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GGRD All-Stars vs
Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners

Feasterville, PA
   The Sportsplex
   East Cost Derby
   Extravaganza

GGRD Meatpacking District vs. Philly Cheese Skates

GGRD All-Stars mixed-team exhibition with the Kansas City Roller Warriors

GGRD Wall Street Traitors vs. Philly Independence Dolls

	W		L
Bronx Gridlock	1	-	0
Manhattan Mayhem	1	-	0
Brooklyn Bombshells	0	-	1
Queens of Pain	0	-	1

Can the Manhattan Mayhem grab their third consecutive league victory and finally beat the 2008 league champions, the Queens of Pain?

The Gotham Girls welcome the summer derby season with a battle between the Manhattan Mayhem and the defending league champions, the Queens of Pain. May's GGRD bout brought a capacity crowd to Hunter College. Don't get shut out at the door -- get your tickets now!

Halftime entertainment will feature an exhibition of Murderball -- wheelchair rugby -- from the New York Warriors, and DJ Shakey will spin the music before and during the bout.

This faceoff takes place at the Hunter College Sportsplex, at the southwest corner of Lexington Ave and 68th Street in Manhattan, directly at the 68th street stop on the (6) subway line and near the (F) train stop at 63rd street.

The Hunter College Sportsplex is wheelchair-accessible; for specific questions about access, leave a message at the Gotham Girls hotline: (888) 830-2253.

Tickets for this bout available at Brown Paper Tickets
Doors @ 6:30, Whistle @ 8:30
General Admission: $19.75 in advance, $23 at the door.
VIP trackside seats: $29.75 (advance only)
Don't be disappointed at the door - get tickets now!
Or, if you prefer not to purchase on line,
call Brown Paper Tickets directly at 800-838-3006.

Show your borough pride and cheer for your home teams.
HOT TIP — skaters love fan-made signs!

Tickets for the whole season of action are available at www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com/events.

Afterparty at Manitoba's - 99 Avenue B, between 6th and 7th street.

The Gotham Girls All-Stars extended their record WFTDA winning streak to fifteen bouts on June 6th in Raleigh with a 185-31 victory over the #9 ranked Carolina Rollergirls. Suzy Hotrod led the scoring charge with 58 points, followed by Bonnie Thunders with 55 and Barbara Ambush with 38. Read the archived play-by-play or the bout summary on the Derby News Network.

With the victory, the Gotham Girls All-Stars virtually guarantee themselves the top seed in the WFTDA's 2009 East Region Tournament, held again in Raleigh's fantastic Dorton Arena over the weekend of September 11-13.

IT'S TIME FOR TEXAS
The #1 ranked All-Stars face their highest-ranked foe of the year to date on Friday, June 19th when they face the Texas Rollergirls' Texecutioners (DNN ranked #4) on Friday, June 19 in a double-header hosted by the CT Rollergirls in Woodbridge, Connecticut ... Derby girls from around the region will be flocking to Connecticut to watch these two storied national powers go at it in a highly anticipated rematch of last year's landmark Gotham victory ... This bout should also be viewable via live video streaming on the Derby News Network, but make the trip up the road! Tickets available here ...

JUNE 27-28 - EAST COAST DERBY EXTRAVAGANZA IN PHILADELPHIA
...The Philly Rollergirls are hosting the third annual East Coast Derby Extravaganza on June 27-28 at the Sportsplex in Feasterville, PA. On Saturday, Gotham's rookies take on Philly's rookies ... Gotham's All-Stars (the WFTDA 2008 national champions) play in a fun scramble with the 2007 national champions, the Kansas City Roller Warriors. Ad-hoc teams (the 'Gothorriors' and the 'Kansorkers') will be built with players taken from both the Gotham and Kansas City rosters ... on Sunday, Gotham's Wall Street Traitors take on Philly's B-Team, the Independence Dolls ... the rest of the weekend will feature twenty full-length WFTDA bouts between teams from all over the continent; the ECE is an annual derby party no derby fan should miss!

