If you haven't been exposed to "modern-day" roller derby, stop reading now and go Google the Charm…read moreCity Roller Girls. These are fast women, furious women, forward women, fluid women, friggin' awesome women who have elevated what was once kitschy, 1970's brawl and sprawl entertainment into a legitimate athletic extravaganza. I attended their 2011 season opener which was an expo-style event featuring each of CCRG's home teams -- Junkyard Dolls, Night Terrors, Mobtown Mods, and Speed Regime -- in 30-minute matches against regional adversaries like the D.C. Roller Girls and the Mason-Dixon Roller Vixens from Hagerstown, Maryland. In all seriousness, don't worry about being new to the game. There were a plethora of derby girls wandering around eager to extol the virtues of the sport. It was in this way that I learned that roller derby matches are actually called "bouts" because they are a fight to the finish. Each bout is broken into thirty-minute halves. Those halves consist of an undetermined number of two-minute jams. Consider the jams like a round in boxing. Each jam is a race between the two teams to score points. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Simple...yet, electrifying. Trying to describe everything we saw that night without using visual aids is almost pointless. But, believe me when I tell you that watching the ladies whiz around the track, while backed by the powerful funk of an unseen DJ and two quick-witted announcers, is an activity that is fun for all ages. This was our first CCRG bout, so we couldn't leave the venue without hitting the souvenir table. Their merchandise is extensive, including buttons, lighters, bumper stickers, jewelry, posters, et cetera. I bought a fitted zippered hoodie for $35. My boyfriend bought a T-shirt, but balked a bit at the $20 price tag. So, I will tell you what the gal at the table told us: CCRG runs entirely on the work of its skaters. Everything from the scheduled season to the laying down of the skater's track is handled by the team and nobody gets paid. Therefore, every purchase is essentially a donation that affords these ladies an opportunity to play the sport they love. Hooked yet? Well, the Charm City Roller Girls bout once a month at the Du Burns Arena in Canton. You can visit their Website or their Facebook page to obtain tickets and more information. Admission can also be purchased at the door, but I wouldn't risk it. The joint was packed 30 minutes before the first bout even started. Tickets range from $10 general admission to $25 VIP. MissionTix is their online vendor and charges an additional one to two dollars as a processing fee. Either way, tickets are a bargain considering you get two full hours of roller derby with every purchase. On a final note, be prepared to park on the street. The Du Burns Arena does have off-street parking, but you may have trouble finding a space. Do not let this deter you. The arena is located in a safe neighborhood with plenty of unrestricted street parking. Du Burns Arena in Canton 1301 South Ellwood Avenue Baltimore, MD 21224 www.charmcityrollergirls.com http://www.facebook.com/#!/charmcityrollergirls?sk=events

I'm going to say it. I'm pretty miffed…read more. From an early age, I realized that I just didn't fit in anywhere. When my 4th grade classmates were reading "Little House of the Prairie", I was doing battle with the X-men and soaring the skies with Voltron. While my 7th grade girlfriends were wearing lace leggings and tragically teasing their hair like Madonna, I sported a peek-a-boo hairdo, a la Veronica Lake and was mad at my parents because they wouldn't let me legally change my name to "Fenny Rita Hayworth". In college, I learned to do body shots at frat parties, all the while longing to return to my room to finish the H.G. Wells inspired dress that I wanted to wear for my oral presentation on Edwardian mores. Yes, I was an odd duck. Then, my best friend entered into my life. A little punk, a little rock and roll but 100% amazing, she loved all of the fringe and crazy things that I loved. Comics, burlesque, pin-up...and roller derby. So why am I miffed? Because, although I have always been infatuated with all of these things, *she* was the one that ALWAYS discovers the underground (although now, less underground) outlets for these hobbies. Take for instance roller derby. I've been a huge fan of roller derbies since I stumbled upon an old bootleg VHS tape of an old 1948 roller derby match when I was 13. It captured my imagination and made me even more despondent that the all the "cool" eras were eras that have long since passed me by. In the intervening years, I had since learned to reconcile this disappointment and found other outlets for my frustration... ...that is, until my BFF called me up one day and was all "OMG OMG OMG! There is a Baltimore ALL GIRLS ROLLER DERBY TEAM!!!" WHAT?!?!?! HOW??? WHEN??? And most importantly...WHY NOW that I'm too out of shape, decrepit and slow to join the team?!?!?! Regardless, at the very next match, I booked it up there with the drama-llama (less said about her the better), and sat on the dirty and dusty floor of the roller rink, held spell-bound by the awesome ferociousness (and adorably cute - yet functional) outfits that the Charm City Roller Girls wore. These girls were fierce - and not Tyra Banks' "smile-with-your-cheeckbones-fierce" - this was *real* fierceness. Grunting and screaming, they would push, elbow, shove, their opponents out of the way, whipping their teammates to the forefront and boldly throwing themselves in harms way for the advantage. In a bar fight, these are the girls I want to get my back. Trust. They threw each other into brick walls (one girl broke her collarbone right there) and got in the ref's faces when they dared to call a foul on that (heh). In short, it was fast, it was brutal, and it was GLORIOUS. Shortly after this bout, the ladies of CCRGs became friends with my BFF and invited her to parties (in which I happily tagged along). There, I found that these ladies were sweet, charming and hardly in a million years would one ever suspect any of them to have the moxie to brazenly send an opponent to the hospital then become angry at the referee for sending them to the time-out box. In a nutshell, these girls lived up to - and yes, exceeded - my expectations of what a roller derby bout should be. Just because they are chicks doesn't mean that they are girlie. A hearty and unabashed 5 star standing ovation to the awesomeness that are the CCRG and a boo and a hiss to my BFF for being the first to discover yet another awesome thing that I have come to love and adore. I kid, I kid. No boos or hisses to her. She's seriously perfection and it's not her fault for being infinitely cooler then me. Plus I owe her big time for making my burlesque and pin-up dreams come true...but that's another review for another day... :)

