So we had a scrimmage tonight. I have reflected upon my own performance and have no more to say about it. Instead of a negative post, I've decided to write an open letter to my league.
My Fellow Charlotte Roller Girls,
We live in North Carolina, folks. Whether you married into it, you were born into it, work brought you here...you live in the South. And in the South, it gets hot. This is because we are nearer to the sun than our Northern friends.
We've just gotten through Memorial Day, which is the unofficial start of Summer. Sure, the Summer Solstice is weeks away, but kids are done with exams, pools are open, and grills are fired up.
More specifically, you chose to play roller derby down here. We practice in a dusty, old warehouse without any climate control. During the day, our bay of the warehouse sucks in heat and doesn't release it all that well. These are the facts of life.
So it's gonna get hot. The Warehouse is a temperamental beast. It will be so hot and humid in the coming months, you will consider playing derby naked. Hold onto these memories for when January rolls around and you can see your breath.
For those of you experiencing your first summer in the Warehouse, please remember to hydrate. Make sure you consume protein and keep your blood sugar up. If you start to feel faint, chill out. Go hang out by a fan and get some ice on your neck. Hydrate all day, every day because it's not just during physical activity that it counts. Do not drink too much water or you will feel sloshy and bleh. And for those of you experiencing a Warehouse Summer again, don't forget all these tips.
It is not wimpy or lame to sit out if you're overheated. It's what your body wants you to do. Do not let the heat get to your head and let your skating get sloppy. It's that much harder to keep yourself under control, but it's that much better for you.
I promise to keep these tips in mind so that I, too, will be at my full strength in the upcoming months. And just remember, if we can play derby in the hot and sticky, we can definitely deliver some whoop-ass when we play opponents in the ac.
A Concerned Teammate,
Rita M
Monday, May 28, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Be Your Own Hero
Know what's amazing about derby? Well, everything. But largely, it's women following their dreams. We are a diverse group of women and men (only because the boys saw how much fun we were having) who come together united by a single purpose. Ask your leaguemates why they play derby sometime. Some of mine say it's the fitness or the camaraderie. Others say it's their Midlife Crisis. I just felt this draw to it.
So I started with the Charlotte Roller Girls in August of 2010. I was 18 at the time. I read the rules. I knew the minimum skill assessment items. I was excited and informed. I was all, "I wanna be a jammer!" And then I did my first 25 in 5 and saw the grannies skate and said, "I wanna be a blocker!" I had kind of a reality check. I thought, I'll pass assessments and get good at blocking, then maybe I'll get fast enough to jam.
So I pass assessments and flail through my first practices and scrimmages as a granny. I overwhelmingly have no idea what is going on in derby. Though I did have excellent awareness of not cutting the track.
Well I took some excellent advice from my dear derby wife once I passed assessments. She told me, "Always volunteer to jam during scrimmages." It was good advice. Most people will not take the star. They see themselves as blockers and hate jamming. Jamming helps you become a better blocker because you see the other side of things. It helps you with endurance. It helps you learn to fight through walls in high-pressure situations. Following this advice, I was sure to always hold my hand out for the panty.
And it has wound up with me being considered one of my team's jammers. But I'm not your average jammer build. I'm not a tall, thin jammer with mile-long legs who'll jump the apex. I'm not a small jammer who's so fast and tiny, anybody who manages to see her can't do anything. I'm actually a jammer who occasionally plays power blocker. I'm steadier on my feet than some. I can absorb blocks well. I do find myself hitting players out of my way (I'd like to develop that ability more). So now I've become somewhat of a valuable player to my team in that I can effectively block and then turn around and jam.
This story is just to remind you to follow your dreams. Some of us come to derby from an athletic background. That's great, grab some skates. Some of us are decidedly unathletic. You too, grab some skates. I haven't had much luck with sports in the past, I did some dance, I played disc golf...but I have put my all into derby and it has rewarded me. So now it's time for you to put on some skates and follow your dreams.
So I started with the Charlotte Roller Girls in August of 2010. I was 18 at the time. I read the rules. I knew the minimum skill assessment items. I was excited and informed. I was all, "I wanna be a jammer!" And then I did my first 25 in 5 and saw the grannies skate and said, "I wanna be a blocker!" I had kind of a reality check. I thought, I'll pass assessments and get good at blocking, then maybe I'll get fast enough to jam.
So I pass assessments and flail through my first practices and scrimmages as a granny. I overwhelmingly have no idea what is going on in derby. Though I did have excellent awareness of not cutting the track.
