Brand new key

For a change of pace, I find myself blogging from New Jersey where I am visiting my mother for a week. But I readily confess that I couldn't stand to be away from derby that long, so about a fortnight ago I put out a call on the Skatelog Forum asking any New Jersey and Pennsylvania-based skaters to help me locate teams in the immediate area who might graciously entertain my wish to participate in one of their practices.

Skating and practicing with different teams is a fantastic way to meet new people and learn new drills, so I was delighted when the nearby, WFTDA-leagued Philly Roller Girls were receptive to the idea. Last night I drove to the notoriously crime-ridden city of Camden, where amidst a decaying industrial district I found the small oasis of Millennium Skateworld. Inside was an old-fashioned hardwood floor and skaters of varying abilities whizzing around and warming up.

With some trepidation and a touch of anxiety, I sat down at a table and watched for a few minutes. The Philly Roller Girls are a large, decorated league comprised of three individual teams and hosts its own Warrior Cup annually. Their all-star travel team, the Liberty Belles, is currently ranked second in WFTDA's Eastern division (only behind the juggernaut known as the Gotham Girls).

I needn't have worried.

The Philly Roller Girls were a warm, goofy bunch of women who seem genuinely excited to have me. Liberty Belles member Mo Pain was my envoy for the evening, and after an extended sprint to warm up (felt pretty cool to know I was holding my own with some WTFDA jammers!) we practiced a variety of drills. This was the more humbling part of the practice; though speed is my best asset it still takes a lot of time and effort for me to make progress on skills like whirlybirds and backwards crossovers. In essence, I'm much more of a forceful skater than I am a graceful one.

The really fantastic part was that every single drill was entirely new to me. Learning and practicing new drills helps keep things fresh and interesting, and challenges your mind and body to work on new skills and concepts. When I coached practice a few weeks ago, I was able to introduce a new pivot-central drill that the team was receptive to, so I'm eager to bring back even more things with me to share with my teammates (and also a couple of bags of Utz potato chips for ref Lukan D'Otha Way, by request). I'll be doing more traveling to see friends and family later this year, so I'm keen to connect with other teams like the Derby City Rollergirls (Louisville, Kentucky) and Charlotte Roller Girls (Charlotte, North Carolina).

But even a week-long vacation makes me pine for my ragtag teammates of Iowa City. As one veteran blocker, Hitzy Blonde, returns to skating after knee surgery we lose another, Toxic Sugar, with a dislocated patella. Toxic Sugar, ironically and unfortunately, was only two days away from surgery for a preexisting chronic knee condition when she suffered the injury, though she'll be going under the knife next week. The Old Capitol City Roller Girls also has several fresh meat skaters with various ailments so here's hoping they are all making speedy recoveries while I am away.

Cat trap

Seeing stars

In the Old Capitol City Roller Girls' first home mixer bout, Scars 'n Stripes Forever, it was the [red] Liberty Belles who skated to victory 179-129 over the [blue] Femmes of Freedom. I was on the winning team, though the Femmes of Freedom were definitely short one or two jammers and I think that put them at a disadvantage from the outset.


Getting the finger from referee Layne Rubber

I can't complain; I got to see plenty of action as a jammer and a blocker. My jamming was decent and I had several 9 and 10-point jams. As a blocker hits just weren't connecting very well tonight so I stuck to booty-blocking the majority of the time. Or maybe things just felt less successful since I was, for once, skating against some of the more venerable blockers of OCCRG like Left 4 Deadwards and Zom B Blokr. Mexican Monster and Lady Gotcha, both of the Quad Cities and skating as Liberty Belles, were valuable players. I was also proud to see my 'derby wife' (i.e. apprentice) Gigahurtz doing some of her best skating.


Fast Bettie leads the way ahead of Chemical Spill and Toxic Sugar

Our next bout won't be until August 21st --a home bout against the Lacrosse Skating Sirens-- so it will be nice to take a bit of competitive edge off the practices. I myself will be going to visit my mother in New Jersey for the latter half of the month; though I couldn't bear to go that long without skating... so I'll be attending a practice or two with the nearby Philly Roller Girls. They're WFTDA-sanctioned so I anticipate learning a lot.


Ophelia Fracture gets an assist from Toxic Sugar

In other news I'm still hunting around for the ideal wheel for myself. I'm leaning towards the slimmer, narrowly-profiled wheels since I do find myself in the role of jammer regularly. Probably will be looking at some Atoms; maybe the [slim] Stingers, Jukes, G-Rods or Omegas. Although it's probably not as exciting to read about as it is for me to shop for them.


Left 4 Deadwards and I jockeying for position

All photos courtesy of Cathy Kovach.

Change of pace

The Old Capitol City Roller Girls, some refreshed by the long holiday weekend and others; hung over, have been practicing in earnest for Scars and Stripes Forever, our first home mixer bout that will feature some of the lovely ladies of the Quad City Rollers. For Saturday's bout --starting at 7 PM and held, as usual, at the Coralville Marriott-- promises to pack all the red, white, [black and] blue you can handle.

A mixer, for those of you who are wondering, features two or more teams where the skaters are divided up and reassigned into newly created teams. It's both challenging and refreshing for the skaters, who are pitted working side-by-side with girls they may have played against in the past but do not practice with regularly.

