Week 12: Sign Offs = Skive Off

Now, that's not entirely true, but it worked as a good title! Yes, I did not go to my usual session as it was signs off, but:

1. My main reason is because I had gone two weeks without seeing my other half, due to a huge work commitment, so we had a date night, which was our usual Blue Monday at Yo!Sushi.
2. It was sign offs and I knew I wasn't going to try for them until I'd been on the track.
3. I'd gotten a new tattoo on the Sunday so it was still very tender.
4. I went skating later on this week, so therrrrrrrrre!

At the weekend, I donned my t-shirt and name necklace and went to represent the Brawds at our local tattoo convention. We met loads of lovely people, all who seemed very interested in roller derby and who did end up joining fresh meat on the Monday (I heard that 12 newbies turned up! Woohoo!) and some who we educated on derby as they'd never heard of it!
While there, I decided to show my dedication. I'd been thinking about a roller derby tattoo for a while and had thought that I would get one when I was signed off completely. However, I felt like I needed something to support me and give me confidence - I suffer with anxiety and, after a very bad day with it, I decided something needed to be done about it, so part of that was getting a small tattoo saying "Be Brave" which has been my little safety blanket, and I wanted to get something like this for roller derby. In this case, it seemed silly to get one done when I had been signed off as I needed the support now, to help me in the training stages to getting signed off. I knew what design I wanted, so I set out to find the right tattooist. I did have it down to three ladies, but I knew the lady I really wanted to do it, and I'm glad I chose her, as it is amazing:

Tattooed by Anna at Adorn Studio - I absolutely adore it! It's perfect and it sums up my derby experience so far and what I hope to come. If I had given up on my first week, if I had quit when I felt that I was terrible and when I was terrified, then I wouldn't be here! I tend to be one of those people who, if I can't do it from the start, then I will quit. But I chose not to. I gave myself a mental slap and went back and, even though I fell, I went back again and again and have worked hard and am improving every session. So whenever I feel like I've had a terrible practice, I will look at this and I will remember what got me here.

Another derby treat to myself was new skates! Woohoo! I knew I would have to grace the track with the proper skates, so I bought skates (Riedell R3s - perfect for my skinny feet), new wheels (Rollerbones, Day of The Dead, 92a - not to grippy for our our already pretty grippy track, but not so hard that I'll land straight on my bum!, and some toe-stops (Gumballs). I decided to try them out before I start on the track, so I took them to our local roller disco.

Unfortunately, there was a mix-up with my order and they had sent me the wrong wheels, so I had to skate on the wheels the skates come with, which are very hard. It was terrifying.

I would say it was like starting again, but I couldn't even move when I started, so it was more like being knocked back a few stages. I'd got so used to my super grippy disco skates, that I was not at all prepared for the slipperiness of these wheels! Also, as I had lowered my toe-stops to the suggested length (when up on your toe stops, your back wheels should be 2 fingers off the ground) I was convinced I kept catching them if I kicked my foot out wrong, which jolted me and sent me straight into the drilled derby stance, double knee fall position. Thankfully, I didn't actually fall!
Despite all of that, I do love my new skates and I'm hoping that, once the right wheels arrive, I will soon get back in to the swing of things.

Main track, I'm ready for you.

 With regards to kit, I would totally recommend talking to one of your coaches. Mine managed to help me try and get my head around wheels and taught me a lot of things while melting my brain a little too! She is my wheel guru now, though, and I hope to learn her ways!

Week 11: It's Getting A Little Crowded!

This week was a refresher session on the main track, in preparation for sign offs next week, so it seemed like a good idea to stay in the newbie area still. I've decided that I will start on the rink from week one of rotations so I can start from the beginning. It seems like a good order to do things in.

I took my usual place in the newbie area, but soon noticed that it was a little cramped...

Where there is usually, at most, 5 or 6 of us there was now not much space at all and people were queuing round the corner! Our usual up and down the width had to become a mini track so we could skate comfortably and not risk any wheel locks!* This influx of fresh meat was due to the bout at the weekend and part of me was like "Woohoo! Awesome! More people know about the Brawds!" yet, part of me was a little unnerved about the lack of space and the fact that these fresh meat were really good!

