PRESS RELEASES
PRESS RELEASE BY JAMES BRAINS, May 6, 2013
Emerald City Roller Girls Release 'Portlandia' Spoof Starring Mayor Piercy
Over the weekend, the Emerald City Roller Girls released a video called "Eugenia" starring Eugene's Mayor Kitty Piercy. The video is a knock off of IFC's Portlandia, a comedy poking fun at Portland, Oregon. In the video, members of the Emerald City Roller Girls and Lane County Concussion visit the mayor to tell her about the upcoming Big O roller derby tournament, hosted by ECRG and LCC. Mayor Piercy gears up in roller derby protective gear and sports the derby name "Mojo Mayor."
The Big O tournament will take place May 17th through 19th at the Lane Events Centers and will features three tracks of roller derby. 24 teams are coming from all over the world including Australia, England, and Canada.
View the Eugenia video here!
PRESS RELEASE BY JAMES BRAINS, May 1, 2013
Roller Derby Tournament to Pump over $500,000 into Local Economy
The Emerald City Roller Girls are teaming up with their brother league, the Lane County Concussion, to present the Big O Tournament. This event will take place May 17th-19th at the Lane Events Center.
The Big O Tournament expects to attract over 1,000 skaters, fans, and volunteers from all over the United States, and from as far away as Canada, Australia, and Europe. Based on the estimated attendance, Kayla Krempley of Travel Lane County estimates an economic impact of at least $582,866. The Big O will also contribute to a sustainable community through its commitment to having zero impact on the environment by recycling, composting, and other sustainability measures.
Twelve women's teams, eight men's teams, and four junior teams coming from as far away as Victoria, Australia and London, England will participate. Weekend passes are available for $50, as well as full-day passes that range from $20-$30. Both are available at Brown Paper Tickets.
Saturday's evening bouts will be of particular local interest as all of the local teams are competing. Lane County Concussion, Emerald City Roller Girls, and the Emerald City Junior Gems will compete in sequential bouts beginning at 5pm. Tickets to this "Date Night" are $12 in advance or $15 at the door on Saturday. There will also be plenty of food, beer, and merchandise vendors on site.
There are still opportunities for sponsors and volunteers. Volunteers will earn free admission for the day in exchange for working a 4-hour shift. Visit thebigotournament.com or contact Director Rex Havoc at bigodirectors@gmail.com for more information.
Additional information: -Host hotels Red Lion and Valley River will be major beneficiaries of the local economic boost created by the Big O. -Fans will have plenty of opportunities to rub elbows with the skaters in addition to the tournament. On Friday and Sunday nights, Cowfish is hosting after parties. And, on Saturday night, there will be a karaoke after party at host hotel Red Lion. -LOCAL MEDIA: Interviews with international teams are available upon request. Contact James Brains at ecrgpr@gmail.com.
-Game play is 2:30pm to 10 pm Friday, 9am to 10pm Saturday, and 9am to 8pm Sunday.
When Local Teams Are Playing
SATURDAY 12:15pm Lane County Concussion versus Capital City (Boise, ID) 1:45pm Emerald City Junior Gems versus I-5 Rollergirls (Everett, WA) 5pm Lane County Concussion versus Arizona 6pm Emerald City Junior Gems versus Lava City (Bend, OR) 7:45pm Emerald City Roller Girls versus Terminal City (Vancouver, BC)
SUNDAY 9am Emerald City Junior Gems versus Kitsap (Bremerton, WA) 12:45pm Emerald City Roller Girls versus Sin City (Las Vegas, NV)
Full Big O tournament schedule
PRESS RELEASE BY JAMES BRAINS, NOV. 12, 2012
Three Continents to be Represented at the 2013 Big O Roller Derby Invitational
From London, England to Melbourne, Australia, teams are registering to participate in the 2013 Big O roller derby tournament May 17-19, 2013 in Eugene, Oregon. Building upon the success of the inaugural 2012 event, Emerald City is teaming up with the local men's team, Lane County Concussion, moving the event to a larger, more central venue, and attracting teams from across the globe.
