Welcome back to SV`s second edition of Skater

Check out the latest Roller Hockey news on p. 2
Wayne Maslen Memorial Scholarships
announced on p.9
Welcome back to SV’s second edition of Skater Connect where we cover a
range of topics across our disciplines of Roller sports now in our new Flip
Book format which we hope you’ll enjoy.
Thanks to every-one that found the time to put together articles for this edition
we appreciate you volunteering your time to share your stories.
It’s been some time coming but please turn to page 9 to read about the
Wayne Maslen Memorial Awards. Wayne was a loyal supporter of Skate
Victoria and a personal friend. He gave so much to the sport and SV will
ensure his legacy of generosity lives on. Thanks to Caitlin Grigsby and Sarah
Lawless for setting up the Awards.
With TGSS on the 2016 RD calendar competitors from across Australia
converged on Adelaide for an action packed weekend of Roller Derby.
Congratulations to Adelaide RDL for staging another world class event. At
TGSS SV representatives Alabama Hurley and Bliss had the opportunity to
meet with Amy Spears, WFTDA Vice President and Kimmy Crippler,
Membership Officer to discuss various topics and how we could build on our
current working relationship. One of the main topics of discussion was the
high rate of injuries within the sport and what preventative measures could be
explored to reduce incidences.
Giselle Stogdale gets 1st place at Korean
Open, more on p. 3
Top 5 Sporting Clubs
risks and how SV can
help
Thermoskin Grant
finalists
Upcoming tournaments
Launching Wayne
Maslen Memorial Award
Latest news from each
of our affiliate sports
Ken Sutter Speed
Skating competition
Important updates
relating to SV
membership
Regards, Gloria Hawken
Ken Sutter Comp
Aug 13-14 @
Greaves Reserve
Dandenong
Bont Junior
Series:17/7
RHVic League @ Skate Vic Shed:
Seniors: 10/7, 24/7
Juniors: 23/7
Trans-Tasman: 26-28/8 @ Glenfield, Auckland
The Mordialloc Roller Hockey Club was established in 1974 and was one of the strongest roller hockey clubs in
Australia, winning numerous Australian Club Championship and Victorian Championships.
In its endeavour to be one of the best clubs, we organised tours in Spain and Italy so the players could improve their
hockey skills. We would compete in every hockey tournament possible often travelling long distances to play. It
wasn’t unusual for player to work all Friday, get into a car and drive 14 hours to Long Jetty, on the Central coast of
NSW, to play four to six games over the weekend, get back in the car on Sunday afternoon to be at work again on
Monday morning.
Over the years, we have had numerous players selected to play for Australia and had three players compete in the
1992 Olympic Games which was demonstration sport in Barcelona. The club was on the decline between 2000 –
2011, with number eventually depleting to only having 6-8 players training and playing socially and only if we had a
goalkeeper. Our club was on the verge of folding until the resurgence of roller hockey in 2012. We now currently have
50 active members of all skill levels, ranging from 6 to 60 years old with the focus now being on the younger members
of our club.
We have 7 teams entered in the Victorian Roller Hockey League with 2 senior teams, 1 junior team, 1 under 17’s, 1
under 14’s, 1 girls team and a pee wee/beginners team competing making us one of the biggest roller hockey clubs in
Australia. We may not have enjoyed success in more recent years at the Senior level but watching our kids develop
and improve shows that we have a bright future. We have recently had two of our juniors, Max Cook and Rees
Leighton travel to La Coruna, Spain for a month to train and play roller hockey with the Spanish juniors. They both
came back to Australia having full of knowledge and enthusiasm and could not wait to show off they newly founded
skills and training techniques.
We have 15 players playing for Australia in the upcoming Tran-Tasman Tournament, which is being held on 26th 28th August 2016, Glenfield, Auckland. We have players in the under 16’s, under 21’s, Masters (35 – 45 years) and
Veterans (over 45 years).
We would like to congratulate the following players
for making the Australian Teams:Under 16’s
Under 21’s
Masters
Veterans
James Cook
Ash Clee
Oliver Midolo
Sam Nemtsov
Max Cook
Kieren Moroney
Dean Shah
Joel Devlin
Rees Leighton
Glenn Cook
Gary Campbell
Mark Redmond
Chris Shah
Kelly Belcher
Myke Thompson
Our Club is like a big family with a lot of the older players having known each other for over 25 years. I have personally
been to the weddings of players, watched their children grow up and now the kids play hockey with their parents.
