I met Bonnie D. Stroir! Omigod!
More to come later. When I process it all.
Ok, so after several hours of obsessing over derby including:
1. Assessing my next gear purchase.
2. Getting excited about any wheel Atom has ever produced.
3. Shopping for skates I don't need.
4. Reading the blog of one of my new idols, Elektra-Q-Tion
and 5. Being upset that none of the blogs I follow have updated lately.
So, I've decided to stop being a jackass and post for all of you.
I will try to condense the amazingness that Bonnie shared with us. She has a lot of great metaphors, firstly. I love her sharks and seals theory. Basically the inside and outside lines are deep water where sharks (blockers) thrive. Seals (jammers) do best in shallow water, or the middle lane of the track.
She gave us a lot of good advice about energy too. There are a lot of personalities in derby and instead of trying to fit into the mold of what traditional strategy says we need to do, we should complement each other. If you're the anchor in a wall, it's your job to be the calm one.
She gave us lots of little strategies and then let us go on the track and play with them. In short bursts, we got to try them out. I felt like I had a lot of success implementing her ideas. I can't wait to put them into practice at scrimmage or in scrills.
Bonnie has a lot of ideas that are in direct contradiction with what we've all been taught. She maintains that being low has its time, but derby position is not always appropriate. She gave us a lot of help with juking which is totally awesome, because it's something I desire strongly to work on.
She also spent some time talking about the derby mental game. She talked us through the game From the Bench, On the Track, and From the Box. She had some great tips for calming down if it starts to get overwhelming. Her tips are to regulate your breathing and give yourself simple mental command.
After all this, I came home and read derby blogs and am now looking at gear. I found some used Antik MG-2s in my size. I am seriously considering Revenge plates. I would like to try the Atom Snap wheels.
Anyway, this is all a whole lot of derby and I've got practice in the morning, so I'm going to bed.
Good night, hope dreams of skates come to you!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Thursday Funday
Tonight's practice was fun. I always love Cal Q's practices because she likes to make up drills or alter existing drills. There's always interesting things. Like tonight she had the newbies hold onto yarn that she'd tied knots in to show them how far apart they should be in pacelines.
She also pulled a few of us to work on hitting with the newbies who are preparing for Day 2. I hadn't done any measured hitting in a while and it was good. I realized I'm a lot better at Johnny Crashes (Can-openers) than I thought I was, and should maybe employ them more often in scrimmages and whatnot. We also were doing this hitting on the track with newbies weaving nearby, so I'm impressed with our awareness of the paceline and our not crashing into them.
We did a lot of the Day 1 skills as well, since Day 1 is Sunday. I really like this approach. I felt like I didn't have much prep for Day 1 the first time I did it. In the practices leading up to, we did the usual sorts of drills rather than more of the assessment skills.
It's also good to get to know the newest newbies.
This was rather a shorter post than I anticipated, so here's out bout poster:
She also pulled a few of us to work on hitting with the newbies who are preparing for Day 2. I hadn't done any measured hitting in a while and it was good. I realized I'm a lot better at Johnny Crashes (Can-openers) than I thought I was, and should maybe employ them more often in scrimmages and whatnot. We also were doing this hitting on the track with newbies weaving nearby, so I'm impressed with our awareness of the paceline and our not crashing into them.
We did a lot of the Day 1 skills as well, since Day 1 is Sunday. I really like this approach. I felt like I didn't have much prep for Day 1 the first time I did it. In the practices leading up to, we did the usual sorts of drills rather than more of the assessment skills.
It's also good to get to know the newest newbies.
This was rather a shorter post than I anticipated, so here's out bout poster:
Please come see us kick ass on St. Patty's Day, both in the parade, and in our doubleheader season opener.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tonight's B-Team Practice
Thank you to my loyal readers, first and foremost. Honestly. This self-reflection is good for me. And I was telling somebody earlier that I've never had much luck with journaling, but because I know I have a readership, I can't disappoint.
