Announcing the 2011 Gotham Girls Roller Derby Boot Camp Schedule!
GGRD is thrilled to invite you to join us for our 2011 schedule of intensive training classes, all staffed by the GGRD Coaching Committee. We will hold four 6-hour boot camps on weekend days. This season, boot camps will incorporate general skills as well as a focused workshop on specific skills or concepts. All information needed to register for the classes can be found below.
BOOT CAMP DATES
Saturday, July 16, 9am-3pm: Positional and Offensive Blocking
Sunday, September 4, 9am-3pm: Jamming
Saturday, October 1, 9am-3pm: Game Strategy
Saturday, October 15, 9am-3pm: Jamming
Tickets to our Boot Camps can be purchased here.
All GGRD Boot Camps are led by members of our Coaching Committee. Click here to see a list of our 2011 coaching staff.
ELIGIBILITY
GGRD Boot Camps are designed for skaters who already know how to play roller derby. They are open ONLY to female skaters who have passed their WFTDA Skills Tests and are placed on a team in an existing league. If you are new to derby, Fresh Meat, or are an unaffiliated skater, we offer Rec League classes for skaters of all levels. To find out more about Rec League, please click here.
HOW MANY SKATERS ARE IN EACH SESSION?
Our boot camps are capped at 50 skaters per session, though multiple sessions may occur in one day if there is demand for it. We offer a low skater to coach ratio so that everyone attending can get individual feedback and lots of opportunity to practice the skills being taught.
COST
The cost is $100 per skater for five hours of instruction and a one-hour break. Non Skating attendees can watch for a fee of $40.
IS THERE A SKILLS REQUIREMENT TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND?
Yes. Each participant must be an active member of a league following WFTDA rules and who has already passed her skills test (i.e., you can not be in the fresh meat phase.)
REGISTRATION
We've adjusted our registration process slightly this year, so please read below carefully:
- Confirm with your league that you have or will have passed your skills assessment test before the date of the boot camp. If you have not passed your skills assessment, or if we are worried about your safety or the safety of others at any time, we will not let you participate in the boot camp. We do not offer refunds.
- Click on this Brown Paper Tickets link and purchase your ticket for the Boot Camp you would like to attend. Please be sure to answer all the questions on the form and read carefully as there are multiple boot camps for sale.
- About a week before the camp, our Boot Camp Coordinator will email you with directions and logistical information.
- Get excited about skating at one of our Boot Camps! We love them!
FAQs
What if I'm injured and can't skate?
Non-skating attendees will be permitted at $40 for each boot camp, but videotaping is not permitted.
Can I come and watch? Also, my husband/mom/golden retriever will drive me to NYC and s/he wants to come and watch.
Non-skating attendees will be permitted at $40 for each boot camp. We recommend that the person who drove you to NYC go spend this money having fun in NYC for six hours and then come back to pick you up.
I play men's roller derby. Can I attend?
No. We are so sorry, but these boot camps are for participants of women's roller derby only.
Where are the camps?
The boot camps will be taught at our practice space in Brooklyn, NY. Approximately a week before the camp, you will be contacted via email with directions to the space and more details for the day of the event. Please note that we have a new practice facility this year and are now located in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
What will the day be like?
Class schedule is subject to change, but they usually include 2-3 hours of derby building blocks concluding with some scrimmaging. We take an hour for lunch and then finish with 2-3 hours focusing on the boot camp's goal (jamming, blocking, etc.)
If I'm a jammer, should I go to the blocking boot camp? If I'm a blocker and would never jam in a million years, should I go to the jammer boot camp?
The short answer is yes!
The longer answer is that every skater can learn something in every position. There are tons of things to learn as a jammer at a blocking boot camp (What are blockers thinking? How do they do that thing that always blocks you? How can you not fall down when they hit you?) and for blockers at jammer camps (How do they move their feet so fast? How do they know where I'm going to be? What's the best place to stop them on the track?) So yes, you should go to any of the camps. And besides, you never know what will happen in a game when someone hands you the star!
What should I bring?
In additional to your gear (quad skates, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, helmet and mouth guard—you must have all of this equipment to participate) you will need sneakers, two shirts (black and white) with your name and number on them and a water bottle with your name on it. We suggest you also bring a packed lunch and a notepad for taking awesome derby boot camp notes. We try to open our merch room during lunch, so you can also bring cash or a check book if you’d like to take home some GGRD pride too!
We highly discourage the use of belts and do not allow them to be worn at our practices. Feel free to ask us why during the camp.
Do I need insurance?
GGRD highly recommends you have primary health insurance when you play roller derby, but we know that isn't possible for everyone. At this time, we do not require primary health insurance but all participants (skating or watching) will be required to sign an insurance waiver. We also have an EMT onsite during each boot camp.
The boot camp is full! AHH! Is there a waitlist?
The boot camps sell out really, really quickly! We're sorry! But no, we do not have a waitlist since the tickets are being sold on Brown Paper Tickets. Check the BPT links frequently - if people cancel, more tickets will become available. You can also email our Boot Camp Coordinator and ask her to put you on the email list to be contacted if a spot opens up if/when the camp has sold out - please note that if you got the original email notification that registration was open, you are already on this list.
What if I have other questions?
Please email bootcamps@gothamgirlsrollerderby.com for any other information you may need .
