Granite State Roller Derby Welcomes New Coach

Concord, New Hampshire – Granite State Roller Derby (GSRD) and its competitive travel team the Granite State All Stars is pleased to welcome Debony Lahue (Cee N. Spots) as new head coach for the Concord-based roller derby league’s 2015 season. Lahue is a seasoned roller derby skater with extensive skating experience as well as playing and coaching team sports both on and off the track. She will kick off one of her first official duties as coach as GSRD holds tryouts for both its home and travel teams next month.

“I’m very excited to work with GSRD this year and help the league grow,” Lahue said. “The Granite State All Stars are a phenomenal group of driven, athletic women who are committed to making their community proud while playing a very high level of roller derby.”

Open to all eligible skaters who have passed minimum skills assessments, tryouts for the Granite State All Stars, GSRD’s competitive travel team, will be held at the Concord Family YMCA at 15 North State Street at 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday, January 22 and at 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 24 at Great View Roller Skating at 180 Route 4 in Enfield, New Hampshire. The 2015 chartered team members will be announced Sunday, January 25. All skaters are expected to attend both tryout sessions. Video submissions from recent games may also be considered on a case-by-case basis. For more information or to register – which is required for all attendees – please visit the online event or email allstarcapatins@granitestaterollerderby.com.

Tryouts for GSRD’s two home teams, the Fighting Finches and Demolition Dames, will take place at the Concord Family YMCA on the following dates: 8 to 10 p.m. on January 15; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, January 17; and 8 to 10 p.m. Monday, January 19. Home team tryouts are open to anyone who has passed WFTDA minimum skill assessments. For more information about home team tryouts, please visit the event page on Facebook.

And for skaters who may or may not be trying out for any of GSRD’s teams but want access to some of the most experienced skaters in the region, GSRD will also be holding a skills clinic at Great View Roller Skating at 4:30 to 6: 30 p.m. Saturday, January 10. The clinic will be led by GSRD All Stars 2015 new head coach, Lahue who is formerly a member of New Hampshire Roller Derby’s Division One travel team Skate Free or Die, Essi Ronkko (Rita Hateworthy), who is co-captain of the Granite State All Stars and a member of Team Finland’s 2014 Roller Derby World Cup team; and Rachel Taylor Garvin (Chitty Bangs), who is a 2015 Granite State All Stars co-captain. Registration for the clinic is $12 at the door or $10 in advance via Paypal. Registration is limited to 25 skaters. For more information on the clinic or to register, please visit the event on Facebook.

2015 promises to be an exciting year for GSRD, a league quickly rising in the ranks of its governing organization, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). After earning full membership accreditation last year, GSRD’s all-star travel team ended the 2014 season ranked 138 out of 224 (as of November, 2014) teams in the nation. It boasts a deep bench of skilled skaters along with a cadre of volunteers, officials and dedicated sponsors and fans who will be instrumental to its continued success.

“To see the way this league has grown in such a short time is very impressive,” said Melody “Spank Alley Sally” Brodier, GSRD’s president. “Not only are we representing the sport well by competing at increasingly impressive levels, but we’re also supporting community and spreading the world about the fast-growing sport of roller derby.”

About Granite State Roller Derby

Founded in 2010, Granite State Roller Derby is a nationally ranked roller derby league and member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Home to travel team the Granite State All Stars, and home teams the Fighting Finches and Demolition Dames, GSRD is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports and partners with various organizations in the greater Concord community including Friends of Forgotten Children and Pope Memorial SPCA. To learn more, visit granitestaterollerderby.com.