What began a little over a year ago with a group of local women practicing in parking lots and warehouses around Long Beach in preparation for the Long Beach Roller Derby debut season ended with a sold out Championship bout with thousands of fans cheering as the Bixby Rollerettes claimed their first title as as LBRD Champions over the Terminal Island Tootsies.    The match did not disappoint with the Bixby Rollerettes taking the lead early on and the Terminal Island Tootsies spending quite a bit of the second half in the penalty box, ending with a 122 to 81 victory for the Bixby girls in blue.

While congratulations are in order for the championship team, the women of Long Beach Roller Derby, founders Estro Jen and Diesel, the hundreds of volunteers, the sponsors and the fans all deserve recognition for such a hugely successful first season.   With so many great events to choose from in Long Beach and Southern California, it is no small feat that the LBRD was able to organize and sell thousands of tickets in only their first season.

For those who may be wondering what’s next for LBRD now that the first season is over, don’t worry, the LBRD girls will be back next year better than ever.  While we loved the underground feel of the first bout, on flat track, in a big dome with people crowding around the taped lines cheering, we’re also super excited that next year the girls are taking it up a notch by building an official banked track for their second season which will feature a schedule of eight games instead of four.

For 2011 some of the Long Beach Roller Derby girls will also be representing their home town with an All-Star National team (The Long Beach Gals) which will be traveling to Texas and around the West Coast!

We’ll be bringing you more updates early next year.  In the meantime, make sure to get out and support your LBRD girls at the various charity and community events they participate in all year long! 

Think you have what it takes to be a Derby Girl?  Long Beach Roller Derby is always looking for recruits.  For more information visit longbeachrollerderby.com!

In the most exciting golf of the weekend the U.S. LPGA Team came from behind to score a decisive 16 -12 victory over the European Women on Sunday at Rich Harvest Farms, outside of Chicago.  This was very exciting golf and they drew a gallery of over 100,000 for the three days of the Cup.

Going into Sunday’s final the U.S. and the European’s were tied with 8 points each but the Europeans were leading in most matches on the front 9 holes.  But then the Yanks buckled down and some absolutely amazing putting  as well as some great recoveries saved the day.

It would be  hard to pick one player as more outstanding than another, and that includes the European women. This was some real high excitement golf.

Christina Kim had to be the most excited golfer on the course and he enthusiasm transferred to the crowd. She was the head cheerleader. 41 year old Julie Inkster was down by 3 holes on the back 9 and then started a string of birdies and one amazing recovery from deep in the bulrushes to cinch a tie with Gladys Nocera. Inkster said being selected to play with these talented kids was a great vote of confidence in her by Beth Daniel, however, this will be her last Solheim. “Its time to move on and make room for all the young talent that is in the LPGA.”

Michelle Wie and Kim were a successful team earlier in the week and on Sunday Wie defeated Helen Alfredsson  1 up. Angela Stanfor had the most lopsided victory defeating Beck Brewerton 5 &4. Brittany Lang halved with Laura Davies after Davies struggled on the last two holes and Natalie Gulbis and Christie Kerr halved in their contests.  

Morgan Pressel, however, gets the honors for being the player who actually clinched the title when she  defeated Anna Nordqvist 3 & 2.  Pressel had been putting like a genie all days and earlier  sunk a sand-shot to add to her birdie run..  Another birdie on 16 left her three points up with only two holes to go and that did it.

For more info go to: http://www.lpga.com/solheimcup.aspx