Atlanta Rollergirls Roller Derby League: MARCH OF DARKNESS March 12, 2006

Season Opener! "March of Darkness"

Atlanta?s newest all-female all-volunteer sports league: Atlanta Rollergirls, announces the first opportunity of 2006 to see home-grown old-school flat-track Roller Derby action, updated with a rock-n-roll, D.I.Y. attitude!
On Sunday, March 12th at 7:00 p.m., at the All American Skating Center, the 2006 Atlanta Roller Derby Second Season?s Opener will get underway, with Season One?s Championship Team, the Sake Tuyas, up for a re-match with the Apocalypstix in a one-hour (over three 20-minute periods) full-length fight to the finish.

(To view the crushing video highlights of last season?s championship bout between the Stix and the Sakes with a final score of 75 to 115, check out this website: http://www.thrill-media.com/temp/WebTeaser.mov)

Intermission on March 12 will feature live music by local band Little Women. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the bout?s action starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit local charities. $8.00 advance tickets available at local retail outlets (Criminal Records or Skate Escape), Online at ticketalternative.com or charge by phone at 877-725-8849.
The new season also brings a brand-new fourth team to the league: the Toxic Shocks! Six deadly veteran skaters from last year's teams were combined in an evil laboratory with several of the league's FRESH MEAT secret weapon recruits! Now, the Toxic Shocks will contaminate you and Atlanta will never be the same. The Toxic Shocks first bout will take place on April 9 against the Denim Demons? deadly team of death punks.

The Atlanta Rollergirls are a proud member of the national organization known as WFTDA (Women?s Flat Track Derby League), which has more than 40 member leagues in cities across the country (www.wftda.com). This new generation of aggressive female athletes are reviving the hard-hitting, bad-girl sport of eight-wheel quad-skate roller derby and updating it with an edgier attitude and the for a crowd-pleasing fierce competition that?s rougher and tougher than ever!
? Attendance during our inaugural season ranged from 500 to 900 people (mostly through word of mouth advertising)
? Everyone associated with the league is a volunteer (skaters, administration, announcers, referees, floor crew, etc.)
? We strive for a crowd-pleasing mix of sport and spectacle, but our competitions are not staged, the outcomes are not fixed, and our falls and spills are the real deal.

For a list of players from each Atlanta Rollergirls team (with ?derby names? such as Tanya Hyde, Demi Gore, Venus Fly Tramp, Destructiva and Elle Beaux), visit atlantarollergirls.com.

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ATLANTA ROLLERGIRLS ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE: The Atlanta Rollergirls league was founded in late 2004. More than sixty women, ranging in age from 21 to 40-something practice three nights each week to prepare for the regular season.

WFTDA: Founded in 2004, the Women?s Flat Track Derby Association promotes and fosters the sport of women's flat track derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportswomanship, and goodwill among member leagues. The governing philosophy is "by the skaters, for the skaters." Women skaters are primary owners, managers, and operators of each member league and of the association. Operational tasks include setting standards for rules, seasons, and safety, and determining guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues. All member leagues have a voice in the decision-making process, and agree to comply with the governing body's policies.

ABOUT MODERN ROLLER DERBY:
Across the nation, more than 40 active all-female flat-track Roller Derby leagues have formed in the past four years, taking the country and media by storm. They have been making headlines around the world with features in The NY Times Sunday Styles Section (?Tough Girls Roll in the Bronx?, May 15, 2005), The Wall Street Journal (?All-Female Roller Derby Packs A Punch With Hockey Fans? April 29, 2005), Reuters ("NY Women Get Tough with Roller Derby Revival", November 24, 2004), Spin Magazine ("Hellions on Wheels," August ?04), Associated Press (?Racy Roller Skating Making a Comeback?, July 14th, 2004), Paper, (?GRRLS GONE WILD? July, 2004), Playboy (?Best Hottie Wheels?, October 2003), Playboy (Germany - ?Rock-n-Roll Schuh? June, 2005), ElleGirl (?Badass of the Month?, February 2005), and upcoming features in magazines such as Bust, Marie Claire and more.
Additionally, all-female derby leagues have been featured on CNN?s Paula Zahn NOW, CBS News, ESPN, YES Network, ABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News, BBC4, Fox 5 News, WNBC, FOX News Channel, Comedy Central, and in a forthcoming reality series on A&E.

GAMEPLAY BASICS:
Bouts are played in three twenty-minute periods. Five players (four defensive ?blockers? and one point-scoring ?jammer?) from two opposing teams (10 players in all) gather in ?pack? formation on the rink. The two jammers compete in a timed race, beginning about 20 feet behind the pack of eight blockers. Gaining speed as they dodge and weave, the jammers fight their way through the opposing team?s blockers. The jammers must lap the pack once before sprinting through the pack again to score points by passing members of the opposing team. The jammer?s teammates try to stop the opposing jammer from passing them and scoring. At the same time, they knock around the opposing team's blockers to help their jammer break through the pack and score points. The jammers may continue to race and score points for the full 2-minute jam or until the lead jammer "calls off the jam". Like any sport, roller derby has many strategies, extra points, and penalties, and strategies that make the game more challenging and exciting!

EVENT:
?March of Darkness? and Season Opener of the Atlanta Rollergirls Roller Derby League, Atlanta?s newest all-female sports league.

TIME / LOCATION:
Doors Open at 6:00 pm, Skating action begins promptly at 7:00 pm. No outside food or beverage allowed. Arrive early for rinkside seating. All American Skating Center, 5400 Bermuda Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30087 Rink Phone: 770) 469-9775.
(Off Hwy 78, just one exit past Stone Mountain Park) For directions: www.atlantarollergirls.com

TICKETS:
General Admission: $8 in advance ($10 day of bout). Free for Children 8 and under. Advance Tickets available at Criminal Records or Skate Escape, online at www.ticketalternative.com or charge by phone at 877-725-8849.

2006 SEASON SCHEDULE: All 2006 Atlanta Rollergirls bouts will take place on the second Sunday of each month from March through September. Doors open at 6pm, Action begin at 7pm.
March 12: Bout #1 (Apocalypstix vs. Sake Tuyas )
April 9: Bout #2 (Toxic Shocks vs. Denim Demons)
May 14: Bout #3 (Denim Demons vs. Sake Tuyas)
June 11: Bout #4 (Toxic Shocks vs. Apocalypstix)
July 9: Bout #5 (Denim Demons vs. Apocalypstix)
August 13: Bout #6 (Toxic Shocks vs. Sake Tuyas)
September 10: Championship Bout of 2006 Season (TEAMS T.B.D.)