Ryan McNeil
Yesterday’s roller derby expo in honour of WHIP IT had the potential to be a great Sunday afternoon in the city. Pity TIFF, Dundas Square, and Toronto Roller Derby managed to screw it up.
First and foremost, I truly have to thank the good people at TIFF for going to the trouble of publicizing events like this…only to get the start time completely wrong. TIFF’s website and guide book had the event starting at 4pm – things didn’t get underway until 6. Making matters worse, the two hour delay guaranteed that those of us who didn’t show up at three got nowhere near the track.
Wanna add insult to injury? Easy! Tell people that (and this is a direct quote) “The bleachers will open at five thirty”. Then let all the derby girls fill them with their friends and family, leaving nary a seat for the general public.
This really is a shame, because while I was lucky enough to weasel my way to a spot on the barricade, there were a lot of enthusiastic onlookers – lots of them kids – who really could have had a better time if they were given a seat.
The cast of WHIP IT did show up to say hello, but they made their entrance at eight pm, and did so on the stage…which was a good country mile away from where most of us had collected for the roller derby.
Like I say, it’s a pity a little more forethought wasn’t put into this because it really could have made for a unique and fun afternoon in the sun.
Lots more derby photos are under the cut. Take a look, won’t you? 
Great Shots Hatter! I was by the red carpet on the stage end and would have had a great vantage point if we hadn't bailed when we heard they wouldn't be there until 7:10 pm … we'd have never lasted until 8 pm.
LOL, by that time we'd been in line for seats an hour already.
Hey Hatter,
If you're interested in Rollerderby…why not come to the Hangar at Downsview Park this Sunday and see the Gore Gore Rollergirls play the Smoke City Betties? There's bleacher seating and floor seating and they serve beer.
http://www.torontorollerderby.com/