After the bout and the after party, I really felt like a Brawd and I felt like I needed to pass on advice to these newbies. I made some points about where the pressure should be in a plough stop and how it varies from a plough stance in skiing (in skiing, the weight is on the inside, in order to dig the blades in and to stop you from going so fast - in derby, the weight is on the outside and you push your heels out) but I also made a point that, although I knew this, I still couldn't plough stop!

I continued practicing each skill, but now with a sense that I needed to be better than I was in order to fit in with the calibre of these new skaters. However, the more I tried to be better, the less I was thinking about the skill and kept messing up. So I decided to get in my own zone and not worry about how good everyone else was. At the end of the day, every one learns differently and, eventually, I will crack it. A coach once told me that when she first started, she found the basic levels the hardest yet her friends found them easier, then as she progressed, she found the harder skills easier and her friends found them harder. I've always remembered this as it helps. If you start comparing yourself to everyone else then you'll never reach your best ability as you're trying to reach someone else's. Just because someone else finds it easy and you find it hard, doesn't make you weird or incapable. A little perseverance and dedication and you'll get there! (And I'll let you know when I do too!)

* After writing that I became aware that I will need to get used to cramped skating conditions for pack work!

Bout Day!

Woohoo! So I've been thoroughly excited about this for weeks! My team (which I will now reveal is The Norfolk Brawds, as I now feel like I really am a Brawd!) are part of the Heartlands Series, which splits the Heartlands into East and West and then plays out games leading up to a final, etc.

The Brawds were playing against Rebellion Roller Derby while Romsey Town Rollerbillies were playing Mean Valley Rollergirls in an exhibition bout.
I won't go in to too much detail about the bout as there's bound to be someone out there who will cover it better than myself and I want to focus on the Fresh Meat side of things and, more so, the first bout you go to as Fresh Meat.

Firstly, my main excitement was about getting my printed t-shirt and name necklace! Our merch team had ordered the t-shirts a while ago and I had ordered the name necklaces earlier in the week from Sugar & Vice.

The main thing you notice when you put on your t-shirt is that you instantly feel included. There were a few "Looking good, Fresh Meat!"s and when a member of the crowd looked at you, you just felt proud, like "Yeahhh, that's right. I'm a Insert Team Name Here]". I even felt thoroughly complimented when someone offered to let me queue jump for the toilets as they thought I was a skater. I obviously told them I wasn't skating, but it made me smile a big cheesy grin.

You also get even more absorbed in your team's game. I've been a huge fan of the Brawds ever since the first time I saw them play, but now I was one of them I was even more in to it. I knew the players personally, I knew what they were trying to do, I knew how hard it was to do what they were doing! I screamed myself hoarse cheering them on, I almost fell down the stairs as I was leaning so far forward in tense moments, I was clapping so hard that I swear I've got RSI in my wrist now! You just get absorbed and it also riles you up. You want to be out there, you want to train harder and get better so one day you'll get to be out there doing your team proud. It's a feeling that leaves you buzzing for days afterwards.

The most amazing thing I found, though, was that you feel accepted. This is more than just being part of the team, this is being part of a family. One of our long-standing members was moving away, so we gave her a huge farewell at the end of the bout. All of the Brawds were called on to the centre of the track to wish her well and we realised that now included us. The massive group hug that followed showed we were now part of this amazing and inspiring group of ladies.
The after party just confirmed this acceptance. We weren't sat in a corner being ignored and feeling excluded, we were welcomed in. We were called up to dance, hugged, kissed, groped, given so many words of encouragement that one day they'll be cheering us on and we'll be out on the track, representing.

Everyone is so lovely that is really is hard to put in to words. The ladies on your team are your family. They are the ones who will be out there on the track with you, who will have your back, who will train with you. They are the ones who lift you up and encourage you when you feel you're not good enough or just won't be able to crack that certain skill. They are the ones who pass on wisdom and advice. Two of my Fresh Meat friends even became Derby Wives at the bout!

It's difficult to explain. But once you join a team, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!

Oh, and The Brawds won their game! 166 - 122!

Week 10: An Unexpected Breakthrough

My friends who were on the track with me last time I was on the track, were here again tonight (woah, that's a confusing sentence!) Which meant that I was torn between staying in the newbie area or going back on the track. We stretched in the middle and were told we were doing pace lines and pack work. This meant that we had to be able to control our speed, etc. Nope! Not happening then! I still cannot stop and certainly cannot control my speed. On to the newbie area it was!

