I promise I'll write tomorrow (Friday)! It has been a very busy, derby-filled week and in between sleeping, eating, real work, and derby work there has been no time to blog. *sad face*
It'll be a bit of a War and Peace post I'm afraid... so much to cover! The bout (amazing!), general derby happenings, and impending assessments (next Wednesday!). Grab a bag of popcorn and get ready to pull up a chair!
<3 Helen
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
I love NHRD
I just needed to say that. The more I think about it, the more I mean it. If I wasn't already married I would propose to the league.
Not only do I now have a physical outlet and a way to help me get in shape, but I have a mental/emotional outlet too. I love being able to immerse myself eyeball deep in promoting and growing such a wonderful league. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something this amazing. Regardless of skating ability, I hope to be a part of the league for many many years to come.
Every skater, ref, and volunteer rocks my socks.
That is all. <3
PS: Don't forget to get your tickets for the bout tomorrow. Available online at http://www.nhrollerderby.com (pick up at will call) or at the door. 6pm. Be there or be vaguely square-shaped.
Not only do I now have a physical outlet and a way to help me get in shape, but I have a mental/emotional outlet too. I love being able to immerse myself eyeball deep in promoting and growing such a wonderful league. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something this amazing. Regardless of skating ability, I hope to be a part of the league for many many years to come.
Every skater, ref, and volunteer rocks my socks.
That is all. <3
PS: Don't forget to get your tickets for the bout tomorrow. Available online at http://www.nhrollerderby.com (pick up at will call) or at the door. 6pm. Be there or be vaguely square-shaped.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Off-Skates Derby
Most people think that roller derby involves dressing up in tutus or rufflebutts and knocking people around on the track. Not only is that perception inaccurate, it's flat out wrong. Roller derby is a LOT of work and, to quote my favorite movie ever (The Princess Bride), "anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something."
On top of knocking each other around in front of throngs of adoring fans there is a lot of physical preparatory work involved. There's league practices full of plyometrics, agility drills, endurance marathons, and scrimmages. There are also separate team practices to work on more of the same along with team-specific strategy. Skaters also often cross-train during their non-derby time to help get them in tip top derby shape.
As much work as there is on-skates, I think there is even MORE work to be done off-skates. Roller derby is a DIY, skater-run sport. Most of the time there are no owners, no managers, no paid staff to make everything run like clockwork. The skaters, after long days at "real" jobs, work together marvelously to do their derby jobs.
I am heavily involved in the PR/Marketing committee of NHRD. I absolutely love it. I am a marketing manager in my "real" job and I really enjoy being able to apply some of the same principles to derby life. It's my nature to be a bit obsessive so I'm trying to learn everything I can about sports-specific marketing, including buying a couple of books on sports promotion and attracting fans.
The non-skating roller derby work will completely take over your life if you let it/want it to. I probably spend two to three times more hours working on committee things that I actually spend skating in a given week. I WANT to be this involved, though. Some people prefer to do a little bit in a lot of different committees. I like to go head first into just one.
Completely on accident I have also fallen into a fairly substantial role within the stats committee. It started out by just doing stats during a scrimmage. Then, DKB was out for a couple of weeks and I stepped in to coordinate finding people to do stats. Now, I always coordinate scrimmage stats, scan the sheets the next morning and send them out to captains, bench managers, and coaches. I am also coordinating the stats during our home opener (with the help of the lovely and talented Dirty Kat Box).
My first love will always be marketing and PR. Without being too selfish, in addition to just really liking promoting, improving the perception, and increasing awareness of our league, it also looks darn good on a resume. I often find myself wanting to work on derby stuff at my job and I need to resist. Real jobs pay, which is important for maintaining my derby habit!
I would encourage people to consider the amount of work when thinking about joining derby. I'm not trying to discourage anyone, just help them realize that derby is what we make it. Just as we all want to take our skating to the next level, it takes a lot of off-skates work by the wonderful women involved to take the league as a whole to the next level.
<3 NHRD!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
It's all in the hips...
I didn't particularly want to go to practice tonight. I was super duper tired and had a frazzley day at work. I just wanted to have a chill night. I did go to practice in the end and I am glad I did. I started out grumpy but ended up feeling pretty darn good, though pooped.
