PRD: Wrapping up the shakeup

The year of the skater shakeup is coming to a close in Providence . Many of the veterans of the Mob Squad, the Old Money Honeys and the Sakonnet River Roller Rats swapped colors and and embraced former rivals as new teammates. Add to the mix a group of new and impressive skaters, and we got season of impressive jams, standout performances and action-packed contact.

The home season kicked off in June with the Rats just nearly defeating their championship rivals the Mob 198-199. In July, the Honeys did a roll-by on the Mob and picked up a 110-178. Rounding out August, the Rats and Honeys gave the fans at the Thayer Arena in a Warwick a preview of the future championship bout.

The Honeys came out strong by managing control of several lead jams combined with strategic blocking for a 158-118 victory. Now that the Rats have had time to regroup and revise strategy, the packs of both teams will now meet again, this time for the 2018 Home Season Championship Bout.

Not to be outshined or out-gunned, the Mob have issued an open challenge to any one of ’s derby teams to battle as part of the night’s double-header. Rumors are spreading rampantly, but the truth will be revealed at the championship double-header on Saturday, September 22, at the West Warwick Civic Center. Special halftime performances and crowd-participation events will also take place with a chance at winning cash and prizes. Tickets are available now at ProvidenceRollerDerby.Ticketleap.com.

PRD is recruiting more than just new skaters, officials, volunteers and announcers. Continuing the success of this past year, Providence Junior Roller Derby is gearing up for another fall season and are looking for the next generation competitive athletes and on-skates officials. Ages 7-17 non-gender binary and female-identifying skaters are welcome. Classes start every Saturday at Teamworks in Warwick from September 15 – October 27 and November 3 – December 1. To register or inquire on more information, go to the official website or send an email to: [email protected].

Hurling: The Fastest Game on Grass

The Irish are fairly imaginative when it comes to sports, and hurling is right up there with the more brutal pastimes to come out of the Emerald Isle. For the uninitiated, try to imagine a hybrid of and lacrosse, with a as the main target of everyone’s passions. The ball flies at 100 mph (and occasionally toward some poor sod stuck between rugby-style goalposts who has the unenviable job of trying to stop this blurred meteorite) and yes, you can whack other players with the stick … so long as it appears like an accident (and the referee doesn’t see you doing it).

There are more than 50 hurling clubs in the US, with the fastest game on grass represented locally by the Providence Hurling Club. As with many adventures involving the Irish, the club’s origin story is right out of a movie. In 2014, an 18-year-old Irish-American gets inspired by his father to take up hurling, and through visits to Ireland discovers his life’s calling and brings it back to RI. But this wasn’t a Hibernian fantasy with Tom Cruise making a twit of himself in a scally cap, rather the real-life experiences of club co-founder, Michael Walsh.

“When I got back to the States, I discovered that my neighbor shared my passion for the sport,” Walsh explained. “We would practice as often as possible, and then in 2015, we marched in the Providence Saint Patrick’s Day parade as our official launch party.”

Back then, there were only Walsh, his neighbor and club co-founder, Michael Kennelly, and two other individuals (who are still with the club). But each year the team has grown, and today supports between 20 and 25 regular players. They are doing well, too, competing in the Boston/Northeast Division of the US Gaelic Athletic Association, and winning all but one game in last season’s fall league.

“We are a young, growing team and welcome anyone who wants to play a fast, exciting game,” said Walsh. “Anyone aged 18 and over can contact us and become part of PVD HC!”

And you know what? I think I just might.

The PVD HC fall season starts soon! To join, grab your cleats and go to providencehurlingclub.com

Providence Roller Derby: A New Season with New Names

From an outsider’s perspective, the 2018 travel season for PRD’s Riveters seemed like a tough struggle, but those close to the league know that after many tough battles, the war was won because a bond full of mutual inspiration between new and veteran skaters formed.