Since I'm thanking people, I'd like to thank my dear derby wife, Devlin Syder. I wasn't feeling all that great and didn't know if I could make it to practice, but I could hear Devlin's voice in my head telling me to go to practice.
So, in the spirit of being adventurous, I decided to try out my spare wheels. I have a set of mostly bald Speed Rays. The skates were sold to me with the wheels on 'em. I was told they are still great for sport court. I've skated on sport court now twice. Since we bout on it, but I've never skated on it, I thought I'd try these wheels out on our floor. I have 4 red and 4 blue. These are approximately 92a and 93a durometer. They're also wider (not drastically, but somewhat) and heavier (solid aluminum hubs).
It was an experiment, to be sure. I thought I might try them out at a Thursday practice, but then I thought that team practice is a good mixture of derby play and derby skills. And it was. I slipped all over the place. I still pushed myself and jammed and did everything I could. I wasn't able to dig in as deep with my sprints and crossovers, but I still tried.
I've been feeling that skating through mud sensation lately. But I still think I'd rather have to exert a little more effort if I have total grip in the turns.
So to my actual thoughts on practice...
I feel like the B-Dazzlers are clicking now more than ever. The most dedicated core is sticking together and working like one pack.
I also think everyone's getting better at the little things. We did banana peel in reverse derby direction, then turned around and did Sharkbait derby direction and we mostly did turning toe stops, without colliding with each other. Our hit timing could all still use work but I think even the best of the best say that. (Speaking of, did I tell you Elektra Q. Tion noticed my skating on Sunday? AAAAAAAH!)
It's really cool to work on something at practice and get the chance to put it into action. We're trying to go back to the basics, since B-Dazz is very much a new team these days. But it's tough to be reviewing the basic and still have to skate against people. When we get to employ these simple strategies, that's good. We are able to quickly see the result of our work.
My brain is no longer processing what's going on. I may update this post at a later time, but you know me, probably not.
Since I'm thanking people, I'd like to thank my dear derby wife, Devlin Syder. I wasn't feeling all that great and didn't know if I could make it to practice, but I could hear Devlin's voice in my head telling me to go to practice.
So, in the spirit of being adventurous, I decided to try out my spare wheels. I have a set of mostly bald Speed Rays. The skates were sold to me with the wheels on 'em. I was told they are still great for sport court. I've skated on sport court now twice. Since we bout on it, but I've never skated on it, I thought I'd try these wheels out on our floor. I have 4 red and 4 blue. These are approximately 92a and 93a durometer. They're also wider (not drastically, but somewhat) and heavier (solid aluminum hubs).
It was an experiment, to be sure. I thought I might try them out at a Thursday practice, but then I thought that team practice is a good mixture of derby play and derby skills. And it was. I slipped all over the place. I still pushed myself and jammed and did everything I could. I wasn't able to dig in as deep with my sprints and crossovers, but I still tried.
I've been feeling that skating through mud sensation lately. But I still think I'd rather have to exert a little more effort if I have total grip in the turns.
So to my actual thoughts on practice...
I feel like the B-Dazzlers are clicking now more than ever. The most dedicated core is sticking together and working like one pack.
I also think everyone's getting better at the little things. We did banana peel in reverse derby direction, then turned around and did Sharkbait derby direction and we mostly did turning toe stops, without colliding with each other. Our hit timing could all still use work but I think even the best of the best say that. (Speaking of, did I tell you Elektra Q. Tion noticed my skating on Sunday? AAAAAAAH!)
It's really cool to work on something at practice and get the chance to put it into action. We're trying to go back to the basics, since B-Dazz is very much a new team these days. But it's tough to be reviewing the basic and still have to skate against people. When we get to employ these simple strategies, that's good. We are able to quickly see the result of our work.
My brain is no longer processing what's going on. I may update this post at a later time, but you know me, probably not.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Invitational
The Invitational is today. I'm strangely not nervous. But I wasn't nervous before the bout last weekend either. I thought I'd try to have team spirit with my boutfit. BUT I don't own any red leggings or shorts. How crazy is that? Oh well.