Tonight was a short practice for some reason so we didn't start until 8:15. We did 30 minutes of off-skates plyometrics to get us started. I always find myself in a dilemma with these because if I push myself during plyo, I'm jello for skating. If I take it easy then I'm OK for skating.
I decided to push it and earned myself a very sore bum. As difficult as plyo is for me I really like the way I feel after I do it. I need to make myself do it at home more often!
As predicted, I was jello afterward. We really only worked on one thing for the last half hour of practice - crescents. I had a lot of trouble with these when we first did this drill a few months ago. Now I know that my trucks were far to tight (they still could use some loosening) and I wasn't moving my hips.
Tonight I worked with Trina on these and something clicked. Maybe it was the trucks and maybe it was the fact that Trina said, "You won't turn if you don't move your hips". I turned my hips when I led with one foot and sure enough, I turned!
I still have a long way to go to really feel adept with these but this is the first time in a while that I've actually felt like maybe I do have the stuff to do this derby thing after all! I now have a new thing to work on at open skates so I'm pretty excited.
Lead with the foot.
Stay low.
Twist your hips.
I'm clearly built like a blocker and now I'm starting to grow the seeds of the blocker I may become. Good practice!
Tonight was a short practice for some reason so we didn't start until 8:15. We did 30 minutes of off-skates plyometrics to get us started. I always find myself in a dilemma with these because if I push myself during plyo, I'm jello for skating. If I take it easy then I'm OK for skating.
I decided to push it and earned myself a very sore bum. As difficult as plyo is for me I really like the way I feel after I do it. I need to make myself do it at home more often!
As predicted, I was jello afterward. We really only worked on one thing for the last half hour of practice - crescents. I had a lot of trouble with these when we first did this drill a few months ago. Now I know that my trucks were far to tight (they still could use some loosening) and I wasn't moving my hips.
Tonight I worked with Trina on these and something clicked. Maybe it was the trucks and maybe it was the fact that Trina said, "You won't turn if you don't move your hips". I turned my hips when I led with one foot and sure enough, I turned!
I still have a long way to go to really feel adept with these but this is the first time in a while that I've actually felt like maybe I do have the stuff to do this derby thing after all! I now have a new thing to work on at open skates so I'm pretty excited.
Lead with the foot.
Stay low.
Twist your hips.
I'm clearly built like a blocker and now I'm starting to grow the seeds of the blocker I may become. Good practice!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Seriously Slick
Dear readers. I promise this post won't talk about skates or foot cramps. Looking at my tag cloud certainly puts in perspective the amount that I've been blogging about that and you are all likely sick to death of it!
The JFK Memorial Coliseum has one seriously slick floor. Before I started derby I'd never been to an NHRD bout. I know that JFK was our home venue but I had never seen it or skated there. Everyone talks about how slick the polished concrete floor is there. They weren't kidding.
The first thing I noticed was the lack of a carpeted "safety area". At first this scared the crap out of me (what do I do when I need to rest for a few seconds because I feel like I'm going to fall down?). By the end of the night, however, I decided that it was a good thing. Being forced to stay upright in a "rolly" environment while resting will only help me work on balance and core strength. The floor was strange to me at first, I figured that at least part of it was the new skates, but by the end of practices I was used to it an I enjoyed the consistency (versus the heaved wooden moguls of Roller Kingdom).
Last night was supposed to be agility but it felt like endurance to me. I know that I am weak and I know I have a looooong way to go before ever being ready to scrimmage. One of the things I have a lot of trouble with currently are knee taps. Thursday night we did, what felt to me like, a half hour of knee taps. I don't have the strength in my legs yet to push myself back up from the ground.
To be fair to myself, I can't even do knee taps OFF skates so that's probably a good place to start. In basic training when someone would get in trouble, one of the Drill Sergeants' favorite things to have us do "Iron Mikes". You start at one end of a hallway. Take a step forward with one foot and then do a deep lunge to the floor. Stand back up and bring your feet together. Step forward with the opposite foot. Rinse. Repeat.
