NEO Roller Derby Donates to Children’s

Akron roller derby league gives bout proceeds to Akron Children’s Hospital
Akron, Ohio - May 21, 2009 – The NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls, Akron’s premier roller derby league, presented Sarah Lundenberger, Special Events Coordinator for the Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation, with a check for $1,005.05. The donation is the proceeds of NEO’s home opener at the Summit County Fairgrounds.
The roller derby league has the aim of not only providing great entertainment, but also giving back to the community. For each home game this season they’ve selected an organization to receive a donation. Most of them are organizations that specifically help women and children. “We chose Children’s Hospital because many of us have children and we know how great of a hospital it is and we wanted to contribute to the great things that they do,” says Kim “Scarlet GoDancin” Shuman.
“Our games are 100% DIY, so we spend the money up front, and make that money back with ticket sales. The money that’s left over after paying the venue and the visiting teams etc., we donate,” explains Shuman. Why the $.05? “Well, we thought about rounding it down just because it looked silly to add it in there, but then we thought, ‘no, we’re giving them 100% of what we made!’”
Lundenberger was elated to receive the donation and gushed when she was told she could keep the ceremonial check. Next month’s charity is the American Red Cross and the league is not only donating money, but arranging for bout goers to donate blood as well at the bout dubbed “Blood, Sugar, Skates, Majik.”
For more information about the NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls visit NEORollerDerby.com

Akron’s NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls Buffalo Buffalo

Roller Derby Team Beats Buffalo Team in a Game Benefiting Children’s Hospital

Tallmadge, Ohio (5-2-2009)- George Harrison was right: there is something in the way she moves and that something came together to award the NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls with a 115-76 victory in the home opener of their second season. The league hosted the Suicidal Saucies, a B team from Queen City Roller Girls, in the bout called Derby Road; a spoof of the classic Beatles album.

In a new venue, the Summit County Fairgrounds Arena, with ample seating and beer sales, NEO was poised for a win and determined to show the Akron area some sensational Roller Derby. The Saucies weren’t going to make it easy, however, having come into the game with an undefeated record. On the jammer line to start the game were NEO’s Teeny Houdini, and representing the Saucies, Mexicali Bruise. Teeny had an amazing game scoring a total of 27 points in six turns at jammer. Mexicali matched Teeny’s total in her 10 turns as jammer.

B’Kini Whacks from the Saucies, who nearly traded off the entire game with Mexicali with periodic help from Sissy Fit and Alley Oops, was the game’s highest scorer with 40 points in 11 turns as jammer. Close behind was Scarlet GoDancin with 34 points in 6 turns at jamming. Scarlet comes back to NEO’s lineup after having spent 6 months rehabilitating after back surgery at the close of last season.

Other high scorers for the evening were the makes-it-look-easy Phantom Fox with 15, and Chrissie B. Hynde who with 19 points and 8 jams as a multi-task blocker went on to win the MVP awarded her by the Suicidal Saucies.

The crown for most trips to the penalty box goes to Twin Pistol who also scored high with 14 points. Amber Vendetta also made a return to the NEO lineup after rehabbing a broken ankle after the last game of last season. It was obvious she didn’t lose a bit of her game earning 14 defensive blocks, 4 assists and 3 Jammer Take Outs. However Taking Names answered Vendetta’s challenge and showed the crowd why she won the title of Most Feared skater last year with 15 defensive blocks, 5 assists and 6 Jammer Take Outs.

It’s nearly impossible to qualify individual plays throughout the night, but one play that had the crowd amazed and the refs astonished was a team maneuver where Scarlet pushed Kwik Kyra up into the path of the Saucies’ Alley Oops resulting in a power block that sent Alley down and into a backward summersault. Alley didn’t stay down for even a beat and was on her feet in no time and skating like nothing happened; truly a moment in derby where one realizes that these women are every bit an athlete.

Check back next month when NEO hosts S.W.A.T. from Fort Wayne Derby Girls June 13th in what’s been dubbed Blood, Sugar, Skates, Magik.

So Sweet and Calamitous

The B Team from Maine beats Akron’s NEO Roller Derby

Portland, Maine (4-11-2009)- While the Easter Bunny was busy coloring eggs, The NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls were getting theirs fried. NRRG made the long trip to Portland to take on Maine Roller Derby’s B-Team the Calamity Janes, but did not come home victorious. The Janes pummeled NRRG 121-25, but they did it so sweetly that it was hard to feel defeated.

Teeny Houdini started on the jammer line and pulled in 5 points in the first jam, but NRRG was not able to keep that party going ending the first period with only 11 points. It was evident in the second period that NEO’s plan was to at least close the ever growing gap and made a gallant effort, but just were not able to best the solid defense of the Janes.

The Janes’ defense was matched by great offense, most notably Grim D. Mise who has the feet and agility of a jack rabbit. She went on to receive the MVP for the Janes and rightfully so. Other Jane juggernauts were Jenni Vicious who standing tall was perfect for knocking girls down hard; a relentless skater who had her fair share of trips to the penalty box.

As for the standard fighting spirit of the NEO Roller Girls, team captain Taking Names proved to be a formidable foe to the Janes; so much so that they awarded her with the MVP for NEO. Her hits were devastating and her endurance was amazing. Chrissie B. Hynde showed the determination of a pit bull especially in a power play jam where NEO only had two blockers and the jammer in the penalty box. Chrissie managed to corral the Janes’ jammer and keep her from breaking through her initial pass until NEO’s jammer was loose from the box. It is that kind of determination and unrelenting drive that characterizes the NEO team.

NEO finishes their official away season with 3 losses and one win.