Riveters might have closed out three wins to six losses, but much more was gained. The Riveters went all-in on the “travel” part, competing in Toronto, Milwaukee and Rome, NY. Engaging a variety of teams at both the Siege of Central NY and BrewHaHa tournaments helped the league develop their skills and study those of their opponents. The derby attitude — “knock you down and pick you back up” — was revealed in many of the players’ social media posts that showed positive attitudes and mutual admiration.

The Killah Bees (the B-team) acquired two out of four victories, and will now move on to their tournament this August 11-12 at the “All 8 On The Floor” Tournament in Worcester, Mass.

With the travel season wrapping up, now begins the fan-favorite home season. PRD splits into three teams: The Sakonnet River Roller Rats, The Mob Squad and the Old Money Honeys. Each team will take turns battling the other two until the championship in September.

What makes this year so different? First, the past couple of years have seen a huge influx of new and transitioning skaters. Second, regular home season fans are in for a big surprise. Earlier in the year, the league agreed to a season shakeup. That means many of the rosters you have come to know have been scrambled. Some Mob vets will now be rocking the Rats’ pink and green! Some Rats could now be riding Rolls-Royces! Some Honeys might be trading their pearls in for pineapple earrings! Who stayed and who was swapped? Best way to find out is by attending all of the upcoming bouts! Tickets and locations will be announced on ProvidenceRollerDerby.com and on Facebook. For now, save the dates!

Jun 30: Rats vs. Mob; Jul 28: Mob vs. Honeys; Aug 18: Honeys vs. Rats; Sep 22: Home Season Championship Double Header

Surf Season Amps Up

The 2018 summer surfing season promises to be a great one, with wave forecasters calling for a consistent season of ridable surf at area beaches and reefs. New England also is gearing up for the contest season, with competitions to be held in Massachusetts and Rhode Island over the next three months. The Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), which is the largest organized surfing organization in the world, sponsors the majority of these events, kicking off with the 19th Annual New England Longboard Classic. This fun contest takes place on June 10 at Nantasket Beach, on the south shore of Massachusetts. Along with the great longboard and stand-up paddle board surfing events, there is a pizza party with a live band for competitors.

Middletown is the site of the four-contest circuit during the months of July and August, as top ESA competitors square off in the perfect summer surf of Second Beach. Local ESA surfers recently returned from competing at the 2018 Northeast Regional Surf-Offs, held in rough, turbulent conditions at Belmar Beach, New Jersey. Area adult winners included Men’s Open 6th place finisher, Luke Johnson, of Nantucket, Massachusetts; 7th place Open Men’s Longboard finalist, Jamie Kelley of Nantasket, Massachusetts; Masters Shortboard champion, Chris Herbert of Warwick; and Masters Longboard champion, Ray Way of Boston, Massachusetts. Ray also was the Senior Men’s champion. I was excited to compete and finished third in the Grand Legends Shortboard, second in the Open Bodyboard division and fifth in the Legends Longboard finals.

In the youth categories, Sophia Martino of Westerly finished seventh in the Girls and sixth in the Menehune Longboard finals. Dillon Moran of Narragansett placed seventh in the Menehune Final and fourth in the Menehune Longboard final. Page Hedde of South Kingstown scored in the Girls 16 and Under division, finishing seventh, while Jayden Parry of Narragansett placed seventh in the Junior Men’s division.

Local novice or veteran surfboarders or paddleboarders looking for custom work should head down to Narragansett this year. Dave Levy has been the area’s top shaper for more than 30 years, and hand shapes and glasses his own boards at his factory in Narragansett. Many of the area’s top surfers ride his models, and he can be contacted at his website, LSDsurfdesigns.com

There are several popular surfing camps that take place for novice and intermediate surfers. Narragansett Surf and Skate Surf Shop in Narragansett runs two 8-week camp sessions Monday through Thursday at both the Narragansett Town Beach and Matunuck Point in South Kingstown. Island Sports runs surfing camps at First Beach in Newport and Second Beach in Middletown. Former pro surfer Ana Barend runs a surfing camp in Little Compton, and northeastsurfing.com runs daily surf camps at Nantasket Beach. Former pro skimboarder Drew Bruno will run his annual skimboarding camp at the Town of South Kingstown Town Beach in July, and always has been popular with novice riders.