I could do them when I was 20. 10 years and more pounds than the general public needs to know later, not so much. I can't just will myself to do them instantly because that will only frustrate me. What I NEED to do is drop a substantial amount of weight - also something that doesn't happen overnight.
Both Mr. Carnate and I have added the "My Fitness Pal" app to our iPhones and are tracking the food that we eat. It's appalling to find out just how many calories grams of fat and sodium even supposedly "healthy" food has. It's a major relearning process that will take a while.
I'm also trying to do cross-training on non-derby days. I did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike doing intervals on Wednesday. I think I'll try a different program this weekend. It definitely works the derby butt muscles. I need to dig my elliptical out from the debris in the second bedroom so I can do more things that work my quads.
I feel like I'm close to being back where I was on the old skates (sans the foot pain I'm not supposed to be mentioning). Sin D came up to me last night and said that while I wasn't low enough in derby stance that I look more confident on my skates. I don't feel it but if other people see it then I guess that's a good thing!
Per Hazel's recommendation a few posts back I did my trucks a half turn before practice on Thursday and that felt stable so I'm going to do them another half turn at open skate this Sunday. We'll see how it goes!
And now for a skate centerfold shot taken with my new Nikon D70s camera! :-D
The JFK Memorial Coliseum has one seriously slick floor. Before I started derby I'd never been to an NHRD bout. I know that JFK was our home venue but I had never seen it or skated there. Everyone talks about how slick the polished concrete floor is there. They weren't kidding.
The first thing I noticed was the lack of a carpeted "safety area". At first this scared the crap out of me (what do I do when I need to rest for a few seconds because I feel like I'm going to fall down?). By the end of the night, however, I decided that it was a good thing. Being forced to stay upright in a "rolly" environment while resting will only help me work on balance and core strength. The floor was strange to me at first, I figured that at least part of it was the new skates, but by the end of practices I was used to it an I enjoyed the consistency (versus the heaved wooden moguls of Roller Kingdom).
Last night was supposed to be agility but it felt like endurance to me. I know that I am weak and I know I have a looooong way to go before ever being ready to scrimmage. One of the things I have a lot of trouble with currently are knee taps. Thursday night we did, what felt to me like, a half hour of knee taps. I don't have the strength in my legs yet to push myself back up from the ground.
To be fair to myself, I can't even do knee taps OFF skates so that's probably a good place to start. In basic training when someone would get in trouble, one of the Drill Sergeants' favorite things to have us do "Iron Mikes". You start at one end of a hallway. Take a step forward with one foot and then do a deep lunge to the floor. Stand back up and bring your feet together. Step forward with the opposite foot. Rinse. Repeat.
I could do them when I was 20. 10 years and more pounds than the general public needs to know later, not so much. I can't just will myself to do them instantly because that will only frustrate me. What I NEED to do is drop a substantial amount of weight - also something that doesn't happen overnight.
Both Mr. Carnate and I have added the "My Fitness Pal" app to our iPhones and are tracking the food that we eat. It's appalling to find out just how many calories grams of fat and sodium even supposedly "healthy" food has. It's a major relearning process that will take a while.
I'm also trying to do cross-training on non-derby days. I did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike doing intervals on Wednesday. I think I'll try a different program this weekend. It definitely works the derby butt muscles. I need to dig my elliptical out from the debris in the second bedroom so I can do more things that work my quads.
I feel like I'm close to being back where I was on the old skates (sans the foot pain I'm not supposed to be mentioning). Sin D came up to me last night and said that while I wasn't low enough in derby stance that I look more confident on my skates. I don't feel it but if other people see it then I guess that's a good thing!
Per Hazel's recommendation a few posts back I did my trucks a half turn before practice on Thursday and that felt stable so I'm going to do them another half turn at open skate this Sunday. We'll see how it goes!
And now for a skate centerfold shot taken with my new Nikon D70s camera! :-D
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A Tentative Hallelujah
As much as I want to shed tears of joy and dance around the parking lot in my hot pink tutu that my skates are amazing I am going to hold back for a few more practices. The preliminary results from practice #1, however, are a tentative "hallelujah". :-)
For the first time in many practices I was not afraid to get out on the tracks as soon as I had my gear on. Lately I've been hesitant to do so because the sooner I started skating, the sooner my arches would feel like they were tightropes being sawed through.
