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.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
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.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Derby and Friends
Congratulations on becoming a roller girl! Or maybe you've been around a while. Still, this is an issue. Your friends (or sig os) ask you to hang out and you reply, "I"m sorry, I've got derby." They roll their eyes. You feel awful.
This is a common problem. Some have gone so far as to say that skaters are in a relationship with derby. In my limited time on the track, I've seen skaters retire because derby ate up too much of their time. Their friends never saw them anymore.
This doesn't have to be the case. You can have your friends and eat them...wait, that's not right. You can have your friends and your derby. That's better.
Remember that you will gain a whole new group of friends when you start playing roller derby. And that they DO NOT have to be friends with your non-derby friends. Rollergirls are a special sort. Not everyone is comfortable with sweaty ladies who burp and show off bruises in public. This is a generalization, but rollergirls are a different breed. So just because your friends don't want to hang out with your teammates does not mean you have to give them up.
Also, leagues typically host/attend events that are out in the community. My league has participated in Pride events, "blood wrestling," events at bars, charity work...so on and so forth. This might be a chance for your friends to meet your teammates in a less intimidating sort of environment. They might see the glimmer and y'all have and decide to strap on skates themselves or volunteer.
And of course, invite your friends to bouts. I have to sell tickets to our home bouts, and I'm always hitting up my friends. This seems to be easier when you first start because your friends are less sick of hearing about derby. You may even be able to ask your Bout Production head if you could watch a game instead of volunteering. I still have not taken advantage of this option, because I'm crazy busy on bout days.
And if your friends are unable to cope with the awesome superheroine you are becoming, it might be time to get new friends. If they can't support you, you should rethink the relationship.
But if your friends accept what you're doing, and respect derby, it is possible to keep them in your lives. They may still roll your eyes when you talk about it, but they'll have some idea what Ellen Page is talking about around 1:50 in the trailer. Because love of this sport is why we do it.
This is a common problem. Some have gone so far as to say that skaters are in a relationship with derby. In my limited time on the track, I've seen skaters retire because derby ate up too much of their time. Their friends never saw them anymore.
This doesn't have to be the case. You can have your friends and eat them...wait, that's not right. You can have your friends and your derby. That's better.
Remember that you will gain a whole new group of friends when you start playing roller derby. And that they DO NOT have to be friends with your non-derby friends. Rollergirls are a special sort. Not everyone is comfortable with sweaty ladies who burp and show off bruises in public. This is a generalization, but rollergirls are a different breed. So just because your friends don't want to hang out with your teammates does not mean you have to give them up.
Also, leagues typically host/attend events that are out in the community. My league has participated in Pride events, "blood wrestling," events at bars, charity work...so on and so forth. This might be a chance for your friends to meet your teammates in a less intimidating sort of environment. They might see the glimmer and y'all have and decide to strap on skates themselves or volunteer.
And of course, invite your friends to bouts. I have to sell tickets to our home bouts, and I'm always hitting up my friends. This seems to be easier when you first start because your friends are less sick of hearing about derby. You may even be able to ask your Bout Production head if you could watch a game instead of volunteering. I still have not taken advantage of this option, because I'm crazy busy on bout days.
And if your friends are unable to cope with the awesome superheroine you are becoming, it might be time to get new friends. If they can't support you, you should rethink the relationship.
But if your friends accept what you're doing, and respect derby, it is possible to keep them in your lives. They may still roll your eyes when you talk about it, but they'll have some idea what Ellen Page is talking about around 1:50 in the trailer. Because love of this sport is why we do it.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Sorry Guys
Sorry I haven't been posting as much. I have a couple of drafts that I haven't touched or posted. For that, I'm sorry.
I've been thinking some about my blog. I feel like it's grown kind of stagnant. I don't have the same struggles I did when I was trying to pass assessments. I don't know if it's as interesting anymore. I'm trying some new things, so please feel free to let me know what you think.
My first actual topic will be: accepting praise in derby.
6 months ago, I had just passed assessments. We were nearing the end of the season. The B*Dazzlers had just 2 more games. I could hit a little, but my hits were feather-light. I didn't know jack about strategery.
When you start at the bottom, you have a long way to go. From there, I've become one of the top skaters on my team. I'm a frequent jammer (go figure) and apparently a blocker who knows what's going on. I've gained a lot of speed. My 25 in 5 time dropped 30 seconds or so from June to September of last year.
