My First Game
Well I played my first game with the Misfit Militia this month. I was only on one line and got bumped a number of times due to penalties or strategy plays (using the power jam line) but the moments I was on the track, it was a lot of fun. I got in a couple of decent hits but didn't really feel I had enough time to do too much.
I am very much looking forward to playing a game for real as I will be in two weeks with our house team the Bombshell Battalion. I am on three lines and pivoting as well as blocking. On this team I will not be the weakest link, which will be a really, really nice feeling.
I have to say I did get to feeling a bit down when playing with the Misfits. That is, not when actually playing (or sitting on the bench watching them play) but in the few practices before the game. It was an unfortunate thing that a number of the girls who were rostered were not coming to critical practices (though I was) and those of us who were new who were at practice sort of took the brunt of the anger towards those other players (as we were the players doing things wrong due to our newness/lack of knowledge/lack of skating skills). At least, that is how it felt to me.
Also, I have very good attention skills, and make good eye contact. I think this means sometimes I feel like everything the trainer is saying is being said to me (which may or may not be true). All the critical things anyway. Also, there was a bit of an imbalance of criticism to positive reinforcement and knowing when it is the best time to use either of these.
I am a coach at heart and would really like to see a lot more team think going on, and positive reinforcement. Cause, the thing is, when you suck, you kinda already know you suck. (At least I really do!) So, that doesn't mean that someone can't point out how to improve (showing you where you made your errors), that is important for learning not occur, but someone also needs to be pointing out when you have improved or note the effort that is being made. There is nothing more discouraging then really putting in a big effort and having no positive feedback or acknowledgement of it. It's one of those moments you throw your hands up in the air and think "Why am I even trying".
In any case, I am not usually so sensitive to such things but there has been a lot going on in my life and, you know, I actually do have feelings too. So, what I take away from this is that I am going to try harder now to take the bull by the horns and not feel stupid to speak up more to say things to other players, spread even more positivity than usual.
We have a lot of capable people in our league with some really excellent skill sets I have no doubt we will all continue to grow and learn how to be better in all of our different roles and get even better at being a cohesive team.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Testing
So many things have happened in my little derby world. Starting from where I left you in January one of the biggest things was doing the advanced test in February and not making it into the advanced practices or the possibility of being rostered for the Misfits home game in March. This sort of bummed me out, even though in my heart of hearts I hadn't really thought I was going to be quite good enough to make it.
Meh. No one likes the feeling of not being good enough. But, I did not let it get me down, I made sure to be super positive to the girls who had made it, my peers from Freshmeat particularly, who felt bad for me. I knew that all it meant was I had to get better.
So instead of being in that game I was the Head NSO, which was also a cool thing which I had never done before. I was lucky to have Keri Deway (who was playing in the game) very much help me with the scoreboard as I had never actually run it before, and it was on her old computer which was being a bit dodgy. I had a lot of fun, even though the arena was FREEZING that night. Our girls won that game by a fair margin so it was good feelings all around.
This is me sitting at the computer with my derby sister's daughter
(and junior roller derby girl) who is helping NSO.
Photo Credit - Meg McKenna
Jump forward to April and it is retest time for the advanced practices and possibility to be rostered on our league's A team (travel team) the Misfit Militia (currently ranked #15 out of 84 in Canada). I had been working very hard to get my transitions better and though they had improved they are still not what they should be. I was feeling kinda down about it. I was a bit of an Eeyore going into the test but I did try my hardest anyway.
Happily I found out that I had passed the advanced testing and was now able to go to advanced practices and be considered for the roster for the Misfits. And, then, yes, you guessed it, I DID get rostered for the Misfits home game coming up on May 12th. Yay! I am only on one line so may not see a lot of track time but I will be doing my best to block the shit out of that jammer with the time that I do get.
I have been just delighted by all of my friends, homeschool, hiking and otherwise getting excited and buying tickets to come out and see me play. It is super duper awesome and I can't wait to hear what they all have to say. Most (if not all) have never been to a derby game so it should be pretty fun and interesting for them. Who doesn't love derby?
Scrimmages
There have also been a couple of scrimmages since I last wrote. There was an open black and white scrimmage hosted by GTAR and then there was our league being invited to scrimmage with the Betties who were prepping for Beast of the East.
Here we are all looking in the right direction, behind us! That's where the action takes place, I'm the pivot in this one.
Photo credit - Sean Murphy
Both events were really fun but I learned a lot more from the Betties game. This isn't really surprising as they are a well oiled team and had strategies that they were trying out on us and such. The great part was getting to watch them do their thing and then also the times when one of them would come over and chat with us and give us some pointers. It was really nice that they took the time to share their knowledge, we all appreciated it.
Here we are doing a pretty decent job of blocking. I am the leftmost player
then Sara Phim pivoting by my side and Randy Rollin on her way.
Photo Credit - Sean Murphy
The day of the Betties scrimmage was the day I also happened to get new wheels and bearings. The difference was just HUGE. I felt like I was moving so fast on my new wheels, I couldn't believe it. It was SO awesome. Now I am trying to use my new wheel lay out, omegas and stingrays, to do better power stops (don't have them yet) and turns and the like.
Here we are trying to help our jammer through. My eyes are narrowed, I'm heading for Renny Rumble.
Photo Credit - Sean Murphy
Skillz
Well I did pass my advanced test but not by miles. There are many, many things that I need to improve on. Aren't there always?
Of course as is always with tests, sometimes you do shitty on things you are actually usually good at and sometimes you do well on things you mostly suck at. This certainly happened to me the first time I took the test. Initially I did stuff I had never done before, a power slide (not well mind you but I did it) jumped over the two foot pylons (again, had never tried, really thought I couldn't do it, another awesome derby girl shouted me into it). Yet one foot weaving which I do really well normally, particularly with my left leg, I totally messed up. Also I did horrible hitting. But, so it goes with tests.
