GRR!
I am really proud of Mrs. Hill. She joined a group of girls in town who are putting together a roller derby league, and in the process made many new friends, refined her skating skills, and had a lot of fun. The Gainesville Roller Rebels are this city’s first derby team, and in starting their operation from the ground up they have been keeping themselves very busy. Not only do they practice two days each week, but they hold business meetings on a regular basis, and have now held a benefit rock show and–just today–a fundraising rummage sale. For Miriam these mean either staying up super late on a work night, or waking up super early on a weekend morning.
I have met the other roller girls a few times now, and they all seem pretty nice. And, in addition to being tough enough to skate fast for an hour straight while crashing into each other, they all have active lives outside the rink. Don’t misjudge them because they have tattoos and piercings: these girls are teachers, law students, business owners, and many are mothers, too.
Last Tuesday night they held a rock show/benefit at The Atlantic downtown. Most of the girls were there in their skates and brand new team shirts with their numbers and derby names on the back. Several bands played and the girls raffled off a bunch of prizes, some of which were pretty sweet. I didn’t win anything, but I came close. I was glad that they raised a goodly sum of money. And, again today they raised more at their yard sale. So, huzzah Gainesville Roller Rebels!
Filed under: Gainesville, General, Sports on February 9th, 2008 | 3 Comments »