A string of good luck...

It turns out that fortune I pulled out of my cookie as part of my cheap Safeway Chinese food has been ringing true. There are strings good luck running every which way probably creating webs in the universe like the usually do: the elections (for some of us); Derby Tryouts; my friend got a new job and doesn't have to travel obscene amounts anymore and I'm sure it goes on and on and on without even knowing.

Below is a part of an email that came off the Rat City Roller Girls forum that really has made all of us proud of making first cuts - yeah! Now if we can't only make 2nd and 3rd cuts too....

My goodness! I'll take a crack at some of these questions. Meanwhile, know that we're not ignoring you -- we're just in the thick of this whole process right now, and things are hoppin'! (Off-season, schmoff season.) If there's anything I don't cover, please stay tuned for our next edition of Derby Little Secrets, which will include a tribute to those who won't be skating next year, and introductions to our latest round of fresh meat.

How are the prospects?

Amazing. We had a great turnout of almost 50 very talented skaters. It was a tough decision to make, but we did have to narrow it down for the second round, which will include more skating drills and interviews with team captains. If all of the girls who showed up on Sunday night keep skating, I can say without a doubt -- the future of derby is safe.

How many positions are we looking to fill?

We're really can't say for sure until it's all over. Each team can have up to 20 skaters on their roster. However, it's likely that next year, WFTDA rules will dictate that each team only dress 14 players per game. Apart from the 20-player cap, it is totally up to each team to decide how many skaters they have on their roster. They may have room for three due to skaters leaving, but only decide to take one or two. Or, that same team with three spots may think they only want to pick up one player, but become overwhelmed by the hugely talented skaters at tryouts (it's true! They're amazing!) and end up filling all three spots.

I'm also wondering about how a skater ends up on a particular team - is it a draft or do the girls get any say in who they skate for?

Potential RCRG skaters are free to express preference for a particular team, but first and foremost we're looking for RAT CITY ROLLERGIRLS -- girls who will be a good asset to the league regardless what team they like best or what team ends up picking them. There is a draft of sorts ... first pick goes to the fourth place team, and so on, until each team has their roster filled to their satisfaction.

What are the teams looking for ?

Again, it can different for every team. It depends on who they're losing, their evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of their team, and what their goals are as a team for next year. Probably first and foremost teams look to find skaters who are a good fit personality-wise. Is that vague enough for you? I know, I know -- but it's hard to describe exactly what we're looking for in new skaters and how we know it's right. I'll compare the process for choosing new players to a famous situation from Supreme Court history. In Miller v. California, the court couldn't quite determine how exactly to go about classifying whether an image was pornographic or not. To that, Justice Potter Stewart said he couldn't intelligibly describe what makes an obscene thing obscene, "But I know it when I see it." Ha! So there you go.

The talent we are experiencing at tryouts is obscene!