Roller Derby Girls And Cake Pops

It's been a while since I've blogged and for those of you who are stopping by and wondering what's going on, I apoligize.  I've been doing this and that and haven't found the time to stop by here.  Well, here I am again!  Yesterday I was asked to shoot a photograph for an ad for blueberry bakery celebrating the one year anniversary of Moxi roller skate shop in Long Beach.  I love cake and derby girls so of course I was happy to be a part of it!

The vision was to get a couple of derby girls fighting over a cake pop in typical derby style.  Looking oh so tough but so cute at the same time.  I don't know how these women do it.  I used to roller skate around my neighborhood as a kid in my quads and thinking about it now makes me a little nervous.  It's not that I don't want to do something fun, it's just a long way down if a small pebble gets in the way of a long stride.

I am six foot tall so it would make me about six five in skates. A long way down...and oh yeah, I am about to turn 40 with minimal health insurance, so there's that too.

It doesn't keep me from admiring these woman who participate in the sport.  I've been to a few bouts in Long Beach and my photographs are on the Long Beach Roller Derby's website as well as many more on my photograph website.

For today, it was about cake pops and roller skates.  I met these ladies early in the morning and once we got to the shop, it was time to strip down to their skating attire.  As this was happening, a man happened to be standing in the right place at the right time to get a glimpse of two women stripping in the middle of the street.  I'm sure as he stood there, he had no idea about what was about to happen.  From the look on his face, I think it might have been his lucky day.

Thank you ladies for being such great models!  I look forward to the next bout!

The Long Beach Roller Derby

In the midst of getting ready to leave to drive around the country, I thought it was a good idea to get out for some local entertainment, or how the derby describes it is, "girl on girl traction."  Lucky for me, the Long Beach Roller Derby was having their second bout so I had to go watch this exciting event!  I missed the opening night since I thought it would be ok just to show up.  Big mistake.  For the second time, the event sold out.  I learned my lesson and bought the tickets early.

When I arrived, the line to get in was pretty long.  I snapped pictures of the crowd and this little girl caught my attention.  She was so interested in the roller girl, but hiding behind her parents as she watched her skate away.

The moment I walked in the door, I knew I was in for a fun night.  They had vender booths, food stands, and live music to entertain the crowd as we waited patiently for it to begin.

I walked around the rink and searched for a spot to sit down.  Once the announcer made it clear that it was ok to sit on the floor up to the red line, that's exactly where I went.  I sat on the corner of the red line on the floor next to the seats of the players.  I think I grabbed the best seat in the house, outside of the players seats.

I really didn't know what to expect but I have to say it was fun even though, for the most part, I didn't know what was going on.  I caught up with some of the rules as the night progressed and if you can't follow along, it's ok...you'll still have fun.

I enjoyed taking pictures of the women playing and a part of me was nostalgic watching them out there.  I played college basketball and coached women's basketball after college and I miss the comradery of being on a team. It's so nice to see these ladies out there having a great time, and looking especially put together while doing it.

If you've never been to a roller derby bout in person, I would recommend it.  It's fun for the entire family.  I bet afterwards, you will want to dust off your quads and give roller skating another try.

I have too many photographs to show here...for more of my photographs from the night of roller derby action, click HERE.

Thank you for the fun night ladies!  I hope you are not too sore today.