Saturday, June 12, 2010

Of perils and compound fractures

On Wednesday night, Coach Bat R Up had us gather 'round at the start of practice. Before briefing us on our first drill of the night she addressed the status of our roster for our June 19th away bout versus the Mid Iowa Rollers in Des Moines. Of course, regulars Hitzy Blonde (bum knee) and Furyis Jorge (broken fibula) were still out of commission. But Bat R Up broke the news that additionally Tramah Queen (broken rib and torn posterior cruciate ligament), scheduled to make her bouting debut, was in no shape to skate. Finally, Holm Wrecker had also bowed out because of some sort of late and cryptic engagement.

This meant we had officially used up all of our alternates as replacements for the aforementioned skaters. Bat R Up, her voice tinged with caution, warned us that if another rostered skater were injured we would be forced to skate short. We listened and digested this, and then promptly began our first drill.

A few short minutes and one powerful block later, Shelby Flyin literally went flying into an alcove of the armory and smashed up her hand severely. It was enough to result in a compound fracture of one of her fingers, a gruesome exposition of bone and ligament.

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The tell-all x-ray

In the aftermath, it was revealed Ima Golddiggah would be popping her bout cherry with OCCRG in Des Moines. Aggressive and tenacious, she will be a valuable and well-received addition to the team. And finally Fast Bettie will be returning to the roster after a three-month absence.

As for poor Shelby Flyin, she's slated to have surgery early this week to repair the cartilage casing around the joint. She'll be on the sidelines for a while but is in good spirits and plans to be trackside to cheer on her team.

On a lighter note, I've swapped out wheels again. My tried-and-true Sugar Hybrids have served me well since October, especially when cornering on the slick polished concrete floor of the Coralville Marriott. But I'd been considering a switch to a faster wheel for some time, particularly since I jam regularly. And after spending several hours pouring over wheel innumerable wheel reviews without a clear standout, I was frustrated enough to give up for the time being.

But one of the boyfriends of one of our fresh meat skaters offered me some new wheels to skate in on a trial basis. The Sure-Grip Optics are relatively new but inexpensive. I was skeptical of them being all that grippy without any nubs but I was able to corner well when using them for the first time during the Fullmetal Derby bout. I've settled on using them as pushers with my G-Rods. Stay posted to read when I reach escape velocity.

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