Re: Request to use stadium for Women’s Roller Derby bouts
Dear Board, Thank you for taking the time to consider our request. Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby (WIRD) is developing the radical and empowering sport of women’s Roller Derby in Wollongong in 2009.
In case you don’t remember the game from its heyday in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, I’ll give you a quick run-down. The game is sixty minutes of furious action as two teams of skaters compete for glory and points. It’s played on old style quad roller skates with a full complement of safety gear. Players push themselves to the limit for the fun and competition – which makes it a great spectator sport!
Roller Derby has been having a revival all over the world. There are eighteen leagues operating in Australia, and five in NSW and the ACT. There are movements towards establishing both state and national competitions for this amazing sport. We intend to make WIRD leaders in this national competition! The community building aspects of this sport, as well as its promotion of health and fitness for all participants make it a perfect fit for the sporting community of the Illawarra.
WIRD has been in training since February 2009 and currently have thirteen active skaters, insurance, an indoor training venue and a dedicated and experienced training team. We also have a whole lot of hard work in front of us. Recently a group of our skaters attended a two-day derby camp with Sydney Roller Derby League, bringing home a whole new bunch of skills. With these skills, our brutal determination and the ongoing training we’ve hooked up with Sydney Roller Derby League, it looks good for us to be holding our first public bouts around October 2009.
We would be interested in using the **** Stadium as a venue for our bouts. These games will take place once a month and we would like to begin these around October or November of this year. For the events we will need at least one court, the lights and some seating for approximately four hours. We expect between thirty and fifty spectators for these initial bouts and we will have between fifteen and twenty skaters.
I understand that your floor is very valuable and that you may have serious concerns about our skates damaging the surface. I would like to attempt to set your mind to rest on this matter as I understand that some skate sports could do a lot of harm to your soft floor.
The skates that our players wear are leather and rubber, similar in composition to hockey shoes. Our Code of Conduct requires all skaters to ensure that all metal parts on the skates are in good condition and that no bolts extend past the edge of the wheel and the Coaching team check this regularly. The wheels themselves are indoor roller skating wheels made of reasonably firm rubber. The lighter coloured wheels would be very unlikely to leave any marks on your floor and we can make that a prerequisite for skating at the venue. Aside from this, the toes of the skates are covered with leather toe guards which prevent the laces or toe of the boot scraping the floor. All players also wear knee guards, elbow guards, wrist guards and helmets. There is a significant amount of sliding on the knees and so to prevent damage from the knee pads our skaters wear legwarmers over the pads. Many of our members are also purchasing white knee pads for this reason. Finally, players are not allowed to wear any sharp jewellery, studs or even jeans with rivets while skating and we are covered for $20,000,000 public liability insurance.
If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact me. If you would like, I can also arrange for some of our skaters to come and show you their skates and possibly demonstrate some knee slides on a small corner of the floor.
I thank you again for taking the time to read our submission. To provide you with information to make an informed decision, please also find attached copies of references from sporting venues provided to the **** Roller Derby League and *** Roller Derby League and our League’s Code of Conduct.
Yours sincerely,
She'Na Nigans
(If you are in Australia and are looking for references from derby friendly venues, please drop me an email at wird.shena.nigans@gmail.com)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
WIRD sponsorpack
I've never made a 'sponsorship pack' before - no that's a lie, I made a sponsoship pack about 6 weeks ago but I hated it and we needed something that could be photocopied.
It's folds as a booklet, has a tear out form for them and one for us, and some grainyesque pics.
Email me for a pdf.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Terrible venue experience
Trotted off today to check out a venue with a couple of the training committee. Despite all our preparation, great outfits and cheerful smiles, it was a horrible horrible experience.
I won't go into details cos I'm nice, but I'm pretty sure we won't be using this venue. I don't think there is anything we could have done differently.
In an attempt to soothe our bruised egos we stopped at another potential venue on the way home, and despite being told 'no' immediately we sweet talked the lovely office lady and she offered to put a proposal before the board at the next meeting.
Time to get writing!
I won't go into details cos I'm nice, but I'm pretty sure we won't be using this venue. I don't think there is anything we could have done differently.
In an attempt to soothe our bruised egos we stopped at another potential venue on the way home, and despite being told 'no' immediately we sweet talked the lovely office lady and she offered to put a proposal before the board at the next meeting.
Time to get writing!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Shelby Unkonshus - new Freshie contact
Shelby Unkonshus has decided to cash in on her extreme love for all things roller derby and has taken on the mantle of WIRD Freshmeat Coordinator. She will fielding all your excited enquiries at her brand sparkling new email: wird.freshmeat@gmail.com
Friday, May 1, 2009
WCC Cultural Grant Application
1 Name of Project:
Steel City/Skate City: Wollongong’s Love Affair with Roller Skates
2 Name of Project Coordinator:
Neena She'Moan, Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby Project Coordinator
3 Project summary:
Steel City/Skate City will showcase the diversity and quality of the region’s rollerskating history and enliven the city by re-establishing its once strong skating community. This research project will culminate in a multi-disciplinary skating exhibition and the launch of the project’s website, an ongoing resource for the residents of Wollongong.
