Roller Derby Update[d]: 10/8/10

If you're looking for skaters this weekend, don't look in Austin. No, they're not avoiding ACL traffic. The Texas Rollergirls' travel team the Texecutioners are in Lincoln, Neb., for the Womens Flat Track Derby Association's South Central regionals, while the Lonestar Rollergirls are taking a turkey trot to Cuero.

Texas Rollergirls

The Texies are busy this weekend with the Amber Waves of Pain, which they hope will give them a qualifying slot for WFTDA nationals, the Uproar on the Lakeshore, in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 5-7. The entire weekend will be broadcast, as always, by the good folks at Derby News Network: But since derby is more fun in a crowd, the Texas Rollergirls will be running watch parties at The Jackalope for all the TXRG bouts. Here's the schedule:

Friday: 7pm Texecutioners vs winner of No Coast Derby Girls vs Hard Knox Roller Girls

Saturday: 1pm winner versus winner of Dallas Derby Devils vs Nashville Rollergirls

Sunday: 3pm third place play-off, 5pm finals

[UDPATE: After No Coast knocked out Houston's Hard Knox, Texas hammered the Lincoln home town team 251-50. Texas will face Nashville at 1pm CDT Saturday, after the Tennessee team pulled out a big upset over Dallas, 118-84.]

Texas go into the weekend as the number one seed in the region, and there's a lot of attention focused on resurgent 2007 WFTDA champs the Kansas City Road Warriors, while the Atlanta Rollergirls are looking for their first trip to the big game.

TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls

If you're in the mood for a little road trip, the local banked track league will be in Cuero on Saturday and Sunday for the 38th Annual Cuero Turkeyfest. The three day event in the self-proclaimed turkey capital of the world will also include performances by Robert Earl Keen and Emory Quinn, plus the Great Gobbler Gallop and other entertainment.

In Other News …

Denver's Rocky Mountain Rollergirls pulled the upset of the season last weekend when they handed the Oly Rollergirls their first ever defeat in a WFTDA-sanctioned bout at Western Regionals. Those two teams, plus third place B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls, join the Windy City Rollers, Minnesota RollerGirls and Madison's Mad Rollin' Dolls from the North-Central region and the Gotham Girls, Philly Roller Girls and Charm City Roller Girls from the East at Nationals.

The WFTDA has announced the latest round of apprentice leagues, and the big news is a major expansion in European members. The UK adds Edinburgh's Auld Reekie Roller Girls, Germany enters the fray with Berlin's Bear City Roller Derby, while France makes its WFTDA bow with the Paris Rollergirls. As for the US contingent, there's a triple showing for Iowa with the Des Moines Derby Dames, Mid Iowa Rollers and the Old Capitol City Roller Girls. Rounding out the North American contingent are the Blue Ridge Rollergirls from Asheville, NC; The Jersey Shore Roller Girls; The Terminal City Rollergirls from Vancouver, Canada; And, from under Vulcan's gaze, the Tragic City Rollers from Birmingham, Ala.

New kids on the starting line the Cen-Tex Sirens have added another date to their schedule. So if you're in Temple on Oct. 30, drop by and see them take on the East Texas Bombers.