We were spoilt this week. There was only two of us (me and my friend who started last week) to three coaches! This meant we could practice our skills and be watched and told what needed improvement. We were also given the opportunity to practice whatever skills we felt needed practice. I decided stops were my main area of much needed improvement so I started them. I first tried t-stops and they seemed a lot easier than normal! This was weird. Admittedly I still couldn't properly stop but I was able to twist enough to get my foot behind me and not be too scared or shaky! I managed to do a good-ish one so kept practicing and practicing it again and again but only seemed to be getting worse! Then one of the coaches approached me "Shall we try ploughs now? Sometimes you can get something right but then the more you practice the more frustrated you get, thus you get worse and disheartened"

So I moved on to plough stops. The first one I did, I was convinced I'd got it! "Nope. You've just rolled to a stop. Your posture isn't right, your heels aren't out. Try again." So I tried again. "No! Look, this is how you've got to be" The coach showed me what a plough should look like "Now push me. You shouldn't be able to go anywhere. That is a plough!" Ooo, errr. I felt like I was being told off by a strict teacher! I practiced it a few more times. Derby stance, weight on the outside, widen legs, heels out. Stop. I look up a little sheepishly. "Yes! That was probably a bit of rolling to a stop, but you've definitely got the posture right!"

Woo-hoo! Success! Now, I'm not saying I conquered plough stops. They still need some work and I do have horrid wheels that make it hard, but I definitely know what I have to do now!

Next, we moved on to crossovers...

Oh, scary scary crossovers. How I fear you so. We started skating round the circle and I was barely lifting my foot off the ground before I wimped out and put it back down. This carried on for a while until a coach called me over. "We'll try some crossover stepping. Now this is the motion you want to be doing. Practice picking up your right foot, cross it over and then push out like sticky feet. Once this gets more comfortable, start stepping the left out of the crossover." This actually made sense. I took to the track and tried to put my right foot over. Almost. I kept trying and I eventually did it! I then tried stepping out with my left. I did it! Yes, it was very wobbly and more like stepping than skating, but I couldn't even do that before! Crossovers weren't so scary! They were tricky, but they were like a animal that needed to be tamed and understood. They were now my friend...

...not a good friend though. One of those friends who you know and like but can't tell if you should send them a Christmas card or not as you don't know if you're that close yet. That kind of friend.

Week 9: A Little Bit Of Naughtiness

Okay, so I know I moved on to the track last week, but I had friends this week. It was the first ever session for two of them and one of them hadn't been in a while so they were staying in the newbie area and I decided to stay with them.
I looked over at the track occasionally at the beginning, thinking I'd made the wrong decision. But I then saw that they were doing 25 in 5 in pairs, walking on toe-stops, running starts on toe stops, running starts on wheels, jumps, it all looked terrifying! And the fact that they had to stop before they ran into us was proof that I shouldn't have been over there - I can't stop yet!

I was also grateful for being back in the newbie group as I could spend longer on the basics I hadn't cracked yet - left knee taps, sticky feet, stops, crossovers. While practicing crossovers, I found that I could do one footed sticky feet, which made going round corners so much easier! I used to hate going round corners!

Another reason that the newbie group was good was that we were taught something we don't really need to know with the new WFTDA rule set - baseball slides!

As soon as I saw them demonstrated, I found it terrifying mixed with pure joy! It looked amazingly fun! We spent about 10 - 15 minutes practicing them and I enjoyed myself so much! Every successful slide was finished with a massive grin on my face! (Even if I do have problems getting up from them without using hands!)
They're no longer being taught as people were using them to stop, enter the penalty box, etc. which I imagine got quite hazardous with your leg sticking out like that! However, we were told that they come in useful if you find yourself falling towards a wall - think "face" or "foot", which would you rather break? But this exclusion from the minimum skills made this skill feel rebellious, like we had a substitute teacher who was letting us do Art all day instead of Maths.

This fun was then rapidly over when we had to do grueling laps of sticky feet in derby stance. My sticky feet has got a million times better from it and my stance has improved but, I swear, my thighs felt like they were bleeding at one point. Derby stance thoroughly improves your skating, but it hurts like a sunofabitch at the beginning! I very very glad when then cool down and stretching came next!

Oh! And for this whole session I got to break in my new knee pads! Yay!

Now, if you excuse me, I'm off for my first mid-week skate with one of my derby friends. In this heat?! Yes, I know. We must be mad!