The Gotham Girls' Jeerleaders present an evening of rock-n-roll -- lady style. Support the Jeer! Mingle with your favorite skaters, refs, and Jeerleaders. This Jeerleader fundraiser features the bands: • S.M.U.T • Royal Pink • Sister Anne Wednesday, June 17th 2009 at Lit Lounge 93 Second Avenue between 5th & 6th, Manhattan 8:00 PM $6

Gotham Girls Roller Derby is pleased to be working with Girls Write Now to provide unique sports journalism opportunities for writing and reporting about roller derby. Girls Write Now Inc. (GWN) is New York’s premier creative writing and mentoring non-profit organization, matching bright, creative teenage girls from the city’s public high schools with professional women writers. Their mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment where girls can develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy choices in school, career, and life.

The following writeup describing May's Mayhem victory over the Bombshells was crafted by high school student Amalie Kwassman with guidance from her Girls Write Now mentors.

Showing More than Just a Little Leg
By: Amalie Kwassman

For those of us who think that roller derby is just a bunch of girls in short skirts fighting with each other, think again! "Roller derby involves high mental capabilities," insists Speed McQueen of the Bronx Gridlock, one of the four teams representing New York as part of Gotham Girls Roller Derby (GGRD). The opportunities at GGRD present the women involved far more than just a chance to show off a little leg. Many of the women on the team are "bright and multi-faceted," gushes McQueen, almost in awe of her fellow teammates, as she should be. Luna Impact, a star player on the Bronx Gridlock is a PhD candidate and a conversationalist, need we not mention a terrific athlete.

For our under-30 crowd who do not know roller derby or what went on in the 1950s, roller derby consists of a maximum of 15 players on each team with a jammer, a pivot, and blockers. The object of the game is to score points by having the jammer pass all the blockers successfully and legally without getting hit.

Polly Gone, a star jammer for the Manhattan Mayhem, declares that roller derby, above all other sports, "gives her the opportunity to be tricky." She also gets to "freak people out," and who doesn’t like doing that? And if that's not freaky enough, the stories of how some women found out about roller derby are even stranger. One woman got a pair of derby skates as a birthday present while in her twenties, and another woman has been roller skating since she was in 3rd grade. But here, at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, all experiences are welcome. It's like a built-in family, and this is one democratic household we are talking about! There is no hierarchy. All the players buy their own uniforms and skates, and everybody has a say in how GGRD is run. It also provides opportunities for women to stay in shape. Women's sports have characteristically been known to get less air time than men's sports, but roller derby might prove to be an exception. Perhaps it is the showmanship or the silly names, but roller derby is catching some eyes and some hearts.

Women not only get to exercise and have a great time but they can also learn how to build partnerships with others and "work as a team." Luna Impact, a figure roller-skater before converting to roller derby, says that while "figure-skating is rigid and the most important thing is to stand up straight and have good shoulder placement," roller derby lets women have a good time! After interviewing several players, one thing is for certain -- this sport needs more coverage. Are people afraid to see women enjoying themselves?

On the May 16th game, the Manhattan Mayhem crushed the Brooklyn Bombshells 117-89. Don't let the score fool you. At one point in the first half, the Brooklyn Bombshells were losing 18-4. The Brooklyn team had just introduced a whole slew of rookie players. GalXC, a newcomer to the Mayhem, described her very first game as "amazing" and she just loved "the camaraderie." What keeps these women coming back to play game after game is the energy of the crowd and the fun. Points are secondary to enjoyment. That's the way it should be.

Gotham Girls Roller Derby NFP, Ltd is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit corporation, and all donations are fully tax-deductible where permitted by law. Your donations will go toward continued production of our fierce and entertaining competitions, development of training and community outreach programs, and financing of travel for our athletes to represent the city on the national stage.