4 What is the purpose of your project?
Steel City/Skate City will reinvigorate the rollerskating culture which previously flourished in the region as well as helping to establish a network for those hoping to revive skating in all its forms. Rollerskating has suffered a gradual decline over the last two decades, with rinks closing and previously strong clubs disintegrating. The Illawarra had a particularly vigorous skating community, with rinks in almost every town (including Thirroul, Woonona, Towradgi, Wollongong, Dapto, Albion Park and Oak Flats), several national and international champions and successful teams of speed skaters who trained and competed on outdoor netball courts, car parks and roads. With a severe lack of infrastructure or training space impacting on every skating organisation in this region, there seemed to be little future for skating in the Illawarra. Recently, however, there has been a renewal of interest in these sports and a beam of hope for these lapsed communities.
Rollerskating in all its form is currently undergoing a revival in Australia. In consultation with many former and current skaters from the region, as well as governing bodies for skate sports, Skate NSW and Skate Australia, Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby (WIRD) hopes to help revitalise our skating community. The Steel City/Skate City website will act as an online gathering point for clubs and disciplines, present Wollongong’s distinctive and exciting character and history to a global audience, and continue to be a valuable ongoing resource for the skaters of today and tomorrow. The demonstration of skating, hopefully to be held at Berkeley Netball Courts (a former skating venue with considerable meaning for many of the region’s skaters), will be a significant cultural event, attracting a diverse and exciting audience mix as well as providing a renewed access to these sports.
5 How did you identify a community need for, and/or consult with the community about this project?
While developing WIRD as a league we became aware of the Illawarra region’s former vibrant skating community, and came to realise there was a need for this community to be reinvigorated. We have been contacted by the children of roller derby players from the 1960s who played for Towradgi (who were wondering if we were planning a reunion) and competitive speed skaters from the 80s and 90s who remember speed skating comps at the Berkeley outdoor netball courts and wanted to know whether they could just skate with us. WIRD members appearing at events such as the Thirroul Seaside Festival and Wollongong Youth Week’s Big Machine Festival at Fairy Meadow Skate Park have been approached by numerous people wanting to know where we have been skating and asking if we know where they can get in touch with former skating friends and organisations. WIRD took this as both a consensus that skating should come back and a plea to help make this happen.
The online push for a revival of skating has been dramatic. When Skate NSW posted a request on their page asking for interviewees and skaters to participate in Steel City/Skate City they received five replies in one day, all of whom they passed right onto WIRD, and more emails are arriving every day. Also, at the time of writing, the Facebook group ‘Bring back a Rollerskating rink to the Illawarra area’ was one week old and already had 103 members. This clamouring cannot be ignored – Wollongong wants their rollerskating back and WIRD are determined to help them find it.
6. Who will be involved in your project?
Delivering:
The members of WIRD will work under the direction of Neena She'Moan to conduct the research and coordinate the demonstration. She'Na Nigans, a freelance writer and researcher, and Kay Ottick, a former competitive speed skater, will undertake the majority of the research, with these services provided as ‘in kind’ support. A professional website developer will be contracted to develop the website and it will be maintained for two years by WIRD.
Participating:
Confirmed interviewees and participants for the event include: Debbie ****, a speed and artistic skater who has run two skating rinks in the area and competed on a national level as well as Debbie’s two daughters who will demonstrate artistic skating; John ***** & Sandra *****, roller derby skaters from the 60s who played for the Towradgi Toranas (and possibly their daughter Dorothy who was captain of the female team), who will provide interviews, newspaper clippings and photos; and the skaters of WIRD who will demonstrate the newest evolution of this old sport. Further resources already offered include pictures and memorabilia relating to speed skating, super 8 footage of roller derby being played in Coniston and videos of local artistic championships. We aim to have 6-12 participants for each discipline and a broad visual and narrative history of each to exhibit.
Attending as audience:
From former skaters and supporters of skaters wanting to explore the history, to youth drawn to the spectacle of roller derby, Steel City/Skate City promises to attract a particularly diverse audience. Spread out over the afternoon and evening, there will be opportunities for participation by families, young people, and former and future sportspeople. Skaters and supporters who have moved away from the region have expressed interest in attending, as have roller derby skaters from Sydney, Western Sydney and Newcastle. This event also has the potential to become an annual event and an ongoing tourist attraction and increasing Wollongong’s significance as a cultural destination.