It’s great to see the younger skaters making lasting friendships with their team mates
and hopefully they will have the special bond that we older members do.
Written by Julie Redmond – thanks Julie!
Further information can be found on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/mordiallocrollerhockeyclub/
All the latest information from Roller Hockey Australia:
facebook.com/RollerHockeyAustralia
On 16 April a team of 12 Australian skaters made the
annual pilgrimage to Namwon, Korea for the 2016 Korean
Open. Five Skaterz Club members were among the 7
skaters that went from Melbourne, skating across 5
of the 6 divisions. This year there were;
 3 Middle School girls, including Giselle Stogdale
 3 Middle School Boys, including Kosei Lui
 1 Men’s High School – Lachlan MacKenzie
 1 Women’s University and Business – Paige Hartley
 4 Men’s University and Business, including Harry
Stogdale
The Team Manger (extraordinaire) was Peter Garriga, and
Team Coach was Daniel Thompson from NSW.
As in past years the Australian team was made feel very
welcome and were one of 10 countries represented at the
Korean Open.
Competition started on the banked track after wet weather
delayed things by a day. So the following two days were very
full programs as they tried to squeeze in the extra day’s
events. Wet weather also prevented the last day of road
racing, so unfortunately the relays on Road (traditionally our
strongest events) did not run. Regardless, the Aussie team
pulled out all stops and skated extremely well in all events.
Overall the competition was a very high standard with the
Australian team achieving a number of firsts.





First medal on track – Bronze
First individual Gold medal won in Korea (achieved
twice)
First time two medals were won in the one event –
Gold and Bronze
First time a silver medal was won.
First time skating under lights at night on the track
All the medals won were in the Middle School division with the
Australian team bringing back a total of 2 individual Golds, 1
individual Silver, 2 individual Bronze and 1 team Bronze. The
level of competition in the higher divisions was very strong, but
it did not prevent our Aussie team from shining.
Best results for Skaterz members:





st
Giselle Stogdale - 1 in 10km Elimination on Road
rd
Kosei Lui – 3 in Middle School Boys Relay on Track
th
Lachlan MacKenzie –18 in 10k Elimination on Road
th
Paige Hartley - 19 in 20k elimination on Road
th
Harry Stogdale - 12 in 20km elimination on Road
Everyone in the team really enjoyed the trip and are
considerably richer for all the experiences they shared.
A special mention must be made of the Team Manager.
Besides keeping all the skaters (and their rowdy Parents)
under control, Peter once again excelled at keeping everyone
back home glued to their phones as he commentated each
race in real time. Thank you Peter!
Written by Tanya McKenzie – thanks Tanya!
The 2015-16 'Bont Junior Series' was
th
completed on 19 June at Skaterz Roller
Skate & Blade Rink, with 4 skaters
graduating from the program. A big thanks to
Andy Finster and Kieran Garriga for their
support and great coaching.
Congratulations to Kyle Diwell from Speed Skaterz Eltham Speed Skating Club for winning the Bont skate
package kindly supplied by our long time sponsor Bayside
Blades Skates. Neil and Andrea have been supporting the
Bont Junior Development Program for 9 years and their
contribution to Speed Skating is very much appreciated.
Who’s that sitting in the background watching over
the Eltham Speed Skaters our own SV Speed
Chairperson Jon Evans. Get into Speed at
Australia's top club at Eltham. Just talk to one of
their coaches Kieran Garriga and Andy Finster
when you come along to training and they'll be
able to assist you!
13th – 14th August
Dandenong Netball Stadium
Greaves Reserve Dandenong
(Off Bennet St) Melways 89K7
Skate Victoria is very pleased to report that we have received a 2015
Volunteer grant, courtesy of the Australian Government (Department of
Social Services) for use at our training facility “the shed” in Dandenong,
VIC. The grant will be used to purchase a Defibrillator as well as some
more furniture.
We actually hope that our volunteers or members (adults & kids) do not
ever need to use or receive assistance from the defibrillator however,
should a person require immediate first aid treatment for a heart attack
before medical help arrives, Skate Victoria are now very fortunate to be
able to provide this “vital piece of life saving equipment” at our venue
shortly.
