- Currently, the Atlanta Rollergirls do not recruit year-round.
- They hold workshops in the summer and two phases of tryouts in the fall for skaters who will play the next year.
- They are looking for experienced skaters with solid footwork, form, balance, and speed.
- Recruitment is open to all interested ladies ages 21+.
- Please e-mail ARGrecruitment(@)gmail.com to get more information and add your name to the list of Fresh Meat hopefuls.

Schedule of upcoming workshops:
Sat., May 17: Meet & Greet (10:00AM – 12:00PM)
Sat., July 26: Workshop 1 (10:00AM – 12:00PM)
Wed., August 20: Workshop 2 (6:00PM – 10:00PM)

Also, check out the Atlanta Rollergirls recruitment page for the latest information.

More Info:
- It takes 3-6 months to train a decent skater to be a roller derby skater.
- If you are interested in getting involved with roller derby, you should volunteer, get to know the girls on the league, and see the commitment that is really involved: time (we run the league ourselves), training (3 or 4 practices per week) and the level of physical activity.

You should also work seriously on your skating skills… starting NOW.
Just going to open skates at local rinks to work on your balance, speed, and footwork will help. Also, if you get to know some of the girls in the league, they might want to go skating with you and share some tips.

Be sure to join the Atlanta Rollergirls e-mail list for the latest info on the league and recruitment.

——
If any of you have ever met me, you know, you do not need to be tough, big or even a killer skater to be a rollergirl. You just need the dedication, drive and will. One of the best experiences of my life. Highly recommended for anyone.

TOO SLOW!

The Atlanta Rollergirls have finally moved to an indoor venue after spending all of their earlier seasons hosting their games out at All American Skating Center in Stone Mountain! Games this season will all be hosted in the Auditorium at the Yaarab Shrine Center on Ponce De Leon (across from Taco Bell & Krispy Kreme). They still won’t have any food or beverages for sale, so tailgating is highly encouraged though at your own risk.

This is going to be a bit of a sad game for me this weekend. After skating with the Atlanta Rollergirls for three years, I retired after the 2007 Season to finally start college. (Ha.) I couldn’t remain committed to leaving however and will be a referee for the league throughout the 2008 Season. The Atlanta Rollergirls are just too much fun to leave. This isn’t something to miss.

After touring the West Coast, Red Bull Illume — a first-of-its-kind international action and adventure sports photography exhibition — is making its East Coast debut in Atlanta, offering residents and visitors alike a spectacular “illumination” of indescribable proportions. Red Bull Illume began as a quest to find the 50 best raw moments in action and adventure sports.

Photography experts from around the world served as contest judges and hand-selected 50 images from the 7,200 submissions received from photographers in over 90 countries. These astonishing images are now participating in a traveling exhibition touring extraordinary destinations around the country and world. The larger-than-life photos took Aspen, Colorado, by storm, made waves in Huntington Beach, California, and lit up the streets of downtown Portland, Oregon. They’ll now dazzle crowds at a landmark of sports history — Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.

On March 5-16, a breathtaking spectacle of 25 eight-foot glass and metal cubes will light up the park each evening from dusk until 11 p.m., revealing the most dramatic compilation of action and adventure sports imagery ever assembled.

During the day, the mirrored cubes will offer reflective views of the park, built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, and its urban surroundings.

Athlete Steve Fisher, whose African kayaking adventure is featured in the exhibition, is pleased to share the spotlight with action sports photographers. “Red Bull Illume is the first-ever photo contest to exclusively honor the men and women behind the camera in the outdoor and adventure sports world,” he said. “For the first time these talented photographers are put on a pedestal and are getting the credit they deserve. It’s like the Oscars of the outdoor sports world!”

The judging panel was made up of tough critics — photo editors and photo journalists from photography, action sports and lifestyle magazines from around the world. These judges reviewed the thousands of entries to select the winning images — including five finalist images in 10 image categories — with an eye toward celebrating and honoring the men and women behind the lens who braved the planet’s harshest terrain in order to capture athletic grit and triumph.

“Red Bull Illume is unique because we have never had a competition like this before in this genre,” said Illume participating photographer Brian Nevins. “We’ve watched rock ‘n’ roll, fashion and other types of photography grow and get recognition for the years of hard work dedicated to it. This is the first time we can feel special about what we do and it’s been an honor to be a part of it.”

Red Bull Illume spotlights the top international photographers who have triumphed in the eyes of experts for their art, spirit, grit and edgy perfection, and the exhibition is a tribute to their creativity and raw skill.

The top 10 category winners include:
Categories : Category Winners
Lifestyle : Desre Pickers – South Africa
Sequence : David Blazek – Czech Republic
Close-Up : Dawn Kish – Flagstaff, Ariz.
Energy : Thomas Stoeckli – Switzerland
Spirit : Brian Bielmann – Haleiwa, Hawaii
Playground : Wojtek Antonow – Poland
Wings : Fred Mortagne – France
New Creativity : Jimmy Wilson – Melbourne Beach, Fla.
Experimental : Tim McKenna – Australia
Illumination : Gian Paul Lozza – Switzerland

Fred Mortagne of France achieved the honor of Illume Image of the Year for his stylized skateboarding image that has a composition beyond expression and wowed judges.

