by Barking Spider

PHEW! Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are still collectively recovering from all the excitement we experienced during our 2019 season, but it’s time for our 2020 season to begin. Gigga gigga whaaa!

Here’s a (short) list of what amazing things RMRG has accomplished in 2019, and the people who helped make all of it possible:

1. GAMES, GAMES, AND MORE GAMES: Our 2019 game schedule was jam packed. In 2019, RMRG hosted 12 double header events at our new practice facility, The Rollerdome. That’s 24 games! It takes an amazing amount of work and talent, on and off the track. RMRG League Members and newbies volunteer many hours to ensure our games run smoothly. and we are so thankful for all they do. We recognize some of the enormous workload that is put in, sometimes a month before a game:

Bout Production: Committee Head Elvira Queen of the Fight and committee members scheduled the multitude of volunteers that help ensure our games are successful including security, rules helpers, track maintenance, check-in, and clean-up after the game.

Events & Fundraising: Committee Head Easy as Pi and committee members planned pre-game promotion events, run raffles, create silent auctions, and stocked the bar for games as well as ensure bartenders keep our fans cups full.

Finance: Committee Head Vitamin Bea and committee members recorded payments of tickets for the upcoming game, provided cash boxes for Merch, Bake Sales, and Fundraising, as well as performed ticket-master duties at the door for games.

Gaming: Members She Who and Pop’a Pain staffed our games with officials and Betty Slayer One made sure medical staff was on site for the safety of everyone involved.

HR: Committee Heads FlipHer & Betty Vedder and committee members ensured skaters met the requirements for skating in a game, which include volunteer hours, street teaming, achieved practice hours, and paid dues.

Interleague: Committee Head CoachEena and committee members created our season schedule, coordinated with visiting leagues as well as the WFTDA, and helped Besterns Tournament run smoothly.

Merch: Committee Head Bad JewJew and committee members ensured RMRG merchandise was stocked and set up sales table to provide fans with cool stuff to purchase at our games.

New Recruitment and Development: Committee Head Sweet DeeStroyher and committee members worked with our new to RMRG skaters (Killscout and transfers) to successfully navigate the requirements for games and set up our Killscout Bout themes and rosters.

Partnership: Committee Head Floora Goodtime and committee members recruited advertisers for RMRG Partnerships as well as scheduled tables at games for local businesses and community organizations.

Public Relations: Committee Head Barking Spider and committee members created each 2019 Event on Facebook and advertised across our social media accounts. Created and implemented our new group ticket sales pricing. Regularly promoted our many 2019 partnerships.

Street Team: Committee Head Grave Robin and committee members helped schedule multiple events to get the word out for our 2019 games and continually distributed game flyers.

Training: Committee Heads Zoom & Grave Robin and committee members worked to keep everyone fit and strong for all our 2019 games.

Warehouse Management: Committee Heads Massey and ELE and committee members ensured the facility is clean and the restroom is stocked with paper goods.

Warehouse Liasions: Committee Heads Motorbutt & She Who worked with Denver Roller Derby (our practice facility roommates) to ensure seamless communication and facility function for games and practices.

Furthermore, thank you to those League Members who stepped up to be a part of our 2019 Travel Team Eval Committee (Daisy Danger, Kish of Death, Misstress Tarable, Fight Club Captain Sylvia’s Wrath, Contenders Captain Chi Chi, PM Captain Clitterference ). Also, to those League Members who worked to iron out skater issues to ensure we work as a team (Fiona Grapple, Siouxsicide Bomb, and Spunky Old Broad).

2. OUR FIRST FULL YEAR IN OUR NEW HOME. RMRG moved into our new practice facility at the end of 2018, and 2019 was our first full year in The Rollerdome. The newness of the situation meant our 2019 Board of Directors had the exciting task of working out all the kinks that come along with a new facility. There were lessons learned, and we are all stronger for it. Let’s just say our crappy plumbing was a HUGE lesson and leave it at that.

Thank you to all our 2019 BOD heroes: Angry Topaz, Animal Style, Betty Slayer One, Cherry Manilow, French Kiss of Death, Harper Bizarre, Justice of the Peach.

3. WE HOSTED A 3-DAY TOURNAMENT, BESTERNS 2019. Mostly this feat was accomplished by our very own Harper Bizarre, who helped wrangle all the tournament positions needed to successfully host a tournament. Thanks to our Liaison Committee consisting of both RMRG and DRD members we created a tournament certified barrier to keep the fans safe in the stands. Besterns 2019 welcomed teams from Utah, Texas, Wisconsin and even Alberta, Canada for 3 days, and resulted in a financial gain for the league.