The second time I took the test I did not have to redo the things I had already scored perfectly on (there weren't many of these) but could retry any skills which I had less then perfect, but I would never lower my score if I did worse. I improved enough to pass but there are still lots of things which I need to work on. These include but are not limited to: backwards crossovers and just overall ease with skating backwards (I know the more comfortable I am backwards the better I will be with transitions), transitions (yes I'm better but still not like the pros), tomahawks (being more comfortable with these will also help me do better transitions), getting low just like, ALL the time, no elbows as I leave a hit (even though I realize I'm not pushing it looks like it and of course I will get called on it), skating sideways (I can't even do this still fighting issues with my knockneededness trying hard to stretch those tendons out and strengthen my knees) and I'm sure many other things but those are what I am working on currently.
Me up on my toes, as I was for an hour and a half for this class. It was really cool, I actually use my toe stops now.
Photo Credit - Sean Murphy
One of the things that really helped me improve my skills was going to the training camp in Montreal. It was really amazing. I would love to do a training camp again it is an amazing way to get better skills. I had meant to write a long entry about it and all of the drills we did and the shenanigans, but then, I didn't. I think I may still do a drill entry because I have to sort that out in my head for junior derby anyway. Stay tuned for that excitement. :)
Derby Life
Things in the league have been going well. There have been little personality ups and downs but in the end derby brings everyone back on track, literally. Skating as team and having to rely on each other does force one to get over any little issues they may have with teammates and watching the girls it seems this plays out well. The team is more important than any annoyances, and that seems right to me.
It has been a really neat thing feeling more and more a part of the team. Now that I am scheduled to play in the May 12th game I feel even more a part of the team. It makes me feel special every time I put on my Renegades jacket with my name and number on it, or one of my team shirts. Catching myself in mirrors wearing them makes me smile. It's these little things that really add to the whole derby experience, being a part of something bigger than you and all that. It is neat.
It seems I went from a dry well to a full one as far as playing games is concerned. I have the Misfit's game in two weeks and then I've been asked to play on the B Team (house team), The Bombshell Battalion, in June and then I will be playing with the league in the Freshmeat tournament 2Fresh2Furious (having still played less then three bouts I am fine to play) in July. Yay! I am super excited about having a game a month, it's gonna be lots of experience. I will feel decidedly less like a newbie by the end of July.
Also I did get the Alliston Junior Roller Derby up and running! It may have been a bit bumpy but the programme is going super well. We have nine girls and two boys (refs in training) it is a lot of fun so far and I really hope to be able to get game for them at some point. Right now that part isn't looking good. I thought it would be easier since before I got it up and running two people were asking me when we could book a game and now that it is actually up and running one says they are totally booked and the other I haven't heard back from in a while. Sigh. Oh well, the kids will be doing a demo on the 12th, at the home game and that will be lots of fun and give them a chance to show their stuff.
Looking forward to my first game, I will be updating you for sure. After that game my blog title becomes a lie. Hahahahaha...
Derby love.
*daemon.
All photos in this entry are credited to Sean Murphy, if you'd like to check out more of his work go to http://www.girlsofderby.com/ there are a lot of very cool derby pictures there, just scroll down.
So many things have happened in my little derby world. Starting from where I left you in January one of the biggest things was doing the advanced test in February and not making it into the advanced practices or the possibility of being rostered for the Misfits home game in March. This sort of bummed me out, even though in my heart of hearts I hadn't really thought I was going to be quite good enough to make it.
Meh. No one likes the feeling of not being good enough. But, I did not let it get me down, I made sure to be super positive to the girls who had made it, my peers from Freshmeat particularly, who felt bad for me. I knew that all it meant was I had to get better.
So instead of being in that game I was the Head NSO, which was also a cool thing which I had never done before. I was lucky to have Keri Deway (who was playing in the game) very much help me with the scoreboard as I had never actually run it before, and it was on her old computer which was being a bit dodgy. I had a lot of fun, even though the arena was FREEZING that night. Our girls won that game by a fair margin so it was good feelings all around.
(and junior roller derby girl) who is helping NSO.
Photo Credit - Meg McKenna
Jump forward to April and it is retest time for the advanced practices and possibility to be rostered on our league's A team (travel team) the Misfit Militia (currently ranked #15 out of 84 in Canada). I had been working very hard to get my transitions better and though they had improved they are still not what they should be. I was feeling kinda down about it. I was a bit of an Eeyore going into the test but I did try my hardest anyway.
Happily I found out that I had passed the advanced testing and was now able to go to advanced practices and be considered for the roster for the Misfits. And, then, yes, you guessed it, I DID get rostered for the Misfits home game coming up on May 12th. Yay! I am only on one line so may not see a lot of track time but I will be doing my best to block the shit out of that jammer with the time that I do get.
I have been just delighted by all of my friends, homeschool, hiking and otherwise getting excited and buying tickets to come out and see me play. It is super duper awesome and I can't wait to hear what they all have to say. Most (if not all) have never been to a derby game so it should be pretty fun and interesting for them. Who doesn't love derby?
Scrimmages
There have also been a couple of scrimmages since I last wrote. There was an open black and white scrimmage hosted by GTAR and then there was our league being invited to scrimmage with the Betties who were prepping for Beast of the East.
Photo credit - Sean Murphy
Both events were really fun but I learned a lot more from the Betties game. This isn't really surprising as they are a well oiled team and had strategies that they were trying out on us and such. The great part was getting to watch them do their thing and then also the times when one of them would come over and chat with us and give us some pointers. It was really nice that they took the time to share their knowledge, we all appreciated it.
then Sara Phim pivoting by my side and Randy Rollin on her way.
Photo Credit - Sean Murphy
The day of the Betties scrimmage was the day I also happened to get new wheels and bearings. The difference was just HUGE. I felt like I was moving so fast on my new wheels, I couldn't believe it. It was SO awesome. Now I am trying to use my new wheel lay out, omegas and stingrays, to do better power stops (don't have them yet) and turns and the like.
Photo Credit - Sean Murphy
Skillz
Well I did pass my advanced test but not by miles. There are many, many things that I need to improve on. Aren't there always?
Of course as is always with tests, sometimes you do shitty on things you are actually usually good at and sometimes you do well on things you mostly suck at. This certainly happened to me the first time I took the test. Initially I did stuff I had never done before, a power slide (not well mind you but I did it) jumped over the two foot pylons (again, had never tried, really thought I couldn't do it, another awesome derby girl shouted me into it). Yet one foot weaving which I do really well normally, particularly with my left leg, I totally messed up. Also I did horrible hitting. But, so it goes with tests.
The second time I took the test I did not have to redo the things I had already scored perfectly on (there weren't many of these) but could retry any skills which I had less then perfect, but I would never lower my score if I did worse. I improved enough to pass but there are still lots of things which I need to work on. These include but are not limited to: backwards crossovers and just overall ease with skating backwards (I know the more comfortable I am backwards the better I will be with transitions), transitions (yes I'm better but still not like the pros), tomahawks (being more comfortable with these will also help me do better transitions), getting low just like, ALL the time, no elbows as I leave a hit (even though I realize I'm not pushing it looks like it and of course I will get called on it), skating sideways (I can't even do this still fighting issues with my knockneededness trying hard to stretch those tendons out and strengthen my knees) and I'm sure many other things but those are what I am working on currently.
Photo Credit - Sean Murphy
One of the things that really helped me improve my skills was going to the training camp in Montreal. It was really amazing. I would love to do a training camp again it is an amazing way to get better skills. I had meant to write a long entry about it and all of the drills we did and the shenanigans, but then, I didn't. I think I may still do a drill entry because I have to sort that out in my head for junior derby anyway. Stay tuned for that excitement. :)
Derby Life
Things in the league have been going well. There have been little personality ups and downs but in the end derby brings everyone back on track, literally. Skating as team and having to rely on each other does force one to get over any little issues they may have with teammates and watching the girls it seems this plays out well. The team is more important than any annoyances, and that seems right to me.
It has been a really neat thing feeling more and more a part of the team. Now that I am scheduled to play in the May 12th game I feel even more a part of the team. It makes me feel special every time I put on my Renegades jacket with my name and number on it, or one of my team shirts. Catching myself in mirrors wearing them makes me smile. It's these little things that really add to the whole derby experience, being a part of something bigger than you and all that. It is neat.
It seems I went from a dry well to a full one as far as playing games is concerned. I have the Misfit's game in two weeks and then I've been asked to play on the B Team (house team), The Bombshell Battalion, in June and then I will be playing with the league in the Freshmeat tournament 2Fresh2Furious (having still played less then three bouts I am fine to play) in July. Yay! I am super excited about having a game a month, it's gonna be lots of experience. I will feel decidedly less like a newbie by the end of July.
Also I did get the Alliston Junior Roller Derby up and running! It may have been a bit bumpy but the programme is going super well. We have nine girls and two boys (refs in training) it is a lot of fun so far and I really hope to be able to get game for them at some point. Right now that part isn't looking good. I thought it would be easier since before I got it up and running two people were asking me when we could book a game and now that it is actually up and running one says they are totally booked and the other I haven't heard back from in a while. Sigh. Oh well, the kids will be doing a demo on the 12th, at the home game and that will be lots of fun and give them a chance to show their stuff.
Looking forward to my first game, I will be updating you for sure. After that game my blog title becomes a lie. Hahahahaha...
Derby love.
*daemon.
All photos in this entry are credited to Sean Murphy, if you'd like to check out more of his work go to http://www.girlsofderby.com/ there are a lot of very cool derby pictures there, just scroll down.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
New Year Updates
Well I have been sadly remiss in keeping up with my blog, but why don't I make it a New Years resolution. Those work right? For now, here's some catch up (not ketchup, or even catsup though with me there are generally tomatoes involved).
Roller Derby World Cup
So I got to attend this extremely monumental first for the world of roller derby. My darling husband and good friend both accompanied me on my birthday (perfect present!), for the final day of the cup. It was really amazing.
There is something very magical about big sports events no matter what, particularly if you do have a team or person for whom you are specially cheering. As human beings we are all affected in a crowd of chanting people, it does things to your brain. It's such an intensity that's so particular, screaming for your team to win, and really, really meaning it. Gotta love that adrenalin.
It was so neat to see this sort of intense revelry that was also attached to some nationalism. That was cool. I don't really see or feel that that often from Canadians. Our nationalism is increasing but it's not often you're in a room full of people chanting CA-NA-DA, CA-NA-DA! I can really see why americans use nationalism to unite their people, it is SO effective. If someone had turned us (the screaming derby fans) on an enemy we probably would have just flattened them.
Also of course, the derby was just, well, world class. The Americans dominated the games heavily, but that was no surprise to anyone and it was amazing to watch. One of the things I love so much about derby is the openness to accepting what you are and working towards being what you want to be. If you know me as a Life Coach it will seem obvious why. Its okay to suck, I mean if you hafta, (and we all do some times in some ways), but if you want to you can try and get better, and with practice, you WILL!
So it was great at the world cup to see that ideal played out completely. Teams who were beyond outmatched by the Americans and others, faced them, and they all tried their hardest anyway, knowing they were fighting a losing fight. Pushing as hard as you can in the face of certain failure is a very, very difficult thing to do. Not everyone has the cahones to do that. But, they did, and they knew that they were gonna learn one hell of a whole lot from the experience.
Now each of those teams is going to go back to their home country and watch those tapes of the games and learn and learn and learn, and at the next Derby World Cup, the Americans are going to have to fight a little bit harder to win. That will be so super cool, but of course it won't be here in cold country again but who knows maybe I will be able to go.
The Team Canada skaters were just awesome. My favourites were Smack Daddy, who won MVP of the games, and Luludemon. Both just amazing skaters and great derby players. There were of course SO many amazing skaters there playing and I'm sure every derby girl in attendance walked away from those games with dreams of being as good as one of the girls they had seen playing. I know I did.
League Business
All things derby have been going just swimmingly. The league that I am now a part of, the Renegade Derby Dames, is just really lovely. I'm very fond of watching the very different personality types that come together to make up a league. Sometimes it can be interesting watching women do their social dances, sometimes a little frustrating, but mostly I find when you're all going for the same goal it works out just fine.
At christmas the league had a little party and we did secret santa which was very cute. I was lucky and got a super secret santa who got me star socks and a squishy and warm scarf. I love both things. I felt lucky cause you never know with secret santas, especially since I am new and stuff and didn't/don't really know everyone yet.
