MTV pulls the punches in Jersey Shore

Seaside Heights, NJ – It was shown in the coming attractions after the series premier of Jersey Shore, but MTV decided at the last minute to pull the punch scene from its show this week after it was responsible for creating a huge stir on the internet.

In the scene, Snookie got into an argument with a New York school teacher who responded by punching her in the face.   The scene was caught on film and Brad Ferro was later arrested by the Seaside Heights Police Department for the assault, however the scene never made it into the show.

Jersey Shore has been a fiercely debated program in which MTV followed a group of self described ‘guidos’ around Seaside Heights last summer and captured their outlandish escapades for reality television.    The show portrays the reality of the guido subculture and it’s negative impact on the Jersey Shore each summer.

Do you think MTV should have aired the assault?

Jersey Shore residents urged to stay indoors until roads cleared

Jackson,  NJ -  One of the worst winter storms in recent years has just passed through the Jersey Shore.   Ocean County road crews are working on cleaning up roads after the storm dropped more than two feet of snow in many parts of the county, including Jackson Township.

County representatives report “Plowing and salting operations are currently under way on county and municipal roads. Driving conditions are hazardous. If you do not have to drive, the county Office of Emergency Management urges you to stay off the roads until they are clear. If you do have to drive, please do so with caution and give yourself a great deal of extra time.”

Locally, township and county road crews work tirelessly to clear Jackson’s roads but conditions remain hazardous in many areas and residents should only venture out if they absolutely have to.   The slick road conditions have caused several minor accidents in town involving vehicles losing control in the slippery conditions and Jackson police, EMS and firefighters worked overtime through the night and into the morning responding to an influx 911 calls around town.  

Firefighters also worked through the night using their ladders to help residents clear chimney flues so heat could be restored to to homes where the brisk snowfall covered chimneys.    At around 11:00 am this morning, a plough truck clearing the way through the Colonial Arms apartments on West Veterans highway was engulfed in flames and Jackson firefighters extinguished the blaze.   Even for firefighters with emergency equipment, venturing out in these conditions has proven to be hazardous.

Snow laden Noreaster heads towards New Jersey

Jackson, NJ – The last time we had any major snow accumulation in Jackson, it was Monday,  March 2nd.  About 4-6 inches fell on Jackson that day, blanketing the town and closing schools for two days as township crews dug the community out.  It was also one of the first articles here at Jackson NJ Online entitled Jackson Snow Day Sights and Sounds.

The National Weather service has already issued a Winter Storm Advisory stating a developing Noreaster is expected to produce gale force winds across the areas starting early Saturday morning off the Delaware coast and spreading northward throughouth the day.  The winds and snow will continue into Saturday night and winds and precipitation will diminish on sunday as the Noreaster leaves the area.

Local weather reports suggest anywhere between 2 to 12 inches of snow here at the Jersey Shore but a mid day rain could either wash it out or make the situation worse as rain melted snow turns to ice and covered by more snow later in the day.

Jersey Shore Roller Girls derby league flourishes in Jackson

 

On most week nights in Jackson, you can be sure to find local residents Chelle Be Evil, Jack and Choke and Lita Floorher hanging out at the Jackson Roller Rink.  No, this isn’t some neo punk street gang or an online gaming convention, it’s the Jersey Shore Roller Girls, a league of approximately 70 women from Ocean and Monmouth County who tirelessly practice their newly resurging sport.    When they’re not playing their matches on their Asbury Park Convention Center home field or travelling around the Atlantic coast and even Montreal, Canada, they call the Jackson Roller Roller Rink their home away from home.

Roller Derby is once again becoming very popular, thanks in part to the efforts of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (http://www.wftda.com/),  an organization of leagues throughout America that has revived and revolutionized what was once a 1970’s hollywood spectacle into a thriving and flourishing sport.    All around the country, leagues are sprouting up just like the Jersey Shore Roller Girls with the ambition to be part of the WFTDA, which is a league of three teams including the Right Coast Rollers, Murder Beach Militia, Anchor Assassins and a newbie team called Fresh Meat, affectionately referred to as the Pork Rollers.  The league also boasts a traveling all-star team, led by team captain, Jackson’s own Chelle Be Evil, aka Michelle Scamparino.

