RollerCon 2010 Survival Guide

By Hurt Reynolds, Last updated Sun Jul 25 2010 7:07pm

This article, now updated for 2010, first appeared one year ago in Issue 4 of the indispensible fiveonfive magazine.

About the event

RollerCon 2010, taking place July 28 - August 1 in Las Vegas, is the sixth annual roller derby convention. Given the global attention focused on the resurgent sport by the film Whip It, this year's event shows all signs of being the largest ever! This guide will help you make the most of your time there.

Your most important resource prior to the event is the RollerCon website at www.rollercon.net. On the site, you'll find registration information, details about all the activities, maps, and much, much more. You'll also want to subscribe to the RollerCon Twitter for up to the minute updates and alerts.

Where to stay

RollerCon's official accommodations have largely moved south this year in order to get closer to Las Vegas Sports Center, the site of most of the official events. While it might seem dissonant with modern roller derby's third-wave feminist ethos*, Hooters Casino Hotel is shaping up to be the main RollerCon hotel -- they're pulling out all the stops with inexpensive (albeit aging) guest rooms, $1.50 Bud and Bud Light around the clock (sure, it's macro, but can you argue with the value proposition?), nightly karaoke midnight to 4am, and round-the-clock swimming pool access (until another guest complains about noise, so don't be that guy).

If Hooter's is too lowbrow for you, there's a RollerCon room block next door at the Tropicana. Alternately, you can slum it at the Vegas Motel 6, one block in the other direction. Really, though, you should stay at Hooters -- one cannot overstate the sheer entertainment value of a hotel saturated with derby girls.

What to do

While the first RollerCon in 2005 was largely a social event, each successive year has brought an additional layer of activities, workshops, and training sessions into the mix. RollerCon '09 offers literally five times as many things as you are able to do in the time available. Decide in advance what your RollerCon goals are, and in what proportion:

Meet DNN! Justice Feelgood Marshall, Hurt Reynolds, and Dumptruck will be at the Riedell Meet & Greet on Thursday night, which is shaping up to be the single best opportunity all week to socialize with your derby peers. If you miss us there, you'll find us throughout the week at Las Vegas Sports Center. Look for Justice on skates pretty much all the time, or me at the Frozen Codebase booth or the fiveonfive magazine table.

Skating - If you want to spend the entirety of RollerCon on skates, you can do so. Training sessions for all skill levels, pickup "street derby," challenge scrimmages and more will take place all day, every day, at a variety of locations.

Workshops - Share your experiences and learn from derby veterans on just about any topic, from officiating to league structure to marketing to budget management to production to streaming your bouts on the internet, and much more. This year, you won't be left with the tough choice of whether to stay at the hotel or head to the on-skates venue -- all off-skates workshops will also take place at Las Vegas Sports Center.

Networking - Wear a league shirt everywhere you go. Introduce yourself to everyone you see wearing a derby shirt. Some of the best lessons you'll learn at RollerCon will come from the idle conversation at the hotel bar with someone from halfway across the country (or halfway around the world!), who just happens to have solved the production or marketing or league structure problem you're tearing your hair out about. Also, keep a calendar with you -- you just might fill in your entire 2011 bouting schedule by the time you leave!

Party time - This is still Sin City, for god's sake. If you're just coming to tear it up with a bunch of fellow badass derby chicks, you can certainly spend your entire time in Las Vegas doing so. Bars are everywhere, and while not all of them stay open around the clock, there is no last call in this town. You're always stumbling distance from someone who'll pour you a drink!

Don't miss

• Riedell Meet & Greet - Meet DNN, design custom skates at Riedell's ColorLab, bring your skates for help with maintenance and fitting, get a sneak peek at the forthcoming roller derby video game from Frozen Codebase, and maybe win some of the $5000 in skate gear Riedell will be giving away!
• Down & Derby Roller Disco presented by The Vagine Regime
• The Black and Blue Ball - The music, the outfits, the fabulous dance stylings.
• 6th Annual RollerCon Derby Wedding.
• Fremont challenges - watch derby materialize daily, then disappear without a trace.
• Buying a RollerCon volunteer a drink. Seriously, they make the magic happen.

