I Love Screaming your Derby Name: A Progress Report

Our first bout of the season was incredible! We sold out the Mid America Center (fondly referred to as the MAC) with 3,200 fans attending and 800 more that had to be turned away. Next game = more seating for sure!

I didn't skate in the first bout--instead, I supported our girls by being a derby pixie. This involves looking cute, and walking around with a giant sign that says "Talk Derby to Me."

Me and a fan at the After Party!

I had a few weeks of really awful practices, and was feeling really frustrated. I hadn't been making the progress I'd like and really felt like I was in the way at practices.

But, this week things are much better. I'm finally consistently doing crossovers skating right, scrimmages are starting to go better, and my 25 lap time is down to 4:48 (I'd really like to be under 4:45, but it'll do for now). Just gotta keep working on my strength so I can skate with AAA!

Almost there...hopefully

The final round of newbie testing was Tuesday night (following a grueling endurance night of ominous exercises like The Gauntlet, Speed Skate Drill, and Sprints). Although nerves were so intense the practice space seemed to tingle with them, everyone was able to pull it together and give it their best.

Just two and a half weeks ago we had our first round of scrimmage testing.  Just two and a half months before that, we all go on the rink for the first time. For some of us (like me), that meant strapping on skates for the first time since elementary school. For some, it was a return to skating after a long break, but with experience in some sort of organized skating in the past. We started with 40 some odd girls (and a handful of boys who wanted to be refs and skate like us). We ended with around 25 who stuck through everything and completed bootcamp.

We avoided major injury (thankfully!), but there were skaters who had to miss a week or two (or sometimes a month or two) to get back on their wheels. We avoided, for the most part, the major drama that can arise from having 40-some-odd girls together for six hours a week + extracurricular partying.

I guess, when I look back on it, the thing that sticks out the most, the thing that is most important to me, is the fabulous family of girls I've gained because of derby. My (and everyone's) derby mom has become a dear friend. I don't have a derby wife yet, but being in the market isn't so bad. :P I've met girls that I love to dance and party with, girls that I love to have over to knit and watch a movie, girls that are fun to go shopping with and have a day (or night) on the town with, and girls who I know I can call at any time and they will be there for me, even when I'm a sobbing mess.  You just don't get the opportunity to have this type of community very often, especially once you're a grown-up.  And I am so very, very grateful.

To sum things up with some time-tested yearbook wisdom, what a long strange (but amazing, derby-licious) trip it's been.

MDL

At some point, and it's a little different point for everyone I think, derby changes a little.  There come a point when you stop making progress in leaps and bounds. Instead of the thrill of a great practice that has you jamming out to great music on the drive home, you think about the things you're not nailing, the things you're having trouble with. You worry about passing tests, and whether you'll make the team. Instead of looking forward to every practice, there are some nights that you really just want to go home and sit in the bathtub.

But it's still amazing.  And it's still fun to keep pushing yourself to get better. If I don't make the team, I'll ref, but I'm not giving up on making the team either.  I need a 3 or better on skills with a pack (I feel like I'll do okay on these--some of the hits I'm a little leery about landing, but I think it'll be good over all), and I need to get my time to 5:15 or less, which I can do if I don't fall. The written test I'm not worried about.  I've got it down pretty well--it's something I'm much more confident about. I can control whether or not I memorize rules and learn the ins and outs of the game; I can't always control whether I fall on my ass or not (other than working myself as hard as possible, working every practice on my weaknesses and technique so that even when I'm tired I've got good form).

Being in derby has given me the support I needed to be my own person, and to do some things that I have needed to do for years.  And I would never have gotten up the courage if it hadn't been for joining derby. It really is an amazing thing to be a part of.

Much Derby Love

After a derby road trip and what feels like an epic fail at practice tonight, I am more thankful than ever for my derby family. These gals are saving my life one small step at a time.


Although I missed out on the post-bar-closing strip club trip due to a dead car battery, this weekend's derby road trip was fabulous.  These girls are the best family ever!  They volunteer to hold your non-existant hair if you throw up (luckily not necessary thankfully), they laugh with you, party and dance with you, and love you no matter what.


I don't know what I'd do without these women; they really are life-savers.  As I gear up for the impending changes, I can't believe how lucky I feel to be part of such an amazing group of strong women.


The only downside of derby I can think of are my shrunk boobies (which are totally worth being back to my skinny high school jeans).

