The Rat City Rollergirls 2007 Championship Bout is sold out. There *may* be a few tickets at the door on Saturday (if there are, they'll go on sale at 3 p.m .). Otherwise, unless you're willing to fork over a kidney or first-born child, you'll probably have to catch us when we return in February 2007.

Unless ... well ... we here at Derby Little Secrets are feeling generous. We have two beautiful, shiny tickets that we'd love to give to a worthy fan. How do we determine worthiness, you might ask? Simply write 200 words or less on the following theme: "Why I Love the Rat City Rollergirls and Therefore Deserve to Win Tickets to the Sold-Out Championship Bout." Then, e-mail your derby-licious prose to shoveychase@ratcityrollergirls.com. Shovey and her crack team of secret tellers will choose a gem and post the winner, and the winning entry, on our forum.

Why go to all this trouble? Simple: This is The Bout To End All Bouts! It all comes down to this, folks. In the Grudge Match, the much aflame and recently victorious Grave Danger will battle the Throttle Rockets, who have been training hard at space camp to end the season with a victory. In the Championship Match, the Sockit Wenches are performing complete engine overhauls to ensure this will indeed be the "Year of the Wench." But also preparing for battle are the troops of the Derby Liberation Front, who are ready to fight for their revolution as well as their reputation. DLF are not only defending champions, but would like to be the first team in Rat City Rollergirl history to go undefeated all season.

Plus, there's the little matter of the FREE (with Championship Bout ticket purchase) after-party at the hangar right after the bout. There will be much food, drink, and general merriment, including dancing to the rad tunes of DJ Boo Berry and sing-a-longs with Karaoke Steve!

Heads up - it's time for tryouts! The Rat City Rollergirls will be having open tryouts from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, November 12th at Bellevue Skate King. There will be a first cut on Sunday night, and call-backs will need to return for a second round of tryouts with more skating and interviews from 8:30-10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14th and Wednesday, 15th from 8:30-10:30 p.m.

Check our Web site, www.ratcityrollergirls.com, next week for full details, including requirements for qualifying, what to bring, what to wear, and how to prepare.

What are you going to do in these dark, derby-less months ahead? Though rollergirls are known for working tirelessly year-round both to keep in shape, and to keep the league running, we asked some of the Rat City Rollergirls a question – "What are your plans for the off-season?"

"Writing for Blood & Thunder, writing a book, writing some other stuff, and then probably doing a little writing."
-PamOpticon, Grave Danger

"Going to Mexico to do nothing but bask in the sun and drink."
-Diva State, Derby Liberation Front

"As soon as kickball is over it's time for winter bowling league!"
-Astro Glide, Throttle Rockets

"Hawaii and house painting for me!"
-Sybil Unrest, Derby Liberation Front

"Traveling and triathlon training! I just can't get enough PAIN!!!"
-Miss Dismember, Derby Liberation Front

"I will be busy planning and creating another garden at the 2007 NWFGS. It will be twice as big as last years ... and hopefully we'll take home another gold medal!
-Holley KnockHers, Sockit Wenches

"I am going back to school, lots of snow stuff cross country skiing and snow boarding, and of course riding my bike and rubbing my dog's belly!!!"
-Libby Raider, Derby Liberation Front

"I am going snowboarding! And knitting! And running! And going to yoga! And making up for lost time at work and with non-derby friends and family and my sweetheart."
-Kitty Kamikaze, Derby Liberation Front

"Off-season? What's that?"
-Ida Slapter, Derby Liberation Front

"Teach, teach, teach, um, and teach. Maybe sleep if there's time. I will be hanging out on a beach/ jungle/Mayan ruins/ biological research facility somewhere in Central America around Christmas."
- Elektra Lyte, Throttle Rockets

"We have an off-season?"
-Jo Jo Stiletto, Sockit Wenches

The fate of our home, Hangar 27 at Warren G. Magnuson Park, is hanging in the balance, and you can help! The Seattle City Council is considering a proposal to award public funds for renovation and sole anchor tenant status to Arena Sports, which plans to turn the building into an exclusive indoor soccer and sports complex. If you have attended a RCRG bout at Hangar 27, you can appreciate our attachment to this big, drafty, old building (which also happens to be perfect for hosting many types of other special events as well).

Along with many other groups who use Hangar 27 for their special events and activities that help enrich the unique culture of Seattle, losing our ability to lease this space is our greatest fear. For more than three years the Rat City Rollergirls have searched high and low for a similar space in which to hold practices and bouts - to no avail. There is literally not another space like Hangar 27 in the Seattle area. Losing access to the only affordable venue in Seattle for our special events threatens the future of Rat City Rollergirls' productions. A community facility like this is extremely rare, and removing it from public use for multiple special events will not only damage our organization but the many others who call it home for a variety of events. We hope you agree that Hanger 27 is truly a unique community gem - an asset that should always be available to our community rather than being privatized. Please join us in our rally to keep Hangar 27 public!

Write or call the Seattle City Council and tell them how you feel:
City Council
PO Box 34025
Seattle , WA 98124-4025
(206) 684-8888

Or e-mail individual members of the Council:
nick.licata@seattle.gov
sally.clark@seattle.gov
david.della@seattle.gov
jan.drago@seattle.gov
jean.godden@seattle.gov
richard.conlin@seattle.gov
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
richard.mciver@seattle.gov
peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov

Did you have the time of your life at Bumbershoot? We did, and we'd love to see it happen again next year! Take a moment to fill out the Bumbershoot Survey and let the folks at Bumbershoot know how much you loved the 2006 Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Invitiational! Oh, and speaking of the Bumberbout, if you forgot to get your commemorative Bumberbout shirt at the tournament, you can still pick one up on our website!

The Rat City Rollergirls love it when people take photos at their bouts and share them. Point-and-shoot cameras are always welcome, but commercial and video cameras are now prohibited unless you make arrangements with us ahead of time. Wanna bring a bigger lens than the one on your camera phone or point-and-shoot camera? To be considered for commercial-sized camera or video camera access at our bouts, please click here for more information.

Magnuson Park Hangar 27
7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle
Doors open at 4:30 p.m., bout starts at 6 p.m.

You'll see Grave Danger take on the Throttle Rockets in the grudge match while Derby Liberation Front plays the Sockit Wenches for bragging rights as 2006 Season Champions!

The Funhouse
Doors at 9:00 PM
Cover $6

Break out yer eye patches, parrots, and hooks...and try to walk the plank to help raise money for the Throttle Rockets trip to LA to demolish the Angel City Derby Girls. Shiver your timbers with music from The Wages of Sin and The Bad Things. Come down and see if you can score yourself some Throttle Rocket booty.

North Hollywood YMCA Outdoor Hockey Rink
5142 Tujunga Ave North
Hollywood CA 91601

The Throttle Rockets are taking their Intergalactic Derby Domination on the road! Traveling to the stars of the Sunset Strip, the Throttle Rockets will be battling against two of their former team members, Billie Boilermaker and JoanJetta, founders of the Angel City Derby Girls. Does this newbie league have the skills to beat the Throttle Rockets? There's only one way to find out!

While the end of the 2006 bouting season is fast approaching, we're sure to need the help of loyal derby fans everywhere next season. Keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities in the coming months! We like to reward hard working folks with free admission to bouts, as well as volunteer-only RCRG schwag. To sign up for future volunteer opportunities, contact Jackie Hammer at volunteer@ratcityrollergirls.com.