Derby Fans...

...are hardcore.

There aren't local bouts every weekend. So for diehard fans, there's a lot of traveling! A LOT! For instance, I live in North Carolina, and there are like 15 leagues here. But they're at least an hour away each. So, if I needed to catch me some derby on a week when CLTRG isn't bouting, it's over an hour.

Option 2: The folks at Derby News Network (DNN) do their damnedest to make sure those of us who can't make it to tourneys are kept in the loop through streaming "boutcasts." These are video/audio feeds that are sometimes done professionally, but usually just someone's handicam or something. One I watched was even from a cellphone. I tried to watch an even more recent one that was solely audio feed. Sometimes video is lost, sometimes audio, sometimes both.

If a casual civilian, someone not from the derby-verse, asked me about derby, I wouldn't send them to one of these streams to learn. It's nothing like the excitement of being there at a bout. It doesn't convey the excitement that the crowd shows. And it's a commitment to be rooted in front of your computer for a couple hours, watching the tiny video.

I do this frequently. Sometimes, I spend whole weekends watching tournaments at some exotic location like Fort Wayne, IN. One thing that makes it worth it is the textcast. Alongside the video window is a little chatroom. There are people all over the world, sitting in front of their computers, just like me, who come together to discuss this great game. They're quick to respond to score requests. They love to compliment skaters' maneuvers. They really represent the derby family we all know and love. I was honored to have a chat with the one and only Val Capone, announcer/skater extraordinare. During another bout, I was typing to some Australian ladies who were watching at 4 am local time!

So here's to all the folks who work to put these feeds together! Thanks to DNN for their tireless work! And a special thanks to everyone I've ever chatted with and those I will chat with soon just for being there and being committed to this sport!