RollerCity Training Schedule: Wednesdays
7.30pm - 9.30pm

Age: Must be 18 or over

Experience: none - Female & Male Skaters, Referee & non-skating members welcomed

Enquiries: email info@hertsrd.co.uk

Hell's Belles third game in the End of The World Series tournament, through the eyes of Vera Offtrack (blocker for Hell's Belles).


Our third game (bout) in the tournament, and man were we pumped. We had enjoyed a long break since our last bout that had given us time to train hard and mentally prepare. And prepare we did. Hertfordshire Roller Derby has recently gained a new full-time coach in the form of Olly Wilkinson. Olly has many years of experience of refereeing roller derby at a high level, he has an incredible and passionate knowledge of the game, and the ability to cause excruciating pain to derby girls and guys through tough endurance training. We are extremely lucky to have Olly, and needless to say Hell's Belles training sessions have been ramped up a notch or two. The results - amazing.

Our third game in the tournament was against the mighty Milton Keynes Concrete Cows - an experienced and currently undefeated team that ooze skill and confidence on the track. We knew that the bout would be a tough one, but we arrived on the day feeling determined, excited, (a little nervous!) and ready. We were ready.

Our bout was the first of two, and it was action packed edge of your seat stuff from start to finish. Our best game yet by far. It was a swelteringly hot day so all fire exits were open and plenty of water was made available. The belles suffered an injury early on in the game as 'Fido-Die Do' landed badly after a powerful hit from Concrete Cows team captain 'The Valkyrie'. Fido was out for the rest of the game but I'm pleased to say that she suffered no broken bones - she is currently recovering from a badly sprained and twisted ankle. Heavy hits and strong defence blocking continued throughout the game from both sides, as well as some incredible and skill-full jamming that saw the points creep up slowly for both teams. Although the cows were in front for much of the game, the belles remained extremely close on their tails and kept the pace fast in the uncomfortable heat, we couldn't take the pressure off of the cows if we wanted a chance of winning. At half-time the score stood at Belles 78 - Cows 109.

The final moments of the bout were
perhaps the most exciting of the game as
we were tantalisingly close to overtaking
the cows in the last two jams. The crowd
let out a roar as the cows jammer got sent
to the penalty box giving our jammer
'DodgeHer' (Helll's Belles team captain) a
'power jam' situation. Dodge used the
opportunity well and put huge effort into
racing round the track in a bid to gain the
last few points that we needed. Our
Blockers did a sterling job of fending off
the cows defence - at the final whistle both
teams and the whole venue turned to the
score board waiting for the final points to
be added, not knowing who had taken the
win. It was so exciting! The final score?
Milton Keynes Concrete Cows 185 - Hell's
Belles Roller Girls 176. SO CLOSE!!!!!
Although coming so close is frustrating,
the belles felt nothing but elation and
immense pride. The game was so brilliant,
the crowd were awesome, and coming
soooo close to beating the mighty cows is a strong indication of how far we have come in the last few months. That win we have been after? It's not far away :) Thanks to Bedfordshire Roller Girls for hosting such a tremendous event on that day, and thanks also to all of the super referees (zebras) and NSO's (Non-skating officials). 

If you would like to see Hell's Belles Roller Girls in action, your chance is coming up as they are HOSTING the next game in the tournament! This will be the belle's first home game and they are hoping to see lots of locals and skating enthusiasts cheering on Hertfordshire's only roller derby league on Saturday October 6th. Check out the bout flyer for more information. Tickets are ON SALE NOW, go to our facebook event page.

If you are interested in finding out how you can join or become involved with the belles please email recruitment@hellsbellesrollergirls.com 

Archive:
Game 1  -  Game 2