Today’s incarnation of roller derby is different than what most of us remember from our childhood.  Gone are the inclined tracks, rails and Hollywood stunts of the old days.  Today’s game is a true sport that mixes roller skating with a bit of hockey and a football mentality according to Chesty McBruiser (aka Catherine) the league’s public relations manager.    The game is played with two teams of 5 on an oval flat track where one player from each team is designated as a Jammer, trailing the pack of 4 opponents.  Their goal is to try to pass their opponents.   Each opposing player the jammer passes counts as one point.    It sounds easy, but in one of the few sports where defense and offense are played simultaneously and the opposing blockers will block, check, push and do what it takes to prevent the jammer from passing them.

Just like any other contact sport, injuries can and do happen from minor bruising to sprained ankles and even a random tooth being knocked out.   Health insurance is a requirement for anyone who might be thinking of joining the Jersey Shore Roller Girls and joining is as easy as showing up at the Jackson Roller Rink on any practice night and a willingness to play.    You don’t even need to be a good skater as the Roller Girls will assign new players to their Fresh Meat team that will teach the basics of the game and work on improving essential basic skills.   Any woman 18 years of age from the Jersey Shore region is invited to stop by any Wednesday night after 9pm to watch scrimmages and meet the teams.    Ages of the women range currently from 19 to mid 40’s.

The Roller Girls next match at the Asbury Park Convention Center takes place next Saturday, June 20th at 7PM where the undefeated Right Coast Rollers take on the winless Anchor Assassins.   “It should be an energetic match as both teams have something to prove.  The Right Coast Rollers haven’t lost a match yet and they don’t want to and the Anchor Assassins haven’t won a match yet” explained Chesty McBruiser.     Their opening game in 2009 sold out the 3,000 seat capacity convention center.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net and cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door.  Child tickets cost $5.    The next match is Teacher Appreciation Night, all guests are invited to bring a book and will be entered into a contest to win a prize.  The Jersey Shore Roller Girls are also a community service focused league as each game at the convention center will sponsor a charity and they can be found around the area with a table at different charitable events.

So if you’re interested in joining the Roller Girls, remember Wednesday nights at the Jackson Roller Rink. If you want to see them live and in action, visit www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net and buy tickets online for their upcoming June 20th game.

How did you spend your Memorial Day Weekend?

After living my whole life here at the Jersey Shore, I’ve become gun shy when it comes to embracing the weekend summer traffic, the Bennys.  I’ve always avoided that term because I realize these Bennys, while responsible for traffic, litter, spikes in violent crimes and a strain on shore communities also provide a seasonal financial boost for towns all along the Jersey Shore, including Jackson, as home to Six Flags Great Adventure.

On Memorial Day weekend, we stay close and haven’t ventured out of Jackson.   Saturday started as a yard maintenance day followed by an afternoon poolside then a private family bar-b-q.    This morning has been a lazy morning and I had a few projects to complete by Tuesday, so it was a work morning for me.   Hoping the good weather sticks around, we’re having a small family bar-b-q again and will spend the afternoon again poolside, pending forecasted thunderstorms.      Tomorrow is still up  in the air, we’ve turned down all Memorial Day party invites because these days everything is hard due to the 6 month old baby boy, so we’ll probably end up at one of the parks if the weather is nice and like every other day this weekend, end it with a poolside bar-b-q again.

I’m in no rush to start summer, we have 4 full months of great weather ahead of us and to rub elbows with out of towners on a hot sticky day isn’t my idea of relaxation.     In the summer, I usually take off one day a week and work Saturdays, so we do all of our beach and boardwalk activities on that day when there’s not as many crowds.  For us, Memorial Day weekend has become a time of rest from the busy winter and spring.    During the summer I have a part time gig in GoKidsNJ that has me traveling all around the state nearly three times a week meeting with businesses and taking in the surroundings.

How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend?