Almost 7 Months in the Making

Today is Tuesday, April 19th, 2011. Today is also the first official STRG banked track practice!

This day will go down in the history of STRG as an important, life changing event for all of those involved! Thank you EVERYONE!

Beauty Queens In Roller Derby?

One of the skaters of Sugartown Rollergirls just so happens to be a former beauty pageant contestant! Beauty queens playing roller derby?! That’s crazy right?! We recently sat down with Jillian to pick her brain a little about her pageant days and why in the world would someone who is involved in such an activity that seems to be at the opposite end of the spectrum.

STRG: So Jillian, you are a former beauty queen? That’s something that not a lot of average people participate in. What got you started in doing pageants?

Jillian: I started doing pageants when I was 21 years old. I was a little inspired after watching Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Miss Congeniality. I just thought Why Not? It was a source of scholarship money for my college tuition too. 

STRG: Yeah, those movies are pretty funny! Have you won a bunch of titles?

Jillian: The largest and only titled I ever won was Miss Ventura County 2009 which is part of the Miss America Organization. I competed in 2 other pageants before coming out on top and was thrilled when I won. I had the opportunity to represent Ventura County at the Miss California pageant in June. I spent 10 days with 54 other contestants competing for the titled of Miss Cal 09’. And no…I didn’t win =)

STRG: Whoa! You won Miss Ventura County?! What was that like?

Jillian: Winning Miss Ventura County 2009 was well…sounds corny but life changing. It was an opportunity for me to get out in my community and give back. What most people don’t know is that every title holders has a platform statement which is tied to some sort of community service. Mine at the time was Beauty from the Inside Out so I got to go to schools, libraries, and after school programs to talk to young women about confidence, self esteem, and following your dreams. Amazing time. 

 STRG: I agree, I didn’t realize that so much community service and charity work was involved with pageants. What was your talent?

Jillian: My talent was singing. I’ve been singing since I was about 6 years old and doing theater- so I did a Musical Theater number to Legally blonde “So Much Better”. I also got the opportunity to sing the national anthem at the San Francisco Giants Game in June 2009.

STRG: How did you first discover roller derby?

My dad actually. He grew up in San Francisco watching the Bay Bombers- so of course the “when I was young…” stories would come up he would talk about him and his sisters boyfriend at the time watching the bouts. And that’s where I first heard of derby. Dad’s know best. 

STRG: Have you had any previous skating experience before?

Jillian: I’ve had a little here and there. I used to roller skate in my neighborhood and then I started to ice skate when I was about 7- I did that for a few years and then played soccer the rest of the time. So not a ton but a little. 

STRG: Why did you choose to join Sugartown Rollergirls? 

I’ve always been involved in some sort of sport growing up and my friend brought up the idea right when I was looking for something to “join” and derby was it. It’s one of those sports that really intrigued me. I chose STRG because of the different route I felt they were taking with skating. The style and training technique is what really captivated me though. Learning is skate first play second- I’ve learned so much in my first 3 months of skating and am doing things that I never dreamed I could be doing- I was excited and still am about the track- that is awesome- it’s also been really fun building the track as a team and seeing this teams vision come to play. So, so far STRG has been the ideal match for me. 

STRG: What do you think about training under the world famous Coach Brian “Blade” Gallagher? Is he as good of a Coach as people say he is?

Jillian: He’s awesome! To have a coach who has so much experience and to be taking the time to train us. I definitely agree with the idea of first having the basic skills and foundation of skating before playing the game of derby. It’s giving us a chance to become the best skaters we can be based on skills but then taking skating to next level and learning the game. Expect the unexpected from us. 

STRG: Do you think you’ve really progressed in the months you’ve been with Sugartown? Do you think you would be at the skill level your currently at without 

Coach Blade?

Jillian: Probably not. What I really appreciate about Coach Blade and what makes his training technique unique from others is that he looks as you as an individual and your individual strengths and weakness. Yes we do team activities during practice and group work but Blade works with you 1:1 and teaches you how to correct your body to get the right positioning and “feel” what it’s supposed to feel like. He also doesn’t mind having you try something to see what happens. Maybe the outcome is “great you landed it” or maybe its “crap, that didn’t work- what can I do differently to make it work?” The biggest thing that I have learned from Coach Blade is “that if there is a will, there is a way” and that is what motivates me to continue skating past the falls and bruises. 

STRG: Sounds like you really enjoy the style of teaching he brings. Before our little interview comes to a close, what is some advice that you could give to anyone with or  without derby or skating experience who is considering joining Sugartown Rollergirls or the Sugartown Men's League that may be intimidated?

