After all the prep for the trip, we are finally out here on the road!
Chickadee, Celia, Jurasskick & Mars
Kick-off breakfast on Friday morning with PVRD friends got us moving in the right direction — to the HQ of the largest derby store in the world, Bruised Boutique. We couldn’t help treating ourselves to some new gear, which we put into use later that evening.
The Burlington Bombers invited us in for two hours of Sisyphean sprints on an indoor track surface made of carpeted Jell-O. After all the holiday laziness, we can only be thankful for this opportunity to burn off the cookies and booze. If you are looking for a good challenge — go do some endurance with BBRD on Friday nights.
Aurora & Southside - Extinguishing!
Afterwards, we got to help celebrate the birthdays of their youngest and oldest skaters — Aurora BoreAsskick and Southside Hitman. Happy Birthday! After some time spent with good friends in the Northeast Kingdom, we began our journey South.
Going from the edges of nowhere, to the heart of everywhere, overnight, can be… a little intimidating. But, the New York Shock Exchange welcomed us with open arms to a practice on Sunday afternoon at the Gotham crash pad.
Almost bursting at the seams, the crash pad managed to contain a flush of skaters from the surrounding area. The pace and intensity of the practice culminated in a three-way co-ed scrimmage which left me wanting more!
Coming out of the pack - Thanks for he great shots, Willverine!
Hitting the bar afterwards steered us toward an evening with old and new Gotham and Shock friends — filled with tabletop games, noodles, and sleeeeeeep.
It took a bit of energy to finally get out of the house the next morning and poke around Brooklyn. Some tasty sandwiches and a cup of joe at Bittersweet Coffee on Dekalb counted as lunch, as we wandered around Fort Greene Park and checked out the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.
Ladies Knight also pointed us toward the Pratt sculpture garden, which had a certain, tricky, massive kinetic piece that put a smile on my face, reminding me to pay attention!
A former league-mate Pittstop and her BF guided us into Williamsburg to get some balls at the Meatball Shop to do some catching up and chowing down. This left us plenty of time to head on over to Branch Brook Park for a healthy session of power strides with the Garden State Rollergirls.
Rogzilla, who we thank for announcing for PVRD countless times, came to the rescue with a place to crash for the night in Mo-town. We finally found some breathing room here to hack away in a Portlandian technology loop to keep you all posted!
Up next: Baltimore, MD — Charm City Roller Girls and Harm City Homicide
If you are reading this – Thank You for your help, hospitality, and friendship!
Check out the infant stages of our progress map!
Until next time, JP & Chick
