My Little Pornies (Black) .v. Uniscorns (White)
So the day had arrived, 23rd Jan 2015, when our current fresh meat got to put all that they had learnt into action. Their first Positional Scrim. They were joined by the Granite City Brawlermen’s fresh meat, but you would have never known that they had never skated together. There was a mixture of excitement and nerves in the room during the warm up and kit check. Then it was all a go, the enthusiasm and effort oozed from every individual involved and before we knew it, the scrim was over! The feedback received was inspirational and we wanted to share this with you all.
Mentors Feedback
Mentor: Claire Simpson
Roller Derby Name: Ruby Riot - Roller Derby Number: 08 - Team: My Little Pornies
"I was extremely proud watching everyone at scrims! You all brought your A game and I can see everyone taking on all the coaching and applying it to their skating and tactics. It made me happy dance on more than one occasion!"
Mentor: Janey Forsyth
Roller Derby Name: Berocca Bama - Roller Derby Number: 17 - Team: Uniscorns
"Positional scrims was so awesome, well done guys and gals!!! Everyone played so well and I saw so many smiles, that's what it's all about, super proud of everyone, Uniscorns and Pornies alike!"
My Little Pornies Feedback
Fresh meat: Lucy Paton
Skating Since: February 2014 - Team: My Little Pornies
"As a non-skater on the night it was still so exciting to watch live roller derby action and I was so proud of everyone. Especially proud of my team mates. The fresh meat Brawlermen handled themselves so well! Who would have thought there could be such drama at a fresh meat positional scrim!! It was great to see some of the skaters who have only been doing it for a few months jam, get through the pack and get lead jammer for the first time!! Smiles all round and great fun!"
Fresh meat: Leanne Brown
Skating Since: September 2014 - Positional Scrim Number: 6 - Team: My Little Pornies
"The session before the positional scrim was buzzing with talk of player numbers and tactics. It seemed everyone was ready and raring to go, I was terrified. I just wasn’t ready. I wasn’t afraid to try hard or of falling, I was just frustrated that I wasn’t as good as everyone else. I looked around and felt like the only person who still hadn’t got it. The closer the game got the more I just wanted to pack it all in.
Inevitably game day arrived, we warmed up and after watching the first few Jams it was my turn. I was a blocker. It flew by in a blur of numbers, skaters and helmet covers but I survived and loved it. I went straight back and volunteered for jammer. I had a rocky start with a trip to the penalty box but after that I broke through the pack. I was so excited and shocked that I fell over… ending my big moment on the floor. But who cares I broke through, after that I skated around the track with a little extra confidence (I like to think my wobbling made me look like I had a little extra swagger).
The rest of the game just happened, I volunteered for every jam and chatted excitedly with the team suggesting blocks and tactics. The game ended in hugs, cheers and laughter and the obligatory group photo. No one cared about the score, all that mattered was how much we’d learned and how far we’d all come. Scrims have been one of my favourite bits so far and I look forward to my next attempt, although next time I’ll be wanting to know the score."
Fresh meat: Meriki Hill
Skating Since: September 2014 -Positional Scrim Number: 10 - Team: My Little Pornies
"So since I got the ‘learnt the most’ award I am going to enlighten you to all of my lessons learnt;
1. Learn the rules of derby
2. Try and skate off the track to the penalty box and not into the edges of the hall.
3. Do everything faster
4. Listen to everyone all the time
5. Penalties are not scary
6. (not learnt but definitely reinforced) I LOVE ROLLER DERBY!"
Fresh meat: Nichola Watson
Skating Since: September 2014 - Positional Scrim Number: 14 - Team: My Little Pornies
"I had a huge amount of self-loathing after being given a shot at jamming. I spent most of the jam in the penalty box and felt I really let the team down. The advice Krusty and the others gave us about letting it go and moving on was spot on, once I’d managed to do that I could focus on helping my team by blocking the best I could. Such a great way to learn the game, I just wish we could do it more!"