Victorian Roller Derby League from Melbourne, Australia will travel the Pacific to get some much needed bouts in hopes of qualifying for the Women's Flat Track Derby Association play-offs. This past season, Victorian shocked the derby community with their performance at the Dust Devil in Arizona. With quality wins over Silicon Valley and Pikes Peak, they shot up the rankings narrowly missing a trip to the Western Regional play-offs.
The 2013 Big O will provide the opportunity the girls from Melbourne need to pick up a play-off spot. They will be joined by thirteen other WFTDA leagues, including Arizona, Santa Cruz, Slaughter County, Sin City, Sick Town, and another international team: Vancouver, Canada's Terminal City. There are still a couple spots open for WFTDA teams at the Big O. Contact BigODirectors@gmail.com for more information.
On the men's side, Southern Discomfort Roller Derby of London, England will make their United States debut. Winners of the Men's European Roller Derby Championships, Southern Discomfort is well on its way to becoming the first non-American men's team to join the Men's Roller Derby Association. The 2013 Big O will likely give the men from London the bouts they need to rank in the MRDA and potentially qualify for Championships. Four current MRDA leagues and three soon-to-be MRDA leagues will take the track alongside Southern Discomfort.
All of the Big O's bouts will take place at the Lane Events Center in the heart of Eugene. The LEC, where Emerald City holds its home bouts, will house three tracks in two large, connected venues during the weekend. There is also rumor that a Monday-night Big O "Afterglow" doubleheader is in the works pitting Emerald City against Victorian and Lane County versus Southern Discomfort.
Tickets for the Big O are now available for $50 for the entire weekend. But, from Black Friday (November 23rd) through Cyber Monday (the 26th), weekend passes will be marked down to $35. Day passes will be $20 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, and $20 for Sunday. Like the Big O's Facebook page or visit the tournament website to find out how to take advantage of this deal and to keep abreast of new developments.
For more information, concerns, and suggestions, go to the website or contact tournament directors Rex Havoc and Mamaskatrixx at BigODirectors@gmail.com.
PRESS RELEASE BY JAMES BRAINS, AUG. 28, 2012 Examiner.com
Emerald City teams up with the Lane County Concussion to present the Big O
The Emerald City Roller Girls announced today that they will be partnering with the Lane County Concussion to present the 2013 Big O roller derby invitational. The May 17-19, 2013 event will mark the first formal partnership between Eugene’s Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) leagues. As WFTDA and MRDA seek to support each other in growing roller derby; ECRG and LCC plan to achieve this same goal on the local level by partnering for the Big O.
Since LCC’s inception in November of 2009, ECRG has helped develop their brother league by providing guidance both on and off the track. “ECRG and LCC have had a long-standing healthy relationship, and we have slowly integrated more and more. ECRG has had a great time training, coaching, and giving guidance for LCC's growth,” ECRG President Rex Havoc said. “LCC has volunteered, officiated, and trained with ECRG since they started up. ECRG could not be happier for LCC becoming an MRDA member league.”
With this new partnership, LCC will receive direct support for their involvement in the Big O. This is an area that is lacking in tournaments involving MRDA leagues. “As it stands now, there are only three recurring tournaments that are put on by MRDA leagues: the Mohawk Valley Cup (hosted by the Quadfathers), Throwdown in the Sound (Puget Sound), and the MRDA Championships,” LCC Vice President Daddy Danger said. “We want to provide a tournament for high-level MRDA play that benefits the MRDA and its relationship with WFTDA.”
“We are excited to work with an MRDA league to see more MRDA-sanctioned play,” Rex Havoc added. “We plan to grow this event this year. LCC will be active on our event planning committee, and we are thankful to work together to produce a larger event than in 2012.”
The 2013 Big O will have nine full-length men’s bouts, which is three more than the 2012 event. Also, there will be more MRDA-sanctioned play. Currently, three MRDA teams have committed: Puget Sound Outcast Derby, Phoenix Rattleskates, and LCC. There are many others who have expressed interest ahead of the October 1st deadline.
If you are a men’s team interested in participating in the Big O, you can contact James Brains, the Big O’s Head of Men’s Derby, at jamesbrains55@gmail.com.
To stay abreast of new Big O developments, you can “like” the Facebook page.
For more information, concerns, and suggestions, go to the website or contact tournament directors Rex Havoc and Mamaskatrixx at BigODirectors@gmail.com.
