We have received word that the undead will be taking over downtown Raleigh this Saturday in search of BRRRRAAAAIIIIINNNNZZZZ!

They are expected to congregate at 7pm near the Acorn at Moore Square and continue their feeding frenzy down Blount, Morgan, Edenton, Wilmington, Fayetteville, and Martin Streets.

To help our valued fans prepare for the anticipated Zombie Apocalypse, we’d like to direct you to Center for Disease Control’s Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse.

As for us, well… we Carolina Rollergirls ain’t afraid of no zombies – we have our very own zombie killer, Celia Fate!

For more information on Saturday’s Zombie Walk, check out the facebook event. To see pictures from last year’s downtown zombie take over visit Joshua Craig’s flickr page.

Contributed by Lillian Axe

LA: Welcome back to ground level! What was rappelling down a 32 story building like? Why did you decide to do it?

XX: I have the same fear of heights that many of the others who participated do.. it is scary…especially standing on the ledge facing out then stepping over the ropes and turning around so your back is facing nothing but air. I did it because I saw my hero Celia Fate do it last year and I thought ‘what the hell I can do that!’ It isn’t out of the ordinary for me to do something radical and now I want to go to the Carolina Mountains and rappel off one of them!

LA: What jobs do you do as a volunteer? Do you volunteer for leagues other than CRG?

XX: I worked the merchandise booth for the Charlotte Rollergirls, Penalty Box Mistress for Rogue in Fayettville and inside white board for Cape Fear Rollergirls (Wilmington, NC)

LA: What’s your favorite thing about volunteering for roller derby (besides getting to watch an awesome sport)?

XX: Being around so many awesome and inspiring young (and not so young women). It is absolutely uplifting to the soul

LA: What’s the furthest distance you’ve traveled to watch or volunteer for roller derby?

XX: 2,092 miles roundtrip. I traveled from here to my sister’s place in Republic, Missouri. From there I went to Columbus, Ohio for the 2007 Eastern Regionals.

LA: What is your most memorable bout and why?

XX: The Kansas City Roller Warriors when they were ranked #1. They came to the biggest crowd ever at Dorton (up to that time). CRG beat them in the last few seconds of the final jam. It was incredible!

CRG would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for the derby love and support from our volunteers. Interested in becoming part of the CRG family? Contact VolunteerDirector@CarolinaRollergirls.com
for more information.

When: Saturday, October 15 from 1 to 5p.m.
Where: Village Motor Werks located at 234 S. Boylan Ave in Raleigh.

Music will be on the scene-provided by the Yard Dawgs and even the kiddos will have a blast as children’s activities are available. Check Additional event information at our facebook page; Village Motor Werks Passage Home Car Wash.

Ask any All-Star and they can tell you about their collection of custom bandanas supplied to them by Stabby Abby for every All Star bout they have ever played, home and away.  Other CRG skaters will tell you that he hangs more posters advertising CRG bouts than anyone ever, and some will remember being blessed with the song that he created and sang for us some years ago, but any Carolina Rollergirl will know Stabby Abby as a supporter and lover of all things skating, especially CRG.  Without the amazing help and generosity of time that he gives, CRG would not be as strong, smart and amazing as we are.

Stabby Abby can be found at every bout and even marching alongside his favorite girls in the Durham pride parade among many, many other events. We caught up with Stabby Abby recently and were lucky enough to find a moment between the many jobs he does for CRG to ask him a few questions.

Stabby Abby hands out schedule cards at the 2011 Durham Pride Parade

PR: What brought you to the Carolina Rollergirls?
SA: My daughter, Violet Femme.  Seems she was a middling good jammer.

PR: How long have you been involved with the sport?
SA:With Derby?  About seven years – since the first practices. “Proud parent of a Carolina Rollergirl.” Personally, as an inline, street skater, 11 years.

PR: What is your favorite aspect of volunteering with roller derby?
SA: I admire the game and what the Girls have done with a tough sport.  I admire every single one of the Girls, their courage and massive hard work.  I’m happy to help in my little ways.

