Cincinnati Rollergirls vs. Minnesota Garda-Belts(originally uploaded by Jason Bechtel)

Kim and I have been going to see the Minnesota RollerGirls for a while now and this season we were season ticket holders. Although, the more often we go, the more I realize that too many things have changed and I’m less and less interested in the bouts :( I have some suggestions on how to keep us as season ticket holders and I really hope that at least some of my concerns are addressed…

1. We were originally very interested in track-side seating which brought you right up close to the action including having the rollergirls sliding across the floor, after a good bit of bumping and/or elbowing, and into your spot. Unfortunately, starting this season, track-side seats have been pushed back and a safety buffer zone has been created to appease the insurance gods.Obviously there is little that the MNRG can do to bring back the allure of the track-side seats but for those that are season ticket holders, I can’t imagine that the hard floor (sometimes limited with the MNRG ass pads) and very little leg room is all that comfortable when you don’t really get any benefit out of it. Kevin, a fellow season ticket holder, mentioned that he has absolutely no interest in track-side seating not only because of the points I have mentioned above but also the lack of decent sight lines to the action. I couldn’t agree more.

2. Those of us with season tickets that were not offered an opportunity to receive track-side seats, end up in General Admission (with floor access). While that’s all well and good, this week we were displaced from our regular seat choices by “Reserved” seating for various groups. I might be missing something but I honestly feel that season ticket holders should have the first choice on seating above anyone else and *we* should be the ones that have “Reserved” signs on the chairs, not some group that might show up to a handful of bouts at best.

3. The bouts are less violent, less thrilling, and are coming down to be more defensive than offensive games. While I realize all of that is quite a mouthful, it is really grating on me. I have chatted with Kevin about it and while he enjoys the low scores and slow action, I just find it boring. Yes, it takes quite a bit of team work and talent to slow the pack and make sure the jammers aren’t getting through but it reminds me of baseball — long, drawn out, and boring at times.

There were rumors last year of some serious team drama with the girls being upset that some teammates were going for the individual glory and not doing their parts to elevate their teams to team wins. Personally, I loved the standouts that were kicking ass all over the place last year. Yes, there are still standouts, and they happen to be many of the same individuals — now they are just standing out in different ways and it doesn’t entertain me in the least. Boo on drama.

4. The entertainment at half-time hasn’t been improving much. This year, during Occupational Hazards, I was so absolutely disgusted with the Corpse Show Creeps, that I ended up standing ouside the auditorium while holding my hands over my ears hoping the bad man would stop. The Corpse Show Creeps didn’t appreciate my comments and decided to copy the content of my blog onto their lame MySpace page and let their deaf fans comment like children.

I am sure that the budget is low but I would honestly rather see 30 minutes of people pulling bike stunts, jumping up and down on trampolines, or absolutely no one at all than put up with the Corpse Show Creeps or almost any of the other bands they have had recently. Keep the Alpenrose Polka Band and we can do away with the rest of this crud.

5. Line jumpers. Kevin’s family, Kim and I usually end up at the match at least 1.5 hours ahead of time and that used to net us a spot in the first 5 spots in line. Recently, probably due to the popularity of the kick ass t-shirts the MNRG have been giving out to the first 200 through the door, the line has been getting long — really long and we will need to start arriving at least 2 hours in advance to end up in the same location. That’s all fine, I have no problems with doing that (although, I’d be less concerned about getting there that early if I had reserved seating!) but the line jumpers are fucking pissing me off. Kim and I were about 60 people back in line at 5:00 for the 6:30 doors. At 6:10 we were about 150 back!

It’s not like there aren’t enough security people, who are constantly being a fucking pain in the ass about how we decide to line up for the event. Someone should clue the security personnel into the fact that they are not only rude and unprofessional but that they aren’t doing their jobs all that well.

6. Lack of communication about the season ticket process. We had to send several e-mails asking for timeline updates as they kept running over the deadlines they mentioned after we had submitted our form and fees. It was a little frustrating not knowing much and only being able to receive information after, sometimes, weeks of waiting!

Overall, I still enjoy going to the bouts and having something to do on random Saturday nights. I know the girls themselves have a lot of say about what happens with their teams and the entire operation. I really hope that they can implement some of the little things I’ve listed above and make the experience of those that are willing to support them all that much better.

Related posts:

1. Minnesota Rollergirls Fractured Innocence at Roy Wilkins Auditorium: St Paul, MN
2. ALT Boys Freestyle Team - MNRG Occupational Hazards: St Paul, MN
3. Minnesota RollerGirls Trick or Beat, Roy Wilkins Auditorium: St Paul, MN
4. Minnesota RollerGirls Sweet Revenge: Roy Wilkins Auditorium; St Paul, MN
5. Minnesota Rollergirls at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium: St. Paul, MN