The #HatsOffCIN campaign

Aug 30, 2011 by SpaethC

If you are a Cincinnatian and active on Twitter, chances are you have seen “#hatsoffcin” in tweets and wondered what it meant. This hash tag is typically found in a tweet about the Cincinnati Reds and yes it is baseball related. Head & Shoulders and Major League Baseball have teamed up for this promotion that benefits youth baseball. The team with the most #hatsoff tweets will get a $50,000 donation for the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program in their city. The contest ends at Midnight on Wednesday August 31. Currently it’s a two team race between the Reds and San Francisco Giants, with the Reds in the lead (as of Sunday, standings have Reds up by 2,000+). Youth baseball is a huge part of this city and the RBI program could certainly use the $50,000. If you are on Twitter please use the #HatsOffCIN tag and help keep Cincinnati in first place!

*Update* As of Wednesday morning San Francisco has taken the lead by about 400 points. Today is the last day of the contest so make sure the use the #HatsOffCIN hash tag in your tweets!

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Meet Ben Sherman

Aug 6, 2011 by Ben Sherman

I’m a lifelong Cincinnatian, and I’m proud of it. I grew up in Oakley, and I’ve lived in Clifton since I was 19 or so. I graduated from Walnut Hills High School (and I’ll join with Clint in defending her as the premier high school in area) and started at UC after that. While all that education was going on, I was also working (nonstop, it seems in retrospect) in the restaurant/hospitality industry. Honestly, I didn’t much care for the work at first, but it grew on me over time, and eventually it became what I wanted to do when I “grew up”, so that’s what I do now. I expect I’ll be contributing the occasional thought about local restaurants, and the industry in general as it pertains to them.

If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know that my other passions are news, politics, and sports. Politically, I’m a lefty on just about everything, but I find that distinction less important than any debate itself; I’m interested in making my own judgments based on the best facts available. It’s my ardent belief that folks who simply parrot the talking points of their cable news network-of-choice are just adding the background noise and preventing meaningful discourse. Most media pundits do it too, and if you made me list things that were gumming up the political process in this country, that would rank close to the top. You’ll likely see me address things like that on occasion as well.

Ask a Cincinnati sports fan to describe their fandom in a single word, and you’ll likely get “frustration”, or another F-word closely related to it, as an answer better than 50% of the time. It’s not that I don’t share that frustration; I most certainly do. As I write this, I’m watching the Reds’ season end with the most humble of whimpers, and I’ll comment on that sort of thing from time to time. However, I also like to remind the pessimists that Cincy is also home to the Cincinnati Cyclones, a team that has captured one more national championship than both of their major league Cincinnati counterparts combined since they were founded in 1990. It’s not all bad, and I’ll likely chime in on that from time to time as well.

That’s me and what I typically like to write about in a nutshell. I’d like to thank Loki for this opportunity to comment at length regarding our fair city, and I’m looking forward to doing just that. Cheers!

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Meet Clint Spaeth

Aug 5, 2011 by SpaethC

Hello, I am Clint, but you probably know me as that guy who blogs about cheese coneys. Yes, I am part of the couple that makes up the Cincinnati Coney Quest, but there is more to me than my love of cheese coneys.

As it says in my bio, I am a life-long Cincinnatian who moved Downtown 3 years ago. I have lived in various places in the Tri-State region, but Downtown is my favorite area of residence. I love the growth I have seen Downtown (and OTR) and look forward to more progress being made in the region. Whenever I tell someone I live Downtown I get a wide range of reactions and questions, so I will have many posts about city life.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I am a big sports fan. Of course being a Cincinnatian most of my sports fandom has been filled with disappointment. “Wait til next year” is a common reality that a Bengals and Reds fan faces. Along with watching sports, I try to stay active. One of the most shocking developments in my life is I have become a runner. When I attended the best high school in Cincinnati (Walnut Hills, and I will fiercely argue with you if you disagree!) I could barely finish the mile in gym class. Fast forward to 2011 where I completed my first marathon and now consider a 5k a short run.

I studied Radio/TV at Northern Kentucky University, but lately I have discovered a passion for photography. I have a lot to learn and am by no means a professional, but taking the camera out and taking photos of the various sites in town and the country has become one of my favorite hobbies. Of course I still do have a love for TV and motion pictures. I do enjoy a lazy day on the couch watching a marathon of my favorite shows and movies.

One of my favorite subjects to take photos of is my dog Dexter. My girlfriend and I adopted Dexter the Pug from the SCPA in January and he has become a very welcomed addition to our household. Dexter had a rough life before we adopted him, he was a stray and almost died at the SPCA with a severe case of kennel cough. Luckily he survived and we arrived to rescue him! After this experience we highly recommend adopting from the SPCA if you are looking for a pet.