I attended my first league meeting yesterday, in a board room, for three hours. Sigh. I did have a headache when I got home but it wasn't because the meeting was horrible. We actually got a whole lot of stuff dealt with and it was good learning how the league actually works and who does what and that sort of thing. It's tedious, as minutea is, but very important, as minutea is, it's what keeps the machine running smoothly and I'm all for that.
So, I joined some committees and put in my two cents, as you know I am prone to do, and felt even more a part of the whole thing. It was also great to hear about the upcoming games that are scheduled and start to think about the games I will actually get to play for realz! I am very excited about that.
Also, it turns out I am now starting the Junior League. I was going to be helping whomever it was who was starting the league, but it turns out no one had really taken that bull by the horns. So, I will be learning a lot quickly and getting that rolling; luckily I do have three derby sisters who are all ready to help and be set to tasks, so that's awesome. I am excited about getting this rolling as I can't wait for Ingrid to get to take part in derby, and she's really into it too.
My Skillz
Let's see, what is going on with my skating? Things that are bothering me intensely that I can not do are all centred around my inability to do transitions. I can't do transitions!!! Gah!! Transitions, for the non-skating folk, are when you are skating in one direction, say forward, and you quickly switch direction, here is a video of it. (I like that one cause she does it slowly so you can really see the skills required, I also really like this one for sideways skating instruction) This means I can not change direction of skating quickly. This is very BAD!! One of the problems I have is "opening my hips" as shown in that second video linked. I'm working on it.
I need to be able to do transitions to keep up with the advanced skating, and to eventually pass that test to skate in the advanced class in hopes of being used eventually for the A team (travel team). In keeping with this I have to skate better backwards. I have absolutely improved in my backwards skating, in that I can actually do it decently now, but I'm certainly not a super comfortable backwards skater. I feel that if I was more comfortable skating backwards it would help with me my transitions as well.
I also have to jump better. The thing with this one is I can't really practice getting better at it as I can't really jump yet because of my knee. So, I do think about this and perhaps will have to think about some exercises I can do to practice the motion of pulling my knees up to my chin rather then just getting lateral height. There are of course many other things that I need to improve upon; many other things. Endurance, fast feet, getting low, more stops better, sharking, hopping etc.
I do have to say though that with each practice I feel I must be a tiny bit better because they are not easy. We are made to work very hard. I absolutely love it, as I enjoy being pushed hard in a positive way. I want to be better and the only way that will happen is if I push hard and keep trying. In keeping with that I shall now continue my ballet stretches to open my hips. Aaaand, stretch one, two, three, four!
Derby love from your Daemon Star
Roller Derby World Cup
So I got to attend this extremely monumental first for the world of roller derby. My darling husband and good friend both accompanied me on my birthday (perfect present!), for the final day of the cup. It was really amazing.
Here is a fuzzy picture of us at the World Cup.
There is something very magical about big sports events no matter what, particularly if you do have a team or person for whom you are specially cheering. As human beings we are all affected in a crowd of chanting people, it does things to your brain. It's such an intensity that's so particular, screaming for your team to win, and really, really meaning it. Gotta love that adrenalin.
Here is team USA getting ready to start the final game.
Also of course, the derby was just, well, world class. The Americans dominated the games heavily, but that was no surprise to anyone and it was amazing to watch. One of the things I love so much about derby is the openness to accepting what you are and working towards being what you want to be. If you know me as a Life Coach it will seem obvious why. Its okay to suck, I mean if you hafta, (and we all do some times in some ways), but if you want to you can try and get better, and with practice, you WILL!
The final score of the final between Canada and USA, and we got more points against them then all other teams combined.
So it was great at the world cup to see that ideal played out completely. Teams who were beyond outmatched by the Americans and others, faced them, and they all tried their hardest anyway, knowing they were fighting a losing fight. Pushing as hard as you can in the face of certain failure is a very, very difficult thing to do. Not everyone has the cahones to do that. But, they did, and they knew that they were gonna learn one hell of a whole lot from the experience.
Now each of those teams is going to go back to their home country and watch those tapes of the games and learn and learn and learn, and at the next Derby World Cup, the Americans are going to have to fight a little bit harder to win. That will be so super cool, but of course it won't be here in cold country again but who knows maybe I will be able to go.
Team Canada girls waiting for their turn to go back up. You can see Luludemon there on the right.
League Business
All things derby have been going just swimmingly. The league that I am now a part of, the Renegade Derby Dames, is just really lovely. I'm very fond of watching the very different personality types that come together to make up a league. Sometimes it can be interesting watching women do their social dances, sometimes a little frustrating, but mostly I find when you're all going for the same goal it works out just fine.
At christmas the league had a little party and we did secret santa which was very cute. I was lucky and got a super secret santa who got me star socks and a squishy and warm scarf. I love both things. I felt lucky cause you never know with secret santas, especially since I am new and stuff and didn't/don't really know everyone yet.
My awesome socks and squishy scarf.
So, I joined some committees and put in my two cents, as you know I am prone to do, and felt even more a part of the whole thing. It was also great to hear about the upcoming games that are scheduled and start to think about the games I will actually get to play for realz! I am very excited about that.
Also, it turns out I am now starting the Junior League. I was going to be helping whomever it was who was starting the league, but it turns out no one had really taken that bull by the horns. So, I will be learning a lot quickly and getting that rolling; luckily I do have three derby sisters who are all ready to help and be set to tasks, so that's awesome. I am excited about getting this rolling as I can't wait for Ingrid to get to take part in derby, and she's really into it too.
My Skillz
Let's see, what is going on with my skating? Things that are bothering me intensely that I can not do are all centred around my inability to do transitions. I can't do transitions!!! Gah!! Transitions, for the non-skating folk, are when you are skating in one direction, say forward, and you quickly switch direction, here is a video of it. (I like that one cause she does it slowly so you can really see the skills required, I also really like this one for sideways skating instruction) This means I can not change direction of skating quickly. This is very BAD!! One of the problems I have is "opening my hips" as shown in that second video linked. I'm working on it.