As well as our regular shed user groups, families, spectators, our training
venue is also used by volunteers from the Dandenong Agricultural
Society (DAPS) during the year for large scale community events such
as “The Dandenong Show” and “Scottish Heritage Day” so the
defibrillator could be beneficial to DAPS volunteers also (again, hopefully
it never has to be used).
Written by Susan Morris, Skate Victoria Development Coordinator
Every time I get booked for the Skate Victoria Coaching
Accreditation Beginner course, I get excited. Sure, I’ve
done a few of these, including sitting through a couple
myself, but each one is different and I learn something
new from those in the room every time. The Newcastle
course presented on 21 May was no different.
As always, we had a great bunch of newer and older
coaches in the room from all around New South Wales. As
a beginner course, it always offers so much more. There’s
information on coaching styles, safety, feedback, running
sessions, planning, supporting and more. For the newer
guys, it gives you a place to begin and people to ask all
those curly questions to. For the more seasoned coaches,
it reminds you that you are doing a good job and
gives you some more formal frameworks so you know you
haven’t missed a step.
Roller derby is a fast moving sport. Each year we
see the newest things working at their best through
playoffs and champs. All the leagues then busily
work on these things in a way that works for them. This
course doesn’t give you the new strategies
from Gotham and Rose, but it will give you the know-how
on how to break down skills the skills you see, coach all
levels of roller derby, motivate and lead groups, and get
your league to reach the goals that you want.
If your league is interested in hosting a course, they are
available all around Australia by a range of awesome
facilitators (just get in touch with Skate Vic!). I encourage
everyone to spend a day doing this course. Who knows, I
might see you there!
Written by Jillian Mathieson (GodJilla)
Host: Westside Derby Dolls (Vic)
th
Date: July 10
Location: Community Centre, 539 Barkley St,
West Footscray
Presenter: Exy
Contact: treasurer@westsidederbydollz.org.au
Host: Gladstone Roller Derby (Qld)
th
Date: July 9
Presenter: Cat Murray
Contact: gladstonerollerderby@hotmail.com
Over the past month we have upgraded security on data protection of member’s information by now having one
universal Roller Derby registration form http://goo.gl/forms/YPMhxMEd0eYHBAkq2
Each RD club will have access to their online google membership response spreadsheet via their designated email
account. The club can make comments on their spreadsheet with change of member details which will be updated by
SV. If you are experiencing any issues with the new process please email auditing@skatevictoria.com.au
We ask club’s to be mindful of who has access to your email account and that the SV Privacy Policy is followed.
There have been some enquiries of late regarding skater individual unaffiliated club membership which we cannot
provide. A skater must be a member of a club to be a member of SV. We will continue to provide unaffiliated club
membership to officials to allow them the flexibility to carry out their volunteer roles.
With the number of people moving between RD clubs we have formulated a system whereby the transferring member
to is required to complete the online google form at http://goo.gl/forms/QWvQcxXljxy0ORl03
This is now a requirement for members to retain their SV membership and insurance coverage. Transferring from and
to clubs will be forwarded transfer forms from the SV office to complete. A copy of the RD Transfer policy is available
from http://www.skatevictoria.com.au/documents-and-policies/
Skate Vic recommends our members get ambulance coverage to cover
the cost of emergency medical treatment to ensure you aren’t out of
pocket in the event of an accident.
As each state can vary, follow this link for more information specific to
your state:
http://www.skatevictoria.com.au/documents-and-policies/ambulancecover-australia-wide/
This Newsletter has been prepared by
Sarah from Cumulus Designs and Caitlin
from Full Circle HR & Governance
Over the past 18 years Puckhandlers
has been the home of Inline Hockey in
Melbourne with weekly competitions
catering for all skill levels. Thousands
of games including Pro League and
National Championships have been
played since its opening in 1998 on the
purpose built hockey rink. The venue
also became the home for VRDL and
Northside Rollers for training and
bouts. Due to time restrictions both
clubs have since moved on to other
venues.
Recently Darebin Council has given the
green light for the conversion
construction
of a $1.85
Congratulations to the following players who made the Roller Hockey Australian
Senior Men's
team million
for the ice rink.
