Roller Derby Announcing: My Introduction

First response to question: A&E's Rollergirls
Second response to question: A&E's Rollergirls
Third response to question: A&E's Rollergirls
Fourth response to question: A&E's Rollergirls


So, I had finished watching the A&E series, "Rollergirls" only a couple of month previous, when I saw an ad for a bout for the San Diego Derby Dolls. Even when I watched the series, I only watched it because I thought it would be a train wreck. Being that it was an A&E series, I thought it would be marks above the usual crap staring your average celebrity-craving attention whore. (Geez, they'll make a reality series about anything.) I still underestimated the series.

Even though I enjoyed the series, the sport itself did not really interest me. The MTV-style jumping camera shots works against what is most exciting about the sport. Still, I wanted to go once, just for something different. Besides, how long were they going to last?

So, I went. And... I LOVED IT. I loved it more than I could have ever guessed. I am not a sports fan, so this feeling of being a fan was strange to me. Almost overwhelming. My first thought was that people had no idea how great this sport is.

Soon after that, there were ads on MySpace for announcers. My improv group had just collapsed, and I was looking for that next step. The ad had several requirements; keeping it a family show, being able to talk for an hour, able to project, etc, etc. I had done all of those things separately, but never all at once.

Plus, I was not a sports fan. Zero announcing experience. Nope. Not for me. Too bad. Would have liked to been involved.

A second ad came out. Then, I started thinking about it. It is a new sport. They cannot expect the announcers to be experienced when even the players were not. At that point, I thought I'd go and try out, and leave it up to the team whether I was qualified or not.

Still didn't go.

It was something new, and uncertainly had me always coming up with things to do other than get in contact with this group.

Around that time, Aunt Flo posted a birthday party at The Zombie Lounge. I went, and started talking to Kiki Diazz. I told her all the reasons why I did not think that I could do it, and she encouraged me, saying that they had "professional" announcers that were very flat and condescending toward the entire experience, and that they would much prefer someone that loved the sport.

So, I sent an e mail asking how I try out. Nobody responded. Kiki asked how everything was going. I told her, "I don't know." She would go shake them. I showed up. I was told by Jonny and Jazz that there would be a try out. That never happened. Here I am.

Kiki, if a group of black and white masked bandits take you out back for a beating, you truly have my sincerest apologies.