Maybe you’re bitterly single. Maybe your significant other isn’t “into” Valentine’s Day. Well poo poo to him or her. There are lots of other fun things to do. Especially for people who like books, or really, just good and entertaining stories in general. more ›

Saturday's roller derby contest between the Windy City Rollers All-Stars and the L.A. Derby Dolls All-Stars is going to have a neat little wrinkle that's a throwback to the sport's past. The two teams will be skating on a banked track. more ›

It was a rough weekend for the All-Stars of the Windy City Rollers. Ranked 10th in the Derby News Network’s power rankings, the Rollers hosted the 3rd-ranked Rocky Mountain Roller Girls for a pair of bouts on Saturday night at the UIC Pavilion. Bout one pitted the WCR's secondary squad, The Second Wind, against the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls' B-squad, The Contenders in what turned out to be an exciting back-and-forth affair. The Contenders jumped out to an early 20-3 lead but the Second Wind fought back led by Kola Loka and Zoe Trocious who helped the Second Wind grab a 39-23 lead. At the half, The Contenders maintained a 73-63 lead but, again, the Second Wind fought back, chipping away at the lead and tying it up at 104-104. But penalties cost the Second Wind who fell behind by 20 points late and, in spite of a rally, The Contenders held on for a 130-124 victory. more ›

On Saturday night at the UIC Pavilion, the Windy City Rollers' league season came to a close as The Fury over-powered an injury-riddled Double Crossers squad for the Ivy King Cup, champions of the league for 2010. Jammers Kola Loka, Ska Face, and Jackie Daniels helped pace the Fury to a big early lead, 49-16. The Crossers tried to slow the pace down at times but The Fury used speed to keep the lead pack ahead of the Crossers' jammers. Not helping matters was that Crossers' captain/jammer Julia Rosenwinkel, already skating hurt, left the bout after sustaining more harm to her injured leg. Indy Cent picked up the slack, scoring 41 points for the Crossers, but The Fury, who finished with the best overall record (5-1) in league play, were too much, dominating the Crossers in the second half after building a big halftime lead and won convincingly, 130-71 to carry off the Cup. more ›

For those who had never before attended a roller derby, Saturday’s Windy City Rollers bout was the perfect first. The audience didn’t need to understand the difference between a jam and a block to see that each jammer had to fight hard for every single point and to know that all four teams skated their best. The crowd fed off the skaters’ energy and vice versa, which led to an exciting, everyone-on-their feet end to the night. If you’ve been meaning to see the Windy City Rollers, we recommend you get your act together and buy tickets for the Ivy King Cup Championship on June 5. After we saw how well The Fury and the Double Crossers skated this weekend, we’re certain we can guarantee the bout will be a worthwhile investment. We hope the woman dressed as a giant strip of bacon will be able to make it, as she provided endless entertainment between bouts and at halftime. more ›

The Windy City Rollers duked it out over the weekend in their fifth intra-league bout of the 2010 season. more ›

Spring is here and we're leaving the house much more frequently to enjoy what this city has to offer, including a pair of roller derby leagues, both of whom have bouts coming up. more ›

The Windy City Rollers wrapped up the month with their third bout of the league season. The good weather and growing popularity of the Rollers was reflected in the crowd, one of the largest to see the Rollers at UIC Pavilion, overflowing from a full bottom level and well into the upper deck. In the first bout, the Manic Attackers jumped out to a quick 38-5 lead over Hell's Belles, but the Belles hung tough in the first half, trailing 46-26 at halftime. Still, the Belles are in a rebuilding year and though they showed improvement, the Manics pulled away in the second half thanks to some big jams from Ruth Enasia and won by a 121-59 final. In the second bout, The Fury shocked the unbeaten Double Crossers. What was shocking wasn't that The Fury won but by how much: 128-51. Jammers Kola Loka, Jackie Daniels, and Ska Face had a big impact for The Fury while the Crossers never seemed to find their rhythm on the floor and The Fury's blockers did a good job shutting them down. With three bouts done, there's a three-way tie atop the league between the Manics, Crossers, and Fury with all three teams at 2-1 while the Belles are in last at 0-3. more ›

A rare school-night bout, the threat of snow, and Olympic hockey wasn't enough to keep a healthy crowd away from the UIC Pavilion last night as the Windy City Rollers took to the floor for their second bout of the season. more ›

