Here come the Janes!

It's one thing to scrimmage twice a week against your teammates. It's a whole other can of worms to play derby against girls you've never played and in front of a thousand people including your co-workers, your family, your friends and those people you barely know, but managed to persuade to buy a ticket.

You get scared that you'll fall during the intro, or screw up and forget to look around, communicate, hit hard and strategically, look at the coach. And you might just do all these things, but that's part of learning the game and gaining experience.

Some girls get so nervous they puke and poop all day. Some shake on the starting line. Some cry. Some totally crack under pressure. And some shine in the eyes of the crowd.

I've been training with Janes for months (years with some) and it's a real honor to watch them bout for the first time. You might recognize some of the girls from the Fall season (A-Block, Chantel, Trouble & Stife) all who are familiar with bouting, and some brand new faces (Jenni Vicious and Itsy Bitsy Fighter just joined us in January). I have so much confidence in these women. They've trained their faces off and are ready to show you what their made of.

Just look at this motley crew.

Fist City Kitty leans out the Boston B Party jammer.

Roxxy Retribution won't let that jammer get by.

A-Block and Chantel on the line (against Pitts of Rage, MRD alumni and presently a skater for BDD)

The bout is tomorrow - June 7. Doors at 5 pm, action at 6 pm. Live music by Feel it Robot and wepushbuttons. There will be kid's games, raffle, beer garden and more. Cash only. Donate a non-perishable item at the door and receive $2 off the adult ticket. Donations go to Preble Street Resource Center.

More details at www.mainerollerderby.com. Befriend the Calamity Janes on myspace at www.myspace.com/thecalamityjanes