Well I took some excellent advice from my dear derby wife once I passed assessments. She told me, "Always volunteer to jam during scrimmages." It was good advice. Most people will not take the star. They see themselves as blockers and hate jamming. Jamming helps you become a better blocker because you see the other side of things. It helps you with endurance. It helps you learn to fight through walls in high-pressure situations. Following this advice, I was sure to always hold my hand out for the panty.
And it has wound up with me being considered one of my team's jammers. But I'm not your average jammer build. I'm not a tall, thin jammer with mile-long legs who'll jump the apex. I'm not a small jammer who's so fast and tiny, anybody who manages to see her can't do anything. I'm actually a jammer who occasionally plays power blocker. I'm steadier on my feet than some. I can absorb blocks well. I do find myself hitting players out of my way (I'd like to develop that ability more). So now I've become somewhat of a valuable player to my team in that I can effectively block and then turn around and jam.
This story is just to remind you to follow your dreams. Some of us come to derby from an athletic background. That's great, grab some skates. Some of us are decidedly unathletic. You too, grab some skates. I haven't had much luck with sports in the past, I did some dance, I played disc golf...but I have put my all into derby and it has rewarded me. So now it's time for you to put on some skates and follow your dreams.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Puppy Satisfied
So I've been struggling with a lot of things in regards to my derby career recently. I am played equally as a jammer and blocker. I don't have a wall I go in with regularly or anything. It's caused me a lot of strife.
But today I went up and participated in the Scrimmage-A-Fun hosted by the Carolina Roller Girls. It was a morning of fun scrimmages for NC skaters (I think a few SC ladies snuck in too) including a couple of bouts where CRG skaters took on teams of NC skaters.
I was in the Coast v. Mountains, Bruce Lee v. Chuck Norris, and the Rookies scrimmages initially. The way CRG handled people dropping out was that if you wanted to play in a scrimmage, you sat all geared up, with both shirts, near the jammer line. I felt like 3 scrimmages (out of 6) was enough for me. I've had some problems with my feet lately (um, my metatarsals shifted?).
My teams lost the first two bouts, but I felt good about it. I skated with some of North Carolina's best skaters. And I made a bunch of friends.
So the Rookies bout rolls around. From the Charlotte Roller Girls, we had Hitsteria, Nita Beer, Devlin Syder, Unleasha Monster, MzBehavin Mama, and myself. It was nice to work with my teammates. I was hearing foreign terms all day, so when I said something like "Thirty-one," it was nice to know someone knew what I meant. I heard the CRG Rookies. They had a coach they knew and a cheer. I was intimidated. But we NC Rookies worked well together. We got an early lead, I think it was 53-28. We did wind up winning, but the CRG ladies didn't make it easy.
We had some of the NC B-teamers ask a few of us rookies to stay in white for the next bout, the Carolina Bootleggers vs. the NC Rookies.They asked Devlin, myself, Hits, and someone else to move up. We found ourselves facing the creme de la creme of Carolina's skaters. Their roster included Elektra Q. Tion, Sheeza Freak, Beth Row, Erna Beatin...it was a tough group. We worked together, we played smart, but it was tough. We fought for every point we posted and had some difficulties with penalties. I mean it was a long day and we were all tired. I went to the penalty box only once across my 4 scrimmages. But we did our best. I gotta say I love the floor at Skate Ranch. I got hit and I would wobble, BUT I never fell. I took blocks from some of their heavy hitters. I remember Q coming up on me and leaning on me and I was just determined, "I am NOT going down."
It was a great day. I only had a minor problem with anyone I skated with/against. And it made me feel better about what I've been doing in derby lately. Thanks CRG for hosting us AND for the excellent pork.
But today I went up and participated in the Scrimmage-A-Fun hosted by the Carolina Roller Girls. It was a morning of fun scrimmages for NC skaters (I think a few SC ladies snuck in too) including a couple of bouts where CRG skaters took on teams of NC skaters.
I was in the Coast v. Mountains, Bruce Lee v. Chuck Norris, and the Rookies scrimmages initially. The way CRG handled people dropping out was that if you wanted to play in a scrimmage, you sat all geared up, with both shirts, near the jammer line. I felt like 3 scrimmages (out of 6) was enough for me. I've had some problems with my feet lately (um, my metatarsals shifted?).
My teams lost the first two bouts, but I felt good about it. I skated with some of North Carolina's best skaters. And I made a bunch of friends.
