All Over Albany

Hellions vs. All Stars 2017

The Hellions of Troy and the Albany All Stars will renew their roller derby rivalry July 8 at the Rollarama. Tickets are $12 at the door / $3 for kids 12 and under (and $10 if you buy 'em ahead of time from a skater).

This is the second year in a row the two local roller derbies will face off with each other, following last year's showdown at the TU Center. (The rivalry heads to the Rollarama because it's a home game for the Hellions.) Game blurbage:

This will be a pivotal and competitive match; the Hellions took the title last year, but the All Stars have been gearing up and hoping for victory. Both teams have focused on increasing skill and teamwork this season; according to the latest rankings from the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, the Hellions are ranked 204, and the All Stars are ranked 255.

The first whistle on July 8 is at 8 pm.

photo: Sean Childs

Roller derby night at the ACC

A quick pic follow-up to that post about the Albany All Stars moving their games to the Albany Capital Center. That's a pic above from the season opener Saturday night, in which the All Stars lost to Port City. Here are a few more in large format.

The roller derby was in the large multi-purpose space on the second floor of the new convention center. The track was on a hard surface laid atop the carpet there, with spectator seating on two sides, the benches on another, and the announcers and scoreboard along the other.

It looked like there might be a few kinks to work out for using the space. During halftime members of the crowd helped push the interlocking pieces of the track surface back together. And if it's possible to get more elevated seating in there, it'd probably help sight lines. (There was a good crowd Saturday night -- pretty much all the seating was filled.) But it was the first night and anything new is going to have a learning curve.

AASRD has a game a month at the ACC through October. The next one is May 6.

Albany All Stars Roller Derby has a new home

At the Albany Capital Center ribbon cutting, there was a full-size basketball court set up in the center's big multi-purpose space to show off both the size of the room and its ability to host sporting facilities.

Updated Thursday morning.

The Albany All Stars Roller Derby launches into its 10th season April 15 -- at.a new home.

The All Stars are moving to the new Albany Capital Center.

"It's a huge, beautiful space and we're very excited," said Kimberly Eisen, AKA "Dottie Damage."

(there's more)

Capital District Roller Derby Showdown

Check it out: The Albany All Stars and The Hellions of Troy will be facing off at the TU Center on June 4. It's the first time the two local roller derby orgs will go at it against each other on the track.

There is, of course, some history here. Back in 2008 the Albany All Stars Roller Derby had its first official bout at the Washington Ave Armory. And it was successful, drawing thousands of people. But later that year there was a derby schism and the Hellions of Troy broke off into their own org. Since then the two derby orgs have been operating in parallel here.

Both groups are now part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, and they're separated by a just a handful of spots in the WFTDA rankings.

The bout at the TU Center will be a home game for the All Stars.

Doors open at 6 pm, the first whistle is at 7 pm. Tickets are $15 / $5 for kids 12 and under.

There will be music from Diva & the Dirty Boys, along with activities and a raffle. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Food Pantries of the Capital District. A non-perishable food item will get you entered in a drawing for a prize.

Albany All Stars Roller Derby opens 2016 season this weekend

The Albany All Stars Roller Derby opens its new season this Saturday, January 9 at The Armory on Washington Ave in Albany.

The Brawl Stars will be taking on the Battle Cats of the Southshire Roller Derby. There will be music from DJ Trumastr and halftime activities. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Orange Street Cats.

The first whistle Saturday is 7 pm. Tickets are $10 ahead / $12 at the door / $4 for kids 12 and under.

The All Stars have home bouts scheduled just about once month from now through June. And if you're interested in joining the derby, there's an info/recruitment night Wednesday, January 13 at 6:30 pm at The Armory.

Earlier on AOA: How to behave (or not) at a roller derby bout

No fishnets in this roller derby

CDMRD's Maul Bunyan during a scrimmage.

The first bout for the new local men's roller derby league -- CDMRD -- is this Saturday night at the Washington Ave Armory. It's a double-header -- the men play first against the Utica Quadfathers, and then the women of the Albany All-Stars take on Central NY Roller Derby. Doors open at 5 pm and it's likely the event will sell out.

One of the new men's league founders, George "Mooseknuckle" Dunckley, answers some questions about the new league, men's roller derby in general and what people should expect on Saturday...

(there's more)