Back In Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Whip 'N Ash

PR@derbydolls.com

Your L.A. Derby Dolls Kick Off Their Season

LOS ANGELES (July 18, 2014) – Fresh off of hiatus, the L.A. Derby Dolls start their season off with a game pitting up and coming skaters against each other. On Saturday, August 23rd, the Bad Hatters will take the Cheshire Cats in the Malice in Wonderland showdown. You won't want to miss these skaters prove they have what it takes to compete in the big leagues.

The action begins at 8 P.M. Doors open at 6:30 P.M. and close at the end of half-time. All tickets are available for purchase at http://derbydolls.com/tickets. General Admission tickets for Saturday's game are only $15 online and $18 at the door. VIP tickets, which include premium seating and a dedicated beverage station, are $40 both online and at door.

For all guests of legal age, alcoholic beverages including Golden Road Brewing craft beer, Monkey Shoulder scotch whiskey and Sailor Jerry's spiced rum will be available through half time of Saturday's game. Food trucks from across LA will flock to the Doll Factory for fans to enjoy. Art, jewelry and apparel are available for purchase. The Doll Factory, located in Historic Filipinotown at 1910 W. Temple Street, is now open to all ages.

As always, the LA Derby Dolls would like to thank all our amazing sponsors: Golden Road Brewing, Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey, Sailor Jerry's, Stila Cosmetics, S-One Helmet Company, TwentyWonder, Iron Doll Clothing, Second Knee and Garage Pizza.

Please note that we suggest parental guidance at our Saturday evening games. As a reminder, any large DSLR type cameras that require a camera bag or have interchangeable lenses are strictly prohibited for personal fan use and will be not be allowed into the Doll Factory. All professional cameras and equipment will remain for press outlets only.

Move Update July 7th

Hello Derby Doll Supporters,

Over the last few months we have been going through negotiations to try to secure a warehouse located in Boyle Heights for a possible move in mid July. Since dealing with commercial properties for our public use involves a multitude of issues from the building owner, the neighborhood, and our own requirements - ie: parking, security, public assemblage etc, it can and has been difficult to negotiate and alleviate all issues. After a few months of back and forth with the lease, we have still not come to an agreement with terms that are in our best interests for our longevity and therefore we are unable to move under the current conditions offered in the proposed lease.

We are fortunate that for the time being we will be staying at The Doll Factory on Temple Street and will start our 2014 home season here in August. We will continue to search for a new home - which still may be the Boyle Heights space - but will take more time to negotiate fully. We have not been given a move out date from our current building owner so we will continue with our month-to-month terms here. During our contract negotiations we did not stop the hunt for a home, and in fact we have been able to increase our efforts and scope of locations with outside help from our league supporters. There are many opportunities and people out there who want to help us with finding and creating a beautiful new home, but since our needs are very specific and non- traditional, it’s just going to take some more time and more negotiations to determine the best home for us.

Thank you so much for patience and support! If you would like to be notified of updates as they happen, please sign up for our mailing list on our fundraiser page.

Sincerely,
Demolicious, Amber Alert! & Brandi Iron

League Member Of The Month

The L.A. Derby Dolls would like to offer a hearty thank you and congratulations to the Head of Events and Enforcer, SGT. STRYKER, for being named L.A. Derby Dolls’ League Member of the Month for June, 2014! SGT. Stryker has been with the L.A. Derby Dolls for almost 5 years, and has worn many hats over the years, including leadership positions in Door; Web, and Executive Council to name a few.

We asked SGT. Stryker to share some information about himself and his involvement with the L.A. Derby Dolls.  Find the juicy interview here:

LADD: How did you find derby? Or did it find you?

SGT. Stryker:  I guess Derby found me. I went to my first bout in Feb 2009 at the Doll Factory after being invited by some family and friends. I went to a few games that season and just had a blast. Eventually, I was asked if I could come help paint the Doll Factory, and met Demo. She was really friendly, outgoing, and just a cool person to talk to. She asked me to come back and volunteer during the season and that's exactly what I did. I started by joining the Derby Doll Army, and have just kept coming back each season. Along the way continued to take on more jobs and responsibilities for the league.

