Houston Roller Derby Video Promo!

Check out our new promo!

Thanks to Deacon Delluci and his team!

Roll with the Derby Girls: Book Signing Tonight!

Come meet photographer Shelley Calton tonight at Loggia Sport Bar in Sugar Land from 6-8pm! She will be signing copies of her book Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls. Mix and mingle with some of the Houston Roller Derby skaters featured in the book, and pick up your copy tonight!

Photos from June 20th Bout

Here is a link to Tony Sodaro's Flickr shots from last night's bout. Enjoy!!

Playoffs Get Called Off

It was quite a night! In case you missed it, HRD held its season playoffs last night where all three teams fought for a spot in the championship. The Bosse$ shut down the Brawlers in the first game, though the Brawlers did a fantastic job and made use of our newest rookies. The second match-up between the Sirens and the Bosse$ was an incredibly close game with both teams in top form. It was a nail-biter, one that you just knew was going to come down to the final jam.

And then it happened.

With no warning, an anouncement was made that the Houston Fire Marshall was shutting us down. Definitely a first in Houston Roller Derby history. Everyone was forced to evacuate the building, and the bout ended with nine minutes left on the clock and the Sirens/Brawlers game yet to be played. Talk about a disappointing end to a great night!

We sincerely apologize to all of our fans who came out to support us. If that was your first experience with us, we hope that doesn't turn you away--please come back! HRD is actively working with Kicks to resolve this, and we will have to figure out as a league what to do about our unfinished playoffs. Please keep your ticket stubs from last night and check back here, on the website, or our Yahoo fan board for updated information. We can't change the events of last night, but we hope to make it up to all of our loyal and loved fans! Thanks for sticking with us despite this unexpected bump in the road.

Playoff Structure

With the re-purposing of the Machete Betties (the Betties are now the Rec League, not a fourth league team), our bouts this year have looked a little different. They are still double-headers, but now two HRD teams play one another, and the third team plays an interleague team from another city. Tomorrow's bout (June 20) will be our playoffs, which means that we're having a triple-header: each HRD Team will play another in a series of three forty-minute games.

You will get to see your favorite teams fight it out for a spot in the championship. First up, the Bosses and the Brawlers, followed by the Bosses and the Sirens, and the Brawlers and the Sirens will finish out the night. As it stands, the Sirens are undefeated, the Bosses have one loss, and the Brawlers have two losses. Tomorrow night, anything could happen! Come wearing red, purple or black to root for your favorite team! Doors open at 6pm, bout starts at 7.

What to Do with Your Friday Night!

It's Friday night, and I KNOW you're not doing anything, so how about catching some great derby as a preview for tomorrow?? Derby News Network will be broadcasting a killer bout: Gotham City vs the Texas Rollergirls. The game stars tonight at 5:30 CST, and there will be live broadcasts Saturday and Sunday as well, so you can have a derby-filled weekend!

And don't forget, you can still buy tickets online (until 5pm) or from your favorite rollergirl to save a few bucks and a wait in line!

Houston's 55 Interviews Private BeenJammin

Here is a great segment from Houston Channel 55's Sports Off-Center where Craig Roberts talks to Private BeenJammin from the Burlesque Brawlers. We love derby in the news!!

Respect the Colonel

Another great derby site belongs to The Colonel. A dedicated HRD supporter, The Colonel does great recaps and previews of HRD bouts, plus a few extras here and there. Be on the lookout for a preview of this week's bout, which is in five--count 'em, FIVE--days!! Do YOU have your tickets in hand??

Need a Derby Fix?

Man, doesn't a month between bouts seem long? Then you need to be checking out Derby News Network. Keep up with derby across the country and even watch live and archived games! HRD, though awesome, is not the only derby out there. We are a part of the WFTDA--Women's Flat Track Derby Association. There are derby leagues all across the country skating for the love of derby. So, for the next week and one day until the June 20th HRD bout at Kicks, stay tuned to the Derby News Network to keep you going.

An Interview with Shelley Calton

The wait is over: one week from today, Shelley Calton's book Hard Knocks Rolling with the Derby Girls will be available for purchase. For several years, she followed derby girls from Houston Roller Derby, creating unique and revealing portraits of the women behind the sport. You can buy your copy at the next bout on June 20th, or through her website. This week, Shelley was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about the book and her work.


How did you become interested in derby girls as subjects for your photographs?
I first heard about the revival of Roller Derby on a radio advertisement while I was visiting Austin in 2001. I had a fleeting thought then about starting a new project; I loved the idea of photographing a diverse group of women athletes in risqué clothing! However, I thought the distance would be a problem. Several years later I read an article in the Chronicle about the start up of a league in Houston. I called up April Pesillo, aka Knocky Balboa, who was interviewed in the article and asked her if I could come out to a practice session. This was the start of my long relationship with the Houston Roller Derby.

-You got to experience some of the behind-the-scenes moments with the skaters that few people get to see. Talk a little about what it was like to see both the public and intimate view.
I really appreciate the liberties and freedom the skaters gave me with my camera. Over time we developed a trusting relationship, which allowed me to capture the more intimate behind the scenes moments, not just the tougher exterior in the rink shots. Being a woman photographer did give me some advantages that male photographers might not have. The private moments just before the start of the game and just after the end of the game were my favorites times to shoot and some of my best shots came from within the dressing room walls.

How do you feel like Hard Knocks fits in with your overall body of work?
Hard Knocks Rolling with the Derby Girls is my first truly documentary photojournalistic body of work. My latest body of work Invisible Thread is a studio still life project of women’s vintage lingerie pinned to a white backdrop. The two projects although quite different do have some similarities. The premise of both bodies of work centers on femininity. I wonder if part of the skater’s costumes, i.e. the fishnets and bustiers didn’t subconsciously lead me into the Invisible Thread work. There is a yin and yang, the feminine yet tough appearance of the women of the roller derby and the fragile side of the lingerie.

Look for Shelly Calton and Hard Knocks Rolling with the Derby Girls at our next bout, June 20th at Kicks! There will be book signings around Houston coming soon--more info to follow!