They rub a bit on my ankle bones - more so on my right foot than my left which causes a little tenderness but that will change as the leather softens up and breaks in. I bought some terrycloth wristbands for my ankles to try to mitigate the pain but they just ended up riding up my legs (as Mr. Carnate predicted).
We did a brief session of "Skater Sister Says" followed by a "Diamond" drill - skating in the most efficient path possible around the track, crossing over the whole time. While I felt like I was getting back to where I was with crossovers on my old skates I had some of the faster skaters flying by me which made my confidence drop through the floor.
Afterward us Level 0's retreated to the freshie corral to work on slides and stops. Work in the freshie corral always involved a lot of standing - especially with 19 of us (16 newbies and 3 holdovers) waiting our turn to go. Toward the end of skating my feet started to get a little tender but it was NOT my arches. It felt more like my heels and the balls of my feet - the same place that gets tender after standing a long time in street shoes.
I ran into a little numbness so I am currently experimenting with lacing pattern #3 (Lace 1-3, Skip 4, 6, and 8, Lace 9-10). I'm also wearing thicker socks at the moment to help stretch things out a bit. I'm having Mr. Carnate help around the house because, while I want to get these broken in, I don't trust myself with a pan of hot sausage from the oven while skating around a teeny tiny kitchen.
For the first time in many practices I was not afraid to get out on the tracks as soon as I had my gear on. Lately I've been hesitant to do so because the sooner I started skating, the sooner my arches would feel like they were tightropes being sawed through.
They rub a bit on my ankle bones - more so on my right foot than my left which causes a little tenderness but that will change as the leather softens up and breaks in. I bought some terrycloth wristbands for my ankles to try to mitigate the pain but they just ended up riding up my legs (as Mr. Carnate predicted).
We did a brief session of "Skater Sister Says" followed by a "Diamond" drill - skating in the most efficient path possible around the track, crossing over the whole time. While I felt like I was getting back to where I was with crossovers on my old skates I had some of the faster skaters flying by me which made my confidence drop through the floor.
Afterward us Level 0's retreated to the freshie corral to work on slides and stops. Work in the freshie corral always involved a lot of standing - especially with 19 of us (16 newbies and 3 holdovers) waiting our turn to go. Toward the end of skating my feet started to get a little tender but it was NOT my arches. It felt more like my heels and the balls of my feet - the same place that gets tender after standing a long time in street shoes.
I ran into a little numbness so I am currently experimenting with lacing pattern #3 (Lace 1-3, Skip 4, 6, and 8, Lace 9-10). I'm also wearing thicker socks at the moment to help stretch things out a bit. I'm having Mr. Carnate help around the house because, while I want to get these broken in, I don't trust myself with a pan of hot sausage from the oven while skating around a teeny tiny kitchen.
Friday, April 9, 2010
First Date
I was nervous, but excited as I drove to south Nashua. I've been waiting for this day for weeks. We met briefly several weeks ago but haven't seen each other since. This has a very good chance of being extremely awesome but could still go horribly wrong after I've invested so much. We met at a shop and I was definitely infatuated... it remains to be seen if it will turn to love. There was the usual awkwardness of a first date but overall it was a pleasant experience. I'll definitely go on a second one!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have met my skates.
The above description may sound a little melodramatic but that was exactly what was going through my head as I pulled into the parking lot of the Bruised Boutique. Anyone who read my Facebook page today knew I was excited but I was more nervous than I was expecting to be. What if they didn't fit? What if I don't end up liking them? It's not like I can sell a pair of skates that are two different sizes!
The good news is that so far they are amazing. I wasn't going to skate tonight but fate tipped in my favor. There was a water main break on the road I have to take to get home so traffic was an absolute nightmare. I picked up my skates, called home and found out the traffic was still bad. Stranded in South Nashua at nearly 7pm. WHat could I do. There is only one thing...
Teen Night. *doom music*
I will refrain from ranting too much about teen night. It will suffice to say that it is essentially a roller skating rink packed full of half-dressed teenagers (parents - do you have any idea what your kids are wearing?) acting quite rudely with the foulest mouths I have ever heard (and after 6 years in the Army that's saying something).
