Things to do in Toronto June 11-12, 2011

From 10am to 6pm on Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12, 2011 the St Lawrence Market will once again be the location of mass shedding, sniffing and petting - and some dogs will also be there! For Woofstock! Everyone and their dog heads down to Front Street where you can spend all day saying "OMG, she/he is so cute" and "what a funny costume". Even if you don't have a dog it is so worth the trip. Update: Here are some of the cute little butt sniffing doggies in the 2011 edition of Woofstock.

The Toronto Roller Derby league semi-final gets slamming Saturday June 11 at the Hanger in Downsview. Chicks Ahoy and the Death Track Dolls meet again to determine who will go up against the Gore Gore Rollergirls in the June 25 Championship game.

The World Naked Bike Ride WNBR returns for another peaceful protest against oil dependence and the negative impact of our car culture - plus you can toss the skivvies and parade around in the buff. Make an art installation of your body and apply a little sunscreen and bodypaint. Check out my 2011 coverage on my post here.

Meet at noon on Saturday, June 11, 2011 in the memorial sculpture next to the water in Coronation Park. The ride leaves the park at 1pm. PS Happy Bike Month.

Luminato starts on the 10th and continues to the 19th. Illuminate your mind and free yourself.

Toronto Horse Day 2011 at Exhibition Place on Saturday, June 11 from 11am to 4pm. I don't know if you can bring your own horse down to the show like you can bring your dog down to Woofstock.

Festival on Bloor (Street West) takes place on the 12th from noon to 6pm. Music, entertainment and vendors.

Don't forget about the free entrance to Ontario Place. While things inside may cost money it could be a time to take advantage of the offer and check out the large facility again - when was the last time you wandered around the Place?

There are some more dog pictures after the jump - aw, they are so cute.

Derby Luv!

I heard from the ever excellent Speedin Hawking of the Death Track Dolls. Speedin handles PR and Marketing for the Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD) and she let me know about a couple of upcoming events and she finished her email with 'Derby Luv!'  What a great expression and so true for Toronto - the derby fans fill up the Hanger in Downsview Park and each game seems to get more crowded with more sold out games. It's easy to get addicted to the fast paced action, lingerie, colourful uniforms and watching 'Real Women. Real Hits. Real Heart.'

A couple of interesting roller derby tidbits. 1) Apparently roller derby is the fastest growing sport with over 1000 leagues worldwide. 2) The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has just accepted the all-female, skater owned and operated Toronto Roller Derby into their governing body association - way to go ladies!. 3) The last regular game finished with the Chicks Ahoy beating the Death Track Dolls. 4) The league now goes into the semi-final on Saturday, June 11 with the final Championship game, named 'Battle for the Boot', on Saturday, June 25, 2011. These games tend to sell out fast so get your tickets as soon as possible. 5) And don't forget The Clam Slam in support of Pride Toronto on June 30.

See more derby shots after the jump.

TORD: Fury of the hell cats

The Toronto Roller Derby is quickly drawing to a close for the so you should get out for the final two regular season games in May, followed by the semi-final and championship games coming quickly in June.

On Saturday May 14 the Gore-Gore Rollergirls take on the Smoke City Betties, on Saturday May 28 the Chicks Ahoy and the Death Track Dolls will battle on the flat track. The semi-final is June 11 and the much anticipated Battle of the Boot Championship bout will be June 25, 2011. The leopard skinned Rollergirls are the 2009 and 2010 champions and remain undefeated so far this year, so look for them to kick a little ass.

Of course, how could you forget the Clam Slam scheduled for June 30 - in support of PRIDE Toronto.

ToRD says "The season’s almost over, but Toronto Roller Derby has one more regulation bout before the playoffs! Our last game of the season is a special double-header event, featuring the 2010 champs, the Gore-Gore Rollergirls squaring off against the underdogs, the Smoke City Betties! Plus, in a special bonus bout, Toronto Junior Roller Derby’s Knicker Kickers make their debut against the Mad Missfits!

The Gore-Gore Rollergirls remain undefeated all season and are looking to take that fact into the playoffs by beating their longtime rivals, the Smoke City Betties. Gore co-captain Dust Bunny warns “the Gores are ready to take on our nemesisters this weekend at the hangar at Downsview Park!” For their part, the Smoke City Betties are heartened by their recent win against the Death Track Dolls at this year’s Beast of the East tournament in Montreal.  Fighting for their season standing, these teams are sure to deliver some quality derby Saturday night. As an added bonus, Toronto Junior Roller Derby will be playing their very first bout against New Hampshire’s Mad Missfits! Having skated together just over a year, the Knicker Kickers are eager to showcase their skills to another packed house at the Hangar!

Doors open at 5:30 pm with Toronto Junior Roller Derby’s bout at 6pm and the Gores vs the Betties at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance online and at our ticket outlets for $12, or at the door for $18.  Children aged 9 and under are welcome without charge (limit of 2 per adult accompaniment). Bring blankets and folding chairs for trackside seating, or find a spot on the bleachers surrounding the track. Food and refreshments are available for purchase."

Roller Derby - Gore Gore Rollergirls vs Chicks Ahoy

April 9, 2011 at 6:30pm (doors open) in Downsview Park's Hanger is where two mighty Toronto Roller Derby teams go wheel to wheel, lingerie to lingerie, and put the hurtin' on. The almost unstoppable Gore Gore Rollergirls, resplendent in leopard print uniforms, go against the Chicks Ahoy dressed in green and black. The Chicks know how to fight and will try to crush the Rollergirls so the Chick's Jammers will have to put the hammer down.