I need to be able to do transitions to keep up with the advanced skating, and to eventually pass that test to skate in the advanced class in hopes of being used eventually for the A team (travel team). In keeping with this I have to skate better backwards. I have absolutely improved in my backwards skating, in that I can actually do it decently now, but I'm certainly not a super comfortable backwards skater. I feel that if I was more comfortable skating backwards it would help with me my transitions as well.
I also have to jump better. The thing with this one is I can't really practice getting better at it as I can't really jump yet because of my knee. So, I do think about this and perhaps will have to think about some exercises I can do to practice the motion of pulling my knees up to my chin rather then just getting lateral height. There are of course many other things that I need to improve upon; many other things. Endurance, fast feet, getting low, more stops better, sharking, hopping etc.
I do have to say though that with each practice I feel I must be a tiny bit better because they are not easy. We are made to work very hard. I absolutely love it, as I enjoy being pushed hard in a positive way. I want to be better and the only way that will happen is if I push hard and keep trying. In keeping with that I shall now continue my ballet stretches to open my hips. Aaaand, stretch one, two, three, four!
Derby love from your Daemon Star
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Time for New Stuff
The Test
Well I took WFTDA basic requirements skills test and written test a couple of weeks ago and... (cue music) I passed! Yay me!
How on earth was I even able to take the whole test, you may be wondering, what about the knee injury? Well the Friday before the test I thought, lets just try this knee out and see, because it had been feeling so much better. I put on my skates and tried some knee falls, very slowly. I did two on each. I was gleeful.
It got me thinking, you know maybe I will be able to do the whole test, although, I must say, I had sort of forgotten how many falls there are and how many skills actually strain my knee. But, in any case, my plan had changed, now I was trying to figure out ways of making my knee get me through the test instead of just planning on not even trying to do those parts of the test.
So when the test came I was pumped of course, test days always get the adrenaline flowing, but I felt good. It just so happened that everything happened in the perfect order for me. There were a number of league derby girls there to help out with testing and everyone was very friendly and helpful. It was clear everyone wanted you to do well.
We did the endurance first. I did not get twenty-five, which annoyed me, but twenty-four is nothing to scowl about, so I didn't. Then I was happy to be in the group that did the non-fall section first. This was just lucky because all the skills with derby stance skating would have been a LOT harder for me after the fall section.
So the fall section which also included hops and weaving was straining for me. There is now doubt. At the end I was just willing myself to do them perfectly so I wouldn't have to do anything more then once. Luckily this was nearly always the case but it was still a lot of pushing myself up on the bad knee which it isn't really that fond of. I had to do the weave a second time, also the hops, which I ended up losing marks on anyway, but that was fine. I just couldn't bend into the end of the hop like you are supposed to, my knee was hurting too much at that point.
But it all went beautifully. I was so pleased I got through it. After the skills we wrote the written which they told us to expect to fail, much as they had told us at ToRD. In both cases I was told that the test is very hard, most girls do not pass it, it's not a big deal, you can study harder and retake it.
Most of us Freshies who had taken the test met at Crabby Joe's after the testing and waited for our coach Keri Daway to get there and let us know how we did. I really enjoyed getting to hang out with some of the girls from freshmeat in a more real way and starting to know them a little bit. They are some funny girls. I love funny people.
Most of us had passed the skills test, a couple of the girls would return to retest parts they had failed. I happened to be the only one who passed the written and Keri made me feel special about that which was very cute. I felt like a million bucks sitting there, having passed, finally having reached that goal, surrounded by my new teammates and friends. A million bucks.
Isn't life interesting like that? What a little thing you have to accomplish in your life to make you feel like a million bucks. Pass a test to play a sport you want to play. I know I try not to leach Life Coaching stuff onto this blog but I tell you folks, you should think about that a bit. What would you have to accomplish in your life to make you feel like a million bucks? Is there one specific thing you can start working on right now? I bet there is.
League Practice
This was an experience an a half. There was little time to stop and catch your breath between drills or think about what was going on or meet any of the other girls on the team who were smiling or saying things to you. There were four other of my freshie buddies there and I thought we all did pretty darn well for our first time.
We first did some intense aerobic/skate skill drills. These included things like skating fast to a pylon, dropping into a deadman (laying on the ground on stomach) then jumping up to return to start line, then skating to further point doing another skill, return etc. etc. Lots of skating and dropping and getting up. My knee felt this one but I ended up just not doing as many falls as everyone else cause it was too much.
Then we did an insanity drill where we skated around the track as fast as we could for thirty seconds before stopping to do thirty squats, then the thirty second fast skate then stop and do thirty push-ups, then skate, then sit-up then repeating the pattern dropping the rep number of squats, sit-ups and push-ups. This. was. insane. Even the really super fit skater girls were skating a bit slower in that last thirty second speed round.
Keri then did a teaching session of a couple of the moves she learned at the latest clinic she had attended. This was super neat too, I learned a move! The one that I liked and could do the best is called the burrito. This is something to capture and move a girl who is skating away from you. From behind her you lean forward and then sideways across the front of her with our arms outstretched, the side of your torso pressing agains her armpit/torso. Anyway, when you are doing this, holy shit, you can just skate them off the track, the only way to get out of it is to transition backwards around the skater who has captured you. Good move. Definitely going to have to become more adept with that one.
The other move was similar but wrapping your ass around her, sort of. I could't really do this one that well as my transitions require work. They are a serious weak spot. Though, I must say, at that league practice I got a bit better at them after getting a little help from a freshie buddy and some good practice time trying to wrap my butt around someone. Good times.
At the end of practice we got to scrimmage. Favourite! I love scrimmaging. So much fun. It was so cool to get to play with real derby girls, just like I was some kind of real derby girl. Hee, hee, hee. I love my life.
I ended up blocking kind of okay but when I got to jam, which I only did once and it was at the end, I failed miserably. In freshie scrimmages in the past I had been pretty great at getting through the pack but here I was just completely held at the back by one of the blockers. I didn't have a lot left in me by that point either I must admit. But I'll show them soon enough. I am going to be a jammer and a blocker, double threat!
