Newcastle Roller Girls

Newcastle Roller Girls
For the Australian league, see Newcastle Roller Derby League.
Newcastle Roller Girls
Metro area Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Country England
Founded 2009
Teams Canny Belters (A team)
Whippin Hinnies (B team)
Track type(s) Flat
Venue Lightfoot Centre
Affiliations UKRDA
Website newcastlerollergirls.co.uk

The Newcastle Roller Girls (NRG) are an all-female roller derby team from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.[1][2] NRG play by the rules of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).

History

The team was founded in 2009 by four girls including Claire Byrne who is now the team captain. Karen Slater is the vice captain.[3][4]

In March 2010, the team was the feature of a BBC Look North report on roller derby in Tyneside.[2] and have been featured on the BBC online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/things_to_do/newsid_8957000/8957728.stm

Although they are an all-female league, they have men involved in both coaching and reffing. They practice three times a week at The Lightfoot Centre in Walker (where they host their bouts), and at All Saints College in West Denton.

The team played their first bout at Hadrian's Brawl on 11 April 2010, playing against the B team from the Auld Reekie Roller Girls at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh.

They also took part in Smashdance against the Sheffield Steel Roller Girls on 24 July 2010, and gained their first team win at Block the Casbah, playing the Dolly Rockit Rollers in Leicester on 25 September 2010.

They hosted their first home bout, Flog on the Tyne, against Aberdeen's Granite City Roller Girls on 5 March 2011 at The Lightfoot Centre in Walker, Newcastle. Beating them 113 - 63.[5][6]

BBC Sport Online wrote a piece in the run up to their home bout: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/9385442.stm

They played the Glasgow B team in Glasgow on 2 April 2011, the Dolly Rockit Rollers in 'Sweet Home Alajammer' on 7 May 2011, and the Liverpool Roller Birds on 11 June 2011 in 'Crouching Blocker, Hidden Jammer'.

They went into their fourth home bout, Thwack to the Future, with a hat-trick of home wins under their belts. Unfortunately the Sheffield Steel Roller Girls stole the win, but it just means the Newcastle Roller Girls will train harder for their next home bout, which will take place in December 2011.

In November 2011, Newcastle joined the UK Roller Derby Association.[7]

Newcastle Roller Girls now have two league teams, The Whippin' Hinnies (B team) and The Canny Belters (A team). Their second newbie intake began on Thursday August 4, at All Saints College, West Denton, where newbie skaters will be put through a four-month derby training course. By the end of the course skaters should have passed minimum skills and be ready to progress to intermediate sessions with the wider Newcastle Roller Girls team.

Month 1: Skating basics: stops, starts, falls, being safe. Month 2: Derby specific skills. Month 3: More derby specific skills (there's a lot to learn). Month 4: Building derby skills and becoming ready to bout

A third intake will begin in 2012.

The Newcastle Roller Girls have a brother team - Tyne and Fear Roller Derby, which was founded in June 2011. They play Merby, which is the male form of roller derby and are led by Man Shaped Dog and Chemic-Al.

References

  1. ^ Decker, Babette (23 February 2010). "Ditching Heels for Wheels (Page 1)". The Journal. Trinity Mirror. http://www.journallive.co.uk/lifestyle-news/healthy-living/2010/02/23/ditching-heels-for-wheels-61634-25896864/. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Newcastle Roller Girls (Feature)". BBC Look North. BBC. 16 March 2010. 
  3. ^ Decker, Babette (23 February 2010). "Ditching Heels for Wheels (Page 2)". The Journal. Trinity Mirror. http://www.journallive.co.uk/lifestyle-news/healthy-living/2010/02/23/ditching-heels-for-wheels-61634-25896864/2/. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
  4. ^ Decker, Babette (23 February 2010). "Ditching Heels for Wheels (Page 3)". The Journal. Trinity Mirror. http://www.journallive.co.uk/lifestyle-news/healthy-living/2010/02/23/ditching-heels-for-wheels-61634-25896864/3/. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
  5. ^ "Newcastle Roller Girls". Active Newcastle. Foundry Media. 2010. http://www.activenewcastle.co.uk/site/club.php?venueName=Newcastle_Roller_Girls. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
  6. ^ "Featured Event: Hadrian's Brawl". Auld Reekie Roller Girls. http://www.arrg.co.uk/events.php. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
  7. ^ "Welcome Newcastle Roller Girls to the UKRDA!", UKRDA, 15 November 2011
v · d · eUnited Kingdom Roller Derby Association leagues
Auld Reekie Roller Girls • Birmingham Blitz Dames • Central City Rollergirls • Dolly Rockit Rollers • Glasgow Roller Girls • Granite City Roller Girls • Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Girls • London Rockin Rollers • London Rollergirls • Middlesbrough Milk Rollers • Newcastle Roller Girls • Royal Windsor Rollergirls • Sheffield Steel Rollergirls • Tiger Bay Brawlers


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