So I've gotten a lot of positive feedback. It's sometimes difficult to deal with. We get critiqued all the time. A coworker tells you that you forgot something. A teacher tells you to be more in-depth with an answer. Your team's coach tells you to get lower, hit harder, and pay more attention. Critique happens daily. In the world of theatre, you say "Thank you" and fix it. Elsewhere, you nod or say "OK" and make a note to fix it.
Derby is not something that any of us grew up doing. About a decade ago, some women in Texas brought the game back to life. They learned mostly through trial-and-error. Since then we've formulated some ideas about how to train for and learn the game of derby. At first, you're always doing it wrong. Eventually, you don't cry or vomit as much, and get yelled at less.
But praise is something totally different. Even writing this blog I'm second-guessing some of the things I'm saying about myself. I had a long battle with self-esteem, so I'm better able to accept the positive things people say, but it's never easy. I just try to step back, say thank you and tuck it away. The same thing goes for when I'm in practice and doing some kind of drill and somebody says "Damn" (or something to that effect) when they have to try to get around me as a blocker or something.
I try to keep these things in mind for days when life gets me down. I keep these things for days when I'm jamming against the strongest blockers in the league. These little bursts of nice can really help out. When I get down and I think I suck, I think about the time I juked one of our most aware players. Or the time that I scored 20 points in a scrimmage and my team all high-fived me.
This is a tough sport, and you'll never get anywhere being down on yourself all the time. So cheer up, get lower, and thank someone trying to compliment you!
I've been thinking some about my blog. I feel like it's grown kind of stagnant. I don't have the same struggles I did when I was trying to pass assessments. I don't know if it's as interesting anymore. I'm trying some new things, so please feel free to let me know what you think.
My first actual topic will be: accepting praise in derby.
6 months ago, I had just passed assessments. We were nearing the end of the season. The B*Dazzlers had just 2 more games. I could hit a little, but my hits were feather-light. I didn't know jack about strategery.
When you start at the bottom, you have a long way to go. From there, I've become one of the top skaters on my team. I'm a frequent jammer (go figure) and apparently a blocker who knows what's going on. I've gained a lot of speed. My 25 in 5 time dropped 30 seconds or so from June to September of last year.
So I've gotten a lot of positive feedback. It's sometimes difficult to deal with. We get critiqued all the time. A coworker tells you that you forgot something. A teacher tells you to be more in-depth with an answer. Your team's coach tells you to get lower, hit harder, and pay more attention. Critique happens daily. In the world of theatre, you say "Thank you" and fix it. Elsewhere, you nod or say "OK" and make a note to fix it.
Derby is not something that any of us grew up doing. About a decade ago, some women in Texas brought the game back to life. They learned mostly through trial-and-error. Since then we've formulated some ideas about how to train for and learn the game of derby. At first, you're always doing it wrong. Eventually, you don't cry or vomit as much, and get yelled at less.
But praise is something totally different. Even writing this blog I'm second-guessing some of the things I'm saying about myself. I had a long battle with self-esteem, so I'm better able to accept the positive things people say, but it's never easy. I just try to step back, say thank you and tuck it away. The same thing goes for when I'm in practice and doing some kind of drill and somebody says "Damn" (or something to that effect) when they have to try to get around me as a blocker or something.
I try to keep these things in mind for days when life gets me down. I keep these things for days when I'm jamming against the strongest blockers in the league. These little bursts of nice can really help out. When I get down and I think I suck, I think about the time I juked one of our most aware players. Or the time that I scored 20 points in a scrimmage and my team all high-fived me.
This is a tough sport, and you'll never get anywhere being down on yourself all the time. So cheer up, get lower, and thank someone trying to compliment you!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Tooting My Own Horn
I just thought I'd point out that I have written a book review of Down and Derby and it's on the Charlotte Roller Girls website:
http://charlotterollergirls.com/2012/03/cltrg-book-review-down-and-derby-the-insiders-guide-to-roller-derby/
I'd love for you to check it out!
http://charlotterollergirls.com/2012/03/cltrg-book-review-down-and-derby-the-insiders-guide-to-roller-derby/
I'd love for you to check it out!
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