First Schrimmage

Photos by: Mr Ego, AKA Jason Santti :D



The best way to learn how to play is to PLAY!

I really had no idea what to expect coming into this Derby world, a true rookie to the sport, the only knowledge I had was based off of the few times I had caught glimpses of the vets playing the game why the fresh meat practiced. Roller derby involves one part aggressive combat, one part speed/agility skating and one part spectacle. It’s better than any other sport I have ever played, honestly the last team sport I played was in “World of Warcraft” PVP arena… Melancholy I know. Derby is it’s a subculture, influenced by a do-it-yourself punk and a fierce sense of femininity. To me the "skatepunk" look is more the Cyndi Lauper, Sex Pistols and Billy Idol type that I dreamed of dressing like when I was a teenager in the 80’s. I still remember my mom refusing me to wear anything that crossed the line of being an individual.

And I’m off topic again… I’m trying to talk about last night’s derby scrimmage. Our first time in a pack play playing the game I was the Jammer, and Travis or as they call him “Mr. Gyro” was watching so I was hyped up and excited beyond butterfly’s, I had so much hyper trapped into my little body that I used it to lap the pack like 5 times and I retained lead jammer! If it was a real game I imagine that I would be on the shoulders of the girls cheering and singing my praises because I am the point scorning bad ass jammer queen of the world!!

Way off topic…. And into daydream land…

I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t been scared, at times. But the idea of challenging myself to improve physically and mentally is there burning inside to make a stronger girl. I never know what will be in store for me or my ass, and I’m constantly looking like a douche when I can’t stop and roll into other girls, or feeling like my back will literally explode if I have to squat for one more second. All that aside, when practice is over, all my mind does is pace about the million little things I learned and the thousands more to come. Being new, the information is endless, which can be taken in two ways–as chaos or opportunity–and I’m going with the latter. Every practice I’m surrounded by a great group of ladies laying their hearts on the track and if that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is. Derby is rowdy and passionate, it makes you feel alive.

Smell Bad Girl

my Subconscious is evil, just downright Malicious, it told me that I needed hummus, feta cheese and olives stuffed with garlic cloves today for lunch... so I diligently obeyed went to the store... halfway through my yummy lunch I remembered I have Derby practice tonight...

Pride Parade

The weather couldn’t have been better for yesterday’s Pride Parade. It was wicked awesome fun skating with the Red Rocketts we all had so much fun. The crowd of people watching got to see us skating around in circles, playfully checking each other, screaming, and periodically laying 3 girls down and skate jumping over them, girls were packing up and sprinting down the street as fast as we could in our outdoor wheels. I enjoyed slapping the hands of young fans and people watching. Over recent years there has become a change for community groups to express themselves, be creative and be involved with something wonderful. How could we not get involved in supporting our community and our rights to be who we want to be? Not to mention I think that parades seem to have been designed with skaters in mind.

Next time I will make sure we have a car at the end of the parade route to pick us up, because we had to walk all the way back (grin)

No Socks Skating

Part 2
Arch Burning-Toe Numbing Pain


Okay my skate from heal to toe fits like a glove, but it’s the ball of the foot to my little piggy that is too small and makes my toes squishy-sleepy-no-fun. Last week I wore no socks and I had no problems so I think I will try some real thin socks or nylons to see if that will help the comfort level. TBC…

On another note I have so far passed the minimum skills requirements I have been tested on and I am looking forward for the rest of the skills testing so I can Scrimmage.

Arch Burning-Toe Numbing Pain

My small follower’s thank you for your time, this will be a bit longer post than normal. I have actually written posts every Friday after practice but most of them just notes and little comments, thoughts and feelings nothing substantial to publish so this post will be a combination. Enjoy

The Battle of the Skates
Tools and Advice from people the interwebs with good old trial and error.

Part 1
Arch Burning-Toe Numbing Pain


Within society and particularly the part of society that controls fashion, the smaller breasts you have the cuter the bra. If you’re a man reading my blog then yes this is true, they tell you small is cute. It’s completely different with shoes the larger size shoe you have the more choices. I wear the smaller shoe they make for women and I generally have the least choices to choose from regarding style, type and cuteness, sometimes places don’t even carry my size 5 and I’ve had to buy a shoe in child’s sizes or buy a size larger and stuff the toe to fit me.

Back on track the reason I took time explain this is because when I walked into the Pro-Skate shop and they were selling a gently-use-once pair of size 5 shoes I jumped at the chance not knowing anything about skates or the way they should fit. I tried them on skated a few feet and in the overly excitement of what I was about to do jumped in and bought them without a second thought. Now I have only worn them for 8 sessions so I know I still have some breaking in to do. I started with 2 different pains, first the arch of my right foot would burn as if being pulled a different direction then rest of my foot and placed on hot coals and second my toes are going to sleep as if when I skate a merry lark of sheep dance about inside my shoes for my cute toes to count and fall into the dreamy land of painful needle sleep.