Minimum Skills Test Part 1: The Results

After the fantastic We Survived Derby Boot Camp Part 1 party this weekend, it was time to get my head back in the game and think about what needed to improve on my minium skills.

We got our score cards back last night, and I did better on a lot of things than I though, but I was surprised about a few.  I only got a 2 (out of 4, with 3 being "proficient") on side stepping, which was silly on my part because I didn't know to keep my eyes forward instead of down.  I also wasn't careful enough to avoid using my hands on my knees getting up from 180 knee turns, which is careless on my part as well.

I need an average of 3 to pass, and am at 2.8 right now.  If I improve 3 points, I'm good.  That means shaving 13 seconds off my time (which I feel good about if I get pusher wheels in time), and improve 2 other things by at least a point (side stepping and 180 turns should be easy-peasy--and possibly T-Stops since I've been forcing myself to use these to stop exclusively), I'll be golden.  Fingers crossed--I've got 3 weeks to get it right.

On a brighter note, I've got some derby coloring to do, which I'm excited for--although I'm making myself wait until I'm done grading papers to reward myself.  If you wanna get in on the fun, and possibly win some Wicked derby gear, you can download your coloring sheet too!

Also, nationals this weekend were pretty rad.  I only REALLY closely watched the final two matches, but I had all of the bouts on whenever I was home.  The final game was a nail-biting, edge of your seat, rock your socks off game.  SOOOO good.

Minimum Skills Test Part 1

Uuuuuuuuh.  I'm so nervous and tired!  The first part of minimum skills testing (see Appendix A if you're curious) is tonight for the last third of the girls who have been at bootcamp so far.  I'm not sure whether it's good or bad to have to wait 'til now to test (extra time to squeeze in practice, but extra time to worry too).

A bunch of us went to adult skate night this week to brush up, and got scolded like naughty children.  (We were doing stuff we weren't supposed to apparently).  It made me feel a little better, because I got more time on my skates, and more time with my new wheels.  Plus, we went for drinks after, which was fun.  We were all really nervous about testing, and it was good to get together and vent.

I'm still worried about my T-stops, and after the extreme failure from my crappy wheels last time we tried the 5 minute test, I'm not entirely confident about that part either.  Hopefully I'll do well enough on everything else that the few things I'm not as good at won't keep me off the team.

I know I've only been in derby for a 6 weeks or so, but it has become a part of who I want to be.  If I don't make it, I'll still be as involved as possible, but it just won't be the same.  I'm in the best shape I've been in since high school, I've made a lot of awesome friends, and I'm just not ready to give that all up.

I don't want this to be my last derby bruise!

I guess rather than worrying, I should strap on my skates and practice my T-stops for a while.  At least that way I'll feel like I'm doing something.  Hopefully my wood floors will forgive me from using them like a roller rink.

There's No Crying in Derby; Or, Some Nights are Taco Bell Nights

Tonight's practice was really frustrating.  I got my new skates a week ago Tuesday (yay!?), and have been messing with them ever since.  First I took my trucks off all the way, and tightened them down equally all around, and that was a miserable failure because the front and back weren't even and I was wobbling all over.  I got them tightened down, but I'm catching on something when I try to skate fast/do crossovers.  I'm not sure if my toe stops are the culprit or something else, but it was awful.  I've also been struggling with my feet going numb (lacing my skates too tight).  I'm starting to figure out how to lace them better (looser in the toes/middle, tighter, but not too tight, at the top/ankle-ish part).  They're not the magic answer I thought that they would be to rental skates, by any stretch of the imaginiation.

What I expected when switching to my Dashes, was that I would instantly have beautiful form and go 5x faster.  The truth is, I feel more awkward, and have a hard time getting into derby stance because my skates don't feel as smooth/comfortable, which makes me go slower.

We did a 5 minute test tonight, and I fell 3 times in the first 30 seconds.  Once I slowed myself down significantly, I didn't have that problem as much, but it was AWFUL.  And there were tears of frustration, but I was totally NOT crying.

So, in the face of that, despite my feelings earlier in the week that I was looking super hot from all the derby workouts, I decided to stop at Taco Bell on the way home and procure some buuuuuu-riiiiii-tos.  And Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, which I haven't had in forever b/c they're not at all good for you, and I'm lactose intolerant.  It's gonna be a good night.