So, not shockingly, I have stuff to learn. I shall learn it! I'm excited about how much more comfortable I have been feeling on my skates lately, and that is even with a hurt knee. I'm very anxious for it to heal all the way so I can try harder stuff and push harder to learn new things.
World Cup
It's here!! I'm so very excited. I have been watching the updates and some live coverage on DNN which is absolutely amazing and great and awesome. This is my birthday weekend and I and my darling man, and my good friend will be heading to the Cup tomorrow to see the finals. Whee! I'm so excited about it. I will be spending money on t-shirts, and as I have yet to buy a shirt at an event I won't even feel bad about it.
Everything is turning up derby and I'm loving it!
*twinkle*twinkle*deamonstar.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Bad knees and faster skating
Bad Knees
So derby babies it has been a while. I have been trapped under a rock while fighting ninjas, or something like that. In fact while doing that, or taking my sailboat out of the water, I totally screwed up my knee.
So injuries are a royal pain aren't they? Having a knee that you are unable to bend makes doing pretty much everything derby a whole lot harder. Most basically it keeps me from being in derby stance. Then there is the whole part of how I can't fall onto my knees, thereby making proper knee falls a bit tricky. I can't even do the knee fall on the opposite knee because rising out of the fall means putting pounds of pressure on my bad knee which isn't happening. So, there is that.
I have been to the doctor and she told me that I had been handling the injury very well. That is, taking Aleve, icing it daily (more so on days of some strain) and doing some derby but not being an idiot and pushing past real pain. The knee has twice now improved after being pushed a bit at derby but I really need to get a physio appointment pronto! It's in the works. I shall physio and be healed.
Faster Skating
Besides that annoyance I have been slowly improving in my skating abilities. I started skating with Renegade Derby Dames/Misfit Militia in November and it's been nothing but good times. The people in the league are super, super nice and have been warm and welcoming to me.
Not only did they let me (and anyone else in the same situation) pay less to enter their freshmeat (very late) but also they have been really great about accommodating my needs with my injury. That is, we are having our test on Sunday but I will not be able to complete all of it. Specifically, I will not be able to do knee falls. But, there is nothing I can do about that, I have to wait for my knee to heal. Kerri Daway assures me that when my knee heals we will just finish up whatever parts of the test I was unable to complete. I think I should be able to do everything else but we shall see how it goes.
Speaking of parts of the test, guess who finally did twenty-five in five? Yeah, that's right, me! Twenty-five laps in five minutes, yay me! This accomplishment has really made me so happy. I guess because I was stuck at twenty-three and a half for so long it was starting to feel as though it would never change. So, there ya' go, practice does make a difference, eventually.
Also, I picked a name and number. Deamon Star *00*
Well, I shall have more to write soon though finding the time for it is really the challenge.
Derby Love
So derby babies it has been a while. I have been trapped under a rock while fighting ninjas, or something like that. In fact while doing that, or taking my sailboat out of the water, I totally screwed up my knee.
So injuries are a royal pain aren't they? Having a knee that you are unable to bend makes doing pretty much everything derby a whole lot harder. Most basically it keeps me from being in derby stance. Then there is the whole part of how I can't fall onto my knees, thereby making proper knee falls a bit tricky. I can't even do the knee fall on the opposite knee because rising out of the fall means putting pounds of pressure on my bad knee which isn't happening. So, there is that.
I have been to the doctor and she told me that I had been handling the injury very well. That is, taking Aleve, icing it daily (more so on days of some strain) and doing some derby but not being an idiot and pushing past real pain. The knee has twice now improved after being pushed a bit at derby but I really need to get a physio appointment pronto! It's in the works. I shall physio and be healed.
Faster Skating
Besides that annoyance I have been slowly improving in my skating abilities. I started skating with Renegade Derby Dames/Misfit Militia in November and it's been nothing but good times. The people in the league are super, super nice and have been warm and welcoming to me.
Not only did they let me (and anyone else in the same situation) pay less to enter their freshmeat (very late) but also they have been really great about accommodating my needs with my injury. That is, we are having our test on Sunday but I will not be able to complete all of it. Specifically, I will not be able to do knee falls. But, there is nothing I can do about that, I have to wait for my knee to heal. Kerri Daway assures me that when my knee heals we will just finish up whatever parts of the test I was unable to complete. I think I should be able to do everything else but we shall see how it goes.
Speaking of parts of the test, guess who finally did twenty-five in five? Yeah, that's right, me! Twenty-five laps in five minutes, yay me! This accomplishment has really made me so happy. I guess because I was stuck at twenty-three and a half for so long it was starting to feel as though it would never change. So, there ya' go, practice does make a difference, eventually.
Also, I picked a name and number. Deamon Star *00*
Well, I shall have more to write soon though finding the time for it is really the challenge.
Derby Love
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Cue Dramatic Music
Well, I did my skate test on Sunday. It was a gruelling day for all involved; an hour and a half of "bootcamp" (as we hadn't skated with our rollergirl teachers in three months), then straight into two and a half hours of testing which ended (NOT my bright idea) with the twenty five laps in five minutes part.
I did not pass. I did get close mind you, I got sixty-nine percent where seventy-one is required. When Bryan, the manager of the Chicks Ahoy (my favourite team) walked over to me and said lets talk about your results, I knew I had failed. He's a nice guy and had been part of the testing and clearly felt bad, the results were telegraphed.
I have always appreciated my ability to read micro expressions the most when it comes to bad news. It often gives me time to internally compose myself before being told the bad news so I can look like a champ when they actually say it. I did require some composure because I was pretty ticked off when I saw a few of the marks I had lost.
It's pretty impossible not to just sound like a whinger when talking about how you shouldn't have lost points you did in a test so I certainly didn't go on about it. I did tell Bryan I disagreed with a couple of them just for the record, but I am aware it doesn't matter in the end anyway. I failed, the decisions were already made so that was the end of that.
It is frustrating to feel pretty confident that the mark would have been different in a different testing scenario where the very few testers hadn't just finished a two hour practice of their own team before skating for three more hours with us. There are other sciencey sort of reasons about decision making fatigue and the human tendency to see trends especially in small populations and that sort of stuff but none of that really makes a difference either in the end. It is as it is.