Come out and try it- you never know- take a Saturday Class with Coach Blade through California Skate School and just get a feel for it. That’s what I did. I haven’t been on skates since I was like 12 years old besides the occasional winter ice skating. You don’t’ need any fancy skates to start either- so don’t be embarrassed! We all had to start sometime. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I brought my big 5 roller skates with pink wheels and a pink helmet and struggled around the flat track. After talking to Coach Blade and some other ladies I was sold. Skating has now become my new passion. What’s there to lose? 

If you want to be a part of Ventura County’s first and only banked track roller derby league, don’t be shy! If you simply have a few questions about joining, or a ready to roll, send an email to STRGfreshmeat@yahoo.com

If you are interested in participating in a California Skate School class hosted by Coach Brian “Blade” Gallagher, you can find information on their website at www.skateschool.com 

Don’t forget to add Sugartown Rollergirls and Coach Blade on Facebook!

Words to Live by

I saw this on Facebook yesterday and have been milling it around in my head ever since I read it. This is just a status post done by Donna Kay "the hot flash" of Tilted Thunder Rail.

Donna 'thehotflash' Kay

Hey hey, Imagine if all skaters helped each other instead of judging or being threatened. I mean what if a team 100% TOTALLY believed that they were only as good as their weakest skater and were truly full of joy if their teammates surpassed them in skill? Holy hell. Imagine that.


If all leagues would adopt this way of thinking I have no doubt the sport would progress even beyond what it is today. 


Happy Monday!

What's In A Name?

Now that things are up and rolling with our new men's league, we're all very excited for all of the awesome new things to come! Not only are we Ventura County's first male roller derby league, we are the first and only male BANKED TRACK league as well. And if it couldn't get any sweeter, as of current, we are the only unscripted aka "legit" male banked track league in the entire state of California! Anyway you look at it, we're making derby history left and right down here in Oxnard.

We've got the track, we've got the guys, but we're missing two very important things. A men's league name and logo! Since we have such wonderful showing of support from our fans, we've decided to let you guys help us out with creating the men's league name and logo. Here at Sugartown, we are active within the community and want the community to be active with us.

We only have a few requests when creating and submitting your ideas:

We want to keep the term "Sugartown" in the name. (We still want to rep our hometown of Oxnard!)

We would like to keep our name professional and family friendly, so please no curse words or sexually explicit words or terms. (We want derby fans of all ages and backgrounds to wear our league and team names proudly on their shirts!)

If you would like to submit any ideas for a name, submit a logo for our men's league, or would just like more info, please email it to our official email box sugartownrollergirls@yahoo.com

And of course we're always looking for new skaters to join our boys. Have experience with hockey or speed skating? Use your skills in America's fastest growing sport. To get rolling with us or for more info about joining, please send an email to STRGfreshmeat@yahoo.com

We've got the track...do you have the GUTS?!

Even though we've had a few bumps in the road with the build of our track, it's all a learning process, and we're taking it all in stride. Our track is rounding the home stretch and should be fully completed in the next few weeks!! We are all very excited and can't wait to hit that track!

And because we are so excited about the track nearing completion and how all of our hard work is paying off, we've decided to share excitement with the rest of the world.

ALL NEW SKATERS, if you have any type of skating experience or not, will recieve their first month dues for FREE when they join our men's our women's derby league!! We want to share our motivation and excitment for the sport with anyone who wants to be a part of something big, something upbeat, something that's the next big thing in roller derby! And if it couldn't get any better, we are offering a discounted rate for all skaters dues!

This is only a limited time offer. So if you have been waiting for a good oppourtunity to join Ventura County's first and only banked track league, here's your chance! Please check our website for details about requirements for new skaters.

Sugartown Rollergirls are also planning on having a "ribbon cutting ceremony" as sort of a "coming out" celebration for our track. Stay tuned for further details for a confirmed date. Don't forget to add us on Facebook.

A few good men

STRG is now recruiting men to play on a men's banked track team.  This is a pivotal moment not only in the sport of roller derby, but in the world of Sugartown Rollergirls.  We are really shaking things up.

If you are a man, and are interested in joining our men's league, please email us at STRGfreshmeat@yahoo.com

Here is the flyer. Happy skating!

We are so happy to say that Sugartown Rollergirls along with the NRDA featured in the December issue of Five on Five Magazine!

Our friend Auntie Social from East Bay Roller Derby submitted the story and just like that, it was published. As many of you know, Five on Five is the official magazine of the Womens Flat Track Derby Association, so it's pretty cool that they gave a shout out to us banked girls.