Food, downtown, sports, digital media and my dog Dexter, that basically sums up who Clint Spaeth is.

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Down & Derby: With the ma-Scott (May 8th Bout)

May 12, 2010 by thescottlivesay

I don’t want to sound snooty or anything, but my alter-ego is better than your alter-ego!  Being the mascot for the Cincinnati Rollergirls allows me to do pretty much anything I want. I feel like a rock star. How many of you get to go somewhere and have 3,000+ people screaming for you? How many of you have people chanting your name when you walk into a place? You see, no one cares when Scott Livesay walks into a room.  But, when Wooly Bully walks into a room, people take notice.  They stand up and cheer, they scream my name, the WANT me to acknowledge them. And, for that…I love you all very, very much.

It was Scout Night at the Gardens, and Boy and Girl Scouts from all over the Cincinnati area came to learn what derby was all about.  Before the bouts started all the Rollergirls came out to put on an exhibition for everyone in attendance.  The kids all loved it.  And, not only did our Rollergirls spend about 30-45 minutes doing some demo jams for everyone, but after that they had a meet-and-greet for all the kids.  They signed autographs and answered all the questions that the scouts had.  This should show you what kind of family-friendly atmosphere we have.

Scout night was also the scene for my first derby injury.  At halftime of the Silent Lambs’ game I was in a race with a few boy and girl scouts-  one lap around the track for all the marbles.  Needless to say, I cheated.  I jumped the starting gun to get a 5 second lead on those scouts, when from out of no where, June with a Cleaver come barreling at me!  To give you an idea, June MIGHT weight 115 lbs….MIGHT. I, on the other hand, weight more than that. (By a small bit…or a lot).  She hit me so hard that I flew off my feet and landed hard on my caboose.  Apparently, I caught myself funny, and may or may not have broken my hand/finger.  Time will tell.

As for the games themselves, the Cincinnati teams made out with a clean sweep.  The Silent Lambs beat up on  the Chicago Shade Brigade 140-45, and the Black Sheep skated all over the Chicago Outfit 141-86.  Some of the stand-outs for the Lambs were Blocker; The Librarian, Maime, Nik Jagger and Penni Pusha. And, Jammers;  Bex Pistol, Pistol Whippin’ Wendy, Bombtrack and Polly Rocket.  The PTP-ers (Prime Time Players…Thank you Dick Vitale) for the Sheep were Dr. McDerby and Trauma for stepping into the Jammer position for the two Sheep jammers who weren’t in the game, Hannah Ouchocinco and K. Lethal.  Well done ladies!

Another Saturday in the books, a couple more wins for Cincinnati and another blab-fest from a Sheep.  Thanks for taking the time to read the nonsense I write.  Hopefully, you enjoy it.  And, hopefully the folks here at CincyVoices will keep me on! Make sure you become of fan of Wooly Bully on Facebook and Follow him on Twitter!  So…until next time, this is your ole’ pal, Wooly Bully, saying…”See ya at the Gardens!

-Scott Livesay, the ma-Scott

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Down & Derby: With the ma-Scott

Apr 20, 2010 by thescottlivesay

I’m back, and better than ever!

Two big things have happened since the last time I wrote. First off, I was unveiled in the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Parade. It was my first time in costume for the Cincinnati Rollergirls, and I had an amazing time.  This was my first chance to be in the opening day parade, and being a lifelong baseball fan, it couldn’t have been a bigger honor for me.

And, now for the second big things…My first Rollergirl bout! It was their 2^nd home bout of the season, and their 5^th game overall. Going in to this bout they were 3-1. While losing their first home bout, they went down to Florida and swept 3 games in a weekend tournament!

I started the evening off with a little bit of tailgating with some good friends (One of which decided it would be funny to bring lamb kabobs) And, I visited with some other fans in the parking lot.

I made it back inside in time to see that Sadistic Sadie brought me a razor scooter to ride around on! So, I took that for a spin, and fell off a few times. Then, it was time for the Silent Lambs game to start.

I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to write this section yet. When I watched my first bout back in March I was able to sit and watch the game. I was able to see what happened to whom, and how everything in the game unfolded. This time around I didn’t see much of the games. I spent the entire time in costume, and it’s hard enough to see what’s right in front of me let alone going on in the game. So, here goes nothing!

