers, featuring two full games. In the past, we had the first half of one game, then a short break, then the first half of the second game. An intermission would follow and then the second half of the first game, a short break and then the second half of the second game. This allowed the skaters to have a longer break between halves, but was often confusing to fans and made for a very long night.

This season, we are playing two full games consecutively--the first game plays to completion, followed by a longer intermission, and then the second game. The advantages are that this allows the fans to see two full games back to back and eliminates any confusion for new fans. This will also be a great conditioning challenge to our skaters!

The second big change relates to one of our three home teams. If you showed up sporting purple, you may have been confused to see the Brawlers skating in a lovely royal blue. For several seasons, the Brawlers have been struggling with a smaller roster and injured skaters. Under the new captain and co-captains Miss Lead and Speed-O, the Brawlers are coming on stronger than ever and have made some changes.

So why the color change? And why drop the "Burlesque" from the team's name? In no way to dishonor the team's heritage, these changes reflect the renewed seriousness of the team and reflect a new vitality. Miss Lead says that this is a team of fighters, and they want the focus to be on that aspect of the team. With some great vets like The Prosecutor and Sinister Sista and a host of new rookies, the Brawlers definitely came out swinging to defeat the 2010 champion Bayou City Bosse$!

On April 17th, you can watch the Brawlers take on Beaumont's Spindletop while the old rivalry between the Psych Ward Sirens and the Bayou City Bosse$ will heat up the track. Get your tickets at Houston Roller Derby's website and be prepared for another sellout crowd!

by Kiki Mojo