So the Rookies bout rolls around. From the Charlotte Roller Girls, we had Hitsteria, Nita Beer, Devlin Syder, Unleasha Monster, MzBehavin Mama, and myself. It was nice to work with my teammates. I was hearing foreign terms all day, so when I said something like "Thirty-one," it was nice to know someone knew what I meant. I heard the CRG Rookies. They had a coach they knew and a cheer. I was intimidated. But we NC Rookies worked well together. We got an early lead, I think it was 53-28. We did wind up winning, but the CRG ladies didn't make it easy.
We had some of the NC B-teamers ask a few of us rookies to stay in white for the next bout, the Carolina Bootleggers vs. the NC Rookies.They asked Devlin, myself, Hits, and someone else to move up. We found ourselves facing the creme de la creme of Carolina's skaters. Their roster included Elektra Q. Tion, Sheeza Freak, Beth Row, Erna Beatin...it was a tough group. We worked together, we played smart, but it was tough. We fought for every point we posted and had some difficulties with penalties. I mean it was a long day and we were all tired. I went to the penalty box only once across my 4 scrimmages. But we did our best. I gotta say I love the floor at Skate Ranch. I got hit and I would wobble, BUT I never fell. I took blocks from some of their heavy hitters. I remember Q coming up on me and leaning on me and I was just determined, "I am NOT going down."
It was a great day. I only had a minor problem with anyone I skated with/against. And it made me feel better about what I've been doing in derby lately. Thanks CRG for hosting us AND for the excellent pork.
Monday, May 14, 2012
My Little PSA
Today I'd like to address a topic very near and dear to my face. High blocks.
Most high blocks go unseen. Please remember, the refs are processing everything that's happening on the track at once, so some things go missed. And even with a jam ref following a jammer, high blocks are hard to see. Most of the watching occurs below the neck. So when someone is hit to the face and goes down, the refs see the consequence (someone on the ground, holding their face), but they don't see the impact.
But high blocks suck. More than any other kind, I remember high blocks. And often who hit me. I skated in a co-ed invitational in February. It was a great experience except the time I was jamming and got hit in the face. It hurt like hell. I was dazed and disoriented and on the floor. My jam ref didn't see the impact, so it went uncalled. I was wronged, but nothing was going to happen. The only thing for it was for me to get back up and skate.
I've seen an increasing prevalence of high blocks at practice. It really effing sucks, guys. Sure, it doesn't get seen, but is it any way to play derby? Getting beat by loopholes sucks. I respect getting beaten by teams who use clean, legal hits. When you knock me down with your ass, great! When you knock me down with your elbow in my face, fuck you!
High blocks are unfair. They aren't in the spirit of the game. If you're realizing you get a lot of high block penalties, ask your coaches, trainers, and captains for feedback on how to curtail this. Please stop hitting people in the face.
Most high blocks go unseen. Please remember, the refs are processing everything that's happening on the track at once, so some things go missed. And even with a jam ref following a jammer, high blocks are hard to see. Most of the watching occurs below the neck. So when someone is hit to the face and goes down, the refs see the consequence (someone on the ground, holding their face), but they don't see the impact.
But high blocks suck. More than any other kind, I remember high blocks. And often who hit me. I skated in a co-ed invitational in February. It was a great experience except the time I was jamming and got hit in the face. It hurt like hell. I was dazed and disoriented and on the floor. My jam ref didn't see the impact, so it went uncalled. I was wronged, but nothing was going to happen. The only thing for it was for me to get back up and skate.
I've seen an increasing prevalence of high blocks at practice. It really effing sucks, guys. Sure, it doesn't get seen, but is it any way to play derby? Getting beat by loopholes sucks. I respect getting beaten by teams who use clean, legal hits. When you knock me down with your ass, great! When you knock me down with your elbow in my face, fuck you!
High blocks are unfair. They aren't in the spirit of the game. If you're realizing you get a lot of high block penalties, ask your coaches, trainers, and captains for feedback on how to curtail this. Please stop hitting people in the face.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
It's Snuggle Time
So there's been a lot of derby lately. I've skated in two bouts and an invitational as well as numerous practices. And I'm not feeling so positive about my skating anymore.
For both bouts, I was in the jammer rotation for the first half and then blocked the second half. We lost both bouts and this past Saturday, relied on a two jammer rotation for the entire second half. It makes me doubt my ability as a jammer to be thrown in as a blocker when we're down in points. And during the invitational, I was perpetually stuck behind walls. It didn't help my confidence any. It's like I'm good enough to jam at scrimmage, but not in a bout. I'm curious about what I can do to be considered to jam more.
