The derby season started last weekend with a total humdinger of a bout in Auckland. I couldn't go but it just so happened that Mike was going up any way:
By a happy coincidence I was in Auckland at the same time as the Pirate City Rollers held their first bout of the 2010 season, "2010: A Skate Odyssey" (great name, and a great poster).
Feigning a light carry-on bag at Wellington's domestic check-in, I managed to get my camera gear up to the big A and along to Skateland in Panmure for what turned out to be a thrilling start to the Aucklanders' season.
In a re-match from last year's final, champions Dead Wreckoning took on Mascara Massacre. The match was pretty close all the way, and it came down to the last jam.
Behind 102 to 103, Dead Wreckoning showed their champion qualities to win the ultimate jam with 8 unanswered points to take the match 110–103.
A big thanks to Scheisse Minnelli and the rest of the Pirate City crew for letting me take these photos.
Miss Minnelli (pictured above) assures me that the high scores were not so much due to leaky defence as the fact that there were so many power jams (where one jammer is in the penalty box). It's the first bout of the year for many girls and so rough-housing was to be expected. I'm sure as the season goes on the play will get cleaner, with fewer hits and blocks.
The Pirateers are also having a fundraiser quiz tomorrow night. Get along and rock out with your doctorate out.
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We're down to that part of the Super 14 where you have to decide whether you'll swallow your pride and actually support the Crusaders (even though you live in Christchurch and always meant to get along to game this season but never got round to it), or just not be bothered with the whole thing.
I found the "terror" amusing earlier in the season when it looked like no New Zealand team would make the finals. It was like we would have to face the sneering of the Aussies and South Africans for those times when we laughed at their inability to complete the season in the top four. Like we did in 1998, 2007 and 2009 to Australia and in 2002 and 2003 to South Africa. If we needed any more self-love, we are the only country to get all of it's teams through to the final (it could've been all of us if the others hadn't been greedy and wanted more teams).
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The World Cup Finals are nearly here and the best parts are already starting: the advertising!
Here's Nike's new "Write the Future" ad, showing what will actually happen to Wayne Rooney whether he's any good or not.
It's going to take a lot to be better than the Eric Cantona and the Joga Bonito ads:
Commentary? Dude, it's Friday. Just enjoy the pretty pictures.