Having never seen Roller Derby before, we decided to take our daughter and her friend one night for a family night out. We had a really good time. Tickets for all four of us ran about 75.00. Parking was 10.00 and the garage was very well laid out and made it easy to find a spot. The layout of the area is good. Easy to grab drinks, hit the restrooms or grab some tee-shirts. Drinks are typically expensive, so just be prepared. We sat in GA, in the upper deck. Great area to really see what's going on. Loved the enthusiasm from all the players and announcers. Everyone really seemed to love the game and be enjoying themselves. We enjoyed the game, though it was pretty late for the little ones, so we only saw one. Still didn't understand the scoring and what was really going on, but kinda got the gist of it by the end. Overall it was a fun night out and we'd do it again. read more

Houston Roller Derby - Getting ready for the game to begin! - Amateur Sports Teams Near Me - Houston, Texas

These are some BAD ASS GIRLS! :D I first saw the movie Whip It which made me excited for this. I was expecting the more old school rink, oval boxing ring shape that slopes inward but this one is like mini ice rink... with no ice of course. Tickets were $12, they serve food, drinks, alcohol if you wish, checking your ID at the front and giving you the appropriate wrist bands. It's first come first serve seating on the outside of the rink. There were audience members sitting on the floor on the actual rink on either side. Not sure if those are special price tickets or VIP only. You can even sit on the floor right in front of the glass which is what we both did because I was there on photo assignment for my class and didn't want many head in the way. They had no objections on bringing in long SLR lenses and cameras. They actually like it because Roller Derby isn't that mainstream and they want more pictures and advertisement. So if you like taking pictures this place is cool! My bf and I arrived a little late. We thought it started at 7:30 but it actually started a 7pm. Therefore it was hard to find parking because their lot was full (semi small lot for the amount of people) and we had to park in the shopping center nearby and walk in. We actually followed one of the Roller Derby girls who was playing in one of the games later on. You have to walk far down to the entrance door. Luckily we had her to follow otherwise we may have been confused on which door to go through. The games were pretty cool, we got really into it. I love their nicknames and the way that they dress, it's fun and different. I'm all about the Non-cookie cutter styled places. So refreshing and far away from a yawn. read more

Houston Roller Derby - Amateur Sports Teams Near Me - Houston, Texas

Rebel Ann, Beverly Kills, Windingo, Blue J, Rock Bottom No these aren't WWE Wrestlers, but REAL contact sports athletes of the Houston Roller Derby. I had the pleasure of attending opening night of the HRD at their new location @ Houston Indoor Sports (HIS) 221 Barren Springs Drive Houston, TX The game started at 7 PM, I was running late and that's my first bit of advice, come early, that way you can get yourself a good parking spot and more importantly a good seat. It's general admission so you gotta fight for your right to see. We came late so we were on the ground seats right next to the glass. Honestly, these were a much better view, it just hurts the butt, good thing I have lots of cushion. $12 Bucks a ticket, is great value for what you get. There are 2 bouts, each being two 30 min halves with a half time. The first match was the Brawlers vs Red Stick and the 2nd match was the Sirens vs Bosse$ Each team has their own identify, with a theme, matching uniforms, and each individual player has a play on their number and a cool nickname. The women are extremely hot, but don't let that fool you, they can hit you! Also, they allow you to take all the pictures you want! read more

Completely addicting. Not really being a sports fan, my girlfriend convinced me to go to a bout. Since then--we've traveled to Shanandoa just to see bouts. It takes a little bit to understand the game, but luckily the rules are spelled out on the back of all the programs. It's a really cool experience. These girls work hard at their sport and it's a really great thing to watch. Added to the entertainment of the actual sport is the live commentary provided by colorful commentators like the "Colonel" and "Gossey Dangerfield." Not a bad Sunday night! read more

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Go once and you are hooked....can't wait to go back. Spend the extra few bucks and buy the VIP tickets but don't wait until just before 7 to get there. You want to get a good seat in the VIP area. There may be chairs and all but you still don't have an assigned seat and want to get a prime viewing spot. If you get the GA tickets you'll find yourself standing for 2+ hours or sitting on the hard floor. Just a word of advice from this middle aged gal. For your ticket you get a garage band, hilarious (but informative) announcers, a few in the crowd promotions, two hour long games and if your lucky like we were you meet some very cool people who are having fun too! This is not the roller derby of your Saturday mornings as a kid...these gals follow league rules, play hard and have some mad skating skills. Plus very cool names: Bustin' Beaver, Rapid Monkey (which we thought was Rabid Monkey most of the night!), Jekyll & Heidi, Mayhem Angelou and this one Fright Train that kicked some serious skating butt. The usual overpriced Bayou Place booze is available, they sell some cool merch for the roller derby teams and it's good clean fun...bring your family. PS - it's not a quiet sport so little bitty ones or those who don't like loud rock music and constant sound may not enjoy it as much. But if you don't mind two hours of constant music and chatter you're good to go. read more