The burning in my arch was the first thing I attempted to fix, so asking around and reading up I determined this was a 2 part cause and effect first when you skate your right inner foot is doing most all of the hard work and my laces were too tight. I re-laced my skates skipping the eyelets right above my arch so the laces do not add extra pressure and that seemed to help along with stretch out and rubbing that portion of muscle in my foot before skating. I haven’t had the burning for a few sessions so I believed this helped.

Sleepy toes is still a big problem for me and I’m still experimenting with different methods the toe box and socks maybe even stretching the shoe out, so I will report later on what works and what doesn’t.

Here is a site with a ton of variations on how you can lace shoes and skates
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacingmethods.htm

Love and Bruises

The more I break into my skates the more I love Derby. My first night of skating in my brand new skates was the toughest, amidst 20 or so girls it felt like I was all alone because of the discomfort of new skates. The hard leather backs dug into my ankles and every lap it just got worse, my arches started this fire burn and then my toes went numb. Every lap it felt like skating on fire-numbing-ankle pinching-glass shards. Why is this fun?

Again this is a blog about me I swear (cross my heart) even though the last two posts are mostly about Indy this one will be about me, I promise!

So Indy in her cute way grabbed my new skates and much to my horror took out this tool and started tinkering with the nob on the bottom of the thing that the wheels attach too. Later I found out what she was doing was checking my trucks and tinkered with them because they were tightened all the way down for zero motion. Rule #1 Check Trunks.

Rule #2 Laces and Toe Box. My toes are going numb and not a happy I can’t feel them type of numb, it’s the tingly needle pricking numb that makes your eyes water if you think about it for too long numb also my the arches of my feet burn. So last night I started experiment with different shoe lacing strategies to prevent the arch burn so we will see how this goes. And for my toes I have to look at the toe box because there should be room for toes at the front of the shoe and also from side to side this might be why my toes are numb. Experiment with laces check toe box.

I was under the great impression contact sport meant contact with other girls. I was sadly mistaken when my first “contact” was with the cold hard floor. Yes I took my first epic fall last night and hard. I was practicing turn cross overs in derby stance when I crossed my right skate into the wheel of the left skates in motion causing a complete stopping type of action. How do I know this is what exactly happened? Because I was looking at the floor when I should have been looking forward but I was in derby stance so I did not do the chicken arm flaying thing and could tuck and landed on my side, my shoulder hurts but it could have been worse. Rule #3 Look up.

Photos by: Mr Ego, AKA Jason Santti



Why Derby?

I had a couple of people ask me why Derby?
I wanted to join Derby the moment we met Indy at my first Bout, watching girls lambaste each other in cute skirts and skates? Hell’s-yeah! Where do I sign up?... but occasionally I do trip over the respect I have for people, in this case because this was Indy’s thing I did not want to intrude and take “Thunder” away from her. (Hay, it’s called respect) Although I did show up at Jakes Halloween party dressed as a derby girl and was a little abashed when Indy also showed up wearing her actual derby outfit.

I reservedly talked to Indy about joining the league in January, but sadly this did not happen because I severely and randomly injured my back so I missed the opening…
Then became intimidated as only I can do to myself.

But as destiny would have it April 7th The Recreational Roller Derby League started their new 12-week Session. So I bought all my gear from Allie at the Hollywood Connection Pro Shop and with Indy’s sanction and the fact she smacked me around my head for ever thinking she was the Derby-Possessive-Thunder-Holding type of girl I joined!
(Insert Loud Triumphs of Music Here)…
then almost drowned in my own adrenaline rush, I have the feeling Indy will pull me out of one or more scrapes in this go round world of Derby.


Also I made up a line to a song to the tune of "Barbie Girl" by AQUA
I'm a Roller girl, in a Derby world
Wheels of plastic, it's fantastic!

Freshmeat

I’m the first to admit lately I’m not friendly, like a kicked dog it takes me a moment to warm up but I wanted to try to shake off this cold shoulder I have for people and meet new friends, get fit, and have fun, Honestly I wanted to skate. I think almost any girl who was a teenager in the 80’s wants to do nothing but be a skating super star minus the neon legwarmers, colored bangles and banana clips also it’s not much fun skating alone! So with the continuing presser of Indy I showed up to the Freshmeat Class all geared out and I was terrified – I even sat in the car outside the derby depo trying to talking myself out of it. Then another girl pulled in the parking stall next to me and I felt silly so I walked in, behind her... like a stalker hiding, but as I walked in Indy and the entire atmosphere of girls just embraced me. I think I'm going to have great fun in a Girl Smashing Derby kinda way! ;)

Trash Talkin’ Derby Blog

Okay I have been out of this Blog loop for a while now, and recently I have noticed some of my friends have blogs and it's fun to read and see what my friends are up too. So I posted a few days ago on our blog about our new lake in the basement, I think it went well and I have a little pride in posting. But I was still unsure of what I wanted to blog about until I started reading my friend IndyGo Wylde’s derby blog. She gave me inspiration to create this one and I love to give credit where credit is due so Great Appreciation and one Thank You Indy you’re an Awe-Derby-Inspiring Wonder Girl. So now I’m undertaking my own “Trash Talkin’ Derby Blog” for all my derby experiences.