I do the think the girls/boy testing did their best and they are all really nice people. They tried hard to help us with the bootcamp and I got some really great tips from Rebel Rock-it (who is just an incredible blocker if you ever see her play) about ways to strengthen my legs to try and counteract my physiological issue of having knock-knees, which of course effects my balance and skating. So, that was really cool.
I do feel I learned a lot, if nothing else that I can skate for four hours and still do an endurance at the end and get twenty-three laps in five minutes. Not a perfect score but I was pretty impressed considering when we began the endurance the first two minutes I was thinking, shit, I'm not even going to get twenty here. This feeling of doom was added to as the few other girls I was testing with were all higher calibre skaters then I (two were transfer rollergirls from BC), and both of the girls on the track with me did around twenty-eight laps in the allotted five minutes. It was good mind training, not getting defeated in the face of better athletes.
On the up side now it's done! Hahaha... I shall take away as much as I can from it and move on. I have already been in contact with the Renegade Derby Dames (their farm team is The Misfit Militia) who skate in Alliston, which is much closer to me anyway, and will be skating with them as of next weekend. I will be able to retake my test at the end of November which sounds fine to me. I really look forward to meeting them and getting to be a part of a league for real.
I really wish I could have continued with ToRD though, I'm sad to leave the girls I went through freshmeat with and all the people I was just starting to get to know and whatnot. I was really excited to skate with them on the D-Vas. But, unfortunately, the only choice I would have with them is to redo the whole freshmeat programme and then be able to try again for the test, next summer. That's a bit insane for me for numerous reasons, the biggest one being I want to start playing derby already I know how skate well enough to be on a farm team.
I was very touched by the response my news got on facebook. I'm not big on being felt sorry for and wrote my news there for continuity. I knew I had been talking about the test for days so everyone would want to know how it went. It was nice that there was a lot more empathy then anything else and I really appreciated the love being sent my way. I even had a couple of girls I skated with in freshmeat personally message me kind words. Super sweet. Thank you all of you.
So, for the record here are the things which I was marked down on (lost one point):
3.3.2 - hop from one foot to other - I do need to improve with this clearly, I didn't even realise it was on the test until a few days before it
3.5 - cone weaving - well, this one was just unfortunate, I did this perfectly four times practicing an hour earlier but when it came time to do it for the test... poo.
1.6.2 - propel with eight wheels on the ground - this one as well, I hadn't practice correctly. That is, I knew we had to do this, and I do it well - when I'm moving. I hadn't realised we have to start from a standstill. This is WAY harder. It's really the starting that they are testing as we skated only a short distance, what they were looking for was the ability to get up to speed from standstill while keeping all wheels on the ground. I shall absolutely be practicing this.
5.2 - positional blocking - I did a fairly crap job of this for the test, I was tired it was near the end, it's not my strongest ability anyway.
5.3.1 - hip blocking - I disagree with this mark off but will continue to practice I can only get better.
5.3.2 - shoulder blocking - I disagree with this mark off but will continue to practice I can only get better.
4.1.3 - receiving hip whip - I STRONGLY disagree with this mark. I find this VERY easy and simply stumbled on my last try as I was getting tired (we did it three times though and it is meant to be best one of out three; two were perfect)
4.3 - pacing speed - I STRONGLY disagree with this mark as well. I am very good at this. (Not only in my estimation, I have been told so numerous times by rollergirls in class.) Also I had my arm up often (as it is about staying an arms length away from girl in front of you at all times as line speeds up and slows down) to check. I will note however that all of the other girls (who were overall better skaters then me) had trouble with this as they were all commenting about it afterward and I know the girl in front of me bumped into the pace keeper a couple of times.
2.1.2 - single knee fall right - I don't understand what would possibly have been wrong with this either but I have to imagine something - practice, practice, practice.
1.4 - 23-25 laps in five min
So, there you have it. I shall now strive to improve on these things. It is interesting to note that one of the things I had been worried about, jumping, I got full marks on and a number of things I felt extremely confident on I got marked down. I don't know what that says, but there you have it. I endeavour to be better at all of it. One day the title of the blog will be a lie, one day!
I did not pass. I did get close mind you, I got sixty-nine percent where seventy-one is required. When Bryan, the manager of the Chicks Ahoy (my favourite team) walked over to me and said lets talk about your results, I knew I had failed. He's a nice guy and had been part of the testing and clearly felt bad, the results were telegraphed.
I have always appreciated my ability to read micro expressions the most when it comes to bad news. It often gives me time to internally compose myself before being told the bad news so I can look like a champ when they actually say it. I did require some composure because I was pretty ticked off when I saw a few of the marks I had lost.
It's pretty impossible not to just sound like a whinger when talking about how you shouldn't have lost points you did in a test so I certainly didn't go on about it. I did tell Bryan I disagreed with a couple of them just for the record, but I am aware it doesn't matter in the end anyway. I failed, the decisions were already made so that was the end of that.
It is frustrating to feel pretty confident that the mark would have been different in a different testing scenario where the very few testers hadn't just finished a two hour practice of their own team before skating for three more hours with us. There are other sciencey sort of reasons about decision making fatigue and the human tendency to see trends especially in small populations and that sort of stuff but none of that really makes a difference either in the end. It is as it is.
I do the think the girls/boy testing did their best and they are all really nice people. They tried hard to help us with the bootcamp and I got some really great tips from Rebel Rock-it (who is just an incredible blocker if you ever see her play) about ways to strengthen my legs to try and counteract my physiological issue of having knock-knees, which of course effects my balance and skating. So, that was really cool.
I do feel I learned a lot, if nothing else that I can skate for four hours and still do an endurance at the end and get twenty-three laps in five minutes. Not a perfect score but I was pretty impressed considering when we began the endurance the first two minutes I was thinking, shit, I'm not even going to get twenty here. This feeling of doom was added to as the few other girls I was testing with were all higher calibre skaters then I (two were transfer rollergirls from BC), and both of the girls on the track with me did around twenty-eight laps in the allotted five minutes. It was good mind training, not getting defeated in the face of better athletes.