In the meantime, both bouts we lost, but we didn't give up. I felt that in App we started to counteract their strategies more than implementing our own, which means they're in our heads. But we stayed together and kept our heads in the game. We were a lot more erratic with Star City and I'm not sure why. Our team was a little different than we've been playing with, BUT all our skaters are talented and everybody works well together.
I almost had to sequester Tasty Murder to get her to stop being the Head of BP and focus on her skating. I told her to chill out and that I'd handle things.
The bout certainly drew a larger crowd this time. That was definitely a success.
For both bouts, I was in the jammer rotation for the first half and then blocked the second half. We lost both bouts and this past Saturday, relied on a two jammer rotation for the entire second half. It makes me doubt my ability as a jammer to be thrown in as a blocker when we're down in points. And during the invitational, I was perpetually stuck behind walls. It didn't help my confidence any. It's like I'm good enough to jam at scrimmage, but not in a bout. I'm curious about what I can do to be considered to jam more.
In the meantime, both bouts we lost, but we didn't give up. I felt that in App we started to counteract their strategies more than implementing our own, which means they're in our heads. But we stayed together and kept our heads in the game. We were a lot more erratic with Star City and I'm not sure why. Our team was a little different than we've been playing with, BUT all our skaters are talented and everybody works well together.
I almost had to sequester Tasty Murder to get her to stop being the Head of BP and focus on her skating. I told her to chill out and that I'd handle things.
The bout certainly drew a larger crowd this time. That was definitely a success.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Mustachioed Narwhals
So...it's been a while since I posted. Here's why. It was the final day of classes. Exams start tomorrow. It's bout week (it's always bout week). I haven't started registration for the fall. I've been busy to speak shortly.
Since my last post, I've bouted once more and am rostered for this Saturday (it just went out). After Saturday, I will have bouted 4 times, breaking me out of our definition of "New Granny." And on Sunday, after the bout, Race City is hosting an open scrimmage in which I'll be participating. After the AIDS Walk. After bouting. Oh yeah. It's happening.
My skating has come a long way lately. I'm a consistent jammer for my team, which is something both exciting and scary. I've also had a lot of triumphs with blocking lately. Last night on scrimmage, I was ALWAYS on the other jammer. We did A vs A and B vs B, so we skated against the same people over and over. I was frequently all over Sibel. I knocked her down time and time again. I was told by a coach that I'm reminiscent of one of our A-team players. A skater who is a personal idol of mine. He mentioned this because he feels I'm truly a double threat in that I can both jam and block effectively. I have been getting kind of sad when I don't jam, but maybe I should remember that blockers are just as important to the game.
I still need to work on not going to the outside as a jammer. As a blocker, I'm more comfortable there, so when I jam, it's where I go. Sometimes a jammer asks me to clear the inside and I look at them like, "What do you mean? I will give you the outside all day." But I do think that I do a good job staying on the track and upright. I usually do not get knocked out of bounds.
I think I am done with this post for now. Too tired.
Since my last post, I've bouted once more and am rostered for this Saturday (it just went out). After Saturday, I will have bouted 4 times, breaking me out of our definition of "New Granny." And on Sunday, after the bout, Race City is hosting an open scrimmage in which I'll be participating. After the AIDS Walk. After bouting. Oh yeah. It's happening.
My skating has come a long way lately. I'm a consistent jammer for my team, which is something both exciting and scary. I've also had a lot of triumphs with blocking lately. Last night on scrimmage, I was ALWAYS on the other jammer. We did A vs A and B vs B, so we skated against the same people over and over. I was frequently all over Sibel. I knocked her down time and time again. I was told by a coach that I'm reminiscent of one of our A-team players. A skater who is a personal idol of mine. He mentioned this because he feels I'm truly a double threat in that I can both jam and block effectively. I have been getting kind of sad when I don't jam, but maybe I should remember that blockers are just as important to the game.
I still need to work on not going to the outside as a jammer. As a blocker, I'm more comfortable there, so when I jam, it's where I go. Sometimes a jammer asks me to clear the inside and I look at them like, "What do you mean? I will give you the outside all day." But I do think that I do a good job staying on the track and upright. I usually do not get knocked out of bounds.
I think I am done with this post for now. Too tired.
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