DC United

Washington DC is actually pretty big on sports.  For football there are lot of Redskins fans, basketballs fans have the Wizards, baseball is the Nationals, and hockey fans (which is VERY popular) have the Capitals.  Unfortunately, tickets to these games (minus baseball, usually) can be quite expensive.  A cheap hockey ticket is $40 to be up in the nosebleeds. 

One often overlooked sport is outdoor soccer, which is the venue for the DC United.  You may have to trust me on this, until you go to a game, but outdoor soccer has gotten a bad rep as being really boring.  It is actually a really good time!  And tickets are not that expensive, and easy to get.  DC United plays in RFK stadium (blue and orange lines).  The first home game of the season is March 10.

 

PS. that huge section of chanting fans? They are the Barra Brava, DC United's "12 man".

Roller Derby!

For years I guess I kind of knew about roller derby, but never really thought it was... up my alley. But I was wrong! It is very fun, and a nice alternative to pro sports. And a good way to see girls on roller skates body check each other.

{pictures via dcrollergirls.com}

They are the DC Roller Girls and they have games (or bouts, if you want to get the lingo right.  And you do) about once a month at the DC Armory.  But- there are usually two bouts (i.e. four teams) per day, so it's really two for the price of one!  And at $12 a ticket, an awesome price! (Hint: skip ticketmaster and just get tickets there.  You don't want to pay $4+ in fees do you?  I mean, I don't mind giving money to the team/venue, but I feel like my soul dies a little each time I have to buy from ticketmaster.)

How crowded is it, you ask? Well, the first few times I went (with one other person) we just bought tickets and walked right in and sat on the the floor right by the track (the Armory is kind of like a big gym).  Watch out for girls getting pushed off the track into you if you sit there.  There are also bleacher seats.

Of course the one time that I took a big group of people there, there was a huge line to get tickets and we had to sit way up in the bleachers.  Not as fun.  Get there early I guess? See the schedule here. There is a bout this Saturday (Dec10).

What exactly is roller derby you may ask?  Here is a summary from Wikipedia:

Roller derby is played by two teams of five members simultaneously skating counterclockwise on a circuit track. Each team designates a scoring player (the "jammer"); the other four members are "blockers." One blocker is designated as a "pivot"—a blocker allowed to become a jammer in the course of play. The jammer wears a helmet cover bearing two stars; the pivot wears a striped cover; the remaining members' helmets are uncovered.

The bout is played in two periods of 30 minutes. Point scoring occurs during "jams": plays that last up to two minutes. During a jam, points are scored when a jammer in scoring position laps members of an opposing team Each team's blockers use body contact, changing positions, and other tactics to assist its jammer to score while hindering the opposing team's jammer. Certain types of blocks and other play are violations; referees call penalties and require violators to spend time in a penalty box.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it really is.  There is usually a brief demonstration at the start of the bout of the rules.  If all else fails, just cheer with everyone else!

Location: Armory, 2400 E. Capitol St NE, WDC 20003