The
council
voted
to
enter
into a 10Transtasman series against New Zealand - August 2016
year
lease agreement
withTraining
the
Australia Roller
Hockey
Squad Team
Australian
Skate
Company
with Head Coach Steve Hoey in June. – Ross
Lee Glass - GK - Melbourne RHC
Fisher owner-operator to transfer the
Cameron Boehm - Melbourne RHC
Wherever there’s
roller
hockey
find into
indoor
sports
centre you’ll
Puckhandlers
Nuno Luis - Lisport RHC
Steve!
an indoor ice rink.
Jordi Poblet - Melbourne RHC
SV wish Ross Fisher all the best for his
Lyle Denman - Mackay RHC
new venture and for his contribution to
Lindsay Hill - North Sports RHC
Roller sports
Juan Pablo - Stafford RSC
Bevan Hurley - Skateabout RSC
James Murray - Stafford RSC
Check out our page
skatevictoria.com.au/inline-hockey
Van Diemens, Tas
Sale City Rollers, Vic
Devil State Derby League, TAS
Grace Giles (VRDL All Stars), Vic
Towns Villains Roller Derby, QLD
Chikos Dragon City Derby Dolls, Vic
Congratulations to Grace Giles (VRDL All Stars) on
receiving an individual Thermoskin Grant to assist
with her travel expenses to the USA.
If your League or Club has been the recipient of
recent grants, drop us a line about your project and
what your group used the grant funds for – this
might help out other groups in search of grants!
It is with sadness we report that 3 SV affiliated RD clubs will
be winding up after many years: Whitsunday RDL (Airlie
Beach Trashbags), Cairns Derby Dolls Qld and Rosebud
Rebels Vic. The most common reason is struggling for
members which a number of clubs are finding challenging,
especially in regional areas. SV wishes to thank all 3 clubs
for their loyal affiliation and commitment to the sport.
Roller derby is renowned for being an inclusive, unique sport. Over the past few years, roller derby has grown
more diverse, where all genders are becoming heavily involved from officiating, benching and now, playing the
game.
MIXED Roller derby is one of two, competitive full contact sports, which allows different genders to play with and
against each other on equal footing.
Roller derby is well represented by women’s tournaments such as The Great Southern Slam (TGSS), Bendigo
Rebellion, 5x5, Eastern Regionals and also the Men’s Nationals. What was missing was a tournament for mixed
teams.
In 2015, Kingston City Rollers created the United Roller Derby Playoffs which provides a tournament where
skaters complement and showcase their unique characteristics, skills and abilities in different mixed teams. In
2016, 12 teams will be competing in two divisions on two tracks over two days.
Games at URDP are a combination of strength, agility, amazing team work and ‘David and Goliath’ battles’ – all
provided in an inclusive, family-friendly community environment.
Become involved in Australia’s largest mixed roller derby tournament, as a skater, official, commentator or
support staff, and of course, as fans!
Written by Oriental Xpress of Kingston City Rollers – thanks Exy!
Facebook page:
facebook.com/United-Roller-Derby-Playoffs-%20369505729910654/
Facebook event:
www.facebook.com/events/1148521825186139/
All Enquiries Email: unitedderbyplayoffs@gmail.com
Over the past month we have upgraded security on data protection of member’s information by now having one
universal Roller Derby registration form http://goo.gl/forms/YPMhxMEd0eYHBAkq2
Each RD club will have access to their online google membership response spreadsheet via their designated email
account. The club can make comments on their spreadsheet with change of member details which will be updated by
SV. If you are experiencing any issues with the new process please email auditing@skatevictoria.com.au
WeIn
ask
club’s 2015,
to be mindful
of roller
who has
access
to yourinemail account and that the SV Privacy Policy is followed.
October
the wider
sport
community
Victoria (and beyond) were deeply shocked with the loss
of our friend, Wayne Maslen. With his sudden and tragic passing, a
gaping hole was left in our community on so many fronts that it was felt at every
level, across every sport, and across great geographical lengths. Wayne was in one word,
There
have beenHis
some
enquiries
late and
regarding
skater individual
unaffiliated
membership
which
cannot
effervescent.
presence,
hisofwork
his enthusiasm
in his business
andclub
across
all forms of
rollerwe
sports
were
provide.