Keep track of the daily surf conditions at northeastsurfing.com or listen to 94-HYJ weekday mornings and afternoons. For surf camp information, go to islandsports.com, peterpansurfingacademy.com and narragansettsurfandskate.com. Surfers also can sign up at the Town of South Kingstown Recreation Department website for the Matunuck camps.

Dragon Boats in our Midst

It’s Saturday morning, end of May, just after 9 am. The sun is shining its full morning blaze behind the generous shade of pollen-rich trees. I’ve already started glistening through my tank top and yoga pants and, boy, am I excited. I mean, I’ve been given the opportunity to practice with our state’s one and only Ocean State Dragon Boat Racing Club Team! What’s more Rhode Island than that?

I’m not from here, but I have fallen in love with all this state has to offer. I’m always looking for ways to experience the essence and heart of Rhode Island firsthand. To that end, I’ve tried coffee milk, cabinets, quahogs, Saugy’s, Del’s, local beers & whiskeys and I’ve learned a few Rhode Island phrases. Now I’m ready for some Dragon Boat racing. When I first heard about it, I thought there would be someone nearby mixing up a pitcher of dark and stormies, but I didn’t find any ginger beer at pond’s edge. This Dragon Boat racing team is different. This is a serious sporting endeavor. These people are committed.

I was introduced to the team by Michaela Foulkes, a team member. I did some research into this sport and I learned that internationally, Dragon Boat racing is a huge deal – kind of like World Cup soccer. So when they asked me to join them for a practice as a reporter, I jumped at the opportunity.

Picture this: About 20 of us form a circle and begin warming up together as a group. I’m not-so-subtly amazed when we begin stretching at the edge of a lovely hidden pond tucked behind a beauty supply store in Providence. The rest of the world seems to have fallen off and the brightest thing, other than the hot sun, is the anticipation of climbing into the boat. The paddlers sit two to a row according to their job: the “rocket” paddles the rear, the “engine room” comprises the middle, the front houses the “stroke box,” first row contains the “pacers” and at the very front sits the drummer. (Yes. A drummer. With a big ‘ol drum. Picture that pacekeeping guy in the movie Ben Hur – but tiny – and you’ll get the idea. Boom boom boom boom… )

Everyone lines up outside the boat according to their job, and we climb in two at a time. Once everyone is settled, we “hand-walk” the boat gently off the dock and glide out onto the still water. Hand-walking involves leaning over the rail from a seated position, and launching the boat into the water by gently pushing off the dock. That’s a first for me.

Joe (the coach) and Meghan Arnold (a lead “pacer,”) have been with the team since its inception. These guys run the whole operation, and patiently set me on the right track for this adventure. Coach Joe informs me that I won’t be rowing at all. No one, in fact, will be rowing. You see, dragon boat racers PADDLE, which makes it a different sport altogether. An eight-man crew rowing a racing shell and dragon boat racing are both sports involving long, slender boats that speed across the water, but dragon boat racing is different somehow. It’s fierce. It’s like rowing (but paddling) on steroids … with 20 people per boat … and a drummer on the bow, not some jockey-sized coxswain at the stern (dragon boat drummers are generally super light, especially since they’re up on the bow). Not that I need to worry about it, though, since, in my role as reporter, I’m neither paddling nor drumming — just ballast.

One might think it would be loud with so many people on the vessel. But Coach Joe informed us that there will be one voice we hear – his voice – and darn if he wasn’t right. He gives instructions and the team performs in unison. Once we’re out on the water, the team responds to every single call instantly. From “Stroke,” to something that sounds like “way enough” (which I took to mean “Stop paddling, we’ve made enough way”). The Coach calls and the team responds. The pond shores echo with the paddler’s grunts as they sprint to the end of the training runs. My only job, however, was to hold on and not tip the boat. I was glad I warmed up with the team because, when they got up to speed, I had to use every muscle in my body to keep balanced and not get launched from the sheer force of the padding.