On the up side now it's done! Hahaha... I shall take away as much as I can from it and move on. I have already been in contact with the Renegade Derby Dames (their farm team is The Misfit Militia) who skate in Alliston, which is much closer to me anyway, and will be skating with them as of next weekend. I will be able to retake my test at the end of November which sounds fine to me. I really look forward to meeting them and getting to be a part of a league for real.
I really wish I could have continued with ToRD though, I'm sad to leave the girls I went through freshmeat with and all the people I was just starting to get to know and whatnot. I was really excited to skate with them on the D-Vas. But, unfortunately, the only choice I would have with them is to redo the whole freshmeat programme and then be able to try again for the test, next summer. That's a bit insane for me for numerous reasons, the biggest one being I want to start playing derby already I know how skate well enough to be on a farm team.
I was very touched by the response my news got on facebook. I'm not big on being felt sorry for and wrote my news there for continuity. I knew I had been talking about the test for days so everyone would want to know how it went. It was nice that there was a lot more empathy then anything else and I really appreciated the love being sent my way. I even had a couple of girls I skated with in freshmeat personally message me kind words. Super sweet. Thank you all of you.
So, for the record here are the things which I was marked down on (lost one point):
3.3.2 - hop from one foot to other - I do need to improve with this clearly, I didn't even realise it was on the test until a few days before it
3.5 - cone weaving - well, this one was just unfortunate, I did this perfectly four times practicing an hour earlier but when it came time to do it for the test... poo.
1.6.2 - propel with eight wheels on the ground - this one as well, I hadn't practice correctly. That is, I knew we had to do this, and I do it well - when I'm moving. I hadn't realised we have to start from a standstill. This is WAY harder. It's really the starting that they are testing as we skated only a short distance, what they were looking for was the ability to get up to speed from standstill while keeping all wheels on the ground. I shall absolutely be practicing this.
5.2 - positional blocking - I did a fairly crap job of this for the test, I was tired it was near the end, it's not my strongest ability anyway.
5.3.1 - hip blocking - I disagree with this mark off but will continue to practice I can only get better.
5.3.2 - shoulder blocking - I disagree with this mark off but will continue to practice I can only get better.
4.1.3 - receiving hip whip - I STRONGLY disagree with this mark. I find this VERY easy and simply stumbled on my last try as I was getting tired (we did it three times though and it is meant to be best one of out three; two were perfect)
4.3 - pacing speed - I STRONGLY disagree with this mark as well. I am very good at this. (Not only in my estimation, I have been told so numerous times by rollergirls in class.) Also I had my arm up often (as it is about staying an arms length away from girl in front of you at all times as line speeds up and slows down) to check. I will note however that all of the other girls (who were overall better skaters then me) had trouble with this as they were all commenting about it afterward and I know the girl in front of me bumped into the pace keeper a couple of times.
2.1.2 - single knee fall right - I don't understand what would possibly have been wrong with this either but I have to imagine something - practice, practice, practice.
1.4 - 23-25 laps in five min
So, there you have it. I shall now strive to improve on these things. It is interesting to note that one of the things I had been worried about, jumping, I got full marks on and a number of things I felt extremely confident on I got marked down. I don't know what that says, but there you have it. I endeavour to be better at all of it. One day the title of the blog will be a lie, one day!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Skate test! Skate test! Skate test!
Well kids it is time for my skate test, scheduled as it is four to eight on Sunday. Once tested I will finally be out of freshmeat limbo and able to move forward with my derby career, or revisit my freshmeat one I suppose.
I am nervous about the test but of course very, very excited. I have been skating a fair bit over the summer, generally at least once a week and it does seem to be improving my skating. I even finally went to Scooters and checked out there absolutely amazing jam skaters. Wow. Those cats can dance.
One day if I'm as cool as cool can be I'll be able to skate half as well as the seventy five year old man speeding around the rink at Scooters jam skating in this way that looks like he's dancing out of control and about to fall yet he is so clearly constantly in total control. I think it's the way he skates on the back wheels of either skate with such ease that is so disconcerting. One day baby, one day.
But today is not yet that day. I can not skate on the back wheels of my roller skates without landing on my ass, but, I have improved my crossovers and they now speed me up as I'm going around the bends. It's really neat. I'm actually using my inside foot to push out and thereby propelling myself forward faster.
I want to be even better at balancing and I really continue to work on this skill. I need to be the best balancer ever to be the best skater and player ever. At the CN Power versus Montreal Sexpos game last Sunday at the Bunker (ToRDs new digs) I watched Bambi play half her games on one fucking skate. It's insane. That girl has some great balance; also she's a great jammer.
Okay I have lots more to write about lots of things but I am supposed to be studying for my written test right now, which is what I am now going to go do. I look forward to having something new to tell you about my derby status in the very near future. More to come soon!
Derby love!
NN00
I am nervous about the test but of course very, very excited. I have been skating a fair bit over the summer, generally at least once a week and it does seem to be improving my skating. I even finally went to Scooters and checked out there absolutely amazing jam skaters. Wow. Those cats can dance.
One day if I'm as cool as cool can be I'll be able to skate half as well as the seventy five year old man speeding around the rink at Scooters jam skating in this way that looks like he's dancing out of control and about to fall yet he is so clearly constantly in total control. I think it's the way he skates on the back wheels of either skate with such ease that is so disconcerting. One day baby, one day.
But today is not yet that day. I can not skate on the back wheels of my roller skates without landing on my ass, but, I have improved my crossovers and they now speed me up as I'm going around the bends. It's really neat. I'm actually using my inside foot to push out and thereby propelling myself forward faster.
I want to be even better at balancing and I really continue to work on this skill. I need to be the best balancer ever to be the best skater and player ever. At the CN Power versus Montreal Sexpos game last Sunday at the Bunker (ToRDs new digs) I watched Bambi play half her games on one fucking skate. It's insane. That girl has some great balance; also she's a great jammer.
Okay I have lots more to write about lots of things but I am supposed to be studying for my written test right now, which is what I am now going to go do. I look forward to having something new to tell you about my derby status in the very near future. More to come soon!
Derby love!
NN00
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