The Windy City Rollers are set to bring more hard-hitting action to the floor of the UIC Pavilion tomorrow night and Bout 2 of the 2010 season features two fantastic match-ups. Get there on time because the first match pits the two undefeated teams against each other. The defending champion Manic Attackers held off The Fury to start the season 1-0 but they'll be facing the 1-0 Double Crossers who made a statement with their 171-48 thrashing of a rebuilding Hell's Belles team. And in the second match, the two winless teams look to put together their first victory. The Belle's hope to get back on the winning side while The Fury looks to shake off the disappointment of the close loss from Bout 1. But one of the teams will skate away unhappy and at 0-2 so expect a tight, hard-fought contest. more ›

The Windy City Rollers kicked off the 2010 season with a packed house (reported attendance was around 3,900) at the UIC Pavilion with a pair of bouts, one a blow-out and the other a close, hard-hitting match-up for the defending champs. more ›

Yes, it's cold. But there are still plenty of reasons to venture out of the house and this weekend, we get another one. The Windy City Rollers officially take to the track to open the 2010 season tomorrow and it's going to be a big year for the league. In addition to another fantastic season of action on the track, the Rollers - and Chicago - will also play host to the WFTDA's national tournament, "Uproar on the Lakeshore, this November. But first, there's league play. Hell's Belles take on the Double Crossers to open the season and the Manic Attackers will begin their title defense against The Fury. It all starts at 6 p.m. and even when it's over the fun continues at Bottom Lounge (1375 W. Lake) for the after-party. The season's opening bout is always one of the most packed so buy your tickets ahead of time. more ›

We're winding down 2009 and already looking forward to 2010 and the Windy City Rollers have given us one more reason to look forward to the New Year. Today the Rollers released their 2010 schedule of league play. After last month's nationals in Philadelphia, the Rollers had this month off but kick things off at the end of January. The schedule is below. All bouts will be at the UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave. more ›

Greetings, citizens of the Chicagoist Podcast Nation. The Chicagoist Podcast Series returns clad in elbow pads, helmets and spandex, prepared for the verbal assault that's about to take place. more ›

The Windy City Rollers closed out a fantastic 2009 season at home with a big victory over the Rose City Rollers' (Portland) All-Star Team by a 113-73 final. It was a hard-fought bout that still saw the Rollers pull ahead for the win. In the early bout, Milwaukee's Brewcity Bruiders tripped up WCR's Second Wind 62-53. It was also bittersweet evening as it was the final home bout for Rollers Megan Formor, Malice with Chains, and Eva Dead as well as well as travel team bench coach Kami Sutra. more ›

It's a bittersweet weekend for the Windy City Rollers. A big bout with the Wheels of Justice, Portland's Rose City Rollers all-star team, awaits this weekend and National's are just around the corner. But it's also the last home bout of the 2009 season for the WCR and we'll have to wait a few months to see them take to the track once more. Don't worry, though, there's still plenty of time to get in on the fun, starting with the bout on Saturday. The fun starts at 5:40 p.m. when the Roller's B squad, The Second Wind, matches up against some neighbors to the north, Milwaukee's Brew City Bruisers travel team; the main event gets underway at 7 p.m. more ›

• The White House responded today to the video footage of the brawl in which 16-year-old Derrion Albert was killed.
• The New York Times has announced plans for a local edition in Chicago.
• The investor who bought the city's large old main post office has missed a deadline, putting the deal in jeopardy.

The Windy City Rollers' All Stars were in Minneapolis last weekend, taking part in the WFTDA's North Central Regional Tournament, the Brawl of America. And guess who came home champs? The Rollers had little trouble dispensing of the host team, the Minnesota Rollergirls 155-25 in the quarterfinals before easing past Cincinnati 163-36 in the semis. Then it was on to the finals where they had no trouble taking care of Madison 150-56. As the top ranked team from the regionals, the Rollers are headed to Nationals in Philadelphia this November. The Rollers are next at home Saturday, October 17 to take on Portland's Rose City Rollers. more ›

To our friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah, L'shana tova! more ›

In the early bout, Cleveland's Burning River All-Stars had no problem dispatching the WCR's Second Wind team in their debut, 80-38. In the main event, the WCR's got out to a strong early lead off of big jams from the likes of Beth Amphetamine, Athena DeCrime, Shocka Conduit, and Ruth Enasia. At the break, the Rollers found themselves with a healthy 58-33 lead. Thanks, in part, to a big 20 point jam from Ruth Enasia, the Rollers extended their lead even more in the second half, at one point leading by almost 30 points. But the Charm City Roller Girls would mount a comeback, chipping away at the lead, closing in to within 13 points - just one big jam - of the Rollers. But a last stand on the final jams of the night helped the Rollers hold firm and when the clock hit zero, the Rollers had held off Charm City and prevailed 117-98 for another huge victory. more ›