A
skater
must
be
a
member
of
a
club
to
be
a
member
of
SV.
We
will
continue
to
provide
unaffiliated
club
widely renowned and even further, appreciated. His efforts to support and grow regional and smaller developing
membership
to officials
to allow
them the flexibility
to carry
out their volunteer
roles. or failure, he was quick to offer
leagues was
of particular
significance,
often being
the difference
between success
his time and skills as well as resources to see roller sports accessible no matter a person’s location, background or
With
the number
of Not
people
between
RD
we haveorformulated
a system
the transferring
member
financial
status.
onemoving
for getting
in front
ofclubs
the camera,
having a fuss
made,whereby
Wayne was
happier in the
corner
to isonrequired
to
complete
the
online
google
form
at
http://goo.gl/forms/QWvQcxXljxy0ORl03
the floor with his bearing tool helping a learning skater ‘find her feet’. This is how we want to remember him.
ThisInishis
now
a requirement
for members
their SV
membership
and insurance
coverage.
Transferring
from and
honour
and with the
permissiontoofretain
his adored
family,
Skate Victoria
has considered
carefully
the most
to clubs
will
be
forwarded
transfer
forms
from
the
SV
office
to
complete.
A
copy
of
the
RD
Transfer
policy
is
available
accurate and practical way to honour Wayne. In efforts to recognise and acknowledge his contributions to and
nd
from
http://www.skatevictoria.com.au/documents-and-policies/
legacy
in our sporting community, Skate Victoria are proud to announce that on Saturday July 2 2016, we launch
the inaugural Wayne Maslen Memorial Awards. Very heartfelt thanks to Wayne’s family: Maryanne, Alana &
Danielle for permitting us to proceed with this initiative.
Award value: $1,000 + GST ($1,100)
th
st
Award applications open: Saturday July 9
Award applications close: Wednesday 31 August, 5pm
Skate Vic recommends our members get ambulance coverage to cover the
cost of emergency medical treatment to ensure you aren’t out of pocket in the
Please note eligibility requirements apply, visit our website for further details: www.skatevictoria.com.au. Awards
event of an accident.
will officially open July 9th, when content, details and application facility will be available from the Skate Victoria webpage
As each state can vary, follow this link for more information specific to your
state:
http://www.skatevictoria.com.au/documents-and-policies/ambulance-coveraustralia-wide/
This Award in particular speaks to how selflessly
When we speak of Wayne we often find that it is the
Wayne gave of his time, his knowledge and his
smaller, regional/rural leagues, or the teams/
kindness to anyone that crossed his path. Wayne
individuals doing it toughest, that will shout the loudest
was one of our sports’ biggest advocates and
in his honour. It was Wayne’s work with small leagues,
volunteers. His work at the grass roots of roller sports
leagues in remote areas, or leagues experiencing
made him special.
times of stress or hardship that really speaks to him as
a person. Wayne was a believer in supporting the
It’s our wish to honour this memory and his extensive
battlers. He travelled extensively in the course of his
contributions to our sport, in the form of an Award
love of the sport and his business to help leagues and
and financial recognition to an eligible winner, known
roller sports athletes everywhere to access the
as the ‘Heart of the Team’ Award, - for voluntary
information and resources that others more centrally
and extensive contribution to roller sports and the
located could, no matter their circumstances.
general community.
This award is for a member of the Skate Victoria
This Award aims to recognise and celebrate an
community, who participates / contributes and or
eligible Skate Victoria member or member league,
competes, despite great hardship – whether that be
who gives of themselves and their time to aid in the
financial, health related, or otherwise.
running of the league, or actively connects the sport
with the community through fundraising, advocacy of
It is our hope to support or acknowledge a person or
the sport and/or equal access/grass roots initiatives.
league that has committed to participation or
Nominees can be active, competitive, non-skating
competition, or simply to bettering their team,
officials, or members of any level or denomination
community or their sport, despite the challenges or
within – as long as you are a Skate Victoria member,
barriers in the way. This includes skaters of all levels,
then we will accept an application or nomination of
officials and NSO’s.
another Skate Victoria Member.