More to come later.
Ok, so I was a Drunk (right, yeah, put the 20-year old on the Drunks, haha!). Oh wait, did I mention this was a CoEd bout? It was. I had three boys on my team. Celtic Crusher, Sweet Meat, and the Professor were Drunks. And they were all extremely valuable. Sweet Meat as a jammer, wow. You hit him, he turns around and skates backwards, hit him again, and he turns back around. The man is a beast. Crusher was an excellent blocker, holding down the back of the pack. And the Professor did a wonderful job skating anywhere needed. And little Patty Valentine needed very little help as a jammer once he got moving.
We first played the Crunks. I played against teammate Nita Beer (pitting husband against wife). I blocked in a variety of positions. We played pretty well together, though naturally we had trouble playing as a team. We came together well and managed to hold back one of the Crunks' strongest players, MistHer, who was jamming. I am most proud of that bit of recycling and blocking and team work.
During halftime, I noticed my coaches working on some lineup changes. I told them I would happily jam if need be, since I was relatively fresh. I brought it up again later and they put me in to great success. I had a great crew of blockers, including Boot Scootin' Bully of Blue Ridge Roller Girls, lead jammer status, and a soon-to-be powerjam. I got 4 grandslams, scoring a total of 20 points before calling it off as the other jammer came back onto the track.
I did have some trouble after that whilst jamming when I was struck about the face. HARD. And somehow none of the refs managed to see it. Boy did it suck. I cried a little. And we had to call a timeout to page the medic just so he could tell me he didn't have any ice. Luckily my teammate Sour Bash Kid had ice and a plastic bag to spare. Thanks Bash!
That helped Team Drunks get back on top of the score. I had lots of people tell me I skated well. I was pretty proud of that. And also happy to get my second (and third) bouts under my belt. Congrats to ref/my ride up there OhCeeDee on kicking so much ass. And thanks to Derby City Skates for being present for me to drool over and purchase some items.
Also my shoulder(s) feel great, thanks for asking, considerate reader. Now I'm gonna fall into a derby/baconator coma.
More to come later.
Ok, so I was a Drunk (right, yeah, put the 20-year old on the Drunks, haha!). Oh wait, did I mention this was a CoEd bout? It was. I had three boys on my team. Celtic Crusher, Sweet Meat, and the Professor were Drunks. And they were all extremely valuable. Sweet Meat as a jammer, wow. You hit him, he turns around and skates backwards, hit him again, and he turns back around. The man is a beast. Crusher was an excellent blocker, holding down the back of the pack. And the Professor did a wonderful job skating anywhere needed. And little Patty Valentine needed very little help as a jammer once he got moving.
We first played the Crunks. I played against teammate Nita Beer (pitting husband against wife). I blocked in a variety of positions. We played pretty well together, though naturally we had trouble playing as a team. We came together well and managed to hold back one of the Crunks' strongest players, MistHer, who was jamming. I am most proud of that bit of recycling and blocking and team work.
During halftime, I noticed my coaches working on some lineup changes. I told them I would happily jam if need be, since I was relatively fresh. I brought it up again later and they put me in to great success. I had a great crew of blockers, including Boot Scootin' Bully of Blue Ridge Roller Girls, lead jammer status, and a soon-to-be powerjam. I got 4 grandslams, scoring a total of 20 points before calling it off as the other jammer came back onto the track.
I did have some trouble after that whilst jamming when I was struck about the face. HARD. And somehow none of the refs managed to see it. Boy did it suck. I cried a little. And we had to call a timeout to page the medic just so he could tell me he didn't have any ice. Luckily my teammate Sour Bash Kid had ice and a plastic bag to spare. Thanks Bash!
That helped Team Drunks get back on top of the score. I had lots of people tell me I skated well. I was pretty proud of that. And also happy to get my second (and third) bouts under my belt. Congrats to ref/my ride up there OhCeeDee on kicking so much ass. And thanks to Derby City Skates for being present for me to drool over and purchase some items.