The Silent Lambs faced off against the St. Louis St. Lunachix. The Lambs were coming off their opening win of the season, but couldn’t handle the veteran experience of the St. Louis team.  But, good things came out of this game for Cincinnati. Saturday was the first game for Hop Devil, who looks to have a great future in derby! Polly Rocket came back from an injury, and Wheezy and The Librarian continued to be awesome as always. Unfortunately, the final score ended up being St. Louis 89- Cincinnati 39.

The Black Sheep took on the ARRG All-Stars (Arch Rival Roller Girls from St. Louis).  The home team kicked some butt in this bout.  The final score was Cincinnati 134- AARG All Stars 68. But, the real story of this game was Jammer, Hannah Ouchocino.  Who, at a point in the game, went down to the floor and sustained two broken fingers and a cut to the chin (that required stitches).   She then came back and finished the game.  I have to tell you, had I fallen and broken two fingers there’s no way I would have continued the game in costume. I would have found my mom who was at the Gardens and hung out with her for the rest of the night and let her baby me!

This biggest excitement of the night for me was halftime of the Black Sheep bout. The floor cleared out, and I decided to wander out to the middle of the floor. I didn’t really have any idea what to do, but I really wanted to be the center of attention. So, I stood in the middle of the Cincinnati Gardens and took a bow in all directions. Then, proceeded to rouse a crowd of over 3,000 people! I’ve honestly never been in front of that many people, and the rush was completely exhilarating! To have all those people cheering for me…needless to say, I’m a little bit more conceited than I was before. And, before, I already knew I was AWESOME!

Saturday was more fun than I could have ever expected, and I cannot wait for May 8^th, which is the next home game. So, make sure you get your tickets now!  I know I’ll be there, so look for me! I’ll be the one who looks like a giant sheep!

-Scott Livesay, the ma-Scott

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Down & Derby: With the ma-Scott

Mar 30, 2010 by Loki

Hey folks,

My name is Scott Livesay. I’m a born and raised Cincinnatian, brought on this year to be the official mascot of the Cincinnati Rollergirls. I can’t reveal what the mascot will look like, but I will be shown off during the Cincinnati Reds opening day parade. And, you can bet, I’ll rock the house during the second CRG bout on April 17th.

I was asked to cover the first bout from the point of view of a mascot. Sadly, the costume wasn’t quite finished, and my back wasn’t quite cooperating. So, I was just another spectator. Also, I had never been to see roller derby before, and I had no idea what to expect.  Before the first half of the first game was over…I was a fan.

First of all, the crowd was amazing. There were over 3,000 people in the stands. According to rollergirl, Nik Jagger, the biggest crowed they’d had before this bout was around 1,800 people. Well done, Cincinnati! The fans were rabid! They also helped me learn what the hell was going on. I didn’t know the rules- I honestly didn’t  know what the point of derby was.  But, with the boos, the cheers and the OHHHHH’s when someone was knocked to the ground…I slowly figured it all out.

The first bout was won by the Cincy Silent Lambs in a ROMP 112- 30 over the Circle City Socialites. With huge points by Jammer, MissPrint, and insane blocking by The Librarian the ladies from Circle City didn’t stand a chance.  Sadly, with .04 seconds left on the clock, Shirley “Carl” Temptya went down hard. She was almost immediately carried out on a stretcher. I heard early this morning that she broke her leg in two places. I wish nothing but the best to her on a speedy recovery.

After being so excited during this bout I couldn’t wait to watch the Black Sheep.  I’d heard about Sadistic Sadie but nothing I’d heard could prepare me for what she could do. She is the captain of the team and she’s just plain EVIL! She would cut in front of the other team’s jammer and just toy with her. When she was finished, she’d put on a burst of speed and cut through the walls created by the blockers and put points on the board. At one point I watched her pass up a blocker and then turn around and taunt her…that’s officially what I love about derby!

I can’t talk about the first bout and not talk about Hannah Oucho-Cinco. Like her namesake, Chad Ocho-Cinco, Hannah created a “Who Blocked Oucho-Cinco” list of blockers from all the teams our Derby girls will face this year.  She’s set out to prove that there’s not another girl in the country that can stop her from scoring.  It’s the characters these women create, the personas they take on, that make Roller Derby truly a sport to love.

In the end the Cincy Girls couldn’t pull out a win and the San Diego Derby Dolls won the bout 129-108. But, I, along with about 3,000 other people were on the edges of our seats till the end.

This column might be a little different for the rest of the bouts this year.  I plan on being in full costume running amok through the Cincinnati Gardens for the rest of the season. But, I promise I’ll give you some behind the scenes in-depth derby coverage!  Look forward to some personal interviews with girls from the team and fans. And, stay tuned to learn more about me…your very own Cincinnati Rollergirls Mascot!

-Scott Livesay,  the ma-Scott!

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