Started with a new league in Dallas , and wanted learn but not carry the book. I was a little reluctant @ the price but after I got into it and all the stuff the app does that you can’t get from the book. The HAND SIGNALS area was the best . not only learning what it looks like but ya touch the screen and takes you to the section referring to that hand signal. The word search works well for when there is a call in question as to which way to go . Put in key words and any arguing about a call is done! Yes its overpriced , but the features the book doesn’t have is well worth it. Hopefully any rule updates will be free since it was so expensive.

Hyper Shaman ( pink 95a ). Performance, roll, quality, was all awesome. These are very heavy wheels. I made it threw 2 practices and sold them to a much lighter gal. Im 5’3″ 165pds. So heavy wheels are not for me, but a younger strong girl they work great for.

Just swapped out a pair of (too-big) 965s for these glorious, glorious skates. Skinny-heeled girls rejoice. B/AA width is perfect for my tiny-but-lengthy feet and it holds in all the right places. I put a teensy bit of lambswool in the toes, as if you’re on your stops a lot, no narrowness of the heel is going to hold you in place–and that makes the boot perfect in every shape and form. Definitely recommend it, 100 percent.

I’m currently skating on these as in between plates (borrowing them from another skater). I came from the nylon R3 plate, and I’m getting the Sure Grip Avenger. Overall, I think it’s just eh. I skated on the Avenger once before getting the Revenges, and to me the Revenges just don’t respond that well, and I feel like I have to force them to go where I want to go almost as much as I did with the stock plates I had. Not a bad plate, but not worth the $200 at all. Plus, Powerdyne plates scare me because of how often they break.

My boyfriend has these wheels and I’ve skated them before. He has the red ones. Far too grippy for me, and the grooves were gone from 4 of the 8 almost immediately, now some of the wheels are starting to cone and he’s only had them since August. However, despite all of that, he likes them quite a bit.

I love this mouthguard. It took me a long time to fit, and quite a few tries, but now that it’s shaped properly it’s great. Super comfy, and I love being able to talk and drink water without having to take it out and getting slobber on everything and sweat on my mouthguard.

Love these wheels. I have the Lanzini Rocket version of them, and they are amazing for a semi-grippy wood floor and my weight (115lbs). I tend to like harder wheels for my size, and these are perfect. They are fast and roll amazingly well, but I don’t find myself slipping around on corners. They might not be the best wheels on the market (I’ve since gotten Cannibals that I love dearly, and I have my eyes on Roller Bones Turnos), but for their price they are perfect.

I love the protech mouthgaurd. Ive been using the product for about a year now & have definitely taken some hard hits. The only downside is: be careful if you keep your gear in your car in the heat. I leave my gear in my car for days I don’t have time to run home after work before practice. During the summer the heat warped the mouthgaurd. I had to re-heat it under water to make it fit again. However, doing this after two different occasions the material wore thin in spots and was practically disappearing. Thank god I kept the second one for myself. Before I fitted the extra one, I had to use old mouthgaurds. It made me appreciate the protech product even more. Must have for every derby player.

Even then, Basketball has an already-established viewership – broadcasters want sports with established (large) fan bases because it means they can sell adds – and sponsors want them for the same thing. It’s the reason women’s hockey is still in, tehcnically. The hockey viewership is good enough to be worth it.

Derby has neither of those things as they relate to the Olympics – not enough drama in the sport from an international standpoint (USA will win) AND it doesn’t have an established fanbase to entice sponsors.

For me, the problem with roller derby possibly being an Olympic sport is that the skaters would have to surrender some control to USARS and the Olympic committee. This is something USARS certainly wants, but I’m not sure it’s something the skaters should want.

As the last Blood and Thunder Cup proved, there’s one elephant in the room, and 2 or 3 teams in contention for the other 2 podium spots.

It’s the same reason why women’s hockey is being considered being removed from the Olympic games – it’s not interesting to watch if you know who’s going to get gold.