In hindsight, I should have been prepared for it. After all, the Rhode Island Dragon Boat Racing Club just so happens to be ranked 7th in the Northeast Region out of 281 club teams. This team trains with discipline and purpose. As we cut through the water, I look down the boat at the crew and am impressed to see such a diverse international representation. Their unifying bond is their sense of purpose and intensity. This team loves what they do, and train to win. With each stroke and with each beat of the drum, they give it their all.

I would be remiss if I didn’t express my thanks to Louis Yip and Sunny Ng for bringing Dragon Boat racing to Rhode Island, and for donating the Taiwanese-style boats for the Pawtucket Dragon Boat and Taiwan Day Festival which is part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival. Meghan Arnold also mentioned to me a new team they’ve recently formed. “Joe, Carolina and I are coaching this year, Gloria’s Warriors, a breast cancer survivor support group with the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource foundation.”

The Ocean State Dragon Boat Race club team is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. If you want to play on the water and give Dragon Boat Racing a try in a more casual environment, now is a great time to start. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council will be hosting the Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races & Taiwan Day Festival on September 8 in Pawtucket. If “casual” isn’t your thing and you’re interested in some serious competition, not for nuthin’, but I know a guy…

The next Ocean State Dragon Boat Club Race will be June 9-10 at the Boston Dragon Boat Festival. You can find out more at oceanstatedragons.org. Motif will be covering Pawtucket Arts Festival participants and performers by involving reporters in their preparations for the festival. Watch future issues to read about their experiences.

2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad for the Riveters

Providence Roller Derby’s “A Team,” the Rhode Island Riveters, rolled into Rome, NY, April 21-22 to compete at the 2018 Siege of Central New York Tournament. The sanctioned tournament gave eight teams divided into two divisions a round-robin opportunity to not only win a trophy, but to improve their overall WFTDA ranking.

Ranked #97, PRD kicked off their weekend with a Game 3 victory over #117 Cape Fear’s All Stars. While Cape Fear’s #1776 Red White N’ Brooze led in jams for her team, supported by hard-hitters #43 Hawaiian Puncher and #180 Toe Up, their heavy penalties gave PRD multiple opportunities to score high-point jams. After the final whistle, PRD conquered with the final score 123-194.

On Sunday, PRD opened up the morning against #123 Muddy River’s Lumbersmacks. Muddy River attempted to use a two-jammer rotation of #8 Tootsie Valentino and #316 Rosie the Rivhitter to keep the momentum in their favor, capitalizing on any power jams. PRD’s consistent gameplay from the previous day proved effective to capture the victory 145-179.

Wrapping up the event, the final bout featured PRD battling #92 Toronto’s CN Power with both teams coming in 2-0. These teams faced each other this past March with Toronto winning 237-141, and now there was more at stake. Toronto’s already impressive defense seems to improve with every bout. Their tripod formation anchored by #01 Commander Will Wrecker fluidly locked up opposing jammers, draining them of time and energy in each jam. Matched with the speed and footwork of star jammers #1314 Pikante and #934 Code Blue, Toronto took a strong lead by halftime and held on to the end to win 208-119.

Throughout the tournament, PRD presented some standout performers as noted by other teams and announcers. Rocking the star were #1860 Oakley, #013 Monswoon, and #042 Flyin’ King (who scored multiple jams of 15 points and more). When in need, #40 Milla Lowlife swapped her pivot position for jammer to force opponents to call off jams. Defensively, #00 Puma Thurman and #83 Delta Bravo delivered some of the stiffest hits of the weekend with #26 Shreddy Roosevelt and #350 Susie Homewrecker proving to be an effective combo.

Coming up, PRD will host a double header against Boston on May 19, followed by their annual Derbytaunt Ball on Memorial Day weekend. After that comes the three-day tournament Brewhaha in Milwaukee, Wis, on the first weekend of June featuring both the Riveters and their “B-team” stars the Killah Bees.