(VIC DIV 1 TOURNAMENT)
facebook.com/openbattle
(NSW TOURNAMENT)
facebook.com/5x5derby/
ROUND 6:
ROUND 5: 30/7 @ Hawkesbury
FINALS: 27/8 @ Southside
(QLD TOURNAMENT)
facebook.com/RollerDerbyOpenSeason
(VIC DIV 2 TOURNAMENT)
facebook.com/StatewideStampe
de2015/
ROUND 6: 9/7 @ Mansfield
ROUND 7: 30/7 @ Ipswich
ROUND 8: 27/8 @ Ipswich
FINALS: 10/9 @ Ipswich
ROUND 3: 2/7 @ Knox
ROUND 4: 20/8 @ Eltham
ROUND 5: 1/10 @ Wangaratta
FINALS: 26/11 @ Moe
Photo credit: Liam Mitchell Photography
www.facebook.com/Liam.Mitchell.Photography
Photo credit: Bill LaGrue
www.facebook.com/billlagr
How it a ll B eg an
We are the Convict City Rollers (CCR) based in Hobart, Tasmania.
We are a medium sized league WFTDA league with 70 members.
Expensive rentals for training space is an issue for most leagues,
as well as a high demand on sports centres which frequently sees
roller derby pushed to the bottom of the bookings priorities. Down
here in Tasmania it is no different. Since our league was
established in 2009, CCR have rented training space in up to 5
separate venues at a time spread throughout Hobart and
surrounding suburbs. Back when we first started we even had to
train outdoors on old water tanks at times!
Each year we would lose a booking here and a booking there. Not because we had done anything
wrong - quite the opposite in fact. We are great customers – we are friendly, we care for the venues
we use and we pay our bills on time. W e train almost 45 weeks of the year! What other sport can
give a venue that kind of booking security? But for one reason or another (some of the common
ones we have heard are ‘we need the booking for a real sport’ or ‘we were built as a venue for ball
sports, not wheels’) we found our ability to find secure bookings was getting harder and harder. We
have had some great venue managers to work with and some not -so-great ones who have cancelled
our bookings at short notice in favour of more mainstream sports like netball, b asketball or volleyball.
Like so many of you, we have found places with availability and then when they find out it is for roller
derby we are told ‘no- you will ruin our floors’. We have heard ‘no’ so many times that at times it
became too hard to keep asking to be considered. At the end of 2015 things got to crisis point for us
when we lost one of our main training spots on a night where we train multiple levels of the club over
a 4-hour block. Our Board became acutely aware that we were in a position where our club was
growing in numbers, yet as we grew, our capacity to train and develop our members was decreasing.
The answer was clear – we needed a home.
T he D r ea m
Anyone who has attended any camps with Bonnie D. Stroir would know about her passion for goal
setting and shared visioning – she has an unwavering belief that magic can happen when people
work together and dare to dream big. It worked for her league, the San Diego Derby Dolls, so we
figured it could work for us. W e also knew that other leagues like VRDL and Devil State Derby
League have their own venues and that it was possible to do it. So we (the whole league) began
putting together a vision for our own dedicated roller derby space, and dreaming of all the things we
could do if we could make it a reality.
Our list included things like:
 A p l ac e wh er e we c o u l d h ol d tr a in i n g s es s io n s 7 d a ys a we ek ;
 A p l ac e wh er e we c o u l d k e ep a tr ac k l a i d 2 4/ 7;
 A s p ac e f or k ids t o p l a y a n d oc c u p y t hem s e l v es wh i l e th e ir p ar en ts tra i n;
 A s p ac e t h at h a d r o om f or a c l u b - ro om a nd m a yb e e v e n a b ar;
 W ater v i e ws ;
 A s p ac e f or a der b y l i b r ar y;
 A s p ac e f or a v ie wi n g ar e a t o wa tc h g am es t og e th er;
 W indows t h at o p en an d l et in f r es h a ir
T he l is t we nt o n a n d i nc lu d ed s om e
pre tt y r ad ic a l r e qu es ts – inc l ud i n g a
ha lf - p i p e, s om e m onk e ys a n d a
tram po l i ne . B ut f or th e m os t p ar t it
was a l is t of r e a ll y p r a c tic a l. W e put
e ver yt h i n g t og et h er i n on e d oc um ent
an d s h ar ed it wi th t h e l ea g ue a n d
as k ed e v er yo n e t o th i n k ab ou t i t as
th o ug h i t h ad a lr e ad y ha p pe n ed .