Last year, a friend of mine was going to one of the Houston Roller Derby's bouts and invited me along since I'd expressed interest in going before but hadn't yet made it out. Despite not understanding the game for the first half or so, I was immediately entranced, loved every minute of it, and became a fan for life. If you're not sure what exactly the rules are for roller derby, basically the pivots (the skaters in front, one from each team) and then three blockers from each team - collectively known as the pack - take off. Then the whistle blows and the jammers take off. The jammers have to make it through the pack then they are "jamming" with the first jammer through being the lead jammer. Once jamming has commenced, each person that a jammer passes from the other team gets them a point. The lead jammer can call the jam off at any time or, if their isn't a lead jammer, they skate for two minutes. There's more information here too: http://houstonrollerderby.com/public/pag12.aspx Roller derby is absolutely the most awesome, kick ass event I have ever been to. You have the skaters, all women (with names like Holla-Pain-Yo, Claudia Van Damage, BushWhackHer, and Scarlet O'Hurtya), wearing some very hot looking clothes, skating around beating the crap out of each other. What's not to like? Throw in the fact that bouts are cheap ($10 presale and $15 at the door) and last about four hours and I cannot thing of a better way to spend a Sunday evening. They also have half time shows which have included ballroom dancing, belly dancers, a percussion troupe, and - my personal favorites - national champion jump ropers. Each bout also raises money for a different charity. The bouts take place on the third Sunday of every month, with the season running March through October. They are played at The Verizon Wireless Theater downtown in Bayou Place. They've changed the seating so that there are folding chairs instead of risers. You can still bring your own stadium chairs (about $8 at Academy) if you want to be a brave soul and sit in the crash zone - the area immediately around the rink - but you can get run into as my friend that took me to my first bout can attest. I loved the bouts I went to last year so much that I bought season tickets for this year. I'll be there rooting on my favorite derby girls and teams and I hope you come out and support these amazing athletes as well. read more

Sit on the floor near the rink and you could get a rollergirl in your lap! Take a chance and watch some derby. You'll get addicted and next you can become a skater or ref. read more

GO GO GO! You must go to the Houston Roller Derby! The commentators explain everything and tell jokes, the band that plays before is great, and the derby itself is crazy to watch. I'm inspired. read more

I attended my first Houston Roller Derby event this past Saturday. My gf and I bought tickets online on a lark...just seemed like something cool to do on a Saturday night. I was actually fairly surprised when we got there to see the line of cars waiting for valet parking. This was the first bout of the season and it had sold out. Valet was $10 so lesson learned for future visits: show up with plenty of time in advance. Once inside we had to sit on the floor right by the track. There were benches but I feel that sitting on the floor is the way to go, gets you close to the action! There were about 3 rows of people in front of us so again, next time we'll go early. So I'm not too familiar with roller derby rules. I did go see that movie "Whip It". You get a program with your ticket and all the rules are explained there. The first bout was the Psych Ward Sirens vs Red Ticket (from Baton Rouge). This was a big mismatch as the Sirens pretty much scored at will. The second match was the Bosses vs the Brawlers. Now this was INTENSE. Many lead changes and quickly we established that we liked the Bosses better, especially this 4'10" girl called Baby Face Assassin. She was throwing elbows out there with the big gals. In the end the Brawlers won 95-91 but it really came down to the last jam. We were impressed by the toughness and competitiveness of these ladies that are basically doing it for the love of the game. The crowd was pumped and it definitely made the whole thing that much more fun. I was in the concession line and managed to meet the captain of the Sirens, Mistilla the Killa. Very cool chick and she offered to buy me a beer for letting her cut in line. She interacted with several of the fans and was trying to recruit new players. They have practices at the Dairy Ashford skating rink on Tuesday nights, if any of you ladies out there want to put on your skates. Next bout is in April 17. I'll be there for sure. I'm hooked! Only $12 for a few hours of fun watching girls beat each other up. What more can I ask for? read more

Very addictive. At first I was disappointed because I thought it was going to be the zaniness of what used to be on TV. Then I realized this is real, nothing's staged, this is an honest-to-goodness competitive sport. Very cozy environment, walk up and talk to any of the skaters or referees. You'll be part of the HRD family right away. Kid-friendly. read more

I loved the Derby at the Shrine Temple, and it was not bad at the Verizon. But Sat night we went to Kick Soccer and left at the half. It was way too loud, the band was dreadful, it was very hot, and I never could understand one word those announcers said. By having to take your own chairs, you could move around, but a flat track means that it's hard for people who don't go much to see any of the action. I know that it's hard to find venues, and I wish we had what Austin has with the building and the sloped track. But what is, is. Another thing I disliked was the valet parking for the parking lot right in front of the building. Valet parking should be for parking way off some place. It cost $10. We had handicapped placards but those were taken up by cars with no placards so the valet boss let us park in "one of my spaces." I want the Roller Derby to be successful in Houston and want to support them. But I am not going back to this venue. It was not fun at all..... read more