To stay up-to-date on bouts and learn how you can join as a skater, official, volunteer or announcer, go to providencerollerderby.com.

Providence Roller Derby: 2018 Travel Season Off To Hot Start

Providence Roller Derby’s travel teams of The Rhode Island Riveters (A Team, ranked #99) and the Killah Bees (B Team) are spending more of their season away than they are home, and taking advantage of back-to-back weekend bouts and multi-day tournaments to improve their game play and overall ranking with WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association). The only downside is the smaller number of travel bouts played at home, but PRD’s home season will fill that gap for local fans.

Travel season kicked off over the Canadian border, eh, during the weekend of March 10-11. Toronto (#88) defeated PRD 237-141, but PRD was able to top Tri City (#89) 182-166.

PRD’s return home will be quite the showcase on Saturday, April 7 at 5:30pm at the West Warwick Civic Center. The double header will feature the Bees taking on Connecticut’s Yankee Brutals and an exhibition fun bout of Team Unicorn vs. Team Merfolk, both featuring many new faces of the league. As a bonus attraction, Providence Junior Roller Derby will have their own expo to demonstrate their new skills. Tickets are on sale at providencerollerderby.ticketleap.com

After that, PRD will be competing at two WFTDA-sanctioned tournaments. Their first stop will be at Siege of Central New York (Rome, NY) the weekend of April 21 – 22. Then it’s on to their second year at Midwest Brewhaha (Milwaukee, WI) June 1 – 3.

The Bees will close out the travel season competing at the 2018 All Eight On The Floor Tournament August 11 – 12 in Worcester, Mass. More dates for travel and the upcoming home season will be announced on their Facebook page and on providencerollerderby.com. Also keep up on up-to-date information regarding classes, recruitment and volunteer work with PRD through the website. PRD Grrls Trivia

Girls Shred Too: An Interview with Mariana Myer

Mariana Myer, 13, of Rhode Island, is already very accomplished. Her background is in surfing, skating and snowboarding, and she’s received a lot of exposure in RI as one of the best young skaters in the state. I got a chance to talk to Mariana about her career so far. She’s focused, but laid back, and answered my questions cheerfully and with purpose.

Haley Nunes (Motif): I’ve been doing some research, and it seems like you’re pretty young.

Mariana Myer: Yeah, I’m 13.

HN: How did you get into skating and surfing?

MM: When I was really young, I went to the beach with my family. My dad surfs, and I would watch surfers on the beach. So I started off surfing. Then I went to surf camp and got really into it. The next summer I [would watch] people skating, which made me really want to try that. I borrowed my friend’s brother’s skateboard one day and just really liked it.

HN: What made you fall in love with it so easily?

MM: It was just so different. It wasn’t an organized sport; it was independent and a “do what you wanna do” type of thing. It wasn’t structured; it was just easy and fun.

HN: It came naturally to you?

MM: Exactly. It wasn’t competitive either; it was fun to do it when you wanted to do it.

HN: I’ve recently taken up skating, and it seems very much like a no-judgement sport.

MM: Yeah, there’s no judgement; it’s just relaxing. HN: There’s a lot of pressure for girls in such a male-dominated sport. That definitely gets to me sometimes; do you ever feel that way?

MM: Sometimes when there’s a lot of guys [at the park] and you’re the only girl, it does. But it’s also just to do what you love. You’re not there to show off; you’re there because you love it and you just want to ride. So if they’re gonna judge you, let them. You’re there to do what you love to do.

HN: I’m very new at it, but even though I don’t know much it seems like guys at the park are happy that I’m trying to skate in general.

MM: It’s probably cool for them to see another girl trying the sport. It’s different because it’s always guys, guys, guys, and they’re just surprised that a girl is doing it. It’s so rad.

HN: Any advice for first time or beginner skaters as to what gear is best?

MM: Yes. I started off with a carver, which has softer and bigger wheels. This lets you cruise around the park and get used to skating. Then you can move to a regular skateboard with harder and thinner wheels.