Dee loosed my trucks one turn but after attempting to do some scissors on my first lap it was apparent that they needed more. I did them another half turn and switched over to double lacing (which I now see that I need to adjust as my right big toe is tingly as I sit here in skates). Better but still tight. I'm going to do another half turn before bed tonight, put my toe stops up a bit and then try them out at the substantially less busy adult skate on Sunday. The balance point is different so I was definitely a little wobbly, although I'm sure I will adjust in time.
All in all a great way to end the week - my first date with the skates. They're hotties. :-)
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have met my skates.
The above description may sound a little melodramatic but that was exactly what was going through my head as I pulled into the parking lot of the Bruised Boutique. Anyone who read my Facebook page today knew I was excited but I was more nervous than I was expecting to be. What if they didn't fit? What if I don't end up liking them? It's not like I can sell a pair of skates that are two different sizes!
The good news is that so far they are amazing. I wasn't going to skate tonight but fate tipped in my favor. There was a water main break on the road I have to take to get home so traffic was an absolute nightmare. I picked up my skates, called home and found out the traffic was still bad. Stranded in South Nashua at nearly 7pm. WHat could I do. There is only one thing...
Teen Night. *doom music*
I will refrain from ranting too much about teen night. It will suffice to say that it is essentially a roller skating rink packed full of half-dressed teenagers (parents - do you have any idea what your kids are wearing?) acting quite rudely with the foulest mouths I have ever heard (and after 6 years in the Army that's saying something).
Dee loosed my trucks one turn but after attempting to do some scissors on my first lap it was apparent that they needed more. I did them another half turn and switched over to double lacing (which I now see that I need to adjust as my right big toe is tingly as I sit here in skates). Better but still tight. I'm going to do another half turn before bed tonight, put my toe stops up a bit and then try them out at the substantially less busy adult skate on Sunday. The balance point is different so I was definitely a little wobbly, although I'm sure I will adjust in time.
All in all a great way to end the week - my first date with the skates. They're hotties. :-)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Jabberjaw
I will talk to anyone, anywhere, any time about roller derby. Fortunately I had the chance to do just that at the Nashua Telegraph's Every Woman Expo this evening. Myself, Roxie, StingHer, Tiara, and Hollywood were all there sporting NHRD gear. We had an amazing table with a great photo display, slideshow, posters and cards galore, and merch for sale.
This expo was substantially smaller in size than the Manchester WZID Women's Expo back in February. I would say the attendance was probably proportional, perhaps a bit lighter. Being a weeknight instead of a weekend day probably contributed to that. I really hope we can secure the funds to have a booth at the ZID show next year. It would be worth every penny for the league.
From 5-8pm I got to chat to people about roller derby. Attendees ranged from 16 to 86 - some wanted to skate with us, other wanted to ref and everyone agreed that a derby bout is a great evening out! I talked about what it was like just starting, how things are different than they sued to be in the 1970s, and the state of roller derby in the US today (nearly 400 leagues!).
In short. I talked. A lot. I would do it again as often as I needed to to promote this amazing sport and the way in can empower women and delight fans.
Before I went to the expo I stopped by the Bruised Boutique to get a pink tutu and some socks. I am going to need them for the league photo that we're taking the day of the home opener and I figured I could wear them tonight too. When I walked in, Dee gave me some news...
My skates are coming in tomorrow! My SKATES are coming in tomorrow. My skates are coming in TOMORROW!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
*composes self* So, yes. My skates are coming in tomorrow. I am going to pick them up after work tomorrow and probably will not take them off all weekend. I need to read up on heat forming leather boots using a hair dryer. I don't want to break my new playthings!
I am also spending the evening making signs for use at Saturday's season kick off party. A group of us will be parked out on the corner of Main and Canal in Nashua promoting both the league and the party at Penuche's. If you're local we hope to see you there. NHRD will be out from 3 to last call. 50 cents of every PBR purchased will go to benefit the league!
