On this mercifully not-too-frosty morning, SCDD roller girls Vicious Virus, Moxie Crimefighter, Tammy Toestop, and McShovin jumped in the Allegheny river for charity as part of the Polar Plunge, a benefit for the Special Olympics.  We are proud to report that the charity raised well over $200,000 this morning for the cause!  To find out more about the event, click here.

Last but not least, a shout out to our sisters in sport, the Pittsburgh Passion womens’ football team, who also made the leap!   Check out these amazing athletes at www.pittsburghpassion.com

The SCDD are offering a unique opportunity to get involved in roller derby.  We are looking for people who are interested in becoming a dedicated roller derby coach or bench manager.  The coach is needed for the B-Unit and the Bench Manager is needed for the Steel Hurtin’.  Prior experience coaching derby is not a necessity, however the passion to learn the game and strategy are a must.  Any prior coaching experience with other sports is a plus.

Candidates for Coach of the B-Unit should be expected to:

1. Be dedicated to coach practices 1-2 evenings per week (practices are 2 hours long, and are located at Romp n Roll skating rink)

2. Learn our current derby strategies

3. Bring new strategies/game play ideas to us via your own personal research of roller derby (this often comes via watching games played by top tier teams, which many can be found on the web)

4. Be available to travel to away games several times a year.

A bench manager is the person designated during games to tell which players to line up on the track for each jam.  They must keep track of penalties, and learn which players work best together in order to call the most effective line-ups.  Candidates for Bench Manager of the Steel Hurtin’ should be expected to:

1. Attend 2 weekly evening practices.  We can offer some flexibility as long as the individual can regularly attend and is available via email to discuss team development, strategies, practice planning etc.

2. Participate in practice and provide feedback to our players, learning their strengths and weaknesses and observing chemistry between players in order to forumlate the best possible lineups.

3. Be available to travel several times a year.

By joining the derby, you will be engulfed into a world of camaraderie, sportsmanship, and excitement.  Coaching derby, like any sport, can be a challenge, but it is extremely rewarding and lots of fun, too.

This is a strictly VOLUNTEER position and there is no monetary compensation.  This is for the individual who is looking for something new and exciting in their lives.

For questions, please email us at derbycoach2012@gmail.com

We know you’ve thought about it once or twice.  Why not give it a shot?

The Steel City Derby Demons are NOW RECRUITING for our 2012 fresh meat class! Our first pre-tryout bootcamp is scheduled for later this month. If you’ve been thinking about joining us, now’s your chance!

What is bootcamp you ask?  Bootcamp is a private skating session with the Training and Skills Committee.  We teach you basic skating skills in order to prepare you for tryouts, which will be held in early 2012.  In order to be eligible to try out to be a derby skater, you must attend a bootcamp.

Please email joinSCDD@gmail.com to sign up for bootcamp.

Some of you might know that our own ‘snot rocket science has been chosen to represent her country on Team USA in the first ever Roller Derby World Cup this December in Toronto, Canada.  What you might not know is that roller derby is an expensive sport.  None of us do this as our job; none of us get paid.  So if you love ‘snot, roller derby, and freedom, please consider purchasing one of these amazing shirts, made by (our wonderful and generous sponsor) the Cotton Factory!  Each purchase helps ‘snot make her way to Toronto and stave off some of those travel costs.

Click here for the logo shirt

Click here for the astronaut shirt

The Steel City Derby Demons held their second annual Toys For Tots Holiday Scrimmage, Thursday night at Romp ‘n’ Roll in Glenshaw. Skaters from the Steel Hurtin’, B-Unit, Blitzburgh Bombers, and Fresh Meat divided up into the red-clad Santa’s Little Helpers and the green-garbed Grinches for a 60-minute scrimmage that featured lots of lead changes and went down to an exciting overtime jam, the first in Steel City history. The Grinches took home the 169-157 victory but more importantly, Toys For Tots took home $350 and over 100 new toys in the successful fundraiser.

Click here for the full recap.