Newcastle Roller Girls
Encyclopedia
The Newcastle Roller Girls (NRG) are an all-female roller derby
team from Newcastle upon Tyne
, UK. NRG play by the rules of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
(WFTDA).
In March 2010, the team was the feature of a BBC Look North
report on roller derby in Tyneside
. 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.
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.
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.
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
team from Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, UK. NRG play by the rules of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues in the United States. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501 business...
(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.In March 2010, the team was the feature of a BBC Look North
BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria)
BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for the BBC North East and Cumbria region. The programmes are produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne with journalists also based at newsrooms in Middlesbrough, Durham, York and...
report on roller derby in Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
. 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
West Denton
West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne is an area in the west part of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It includes West Denton shopping centre and West Denton fire station .Some of the schools in the area include:*West Denton Primary School...
.
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
Auld Reekie Roller Girls
The Auld Reekie Roller Girls are an all female flat track roller derby league based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team was formed in April 2008. ARRG were the first roller derby league in Edinburgh and are the second league in Scotland. ARRG is skater owned and run, with the aim of promoting...
at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
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.
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.
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.