SCAR Eats up the Competition....

Photo courtesy of Chuck Fong Studio 2
Or at least that's how we hope it goes.  See, Hells Mels (at left) may be skinny, but the girl can eat!  So, when SCAR was contacted about entering one of its Happy Valley Dolls as a celebrity contestant in a wing-eating contest at Tussey Mountain, it was a no brainer. 

(This photo was taken before we'd even thought about it.  Seriously, Mel can eat.)

To see Mel take on the competition, be at Tussey Mountain's Wing Fest this  evening around dinner time.  Hells Mels will be on stage and ready to destroy the contenders.


When They're Not on the Track...

SCARs can often be found in the community -- both the derby community and the local community.


SCAR refs and skaters often travel to help out other leagues. Recently, SCAR Derby helped out with the Susquehanna Valley Derby Vixens' bout against the Jerzey Brigade's Major Pains. And this weekend head ref Brace will travel to ref the Harrisburg Area Roller Derby vs. Dutchland bout.

Last week, SCAR participated in the Parade of Heroes celebrating the 4th of July in our home State College, and this weekend SCAR can be found in the Phillispburg Heritage Days parade, at Boalsburg's People's Choice Festival, at the State College ArtsFest, and at the State College Spikes game.

And finally, SCAR's own Danni Savage, who is the league's director of Creative, makes her talents available to the derby world on occasion as well as overseeing all the talented artists who donate their work for the benefit of SCAR. The logo to the left is the one she devised for Team USA to us ein its upcoming bouts against Team Finland and Team Sweden.

Featured Artist Abby Assetto

One of the great things that SCAR Derby enjoys about the State College area is the deep vein of talent that's available for SCAR to feature and benefit from.

This bout's poster was created by Abby Assetto, a local artist.

As Abby says about herself:


I graduated with honors from Penn State University in December of 2011 with a degree in Information Sciences and Technology and minors in Security and Risk Analysis and English. Despite the technical nature of my degree, art and design have always been passions of mine. The reason that I chose to major in Information Sciences and Technology was that it allowed me to explore my creativity in addition to my technical prowess. My major helped me to understand the way in which design and color can impact a user experience. Technology as a medium for communication and expression was the basis of my honors thesis, in which I created an interactive comic that allowed readers to appreciate the story told on the surface, but also to delve deeper into the work’s underpinnings as they read.

Read more about her here.

Next Bout: The Midsummer Night's Scream


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Scrap in the Stacks -- SCAR 139, Royal Pains 143

If You Seek Aimee was the SCAR MVP
SCAR started the bout up against the undefeated Cortland Royal Pains.  But midway through the first period SCAR fell back on a disastrous power jam that gave The Royal Pains 20-some points.
 
At the half, SCAR was about 30 points down --80-something to 50-something.
 
SCAR started the second period trailing, but began to close the gap. A killer power jam by Partygirl Accelerator, and then one by Kyssing Kaos put SCAR within 25 points with just 4 minutes to go. SCAR's jammers for the most part did not get the lead, but did force Cortland to call off jams before they could score much if at all.
 
Next up: Hells Mels, with less than two minutes on the clock.  And she blew it out! Hells Mels got lead jammer and Cortland's jammer got sent to the box. Power jam! Hells Mels went through the pack again and again in the minute that the other jammer was in the box. She called off the jam just as the other jammer was sprung. The whole arena held its breath as the score was tallied.

Final result:SCAR 139 - Royal Pains 143. So close!

The People Who Make It Happen


The Bash'N LaSassin, Laurel Wrath, and Paige Smith.
 So, we all know about the skaters, right?  And the refs, hopefully? 

Something that's kind of unusual about roller derby is that everyone out there, whether they're on the track or behind the scenes, is a volunteer. 

The skaters pay their own way, and it can be a pretty big economic commitment between gear and rink fees and travel. But the refs and NSOs are also there on their own steam and at their own initiative, and there would be no bouts without them. 

SCAR Derby has some of the best volunteers in the world, bar none.  The photo is of three who traveled with the team to Cortland, NY, last weekend to act as non-skating officials (NSOs)-- which is just one of the ways that SCAR volunteers help the team do what it does.

What is an NSO?  An NSO officiates off-skates -- they facilitate the reporting of scores and penalties, track lineups, make sure that skaters who are in the penalty box stay in the box, and more.  The hardest part of NSOing is acting impartial when your team does something awesome. 

However, SCAR also needs bout staff to run and team staff to run, and even for the bout in Cortland a group of volunteers traveled along to keep things running smoothly.  Those folks shouting at people from the bench are volunteers -- they bench coach and help the team track its lineups.  And did you see the folks at the merchandise table?  They, and the ticket and seating staff, are all volunteers who have given their time to help SCAR operate.  And the EMTs, who patch up our skaters when they get injured?  They're volunteers, too. 

We're always looking for new members at every level -- skaters, refs, and volunteers. If you want to be part of SCAR, we want to find a place where you can be involved.  And if you don't have the time to volunteer, just thank our volunteers.  We literally can't operate without them.

Get to Know: Juana Teaze

Man, I hate farewell tributes. But sadly, SCAR Derby recently had to say goodbye to Juana Teaze, one of the league's most experienced skaters.  After several years with SCAR, Juana has completed her grad degree and moved back to her home state of Oregon.  This week SCAR celebrated/mourned with a series of bar tours.

Juana was one of SCAR's most experienced skaters, having played in Oregon before moving to State College.  She anchored the Great Wall of SCAR as a blocker and featured heavily in SCAR's most effective defensive lineups.

So, without further ado, we share some of the insight, experience, and creativity that made Juana a crucial part of the SCAR lineup. 




Tell us about your roller derby name, how did you come up with it?

When I played for the Southern Oregon Roller Girls I played under the name Juana Rumble. Once I moved to SCAR the name had been registered on Two Evils, So I just changed my last name. My Real last name is Patt (with two T’s) and my number is 2tz just I just went with the joke on my name and became Juana Teaze.

Off the track, what kind of work do you do?  Do you have any other hobbies besides roller derby?  

I am a scenic designer for theatre and a props artisan for theatre and film. So I pretty much get to do my hobby for work!

What drew you to roller derby?

The community. I grew up with team sports. It’s an honor to be a part of a community as cool and caring as this one.

What’s one thing that you have learned from Derby that you are able to use in everyday life?

You only get better if you put the heart and the time in to be better.

What SCAR achievements are you most proud of?

How far we’ve come in so little time.

What was your most embarassing SCAR moment?

The Internet isn’t big enough for them all.

What equipment do you use? Skates? Wheels? Protective Gear? Must-Haves?

My heart. Its a must have.

Who supports you in doing roller derby, and what would you say to them?

My family, my Big sis, my friends, my girlfriend, even my Graduate school mentor, he’s our biggest fan. I thank them all!

Any injury stories?

I had a really bad MCL sprain back in September. The story isn’t anything too interesting, but I did pop my knee cap back in an finish the bout.

What question didn’t we ask that you wish we had asked, and what’s the answer?

What is the inner animal that you conjure whilst playing derby? That would be a unicorn!