What to eat

Cheap food of adequate quality is plentiful in Las Vegas. We hear there's a $10 all you can eat breakfast buffet at Hooters, which seems like a really good bet. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a little more rare - you might need to make a grocery store run (you can catch the RollerCon shuttle to Whole Foods in the morning, if you're so inclined). Similarly, vegetarians and vegans should do a little research... you may not find a lot of great options on The Strip. You can find a map of vegan-friendly restaurants on the RollerCon website.

What to drink

Las Vegas in August is very dry and very, very hot. Expect outdoor temperatures well above 100 degrees during the day, and hovering around 90 in the evening. The entire time you're there, do not every stop drinking water and electrolytes! Even sitting still, you're drying out -- the dry air just evaporates it right out of you. The basic guideline: if you don't have to pee, you need some more water.

You're sweating out salts, too, so keep the electrolytes (Gatorade or other sports drinks) coming -- without them, your body chemistry can't actually put all that water to use.

Libations

Oh, you thought "What to drink" meant alcohol? They do have that in Las Vegas. The football full of beer is kind of Fremont Street tradition, and the guitargaritas available one door down from the IP were a big hit last year. Visit O'Shea's for beer pong, and a shot of Ass Juice is a rite of passage at the Double Down. Hydration rules apply doubly if you imbibe.

Getting around

The easiest way to travel between official RollerCon event locations is the RollerCon Shuttle bus service -- now featuring air conditioning! Your RollerCon 2010 badge includes unlimited use of the shuttles. Plan ahead - don't be one of the 400 people trying to take the last shuttle to an event.

Taxis are readily available at every casino. At other event venues, you may need to call for a cab. You probably won't be able to hail one of the street -- they aren't legally able to pick you up unless you've called in, or they're at a designated cab stand.

Rental cars can be surprisingly inexpensive, especially during the off-season. If you'd like the extra flexibility, it's worth a look, particularly if you'd like to hit a grocery store to accomodate dietary requirements. If you're traveling with a big group, consider getting one car to handle those errands.

What to pack

A water bottle - keep it filled and take it with you everywhere. If you're coming from someplace even remotely humid, you'll also want to bring saline nasal spray to keep your sinuses from seizing! You can get a bottle for like a dollar at any drugstore.

Bring every name-and-number shirt you own. If you plan to skate, you'll want a bare minimum of two scrimmage shirts, one black and one white. Visit the vendor village at LVSC to get your name and number on any shirt you like for a nominal fee, but get there early! Heat press demand always exceeds capacity.

Don't bother with outdoor wheels unless you're planning to do some street skating. All skating surfaces used during the event are smooth and hard enough to work well with indoor wheels. LVSC will feature Skate Court this year, alleviating last year's slick-surface headaches.

What NOT to do

Las Vegas has a reputation for a town where anything goes, which is only partially true. While you can walk around pretty much anywhere with an open container, it is technically illegal and an excuse police can use to cite you for other misbehavior.

Two things that absolutely do not go together: casinos and (unlicensed) nudity! It's a violation of the casino's gaming license, and if there's one thing Las Vegas establishments have zero sense of humor about, it's any behavior that might in any way threaten their money-printing license.

Likewise, aggressive horseplay on the gaming floor -- knocking over an innocent bystander with a stack of chips is just bad juju for everyone involved, to say nothing for bumping a roulette table mid-spin.

Video cameras aren't tolerated on any gaming floor, or anywhere on Fremont Street. Don't risk your new toy -- they won't hesitate to confiscate it. Similarly, skating in the casino or hotel is serious douchebaggery, and skating anywhere on Fremont Street apart from participating in the specifically selected scrimmages might very well land you in jail for the night. They're not kidding.

Finally: don't drink and skate. Of all the souvineers you can bring back from Vegas, the one you don't want is a new cast or brace.

See you there!

*DNN Chief Significant Other Mercy Less urges you to resist the compulsion to tease, taunt, or shame the staff of Hooters Casino Hotel. Instead, consider the good the derby community can accomplish as insurgents, showing them the way onward and upward!