Fresh meat: Ben Rafferty
Skating Since: September 2014 - Positional Scrim Number: 21 - Team: My Little Pornies
"Thanks go out to all at GCRG for inviting the Granite City Brawlermen to their positional scrim, the event was a huge success and enjoyed immensely by those of us taking part. It was a fantastic opportunity both to learn the game and have fun doing it! We are enormously grateful to be able to participate in a scrim with you and share in your infectious enthusiasm and hunger for the sport. From everyone at GCB, fervently looking forward to skating with you again - Cheers!"
Uniscorns Feedback
Fresh meat: Jodie Thomson
Roller Derby Name: Lamb of Quad - Skating Since: 2009/2010 - Positional Scrim Number: 555 - Team: Uniscorns
"What I love about scrims: Mostly I love the team spirit and enthusiasm from every single person! It doesn’t matter if you have scrimmed before or if it’s your first time, you still get butterflies in you tummy. As soon as you’re put into your team, I find that the nerves start to fade away and the excitement and encouragement from team mates helps bring out your inner confidence! I love the feeling at the end of the scrim when you hug it out with everyone and see the HUGE smiles everyone has on their faces. For me personally, that’s what I love about derby: the fun you have and the confidence it gives you."
Fresh meat: Kath Nolan
Skating Since: September 2014 - Positional Scrim Number: 12 - Team: Uniscorns
"I was nervous and excited about my first baby scrim. What really sticks out in my memory is how quickly it seems to pass. There is so much to think of all at once. I really enjoyed it and for the next one I am hoping to be more focused and confident. Thanks so much to all the mentors and all uniscorns and pornies."
Fresh meat: Charlotte Andrews
Skating Since: September 2014 - Positional Scrim Number: 3 - Team: Uniscorns
"Everyone said that your first scrim is over before you know it and I can honestly say I agree with them. Once I got past the nerves, and there were a lot of them, I had an amazing time. Everyone is so encouraging and team-mates help each other through it. The encouragement doesn’t stop once the game does, there were awards after, congratulating people on their efforts. I was given “Best Jammer” for my team, I was surprised and I wouldn’t have gotten it without the help of my amazing team-mates. I got such a buzz at the end of the scrim, I didn’t want it to end, I can safely say I am now hooked on derby."
Fresh meat: Amanda Gilmour
Skating Since: September 2011 - Roller Derby Name: Sew Foxy - Positional Scrim Number: 25 - Team: Uniscorns
"If I had written this right after the scrim, it would have been a big jumble of caps locked letters and exclamation marks. I’m not sure when I’ve ever been so excited. Having some guys with us was a new experience. I thought they did their coaches proud, I felt we gelled really well considering a few of us really only met an hour or so before the scrim. I also thought that the newer girls were fabulous. Lined up for one particular jam, a newer lass was going to be pivot and asked me what they do. After a few seconds explanation, she was so in the zone, telling us all the plan for the jam. That was my proud parent moment of the scrim…well one of them anyway. All the older skaters, fights, refs or even us more experienced non – mins passed keep saying how well all the new girls are doing. It’s because it’s so true. Coming into this scrim there were no “weak links”, there was nobody that would fall over at the slightest breeze. Not only was everyone skating well, they were skating well under new conditions with a lot of noise and a lot of other things (refs, benchs) going on as well. What’s more, the more experienced girls have improved so much as well. Skaters who were wobbly at the last scrim are now more like grounded trees. I hope that everyone came away from the scrim saying they had a lot of fun. I had so much fun with each and every one of you, whether you were on my team or not. I’m now at a point where I just want us to all be one big happy team, and skate against other people instead! Team My Little Uniscorns anyone?"
So as you can see the positional scrims were a huge success and everyone involved loved them.
From all of the freshmeat: A big thanks to all the Refs, NSO'S, coaches, mentors and general encouragement from everyone...safe to say we all loved it...derby is addictive!
Photographs Below: Andy Morris