PR:  What hobbies do you have when you aren’t at the rink?
SA: I only do three things in life:  I skate, sing folk songs and drink beer.  Often I combine these but I *never* skate and drink – that’s dangerous!  If I’m going to drink then I take the car.

PR: What are your favorite places to eat here in the Triangle?
SA: I like any place I ever ate with Tinker.  After that pretty much anywhere I’m with congenial company.  Plus a cool little cafe on the Left Bank in Paris.  I get a take-out from Pho Cali (near the Ranch) every Wednesday after Speed Practice.

PR: Where are you likely to be found out and about in the Triangle?
SA: Wherever they or I sing traditional folk song.  About twice weekly. Join me, anytime.  Otherwise I’m on inlines and rolling.  This morning I had to renew my driver’s license – I went through the door and the guard said, “Well, roll on in.”  Friendly place.

PR: Is it more important to win or to give it your all and learn
something?
SA: I’m not an intentional competitor and it may be different for me.  It is more important to learn something, whether giving it All or giving much less.  I was once asked if I would rather be rich or be a good singer. The answer was easy.

PR: Who has been your greatest inspiration to push yourself and train?
SA: Violet Femme.
Ya got time for a wee story?
About two years ago I found I was skating progressively slower, weaker, shorter distances on the street, fewer days per week.  This continued and I sadly resigned myself to the knowledge that I was getting older. I’m pretty old, after all.  So I started looking around for something more appropriate to a weak old man…maybe skydiving or a motorcycle.
Suddenly I realized I wasn’t getting old at all – I was just getting lazy.  I started accelerating uphills instead of easing back, started going to Speed Practice and lost 40 pounds.  I’m now skating three times as far and six days per week.  Hey, folks – don’t get “old.”

Stabby Abby and daughter Violet Femme at the 2009 CRG Awards Night

PR: What do you like the most about living in the Triangle area?
SA: Easy – CRG.

PR: What do you like to rock out to while skating at speed practice or
cleaning the house?
SA: I sing, of course.  Learning a cute EA Poe song just now.

PR: What is the one house chore you hate to do?
SA: Toss-up between polishing the grass and ironing and folding the dishes.

PR: Have you had any major injuries because of roller skating?
SA: Three majors – all 100% the fault of cars.  I sued, too.  That’s much of the reason I go to Speed Practice – to improve my sprinting so I can escape attacking cars.

PR: What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
SA: Daily riding the motorcycle up a six-inch wide, 35-degree ramp and through the doorway to get into the hotel in New Orleans.  Five months; never got used to it.

“(So) stand to your glasses, steady

Let not a tear fill your eye

Here’s to those wrecked already,

And here’s to the next girl to try.”

We love you Abby. Thank you for everything you do!
CRG will host a party honoring Stabby Abby and all of our wonderful volunteers this weekend. We love and appreciate the contributions of ALL the people who work so hard to keep this organization afloat. If you would like to be part of our volunteer team, email volunteerdirector@carolinarollergirls.com- we would love to have you!

Contributed by Pretty Reckless and Jesse King

This is the second year that the Rollergirls have participated in “Over the Edge” for NC Special Olympics. Last year skaters, Celia Fate and Eris Discordia, and mascot, Evil Ed agilely bounced their way down one of Raleigh’s tallest buildings. This year, 10 people signed up for the challenge, raising $10,786. This courageous bunch from Team Carolina Rollergirls includes: Aurora Thunder, Ginger Clobbers, Hot Mess Express, Kelly Hurd, MC Fyte, Sheeza Freak, Try Saratops, XX Factor, Evil Ed and Camo Rodeo (from Collision Men’s Derby).

Most of the folks were really excited, despite the cold winds. Well, Kelly (a.k.a. Smacky) wasn’t very excited, but she took it for the team and for Special Olympics. Recently reported, she has recovered from the experience and is back to normal activity.

For Evil Ed, with helmet cam in action, he was ready to enjoy the view. “Last year, it was all about the ropes and gear. This year I’m going to enjoy the scenery.”

Hot Mess Express’s eyes were as big as moon pies, “I almost blew over the side of the building!” She and teammate, Sheeza Freak, regularly volunteer their time with Special Olympics and were excited to help in another capacity.

