NOTE: as of 12/4/2009 all registration for 2010 Tryouts is CLOSED!
Come be a Gotham Girl!
When you watch bouts, is it all you can do it sit in your seat? When you practice your skating do you picture yourself on the track with your future teammates? It sounds like you’re ready for tryouts!
We hope you’ve been practicing ‘cause we’re ready for you. (And if you think your skills might be rusty, we have an answer for that, too!)
The Gotham Girls Roller Derby announces tryouts for the 2010 season on Saturday, December 5th from 12pm to 5pm.
Here’s the scoop.
We know that there are a ton of skills to work on before tryouts (and we totally understanding having no place to skate), so GGRD wanted to lend a helping hand and offer five nights where you can come and have a little practice before tryouts.
Five Skill Nights will be offered where future derby girls can come and polish their skating before tryouts.
NOTE: As of 11/5/2009 all Skills Nights and Skills Night Waitlists are FULL! Thanks for your interest!
Skill night information:
When are the skill nights?
Saturday, October 10th 5-7pm
Friday, October 16th 7-9pm
Friday, November 6th 7-9pm
Thursday, November 19th 7-9pm
Thursday, December 3rd 7-9pm
How much?
$20 each night. Each Skill Night will be limited to 30 skaters an evening.
Can I come to the skill nights even if I don’t want to tryout?
You are welcome to come and skate with us and learn a little bit more, but we do hope you will tryout. If you don’t think this is the year for you, maybe we can convince you to try out next year.
Do I have to come to all five nights?
Not if you don’t want to. We understand work and life so come to as many or as few of the skill nights as you want. That’s why we offered them on different days of the week!
But won’t you be watching us on the skill nights?
Well, yes, but not in a structured format like we will at tryouts. The skill nights are meant to benefit both of us: you’ll get more skating practice and we’ll get to know you a little better than from just the hour or so of tryouts.
What will we do?
Led by a member of the coaching staff, the nights will be a little like one of our league practices, but with more focus on basic skills. We will focus on skills like forward skating, falling safely, crossovers, power strides, and balance. We'll work on some derby skills like skating low, plow stops and t-stops. And we will definitely do some endurance.
Who can come?
Females, 18 and older
What should I bring? You will be required to have a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, mouth guard and quad roller skates. Unfortunately, we will not have skates or pads to loan out. You should also bring a bottle of water. Please come dressed to learn: comfortable clothes that you won’t mind if they get dirty. We skate on sport court so please leave the super short skirt or shorts at home; sport court burn is nothing to laugh at. We have bathrooms so you can change when you get here. And don’t worry, we’ll supply the nametag!
What about insurance?
For the skill nights, you will be required to have primary insurance.
For tryouts, we will be required to sign a waiver. It is a very standard waiver and we’ll have copies each night. Although you do not have to have your own insurance, we highly recommend it.
Although previously not required, Gotham Girls Roller Derby is currently considering requiring health insurance for the 2010 season. While this is still being discussed, we felt it important to inform all potential roller girls.
If I come to the skill nights, am I guaranteed one of the openings for 2010 in GGRD? No. No one is guaranteed any of the open slots, we don’t roll like that. If you make the effort to come to the skill nights, and you want to tryout, we would be glad to save you a timeslot for tryouts, but we promise nothing after that. But having practiced your skating skills will certainly give you a leg up.
Where do I go?
We are super secretive, so we don’t reveal our practice location. Once you sign up, we’ll let you know where to go.
Tryout information:
When are tryouts?
Saturday, December 5th from 12pm to 5pm (You’ll receive a specific timeslot after you sign up)
Do tryouts cost money?
Yes. Due to cancellations last year and extra costs for this year, tryouts will require a $5 fee to reserve a slot.
How many skaters are trying out?
Tryout slots will be capped at 100 skaters. Please sign-up early to be sure to get a slot.
Do I have to be a seasoned skater to try out?
Don't be too scared by the term "tryouts." Being a derby girl is a lot more than just being a good skater; although we will primarily be looking for basic skating skills, we also look at your potential as a derby girl. Through the tryout and call back process, we try to get to know you AND look at your skating skills.
How many open slots for GGRD will there be this year? We are still working on a final count, but it will probably not be more than 15. We'll have a better idea at tryouts.
I've never seen a bout and I don't know how the game is played. Do I have any chance of getting one of the slots?
Although it does help if you understand the game, that is not a requirement. We do highly suggest that you come to one of the games before the tryouts; it will make the tryout process make more sense. Go here for our upcoming bouts and here for a rules refresher.
When do you have practices? How much time is required from me?
League practices are Monday and Wednesday nights from 7pm to 9pm. Each team also has a slot of two hours at another time during the week.
The Gotham Girls are DIY and proud of it. Every skater is required to join at least one committee and we all pitch in to put on our bouts. Attendance is required at every bout (whether you are skating or not). Expect to put in long hours loading and transporting our Sport Court floor on the bout days that you are not skating, as well as helping to put it back the following day.
Skaters are also responsible for helping with a variety of tasks that keep our organization going, everything from making public appearances, flyering to promote bouts to scrubbing the toilets at our practice space. We do this because we love it and it is all worth it to be able to skate.
I am a transfer skater from another derby league. Do I need to tryout?
If you are from a Roller Derby league with a practice space within 80 miles of New York City (basically the tri-state area), you will need to tryout. If you are from farther away then that, we do have transfer tryouts at other points during the year, but the December 5th tryout is the next date.
Some of the things we will be looking for in tryouts are:
Basic skills:
Forward skating Power stride (getting the most out of each push)
Gliding on one foot at a time
Crossovers
Balance
Squats
Falls
Derby Skills:
Skating low Plow Stop T-stop Blocking strength
Endurance:
Number of laps in 2 minutes
Other: Attitude Speed at picking up a new skill
Basic knowledge of the sport
Ability to listen and apply new knowledge
What do I need when I tryout?
Every skater will be required to wear a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, mouth guard and quad roller skates. Unfortunately, this year we will not have skates or pads to loan out.
For insurance purposes, you will be required to sign a waiver for tryouts. (We'll have copies on the night of tryouts, too.)
I have 5 really perfect names picked out. Will I be put on a team and get a derby name as soon as I try out?
Skaters who are selected during tryouts will begin a three-month training period that culminates in a skills test and a written rules test. Once training is completed (and you've passed both tests) you'll be assigned to your team and you can claim your name and number. But remember: the sport is more than just a cool name and an awesome outfit. Worry about your name after you have the skating down pat.
I'm totally ready. Where do I sign up?
As of 12/4/2009 all registration is CLOSED.
Got more questions? Try our FAQ page for answers, otherwise email us at coaching@gothamgirlsrollerderby.com, subject: 2010 Tryouts
We can’t wait to see you on the track!