You know what we've been craving? Roller derby. Thank Heavens, there's more on the way. The ladies of the Windy City Roller All-Star squad have their work cut out for them against the Baltimore's Charm City All-Stars. According to the WCR: more ›

Last time we checked in with the ladies of the Windy City Rollers, the All Star Squad was reeling from a heartbreaker of a loss to Philadelphia. This past weekend, though, the ladies traveled to the Left Coast and got back in the win column by upending the Rat City Roller Girls 122-94. We'll update if we get any more information on a recap but we can tell you that their next bout will be in just a few weeks - Saturday, August 29 - at the UIC Pavilion as they take on the Charm City Roller Girls of Baltimore. more ›

It was a tight contest this past weekend at the UIC Pavilion where the Philadelphia Liberty Belles (blue) edged the Windy City Roller All-Stars (black) 70-69. With the scored tied in the last jam, Philadelphia managed to get a point for the lead and then called off the jam, ending the match with a thrilling victory. The Rollers hit the road to face Seattle on August 15 and return home to take on Baltimore on August 29. more ›

The Windy City Rollers cruised into Philadelphia this weekend for the East Coast Extravaganza and the nation's second-ranked team rolled out undefeated. On Saturday, the Rollers crushed No. 21 Cincinnati 127-54. Then, on Sunday, the Rollers faced a more formidable opponent in No. 8 Boston but still had no trouble coming out victorious as they rolled to a 117-81 victory. The next bout for the WCRs will be a big one as No. 3 ranked Philadelphia comes to town on Saturday, July 25th for a big-time tilt. more ›

Just because the Manic Attackers won the Ivy King Cup, completing a Cinderella run, doesn't mean the ladies of the Windy City Rollers are done. That was only one half of the season. The next half begins this weekend. The WCR All-Stars head to Philadelphia this weekend for the East Coast Extravaganza. First up for our #2 Windy City Rollers squad will be the #21 Cincinnati Rollergirls at 3:30 p.m. (Chicago time) on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, the team takes on #8 Boston at 4 p.m. (Chicago time). You can follow boutcasts live at the Derby News Network site. Knock 'em out, ladies! more ›

Following up on our post from earlier this morning on the Windy City Rollers comes this pretty neat short about the ladies of track. And don't forget to come see the All-Stars take on Philadelphia on July 25th at the UIC Pavilion. more ›

It was a Saturday night of grand slams, fast jams, and a sauced bachelorette party in the stands at the Windy City Rollers fifth season championship match for the Ivy King Cup. Scrappy underdogs the Manic Attackers brought down the house at the UIC Pavillion as they fought to steal the prize from 2008 title defenders, the Hell’s Belles. The festivities opened with a charity match between randomly sorted skaters from the Double Crossers and The Fury playing each other to raise money for Tahirah “Tequila Mockingbird” Johnson, a former Windy City Roller skater who suffered a spinal cord injury in August 2007. With the help of lead jammers Peg Legs and Eva Dead, the White Zombies chewed up and spat out the Dark Side 72-30. more ›

• Lynn Sweet reports that President Obama is creating a new White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, a move that officials hope might help out Chicago's 2016 bid.
• David Hernandez, the investor with the Chicagosportswebio ordeal who is accused of running a Ponzi scheme, has gone missing according to authorities.
• TOC brings us news of a scheduled reunion among the riot police who were involved in both the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the 1969 Days of Rage.

We're embarrassed that this slipped by our radar, but on May 30th (the night we were celebrating our fifth birthday!) the Windy City Rollers had their last bout before June's Ivy King Cup Championship. How did things shake out? In a heated thriller, defending champs Hell's Belles fell to the Manic Attackers 123-112. The Manic Attackers, who were winless last year and 3-14 overall heading into this season, finished tied atop the league standings with the Belles, each team at 4-2. In the second bout, it was the previously winless Fury team playing spoiler by beating the Double Crossers 93-87 and keeping the Double Crossers out of contention for the Championship bout. (Be sure to check out the complete recap of the bout here). more ›

Folding chairs were flying and fans were screaming last Saturday at the Windy City Rollers' fifth bout of the home season at UIC Pavilion. In match one, jammer Peg Legs of the Double Crossers (in black) was out for blood, darting around the pack with ease. But she was still no match for Hell’s Belles (in red) powerhouse blocker Megan Formor and stealth jammers Athena DeCrime and Varla Vendetta. HB led at the halfway 42-26. In the end, Hell’s Belles coasted to the win 140-60, showing why they’re first place in the league. more ›