Down below, CRG had quite the crowd watching, nearly 30 skaters and fans gathered to welcome each team member back to Earth. They chanted “Fyte, Fyte, Fyte” as she was announced to come down next. “The hardest part was actually going over the edge of the building. After that, I just never looked down, ” said MC Fyte.

XX Factor asked the volunteer at the bottom, “When can I do it again?” The expression on her face says it all.

It was a beautiful day enjoyed by everyone.

Thanks to our photographers who documented the day’s events, Joshua R. Craig, Sam Bennet, Joshua Billingsley, Sean Foley and Abby Nardo. Thanks to those who donated to our team and allowed this day to happen. Thanks to “Over the Edge” and NC Special Olympics for having this event to raise awareness. And thanks to Mark Brumback of Shoreline Productions for live streaming the video. This allowed a very special friend of ours in Afganistan, to watch us live. Toona, thanks for your support!

The entire event raised $130,000 and was a huge success.

Press:  http://www.technicianonline.com/features/over-the-edge-down-32-stories-1.2643423

SmugMug Photos: http://specialolympicsnc.smugmug.com/Fundraisers/2011-Over-the-Edge-Raleigh/19302947_854pr8

“Over the Edge” Blog was written by Eva Lye of the Carolina Rollergirls, who attended the event, but is afraid of heights.

We hope you can join the CRG family on the ground on Saturday as we support our teammates who are 30 stories up. Participants will be rappelling all day, but CRG takes the stage from 1:00pm- 2:30pm. Individual times are as follows:

1:10pm- Aurora Thunder, Camo Rodeo, Evil Ed

1:25pm- Hot Mess Express, Try Saratops, XX Factor

1:35pm- Ginger Clobbers, Kelly Hurd

1:50pm- MC Fyte, Sheeza Freak

We hope to see you there!

PS- We can raise money for the Special Olympics all the way until Saturday. Please consider donating here.

Thanks to Holly Tucker (and Bucket) for our brand new t-shirt design! It made me happy.

The caped crusader (Eris Discordia) and the winged wonder (Fairy Brutal) getting their happy on!

Jesus on roller skates. Clearly, this makes Hot Mess Express happy!

Fresh meat Heather and Sarah are happy. I mean, who wouldn’t be? They get to play roller derby and skate in parades.

A shot of the whole happy group. Clearly, few of us read the memo that we were supposed to wear happy, rainbow colors! We sure do love our red and black!

In all seriousness, the NC pride parade is about celebrating everyone, regardless of whom they love.  Our society would be a much better place if we would stop trying to force everyone to be the same and accept people for who they are, whether straight, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgendered, or queer (or a rollergirl).  Love is love.

Contributed by Sue Yu.

Remember how CRG challenged the Charlotte Rollergirls to see which team could raise the most money for Over the Edge for Special Olympics (it was mentioned briefly here)? Well, we had an impressive 11 skaters and volunteers step up to accept the challenge and take on the task of raising $1000 each and thanks to the generosity of some awesome friends and sponsors, WE HAVE ALMOST REACHED OUR GOAL AS A TEAM!

We would like to give special thanks to Shawn Helton and Phoenix Tattoo for their generous donations to the CRG fund. Phoenix Tattoo has been a loyal sponsor for years and many of our skaters sport their artwork, so you should go there for all your tattoo needs.

We also appreciate the donation to the CRG fund by The Knightly Order of the Fiat Lux. You will remember these guys as one of our most popular halftime shows this year at Dorton. We really appreciate your support!

Lastly the CRG Over The Edge team would like to give HUGE THANKS to our friend Toona who single handedly pushed five of our team members over our fundraising goal yesterday, ensuring that CRG will have an awesome representation at this event! Your generosity is inspiring and there are lots of rollergirl hugs waiting on you when you come home!

We have less than $1000 left to raise to get our ENTIRE team fully funded and, more importantly, to give a huge donation to a cause that is important to our team. Please consider donating what you can to the CRG fund that will be split to ensure that the most skaters get the opportunity to rappel.