This expo was substantially smaller in size than the Manchester WZID Women's Expo back in February. I would say the attendance was probably proportional, perhaps a bit lighter. Being a weeknight instead of a weekend day probably contributed to that. I really hope we can secure the funds to have a booth at the ZID show next year. It would be worth every penny for the league.
From 5-8pm I got to chat to people about roller derby. Attendees ranged from 16 to 86 - some wanted to skate with us, other wanted to ref and everyone agreed that a derby bout is a great evening out! I talked about what it was like just starting, how things are different than they sued to be in the 1970s, and the state of roller derby in the US today (nearly 400 leagues!).
In short. I talked. A lot. I would do it again as often as I needed to to promote this amazing sport and the way in can empower women and delight fans.
Before I went to the expo I stopped by the Bruised Boutique to get a pink tutu and some socks. I am going to need them for the league photo that we're taking the day of the home opener and I figured I could wear them tonight too. When I walked in, Dee gave me some news...
My skates are coming in tomorrow! My SKATES are coming in tomorrow. My skates are coming in TOMORROW!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
*composes self* So, yes. My skates are coming in tomorrow. I am going to pick them up after work tomorrow and probably will not take them off all weekend. I need to read up on heat forming leather boots using a hair dryer. I don't want to break my new playthings!
I am also spending the evening making signs for use at Saturday's season kick off party. A group of us will be parked out on the corner of Main and Canal in Nashua promoting both the league and the party at Penuche's. If you're local we hope to see you there. NHRD will be out from 3 to last call. 50 cents of every PBR purchased will go to benefit the league!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Round 2... ding ding!
I saw myself in some of those freshies. I saw the frustration at not being "better". I saw the nervousness. I saw the determination. I saw the desire to consume every piece of derby information they could get their minds on. It was awesome and definitely put a lot of things in perspective.
There were four of us skating last night that have not passed our level 1 assessments yet. We were asked to participate with the freshie classes rather than skate with the league. At first it might seem like a step back. Yes, I know how to plow stop, T-stop, knee-slide, etc. It never hurts to practice more in a controlled, observed environment though.
I have to say that skating with the freshies helped put what progress I've made in perspective. Three months is not a long time in the grand scheme of things. Three months ago I was where they are now, only knowing about derby what I'd managed to voraciously read.
I executed my slides (*LOVE* the new kneepads) and toe-stops with ease. Ease that I did not have three months ago. We did a very slow paceline drill. I used sticky skates the entire time. Three months ago I didn't know what sticky skating was. I tried to give encouragement to the girls who were falling. Three months ago I fell and couldn't get off the floor - even with Hazel and Bettie helping.
I heard that our attendance person tracked 70 people for attendance last night. Ho. Lee. Crap. There were 16 new girls last night - enough to make their own team! As was with the case with my class, the infusion of fresh meat (pun intended) really energized everyone from old stinky meat to slightly less than fresh meat. It was wonderful to see!
Going at a slower pace in drills also allowed me to concentrate more on what the heck is going on with my feet. I noticed during the pace line drill that I have to apply quite a bit of force to my skates to get the trucks to turn. Because my skates are so big on my feet my feet were actually pronating in my skates (tipping to the inside) and getting stuck that way.
I tried to shake my foot out while skating so it would shift back into proper position and when I stepped back down my wheels became totally tangled. I took a big header into the middle of the track right on my shoulder. I think I turtled up appropriately but the act of turtling jammed my right shoulder into my jaw making me see stars and giving me a sore neck today.I'm trying not to let the poorly fitting skates be an excuse for crappy performance but I can't WAIT to get my new ones. If the gentleman from Riedell had his lead times straight I'll hopefully be getting a call from Dee at the Bruised Boutique during the latter half of next week. SQUEE!
This Saturday is the NHRD season kick-off party at Penuche's in Nashua. I will be there from at least 3-9, maybe later depending on how I feel. I hope the day is BEAUTIFUL! I'm making a HUGE sign out of some cardboard that Kenya gave me and will be camped out on Main and Canal waving at people in my derby gear.
I hope to see you there and at our home season opener bout on 4/24 at 6pm. It's the Skate Free or Die! All-Stars vs. the Ironbound Maidens of Garden State and the Queen City Cherry Bombs vs. the Petticoat Punishers of Central Mass.
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