HN: I was reading about you, and you seem pretty famous around RI. That’s a huge accomplishment.

MM: Thank you. It’s just fun. People give you so many looks when you first start out, but you have to

remember you’re just doing this because you love it.

HN: What are some of your biggest accomplishments or proudest moments you’ve had since you started?

MM: There’s an event in Jamestown called Skatefest. The first year I went I was 11. It was the 15 and under division, and it was all guys. I just decided to pop in and skate around. It was a competition, but in my heart I was just riding. This was the first year of me actually skating, and I wound up getting third place. That was a huge accomplishment, especially against these 15-year-old dudes. I went back the next year and got first, and first again the year after that. But the first year I began skating and got third is probably my biggest accomplishment. There was also the OMF [Old Mountain Field Skatepark] fundraiser this year, and it was so rad to see more girls skating.

HN: Do you have any goals for this year? Any tricks you want to learn or competitions you want to do?

MM: I’m just kind of having fun with it for now, but a sick trick I would want to learn would be a front smith around the bowl corner at OMF in Wakefield. HN: Awesome. Is there anything else you want to add or something you want us to know?

MM: If you’re a girl, don’t be worried or nervous about getting judged. Just go for it. It’s so cool to see more and more girls get into [skating]. When I started, there were pretty much none. Remember that you’re starting out in it because it’s a cool sport.

Grab Your Hoodie and Get Out!

Fall is almost here. Hot, muggy days have already turned cool and brisk. T-shirts and shorts will make way for hoodies and jeans. Soon, there will be a Halloween isle at CVS, and I have already started my yearly regimen of binge watching horror movies.

On most weekends, my friends and I can be found wandering around in the woods of Rhode Island. Year after year, we trudge through the bitter winter cold and the sweltering summer heat. We walk across frozen swamps on the coldest days and fish for trout on the hottest. Unless there is a natural catastrophe, a wedding or a child’s birthday party, Sundays are reserved for the woods. Fall is my favorite time to be outdoors. The foliage puts on a stunning display of bright and muted colors. Conversations are mixed with the sound of crunching leaves under each step, and breaking a sweat is much more pleasant in the brisk autumn air. There are many great trails available to us for hiking, and none of them are too far away. Well, maybe they are by RI standards, but most are accessible within a 40-minute drive. Here are just a few suggestions: Goddard Memorial State Park near East Greenwich provides easy terrain for the whole family. The trails are wide and well groomed, and the ocean view makes the hike unique. There is ample

parking, and you are likely to see other people doing the same. The 1.4 mile loop is easy and fun, and a great spot to bring the kids. If heading deeper into the woods sounds more appealing, you’ll find good hiking at Arcadia Management Area in Exeter. There is a 10.6 mile looping trail, and the terrain is moderate, or at least a little more challenging than Goddard Park. Just be careful. Hunting season begins September 15 and ends January 31, so you will have to wear orange clothing. At least 200 square inches of orange to be exact, and it is the law. December 2 – 17 is shotgun season, which requires you wear 500 square inches. Just do it. It is for your own safety. Lincoln Woods is a good spot for easy family hiking. The trails veer off into more challenging terrain for the more adventurous. Parking is easy and abundant, and the main path, which loops around a lake, is a paved road that is anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 miles, depending on which way you choose to go. The hike is as challenging as you want to make it. Though heavily trafficked during the summer, the crowds tend to thin out by fall. Carr’s Pond in East Greenwich makes for a nice fall hike. The trails are marked, and the terrain varies from easy to moderate. Just be careful to not orient yourself to the nearby Tarbox Pond on your Google Maps. I did that once and was lost for a little bit. In fact, it is a good idea to take a look at a map before you head out to any of these places. I have found myself a little “off track” at all

of them on a few occasions. Just remember that most woods in Rhode Island eventually hit a main road if you wander long enough, so you probably won’t get too lost. Alltrails.com is an excellent resource for hiking trails all over Rhode Island. It gives you key info on each trail, like its difficulty rating, if you can bring dogs, if there is fishing or camping and much more.