A nd t h en we started searching for a
space that we could turn into our home
venue.
C- B lo ck
We spent many months researching locations and commercial property. We did a business plan and
costings and worked out what we could afford. We needed something reasonably central since we have
skaters coming from all areas of Greater Hobart and surrounds. And of course we needed something
with the right dimensions to fit our track. Property in Hobart is really expensive. W e w ere looking at
sheds with concrete floors and no amenities and they were priced in the $75 -$100k price range...way
more than our budget would allow. Some of our members started to get frustrated and started to
wonder if what we hoped for was really achiev able. W e were looking for a venue for under $50k a year,
in the City and with a long list of needs. Despite moments of doubt we kept looking and one day got a
call from a venue manager in a sports centre that we had casually leased over the years letting us know
they were vacating and asking if we were interested in taking over the lease. This venue ticked almost
every box on our dream list.
What followed were 3-months of face-to-face negotiations and meetings with the venue owner and their
Board. W e were told no (again!) and that the lease would go to a ‘traditional’ sporting club. W e knew
that this was an opportunity that we may never see again and so we kept talking to the owners and
selling them a case about why they should choose us. Simply put , we didn’t take no for an answer –
there was just too much at stake. And it paid off. They liked our tenacity and our passion and they
decided to change their minds and give us a shot. We started training at our new venue which we
st
st
named ‘C-Block’ on the 1 of June and we officially took over the lease on the 1 of July.
T he Futu r e
The future for our league is so exciting. Having our own venue opens up so many possibilities for us in
terms of training and program opportunities. But it is also terrifying! W e have more responsibility now
than we ever have and our most important task is to retain buy-in from our members. CCR is a memberowned, member-operated, not-for-profit organisation. We truly are a collaborative league, and our
success is down to every person, no matter how small a contribution they make. We have started a new
group ‘Friends of C-Block’ whose responsibility it is to look after the venue and have opened this to our
associate members and fans to get involved as well.
O ur Pl an s fo r Su cc e s s
We brainstorm and collaborate a lot on how we want to use C -Block and where we see CCR headed in
the next 5-years. W e are working to generate ideas within our league and we include everyone in the
process – not just skaters but officials, coaches and volunteers too. Everyone will be needed to work
very hard, so everyone gets a say. And we will hire a venue manager for a few hours a week to manage
casual bookings for us to other sporting groups to help us cover the cost of rental.
We are preparing clear financial and operations plans and we meet with Sport and Recreation Ta smania
regularly as well as the local Council and other funding bodies who may be able to assist us with grants
to make improvements to the Centre. W e are actively seeking sponsors and community support. W e
speak to Skate Victoria frequently for advice a nd support on our insurance and to ensure we are
meeting requirements as a league with their own venue. We also engaged the services of a great
commercial property lawyer and business accountant.
We are under no illusion that this will be easy – we have our work cut out for us and the years that lay
before us will undoubtedly bring highs and lows and challenges and successes. But we are so excited
to be embarking on this journey together as a small but mighty group of dreamers down in little Tassie.
Written by Alabama Hurley
https://www.facebook.com/CCRDL
Photo left: Convict City Rollers recent
appearance in the Mercury, Photo credit:
Luke Bowden, link to original article:
http://www.themercury.com.au/sport/localsport/derby-queens-ready-to-roll-in-smashand-grab-raid-on-mainland/newsstory/22518d7ab3b7f7b7aa48d321653a0b8c
www.rollerderby.skatevictoria.com.au/leagues
http://www.rollerderby.skatevictoria.com.au/bout-calendar
August 13th – 14th @ Boulevard Pavillion, Melbourne
Showgrounds
www.facebook.com/events/1148521825186139/
Oct 1st – 3rd @ Brisbane Morayfield Sports & Evens Centre
facebook.com/tropicarnagecup
October 1st – 2nd, location TBC
facebook.com/easternregionrollerderby
October 29th – 30th (TBC) @ Bendigo Showgrounds
facebook.com/bendigorebellion
Our heartfelt thank you to all who support as NSO’s, refs, MC’s and all volunteer roles, without
your support roller sports would be impossible to run successfully! Photo: Liam Mitchell