Just in case you were living under a rock last weekend, Eastern Regionals took place in Baltimore, MD and the Gotham Girls took first place. Thank you to Charm City and DC Rollergirls for being excellent tournament hosts! We may not have come out with as many wins as we had hoped (160-67 loss to London, 175-166 nail biter loss to Montreal, and 243-172 win over Maine), but CRG is incredibly proud of our All-Stars for playing with heart and class. THANK YOU ladies for being smart, strong, and amazing on and off the track!

On Friday Sept. 16 2011 your favorite team will be laying the smackdown on a new opponent who they’ve never met before…the roller girls from London. Carolina is prepared to show them what it’s like to get a butt kicking like they just can’t get across the pond. Once we’ve laid waste to London, Carolina Rollergirls will take on Philly at 6:00pm that same day. Once Philly is conquered the tournament continues bracket style until an ultimate East Region Champion is declared.

No ticket to Maryland? Not to worry. Women’s Flat Track Derby Association is partnering with Blaze Streaming Media of Portland, OR to cover every game of the Nightmare on 95. Visit the www.wftda.com to tune in.  Viewing options include standard definition for free or a pay-per0view option that will stream in HD! No time to sit and watch? Our Carolina girls will be updating scores live from trackside to our Carolina Rollergirls twitter and Facebook. So be sure to tune in and send your girls good karma and lots of support as we take on the Nightmare on 95 to get our golden ticket to nationals!

Contributed by Pretty Reckless

It’s just two days before the tournament starts on Friday, September 16. I’m very excited and I think the rest of the All-Stars share my feelings. This afternoon my teammate, Sue Yu, sent her productivity graph for this week.

Even while we are at work, our brains are buzzing, going crazy thinking about how much awesome derby is going to happen for three days in a row. There is so much to coordinate and plan when traveling with about 20 people. All through the day I’ve been thinking about the preparations I need to make before I leave for Baltimore on Thursday.

First there is that very important stuff…the things I need to play derby.

I like to air out my skate pads after practice, but when you are at a tournament, often this luxury is not possible. Let me tell you, there is nothing like putting on pads that are still wet from the day before. I shudder at the thought.

It takes more than skates, pads and a mouth guard to play derby. There is the all-important uniform, special socks and other stuff that a skater must have for derby.

Something is missing there. The red shorts to go with the white jersey. Well, don’t worry, they are in the wash.

And you can’t put these things in any old luggage. During a derby travel weekend, a roller girl will be all over the place with her stuff. A six hour car ride, then a hotel, then to the venue, then off to run some crazy errand, maybe a taxi or a shuttle gets involved…airplanes, too. Don’t get me started on taking skates on a plane! A smart skater will pack light and in a way that will let her carry everything at once. I go with my tried and true trusty backpack. It’s been to Japan and back!

But the most important travel tool of all is good old Fanny Pack. Maybe you’re wondering why so many roller girls have taken a shining to these small belt-like bags. One reason is that most derby uniforms don’t have pockets. And roller girls are always on the move. They need things attached to them or they might lose them. Running through airport terminals, keeping track of all your teammates in a big venue and dancing after the game are all made easier when your stuff is attached and hands-free. It’s also conveniently located for access to your stuff. So far I’ve never lost in a fanny pack quick draw. For these reasons and more, while on the road, I have to convert my purse to something more hip-centric.

The truth is, we may never know what’s in Holly Wanna Crackya’s fanny pack, but I’ll show you what I carry.

Since this year we are able to drive to playoffs, Lady Smackbeth (aka Coach Kelly Hurd), my coach and roommate for the weekend, pointed out we can travel with food. The plan is to bring as much food as we can. Our hotel room is going to look like a grocery store, and it’s going to be awesome!

Here are just some of the groceries that will keep us fueled.

Just like I learned in my Girl Scout days, I’m prepared. The team is prepared. Let’s do this! Oh, two more days? Dang.

That’s right, the Carolina Rollergirls will be going head to head with the London Rollergirls Friday at noon. To watch all of the Eastern Regionals action, log on to http://wftda.com/2011-broadcast-info for more information and details!