The Chick's hammer came up short as the Gore Gores won the battle with a final score of 132 to 83. It had been so close up to half time - then the Gores staged a rally after the break. Members of the Toronto Argonauts were at the game (they even blew the whistle to officially start the game) and I think they may have been intimidated by the hits the girls were giving and getting. They met a few of their own fans at the derby game.

Gore Gore Manager Reverend Ramirez during the pre-game workouts as fans fill the Hanger.

Hurlin Wall #89

After the game group shot

See more derby action photos after the jump (click Read More >>, below).

The early part of the day is spent on team practice and warm up. It's when the place is empty that you realize that this place really was a hanger.

Gore-Gore Rollergirls vs Chicks Ahoy - April 9th

Update: See my pictures of the exciting game on my blog post here.

You know what I like about the Toronto Roller Derby? EVERYTHING! I like the scantily clad battlin' femmes, I like how the action and excitement of a hard fought bout is worth every penny of the reasonable ticket price, I like how friendly and often shy the ladies are when greeting their cheering fans and I like how the beer isn't $20 a can.

The 2010 Champions Gore-Gore Rollergirls will be rolling against Chicks Ahoy at the Downsview Park Hanger - game time at 6:30pm. The league says "The Chicks Ahoy! are no strangers to victory. Team captain Tara Part is confident the sailors will emerge victorious in their rematch against the champs: “We've been training really hard on developing our strategies and especially our team work... which I believe is the key to a successful team.”As for the Gores, the champs are eager to defend their position at the top. 

Taking inspiration from the leopard whose motif appears on their uniforms, team captain Brim Stone (above) claims “Adaptability, speed, stealth and opportunistic hunting habits will win the Gores this game.”

Bambi

Land Shark from the Death Track Dolls

Doors open at 6:30 pm with skaters hitting the track at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased in advance online and at our ticket outlets for $12, or at the door for $18.  Children aged 9 and under are welcome without charge (with adult accompaniment). Bring blankets and folding chairs for trackside seating, or find a spot on the bleachers surrounding the track. Food and refreshments are available for purchase."

Quad City Chaos March 26-27

One of the best weekends of the year will be the upcoming Toronto Roller Derby Quad City Chaos matches at the Hanger in Downsview Park. What makes these games so special is that the Toronto All Star team, CN Power, takes on teams from across Ontario and a team from Quebec. Plus they play during the day so this is a great time for everyone to get some pictures as the sun provides a lot more light in the arena as compared to their usual evening games. You can have fun watching the daily matches then head out and have fun in the night.

This is what the league has to say "Toronto Roller Derby is pleased to announce the second annual Quad City Chaos invitational, March 26^th and 27^th 2011! Four teams from four Canadian cities will compete for bragging rights! Toronto’s CN Power will welcome fellow Women’s Flat Track Derby Association apprentice team the Vixens from the Rideau Valley Rollergirls (Ottawa), as well as WFTDA-certified teams Tri-City Thunder (Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge) and the New Skids on the Block from Montréal! 2 days, 4 of the best teams in Canada, 5 action-packed derby games in Toronto! This is a one-of-a-kind derby event, not to be missed!

Saturday March 26^th kicks the party off with doors opening at 1:00pm in the afternoon and CN Power squaring off against the Vixens at 2:20pm! On Sunday, doors open at 1:00pm and the Vixens play the New Skids on the Block at 2:00. Full schedule and details can be found on the ToRD blog here http://bit.ly/eYFECA  and watch the preview on ToRD TV:http://bit.ly/goheSt

Single-day tickets are available for advance purchased online, at one of our ticket outlets or at the door for $18. 2-day tickets are also available online and at the door for $25. Children aged 9 and under are welcome without charge. Bring blankets and folding chairs for trackside seating, or find a spot on the bleachers surrounding the track. Food and refreshments are available for purchase all weekend."

Some of the ToRD ladies at the 2011 Wizard World Toronto Comic Con

Roller Derby - Smoke City Betties vs Chicks Ahoy

You can't keep those derby girls off the rink for long before their blood begins to pound and the wheels begin to roll. It's almost time for the Saturday March 12, 2011 Toronto Roller Derby bout featuring the Smoke City Betties against the Chicks Ahoy with a game time of 7:30pm at the Downsview Park Hanger.

The sassy sailors of Chicks Ahoy are dressed in green and spend the off season fighting pirates while the Smoke City Betties are in black and blue, much like many of the players after a rough and tumble match around the flat track of the indoor rink up in North York.

A February Roller Derby Double Header

It was a fantastic night of Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD) with two bouts starting at six on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the Downsview Park Hanger. First up was Toronto D-VAS vs Sister Slag from Nickel City Roller Derby out of Sudbury. Second was the Toronto All Star team CN Power against Killamazoo Derby Darlins from Michagan, US of kickin' A. Toronto decided to stomp both of their competitors.

CN Power Captain Brim Stone #218

Brim Stone holds back the Killamazoo Jammer

See more pictures of the bruising, bone crushing action after the jump.

Jammer Land Shark #13 passes everyone - she is just that good

Jammer Candy Crossbones #2020 temporarily behind her opponents

I was sad to see that Gore-Gore Rollergirl Bambi isn't playing with CN Power this year, but she did drop by to watch the games and support the players.