Atlanta visitors will also get the chance to honor their favorite Red Bull Illume images by voting for the People’s Choice Award. The voting began at the first Red Bull Illume tour stop in Aspen in Winter 2007, and it has continued throughout the tour. People are encouraged to cast a vote for their favorite action and adventure sports image at the voting kiosks at the exhibition, online, or by text message.

Following the exhibition in Atlanta, the exhibit will travel to more select cities in the United States before heading overseas in 2009.

We meet at the Cafe Physique studios (on the corner of Moreland Ave. and North Ave.) at 6AM, then we cross the street to Freedom Park and work out pretty hardcore for about an hour non-stop.

I’m in the middle of Week 4 and my legs and arms feel like mush today. But I’m really amazed at how much the class has grown, since day one – when believe it or not, it was just me – now its about 18 people on average.

This morning though, I was surprised to see an extra addition to the class – a television camera crew! NBC local affiliates, WXIA – 11 Alive, were filming my class and lucky me, I had the camera on my face (mid-jumping jacks) for what felt like forever.

Now I don’t know how much they are going to use of my pretty mug, but I want you all to watch it – tonight, channel 11 (WXIA – 11 Alive) at 6:30PM. Maybe you will think, ya know what, if Luis can do it – so can I!

I don’t really have a lot of ‘work out’ music on my iTunes, but as cheesy as it might be – everybody knows one song will forever motivate – So I found of bunch of “Eye of the Tiger” covers.

[mp3] Soulwax – I Wish I Was (Eye of the Tiger) (mashup)
[mp3] Olivier Bernet – Eye of the Tiger (Persepolis Soundtrack)
[mp3] The Monolators – Eye of the Tiger
[mp3] Junesex – Eye of the Tiger

From the Atlanta Rollergirls:

The biggest news is our brand-new midtown location! That’s right, this year all your favorite Atlanta Rollergirl bouts will be held in the Yaraab Shrine Center auditorium, located on Ponce de Leon Avenue. It doesn’t get more IN TOWN than that!

PLUS, we’re giving you DOUBLE HEADERS on the second SATURDAY of every month!

Double-headers mean more hard-hitting action between your favorite teams AND the opportunity to see our all-star team battle their interstate rivals from across the country. We also have STADIUM SEATING to provide a more comfortable view.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! Just in case you think you might get antsy between bouts during these double-headers, the new Midtown venue will feature a Bizarre Bazaar midway complete with street performers, face painting and games for kids, as well as catering, VIP upgrades (21+ only), a rollergirl autograph table and more!

LOCATION
All 2008 Atlanta Rollergirls bouts will be held at the Yaarab Shrine Center auditorium in Midtown
(400 Ponce De Leon Avenue, plenty of free, gated parking)

LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS AVAILABLE:
$13 in advance; $15 at the door; $6 age 10 and under
Buy Advance Tickets TODAY: www.Etix.com

Tickets will also be available from your favorite rollergirls and our two retail outlets (Criminal Records and Le Petit Mort beginning February 1st.

SCHEDULE
Atlanta Rollergirls double-header events will be held on the 2nd Saturday of each month, from March through August 2008, with the championship bout on September 20, 2008. Doors open at 4pm; the first bout starts at 5pm, and the second bout starts at 7pm.

And yes, you’re favorite Viva Hate (aka me) is going to be a referee this season!

Isn’t she gorgeous?

Similar to her breakthrough single “Hockey Skates,” Kathleen Edwards references Canada’s national pastime on “I Make the Dough, You Get The Glory” from her third album Asking For Flowers (March 4, Zoë/Rounder). Continuing her affinity for detailing human frailty, the witty wordsmith sings,

At a recent Texas show, Edwards stopped midway through playing the song to explain the legend of Marty McSorley. A professional hockey player whose job was to protect the great Wayne Gretzky on the rink, McSorley is best know for being charged with assault and suspended from the league after he hit another player over the head with his stick.

Edwards says it’s one of her favorite tracks on the album and adds, “Most of the vocal is live off the floor, as is all of Greg Liesz’s amazing pedal steel part. My mother is featured on the ‘oohs’ in the choruses.”

Edwards fans have noted her affection for hockey, and one of them Doug Gorrie created this mock cover (originally designed by Daniel Lohnes) rechristening her album Asking for Bauers, in reference to the brand of hockey skates.

Check out tracks from the new album on Kathleen’s MySpace page.

On a similar note, the Atlanta Thrashers have a game today against the Edmonton Oilers at 2pm.

[stream] Listen live!

There’s only one day left to vote.
So make it count.
Don’t let the dipwads decide what’s the best in the city.
Be your own dipwad…

Vote here.

(You know you CAN vote for DaFC. And since Tessa also works at Criminal Records, you might want to vote for them too…just saying.)