LADD: Derby or non derby related, who is your hero and why?

SGT. Stryker: I have never really had a "hero”, but if I had to pick someone, it would be my Dad. He never finished high school but he is one of the smartest people I know. He never fails to amaze me with his skills and knowledge and even to this day he teaches me things that I don't know how to do.

LADD: What's was your personal favorite derby moment?

SGT. Stryker: My personal favorite derby moment would have to be the first time I ever I was the Penalty Bench (PB) Enforcer during a big girls’ game. I was nervous because it was my first time doing this position outside of practice and the bench coach I was reporting to that night was Iron Maiven. Everything went better than expected that night, but the boost to my ego came right after the game… Maiven called me over and told me that I did an excellent job that night and that she wants me to PB for her in future games. Getting a compliment like that from someone with her reputation and status in the league just made me feel really good.

LADD: What is your goal for the 2014 season?

SGT. Stryker: I have two goals. 1 for derby and 1 personal to accomplish this year: my main derby goal for the 2014 season is to ensure that Demo and Amber have all the support they need for the move; as well as ensure everything like internet connections, computer networks, and alarm systems are up and running before our first game in the new place.

My main personal goal for 2014 is to decide if I want to continue on with my MBA and stay in corporate America or get out of the IT field and move into the Health Care sector. I'm up in the air right now on which to do.

SGT. Stryker will be on hand for Varsity Brawlers vs. San Diego Hard Corps on Saturday, June 14.

Big Sunday!

On Saturday, May 10, 2014, the Los Angeles Derby Dolls will be hosting a skate clinic for Big Sunday working with the Children of the Night organization. Children of the Night fosters young girls that have been rescued from prostitution and is something that the Derby Dolls support and believe in helping out.  Every year a talented group of skaters spend a day coaching, skating with, and mentoring the children with special attention on the empowerment that can be found through a strong female sport such as roller derby! 

The Los Angeles Derby Dolls’ community service has become a huge part of what the league stands for. We take great pride in the work we’ve done over the years. This will be the 6th year supporting Big Sunday and the 5th years working with Children of the Night. As a league, we look forward to many more!

Move Update

Hello Derby Doll Fans!

We want to thank all that have donated thus far to our campaign, and to provide you with an update regarding our future move.

On January 1st we were given notice of pending demolition of the Doll Factory as it currently stands at 1910 W.Temple Street in Historic Filipinotown. Since that date we have been actively searching, along with our 2 realtors and the City of Los Angeles, to find our next long-term home. If you have ever searched for a new home, you know you can spend considerable time trying to find the right place. Now imagine doing it to house a large masonite track, hundreds of roller derby skaters, while creating a community event space for bouting and community service projects. It’s quite a task, particularly when you consider our building use is non-traditional, our events require ample external parking, proper permits and zoning and will require construction and upgrades to accommodate public assemblage. Not something easy for a landlord to agree too. Given all of this, our hopes are very high that we will find our perfect home and we will live on!

But the question for our campaign contributors still remains, what if? What happens if we do not find a space? Honestly, we just don’t believe that will happen, but we understand that it may take time. We could be in a new home as soon as mid summer or end of this year. If the building isn’t torn down immediately due to permitting and financing issues and we can’t find a space that can house us it is possible that we could remain at the Doll Factory a bit longer. But either way we are determined to continue on so we can create the stability needed with a long term lease. During this time we are also completing our transformation to a 501c3 nonprofit corporation so we can continue to provide women and girls of all ages a supporting community to empower their ability to make change.

The net income gained from this campaign will only go to packing, moving, deposits, and if any left over, construction of our new space to recreate a new Doll Factory. If there is an interim time where we go into storage and practice in roller rinks for a bit, we will keep the money in savings since it is vital for us to be ready to write that deposit check on a new space at a moments notice. This is the security and strength you are giving us by donating to our campaign in this uncertain time, and with that we will make a new home for many years to come.

To keep up on news regarding our move, please visit http://derbydolls.com/fundraiser and sign up for our mailing list.

Sincerely,

Amber Alert!
aka Stephanie Villa
General Manager

Contact Amber: amber@derbydolls.com

Volunteer For The Move: http://goo.gl/Iv4OCV