Absolutely peak place to go for the summer, been there for 6 years, hope Ange doesn't get forgotten!read more

Love this place! Everyone is so nice. My kids never want to leave here. I always have their events…read moreon my calendar. We have done 2 seasons of indoor soccer and cant wait for the next season. Summer camp was the best!

I am a big time roller derby fan. I skated for the Philly Roller Girls for 4 years and am still…read moreinvolved with the league as far as recording stats and bench management goes. I love it. It's the best sport ever invented, seriously. I've been to many Dutchland bouts and it is always an absolute blast. They play hard put on a great show. They raffle off neat stuff and have fantastic halftime entertainment. Once I saw Joe Jack Talcum of the Dead Milkmen perform an acoustic set during halftime! For realz! Also, make sure you head to the afterparty when the bout is over, the skaters are dancing machines and party animals and all around awesome hanger outers. Definitely worth the trip all the way out to Lancaster.

Dutchland brings national level roller derby to Lancaster! Hard hitting, action-packed,…read moreskates-in-the-face entertainment! Not to mention, your ticket helps local charities as a portion of bout proceeds benefit the community with every bout.

I've been playing with this League for a number of years and have loved every sport. There's…read moresomething for everyone and it's a great way to meet new people. It's also a great way to get together with old friends throw some balls around and catch up during otherwise busy lives. The league so far has Volleyball, Kickball, Softball, Football, Dodgeball, Bowling, Cornhole, Basketball, and the occasional bar crawl. The commissioner has put together a league geared more towards fun and friends vs strict and overly competitive. They have made everything very approachable and are always looking to make sure games are well run. And the refs always make the games fun and fair in accordance with FSS rules. So if your looking to get out there, be active, but most of all have a great time this is the league for you.

Been playing sports here for many many years. The ownership and officiating is top notch, no…read morefavoritism or unnecessary hostility towards anyone, old or new. The cream of the crop is football but they also do, dodgeball, volleyball, softball, kickball, bowling, cornhole and are very active in the community doing special events like bar crawls and wiffle ball tournaments. If you enjoy getting out of the house and meeting new people this is the place for you! Sign up as a team with your own friends or go free agent and let the commissioner put you with a team she thinks you can play well with. It's all about having fun and staying active!

My daughter has been coming here for 4 years now. If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive…read moregymnastics class, this is it. For about 8 weeks, one night a week at 45 min per class, it's around $80. It's not Olympic training gymnastics or competing training, it's more of an introduction but it's good. The same instructors have been here as long as I have been coming. They also have other activities. HoneyGo Park is next door. A playground and pavilions to rent. The dog park is here as well.

We came down to the Ripken Experience for a baseball tournament. Difference of night and day if…read moreyou are comparing these fields to the ones from your neighborhood public park, especially their main baseball field which feels like a miniature little league stadium. The rest of the fields however are on par with the better "public" artificial baseball fields that are popping up all over the suburbs. For example, you would think "Citi Field" is either a mini replica of NY's Citi Field or at the very least, have an Apple or bricks as a homage, but the only thing that makes you think Citi Field is the sign and the color of the fence. If you are playing on the main field, definitely something to remember. If you are playing on any of the other fields, it will be a challenge to remember anything.

What an exciting place for kids to play ball. The parks all mirrored the MLB parks and all of the…read moreteam was excited to play at Fenway. My son was fortunate enough to be named Player of the Game for one of the games and received a Ripken MVP pin that he's proud of. Then, the next day we received an awesome email congratulatory letter "signed" by Cal and Bill about being a good sport and leader. Good stuff. My son was so excited to read the email. Nice place to play a tournament. Take your team to Ripken.