4. HOME TEAM DOUBLE HEADERS WERE FILLED WITH EXCITEMENT. RMRG wants to recognize our Home Team captains for 2019. They put a lot of work into working with their Home Team skaters to ensure each skater feels like part of a team. Plus, each captain put a lot of effort into ensuring our 2019 Home Team games were populated with skaters on each team benches.
Daisies: Pink FameNgo & Devilz Huntress
Hoods: Clitterference & Angry Topaz
Sugars: ELE & Vitamin Bae
USPS: Easy as Pi & Pixie Yerbattles

5. RMRG is a wonderful league and we try to give credit where credit is due. Every January RMRG skaters and league members (new, veteran, and alumni) get together to have fun together and decompress. Our Prom this year featured old Nintendo games as awards for those our league voted to bestow certain coveted awards. Here are those special people:
Craziest Daisy – Chi Chi Chong
Sweetest Sugar – NintenDoll
Reppin’ the Hood – Clitterference
Most Postal Pummeler – Pixie Yerbattles
Unicorn Award (Fight Club) – She Who Cannot Be Named
Tupac Award (Contenders) – Melter Skelter
Robert Paulson Award (Project Mayhem) – Angry Topaz
Kickass Kill Scout – Bold Babe
Yammer of the Year – Pink FlameNgo (No, not a spelling error…yammer = jammer)
Feel the Pain (Best Blocker) – May Q Pay
Most Improved Skater – Reverend Pain
Ref/NSO Award – Man in Black
Team Heckle – Betty Vedder
Heart of RMRG – Harper Bizarre
Unsung Hero – Cherry Manilow
Biggest Coach Impact – CoachEena
Best Sportsmanship – Lumpy Skate Princess

by Justice of the Peach

Rocky Mountain Roller Girls would like to introduce “Paws for the Cause,” our first newsletter promotion of our neighbors and partner, Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue. This newsletter will feature the foster kittens of two of our RMRG Skaters, Sassy Bee Otch and Nintendoll. Fostering animals is a great way to volunteer and serve your community, and also get to enjoy the pet experience without actually committing to owning one (or 7). Animals need fostered for many different reasons, in the case of Bee’s kitten’s because they are very young and need more attention than an older cat.

Bee is currently fostering 2 brothers named Ellis and Patton (but, says Bee, “We usually call Ellis “Twinkle Toes,” because the only white on him is on the tips of his back toes on one foot.”). Fosters don’t always come named and after adoption, people can change their names, which is easier with a kitten rather than an adult cat who already knows their name. Both brothers are just 8 weeks old and just over 2 lbs. Bee and her family are doing a great job brining these boys up to weight, since they were around 1 pound when they were first brought home.

Bee says, “Ellis and Patton are best buddies and a bonded pair. They play hard together, and they also enjoy playing with our dog who is quite gentle with them considering he’s a young pup. Their purr motors are excellent, and they love to be snuggled after they tire themselves out.”

Doll and her manpanion David got their foster, Kate, last Friday. They opted for an adult because, “we already have another kitty and we weren’t sure if we could handle a litter!” While Kate is an adult, she was a foster candidate because of some medical issues she has.

Doll explained to us what that looks like: “Kate possibly has IBD, Irritable Bowel Disease. That means her tummy has a hard time with most food. When we got her, she came with the food that didn’t make her sick. Unfortunately, it was also food she doesn’t want to eat. The first weekend we had her, she acted completely normal except she starved herself. She. Wouldn’t. Eat. One. Bite.”

As a result she ended up going back to the vet and having two blood draws and an IV.
“She went home with some new food that we aren’t sure about. She eats it for now – great! But she also could react very badly to it. So it may be touch and go for her in these next months. Here’s hoping we succeed in keeping her healthy!”

“Kate is the sweetest cat I’ve ever lived with,” Doll told us, “She will take all the pets, sits in your lap, and even lets me pet her tummy! She is 3 years old and the tiniest full grown cat.”

Bee and Doll both acknowledge that that fostering can be difficult (especially Bee explaining to her daughter that no, they can’t keep all their kitties!)
Doll adds that, especially with a special needs animal, “It really is emotionally hard. You are basically signing up for a cat/kittens in need of care. Sure, it takes extra time, but it gives you an added bond too!”

However, “The bottom line is,” Doll smiled, “You will fall in love immediately.” If you’re interested in adopting these or any other felines, RMFR has an application and adoption fee of $120 for 1 kitten and $180 for 2 kittens. That fee covers vaccinations, de-worming, spay/neuter, and microchip.

“If someone wants to visit my foster kittens and see if they like them, they are more than welcome and then an early application will give them priority on those kittens. Otherwise, they can come visit all the available kittens in the shelter. They get a tour of the facility and the staff can help them look at kittens or adult cats that will work well within their household,” Bee explains.
If you’re interested in adopting, fostering or volunteering, make a trip to Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue at 2390 S Delaware Street, or stop by their table at one of the upcoming RMRG games just across the street at the Rollerdome.