OCCRG is, by the way, very excited to announce that the ever-dominant and local Klinefelter Sisters will be performing as the half-time entertainment.

On the personal front, it was my turn to coach practice on Sunday, as team coach Bat R Up is away vacationing in stinky France. We did some scrimmaging and I was eager to teach the team some new drills I had found after many hours spent Googling. There was a new pivot drill in particular that centered on communication and teammate reliance that seemed to be well received by the girls on the team. Although none of this was as grueling as tonight's practice, which started with a sprint of 108 laps punctuated with twenty-second respites. (I know what you're thinking: 108 laps isn't a sprint; it's a marathon! And you would be right; a sadistic, depleting one.)

And just as food for thought I thought I'd share an interesting article from the New York Times, Phys Ed: What Science Doesn't Know About Women, debunking the myth surrounding protein and its supposed essential role in exercise recovery.


Scrimmaging with the newly-formed Farm Fresh Roller Girls of Orion, Illinois

Looking forward

I have to apologize for the lack of blog action lately but after our heart-wrenching 3-point loss to the Mid Iowa Rollers on the 19th I had to put the bout out of my mind for a little while. The Old Capitol City Roller Girls had led the game from the start but losing by that little in literally the final few seconds of the final half was like a punch to the gut.

It was a bout we should have won; though we put our hearts on the track as always we made some costly mistakes. But we'd had some huge blowout wins earlier in the season, and doubtless that did not aid us in playing a team as venerable as MIR. Even in retrospect the experience is going to make us much stronger and wiser as a team. OCCRG lost nothing in defeat in coming up three points short versus a team that has been around and active for over five years. Considering we have only been around since October of 2008 (and only bouting since June of 2009), there is no question in my mind whose star is on the rise.

Even still, the loss still stung in the days afterward. It was quite fortunate that I had volunteered --along with Animal Mother and Fannysaurus Rex-- to skate with the Quad City Rollers in Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend, as it gave me something else to focus on and push towards. (I've also always vowed to skate for other teams when offered the opportunity not just to help out fellow derby sisters in need but to pick up experience playing different teams and venues.)

The Quad City Rollers lost to No Coast Derby Girls B team, the Road Warriors, but I did have quite a good time skating and observing some very peculiar jam scenarios that arose. I knew QCR was short some of their better skaters like Pink Taco and Diamond Dust so I went into the bout thinking that if I could be an asset to them, I would be satisfied.

I had some decent turns as jammer, including one 15-point tally in the last jam. But I think I had a career-best night as a blocker; keeping my eyes peeled for those Road Warrior jammers and, without tooting my own horn too much, wiping them out with some monster blocks that I think would have made Bat R Up proud. (Yes, there is footage and you'd better believe I will be linking it here once it surfaces!) And to top things off I only ended up in the penalty box once (for four minors).

But watching the Mad Maxines of Lincoln butt heads with the Omaha Roller Girls as part two of the double-header was surreal. I was mesmerized by the athleticism, cunning and sheer passion for the sport of the skaters before me. I had a fine vantage point atop the stage next to the DJs, and while everyone stood up and cheered loudly the duration of the bout, I sat quietly on the stage imbibing as much of the game play as possible. I did discern several shrewd tactics and calls that I quickly digested and filed away, synapses firing as my eyes scanned the pack repeatedly.

The Maxines were solid throughout the game but Omaha made a spectacular comeback in the second half to cut a sizable deficit to less than 30 points by the bout's end, thanks in part to some hugely salutary jams by Anna-Maniac and Ima Firestarter.

I did run into Anna-Maniac at the after-party and she told me nonchalantly, beer in hand, that she thought I had skated well.

And then I peed a little in my DerbySkinz.

Pivoting for dummies

Taking no prisoners with PsycHo AnalyzeHer (left)

It's crunch time for the Old Capitol City Roller Girls, who stand at 5-1 for the season and are set to take on the powerhouse known as the Mid Iowa Rollers --currently undefeated in six bouts this season-- in undoubtedly the toughest test OCCRG has faced to date. Saturday is swiftly approaching and that equates to lengthy scrimmages, new pack drills and lots of strategizing off the track.

In Sunday's practice I was placed in the position of pivot quite a few times; far more than I usually am. It did not take me long to find out why.

Pivoting is hard.

Arguably it is the most challenging position to play, and it takes an apt player able to quickly assess the ever-changing scenarios of roller derby and convey crisp, effective instructions to her teammates.

I had always assumed the pivot's role was simple. To set an appropriate pace (fast if her jammer is in penalty the box; slow if the opposing team's jammer is in the box) and hold the inside line as the last line of defense against the other jammer. And, I suppose, that is the position at its very core.

But I'm finding out it is so much more than that. I consider myself to be a sharp and visually aware blocker, but I struggle with vocalizing during jams -- I'm much more of a 'hot hand,' physical communicator, and this does not parlay into the best pivoting abilities. While I left Sunday's practice feeling a bit frustrated with my performance on the track, I feel highly motivated to work that much harder. It's important to me to be the best asset I can possibly be to my team, and I consider that to equate to being versatile enough to switch between jammer, pivot and [regular] blocker -- essentially being placed where I am needed by the bench coaches.

We're fortunate to have some very efficacious pivots on our team -- Toxic Sugar, Hitzy Blonde and Animal Mother, to name a few. I certainly have more respect for those women having had more time to play the position myself.

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.


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.