Steel City/Skate City: Wollongong’s Love Affair with Roller Skates
2 Name of Project Coordinator:
Neena She'Moan, Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby Project Coordinator
3 Project summary:
Steel City/Skate City will showcase the diversity and quality of the region’s rollerskating history and enliven the city by re-establishing its once strong skating community. This research project will culminate in a multi-disciplinary skating exhibition and the launch of the project’s website, an ongoing resource for the residents of Wollongong.
4 What is the purpose of your project?
Steel City/Skate City will reinvigorate the rollerskating culture which previously flourished in the region as well as helping to establish a network for those hoping to revive skating in all its forms. Rollerskating has suffered a gradual decline over the last two decades, with rinks closing and previously strong clubs disintegrating. The Illawarra had a particularly vigorous skating community, with rinks in almost every town (including Thirroul, Woonona, Towradgi, Wollongong, Dapto, Albion Park and Oak Flats), several national and international champions and successful teams of speed skaters who trained and competed on outdoor netball courts, car parks and roads. With a severe lack of infrastructure or training space impacting on every skating organisation in this region, there seemed to be little future for skating in the Illawarra. Recently, however, there has been a renewal of interest in these sports and a beam of hope for these lapsed communities.
Rollerskating in all its form is currently undergoing a revival in Australia. In consultation with many former and current skaters from the region, as well as governing bodies for skate sports, Skate NSW and Skate Australia, Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby (WIRD) hopes to help revitalise our skating community. The Steel City/Skate City website will act as an online gathering point for clubs and disciplines, present Wollongong’s distinctive and exciting character and history to a global audience, and continue to be a valuable ongoing resource for the skaters of today and tomorrow. The demonstration of skating, hopefully to be held at Berkeley Netball Courts (a former skating venue with considerable meaning for many of the region’s skaters), will be a significant cultural event, attracting a diverse and exciting audience mix as well as providing a renewed access to these sports.
5 How did you identify a community need for, and/or consult with the community about this project?
While developing WIRD as a league we became aware of the Illawarra region’s former vibrant skating community, and came to realise there was a need for this community to be reinvigorated. We have been contacted by the children of roller derby players from the 1960s who played for Towradgi (who were wondering if we were planning a reunion) and competitive speed skaters from the 80s and 90s who remember speed skating comps at the Berkeley outdoor netball courts and wanted to know whether they could just skate with us. WIRD members appearing at events such as the Thirroul Seaside Festival and Wollongong Youth Week’s Big Machine Festival at Fairy Meadow Skate Park have been approached by numerous people wanting to know where we have been skating and asking if we know where they can get in touch with former skating friends and organisations. WIRD took this as both a consensus that skating should come back and a plea to help make this happen.
The online push for a revival of skating has been dramatic. When Skate NSW posted a request on their page asking for interviewees and skaters to participate in Steel City/Skate City they received five replies in one day, all of whom they passed right onto WIRD, and more emails are arriving every day. Also, at the time of writing, the Facebook group ‘Bring back a Rollerskating rink to the Illawarra area’ was one week old and already had 103 members. This clamouring cannot be ignored – Wollongong wants their rollerskating back and WIRD are determined to help them find it.
6. Who will be involved in your project?
Delivering:
The members of WIRD will work under the direction of Neena She'Moan to conduct the research and coordinate the demonstration. She'Na Nigans, a freelance writer and researcher, and Kay Ottick, a former competitive speed skater, will undertake the majority of the research, with these services provided as ‘in kind’ support. A professional website developer will be contracted to develop the website and it will be maintained for two years by WIRD.
Participating:
Confirmed interviewees and participants for the event include: Debbie ****, a speed and artistic skater who has run two skating rinks in the area and competed on a national level as well as Debbie’s two daughters who will demonstrate artistic skating; John ***** & Sandra *****, roller derby skaters from the 60s who played for the Towradgi Toranas (and possibly their daughter Dorothy who was captain of the female team), who will provide interviews, newspaper clippings and photos; and the skaters of WIRD who will demonstrate the newest evolution of this old sport. Further resources already offered include pictures and memorabilia relating to speed skating, super 8 footage of roller derby being played in Coniston and videos of local artistic championships. We aim to have 6-12 participants for each discipline and a broad visual and narrative history of each to exhibit.
Attending as audience:
From former skaters and supporters of skaters wanting to explore the history, to youth drawn to the spectacle of roller derby, Steel City/Skate City promises to attract a particularly diverse audience. Spread out over the afternoon and evening, there will be opportunities for participation by families, young people, and former and future sportspeople. Skaters and supporters who have moved away from the region have expressed interest in attending, as have roller derby skaters from Sydney, Western Sydney and Newcastle. This event also has the potential to become an annual event and an ongoing tourist attraction and increasing Wollongong’s significance as a cultural destination.
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