These professional skaters skate on a traditional banked course, which means that the track is slanted, not flat. And, in typical roller derby fashion, things can get a little intense…
Now, what are the rules of roller derby? You can learn in this excerpt from the documentary “Jam.”
Hungry for more derby? We have an easy solution for you – stop by this Saturday night and root for the FireBirds!
When I was a kid, my sister would sit and watch (and scream and yell for) the L.A. Thunderbirds in roller skating action. It was a big deal at our house. Now, I can get my kids screaming for the same fast-paced rink action with the L.A. FireBirds, live here at Fairplex. The FireBirds, the progeny of the Thunderbirds, play their home games right here in Pomona – and it’s action you won’t want to miss. They play the Eastern Chiefs for the first of two games this Saturday.
All games are sanctioned by the American Roller Skating Derby. With the banked rink, there is always alot of high-speed fun. Prices are pretty reasonable and you may even find discount tickets on Goldstar.com. So, grab the kids and come out to Fairplex Saturday night to root on the FireBirds!! For more info, go to firebirds-rollerderby.com.
The newly released movie, Whip It, has put a well-deserved spotlight on the fast-action sport of roller derby. Saturday, Oct. 24, the Los Angeles FireBirds will take on Mizz Georgia Hase’s Brooklyn RedDevils in banked track roller derby up-close and live in Fairplex 10 at 8 p.m.
This is some crazy kind of fun. “What makes ‘Whip It’ a blast is the action in the rink,” said Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times. Even mild-mannered Alex Cohen, host of KPCC’s “All Things Considered” becomes “Axles of Evil” roller-derby girl by night. She is a champion of the sport, which began in Depression-era America, and was tapped to teach “Whip It” stars the basics.
Fairplex 10
Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m.
Ticket hotline: (800) 838-3006 or
Order tickets online [Tip: buy tickets in advance. General admission is half price; VIP is $5 off]
Where to begin? In just one weekend, we have birds, both feathered and on skates, a home and backyard expo and an indie, punk, goth rock music festival. Here’s the skinny, in case you’re looking for something fun to do.
Recession Busters
There are birds of all sizes and breeds at Everybody’s Bird Mart in Fairplex 4. Admission is only $5 for adults; kids under 12 are free. Sunday, June 22, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. I didn’t know that much about birds before I checked out this bird mart. For help on choosing a pet bird, click on the birds at right and view Alyson’s Pet Birds Blog.
Maybe you can’t afford the gas to drive to see relatives in Montana but you can afford to come to Fairplex to see all the latest in home improvement, interior design and landscaping so that you have a lovely setting for your “staycation” (precious sound-bite term for stay-at-home vacation coined by the TV news networks). Pomona Home & Backyard Show, Friday, June 20 – Sunday, June 22. Click on link above for a coupon for free admission.
Birds on Skates
Don’t be fooled. Roller derby is hot again. Very hot. A recent L.A. Times articledescribes a crowd of 1,700 derby fans finding their way to an old warehouse in Los Angeles to see the L.A. Derby Dolls. It’s part soap opera, part histrionics a la WWF, and part oval-track racing. Mostly, it’s fun…and fast. The L.A. T-Birds rollergames action mixes it up on Saturday, June 21, from 7 – 11 p.m. right here at Fairplex 9. Adult admission $17, children under 12 are $11. Discount tickets are available at the T-Birds’ website. Web site price is $5 off general admission price. Park at Gate 9 on White Avenue.
Calling all Vans fans
This is like Kurt Cobain meets the Ramones, said one Vans Warped Tour fan of the skateboard music concert and extreme sports festival that rocks Fairplex every year in June. “Warped Tour is a place for teenage kids to go and hear all their favourite bands in one day,” says Rob Pasalic, guitarist for the Saint Alvia Cartel, in Wikipedia. Among the bands appearing at this year’s tour are Jean, From First to Last, Relient K, Story of the Year, The Fabulous Rudies, Beat Union and The Academy Is.
They come by the hundreds to the Fairplex Park infield, where as many as 50 bands will play on Friday, June 20 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Park at Gate 17 on Fairplex Drive. Advance tickets are at ticketmaster.com for $30. More on this in our next post, when someone who’s waaay more into this than the Scoopster will fill you in.
When I was a kid, my sister would sit and watch (and scream and yell for) the L.A. Thunderbirds in roller skating action. It was a big deal at our house. Now, I can get my kids screaming for the same fast-paced rink action with the L.A. FireBirds, live here at 
