From today's Houston Roller Derby newsletter:

Congratulations to our very own Flame & Rage for bringing home A GOLD MEDAL from the 2007 USA Roller Sports Indoor Speed Skating National Championships!

The Bayou City Boss and star jammer, accompanied by her coach Madame M of the Machete Betties and the rest of the Dairy Ashford Speed Team, took first place in the Women's Quad Master's 300, 700, and 1000 meter races of the USA Rollersports Speed Skating National Competition last month in Omaha, Nebraska.

"The Quickness," as her team captain Death By Chocolate has dubbed her, has put Houston on the speed skating map in her very first attempt at a national competition.

The Colonel (announcer for Houston Roller Derby) has this amusingly low-fi podcast dispatch from the Texas Rollergirls' championship bout. Highlights include the betrothal of Jim "Kool-Aid" Jones, the retirement of announcer extraordinaire Whiskey L'Amour, and a controversial star drop that may have kept the Hotrod Honeys from closing the narrow gap on the Hell Marys.

Update: Read on for Gnosis' [non-authoritative] analysis of the controversy.

The Houston Chronicle really likes roller derby. They have another article, this time featuring Catezon, who says, "I played tackle football (for the Austin Rage) for three years, and we got zero respect for that. Roller derby probably has a thousand more people at the games."

The Houston Chronicle has this fantastic multimedia presentation on the history and game of roller derby, with the Houston Roller Derby as the main modern example, of course. I enjoyed this so much that I'm cross-posting it in the National section so that everyone sees it. The little animated figures in the "How to Derby" section are hilarious. Also, check out the 15-20 minutes of bout footage from different eras of roller derby in the History section.

Well, ok...it's been alive for quite a while now. But channel 11 in Houston is finally catching on. They ran this little video peice a couple days ago to help announce the Houston Roller Derby's first season. Is is just me, or does that guy look a little scared standing in the middle of the rink? "It's not for every woman. If you don't have what it takes, you might want to take up another sport, like knitting."

The Houston Chronicle introduces us to Mistilla the Killa, gearing up for the Houston Roller Derby season opener this weekend. Bouts are at the Shriner's Temple. Do they get fez's & little cars, too? Trash talk included: "Elle McFierce will be tasting the floor on Sunday compliments of Mistilla the Killa."

The Texas Rollergirls are proud to announce a special Flat Track Derby bout at the Austin Music Hall on March 18! Not only will fans be treated to a healthy taste of Flat Track action by the beloved hometown Texas Rollergirls, we're laying down our track and throwing five other Flat Track Derby leagues into the mix – this is your chance to witness the first-ever meeting of every Texas-based Flat Track Derby league, and all that Texas spirit under one roof!

A surprise to no one, I imagine, but here it is for real and for true: the Dust Devil is sold out and if you don't have tix, your chances are slim. Here's Sassy Sue's message to the AZRollerDerby list:

The Houston Press has this long and introspective article on derby, democracy, confidence, and feminism. "It's cool seeing your mom beat up other people."

The University of St. Thomas newspaper The Cauldron has this feature on the Houston Roller Derby and DisMae West (Annie Wells).