Also my shoulder(s) feel great, thanks for asking, considerate reader. Now I'm gonna fall into a derby/baconator coma.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Recap
I know I've neglected to post this week. I talked about the bout, but I've had scrimmage, team practice, and skills practice since then. Scrimmage hurt. Tuesday hurt. In fact, I felt way worse after each than I did after the bout. I've adjusted my skates, so I've been all over the place. I collided with Rosie during scrimmage. Also there seems have to been a lot of high blocks lately. I've been hit in the face a few times. And once in the ear. Not only are these hits illegal, but they suck. After getting hit in the ear, I had to sit out a few jams.
After my little PSA, I have a actual message for my readers. When I first started derby, I thought I wanted to be a jammer. You know, get the glory. But I'm neither a tall and skinny girl nor a small and sneaky one. And after the first time 25 in 5 kicked my ass, I thought, "Maybe I'm more suited for being a blocker." But I worked hard and continually improved. I got new skates and shaved more time off my 25 in 5. And now I'm one of the jammers for my team. One of my coaches told me I've gotten really fast. I managed to get lead jammer over and score on one of the A-team's strongest jammers. I was floored.
So I just want you to understand that whatever it is that gives you trouble, don't give up. Keep working and one day, you'll pass that 25 in 5, or execute a 180 knee-fall, or complete a turning toe stop. Derby is the greatest sport in the world because no matter what your background, you belong with us. If you played sports all your life, that's cool. But if you never played sports at all, that's cool too. From those who hold onto the walls to those who can crossover their first practice, derby accepts all. It's a wholly empowering sport. And I'm so happy to be a part of it.
After my little PSA, I have a actual message for my readers. When I first started derby, I thought I wanted to be a jammer. You know, get the glory. But I'm neither a tall and skinny girl nor a small and sneaky one. And after the first time 25 in 5 kicked my ass, I thought, "Maybe I'm more suited for being a blocker." But I worked hard and continually improved. I got new skates and shaved more time off my 25 in 5. And now I'm one of the jammers for my team. One of my coaches told me I've gotten really fast. I managed to get lead jammer over and score on one of the A-team's strongest jammers. I was floored.
So I just want you to understand that whatever it is that gives you trouble, don't give up. Keep working and one day, you'll pass that 25 in 5, or execute a 180 knee-fall, or complete a turning toe stop. Derby is the greatest sport in the world because no matter what your background, you belong with us. If you played sports all your life, that's cool. But if you never played sports at all, that's cool too. From those who hold onto the walls to those who can crossover their first practice, derby accepts all. It's a wholly empowering sport. And I'm so happy to be a part of it.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Charleston
So I bet you've been looking forward to my debut, right? I certainly have. I skated with grace and poise in neon this past Saturday.
 |
| This multi-colored beast is Jammer-Rita! |
I wasn't nervous. Oddly. I got nervous for like a second during some jam where I was blocking, but it passed. It was like skating at a scrimmage. It was like there was no crowd and no scoreboard. I skated hard. I jammed a few times, but mostly I hit people. Charleston people. I hit their jammers a lot.
Most of the bout is kind of a blur, but I remember bits of it. Mostly I remember encountering walls of pink. I tried to blend in with my pink tights, but they were not fooled.
It was not only my first bout, but it was my derby wife's (Devlin Syder) first bout back after her injury. We got to skate together occasionally.
 |
| Here we are on the pivot line! |
I can't think of any other highlights (sorry guys), and I've got to get ready for scrimmage. Thank you for reading!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesdays Rock!
Seriously, the B*Dazzlers are an amazing team. We work together so well.
Tonight, we really showed that. We recycled well in drills, we maintained walls. I am just so happy that we've got such a great team and I can't wait until Saturday! You ready, Low Country? You ready to eat our dust?
Tonight, we really showed that. We recycled well in drills, we maintained walls. I am just so happy that we've got such a great team and I can't wait until Saturday! You ready, Low Country? You ready to eat our dust?
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