Bout on 9/25 Pike, NY

The Babes of Wrath faced off last night against the Nurse Rachets from Rockin' Rural Roller Girls at their home in Pike, NY. Getting there was an adventure in and itself since it's almost a two hour drive on backroads....I took my time coming home as I spotted several deer and didn't really feel like hitting them...at any rate...

In our first match-up against the RRRG the Babes (along with a few guest skaters from ERG) we ended the game at 192-140 Babes of Wrath after two periods of hard hitting fast paced, penalty laced derby action! I had a major track cut (not typical for me) and a low block major which I knew I was getting the instant I went to fall and my muscles tried doing two different things....OOPS. I haven't seen final stats and minors weren't being called to the skaters so I'm not sure where penalties for the rest of the team stand. Leanderthal scored MVP for the Babes and after her awesome jamming she deserved it. I keep hoping that one day I'll MVP for a game, but we'll see. I think I have a long way to go first.

Also, massive bruise on my arm, not from a cool hit or anything, but because I slid out and missed the chair on my second trip to the box and bashed my arm into the announce table (i think). A few others had minor bumps and bruises I'm sure, but we didn't have any major injuries last night and that's ALWAYS a good thing.

Our next bout, and last of the season, will be against ERG on October. 8th at Evan's Skateland West in Erie, PA. Here's to improving as much as possible between now and then!!!

Dixie

scrimmage practice

Scrimmage practices are the best. It gives me a chance to take skills I've been working on and put them into play during a jam situation. I've gotten better at breaking out of the pack to form up a wall and better at communicating that I need that wall when no one else is near me. Also, my positional blocking does seem to be improving...as long as I can avoid tripping on my own feet. :(

I had a few kicks from skates and a helmet to the thigh, plus general soreness from skating like mad, but I enjoyed every minute of it and am looking forward to our bout against Rockin' Rural Roller Girls on Sunday. I expect we will do well and as always each bout is a learning opportunity for us. Go Babes!

Dixie

I LOVE the last practice before a bout. That is all...for now.

Dixie von D.

frustration

Yep, missed a couple practice updates...nothing exciting to share that I can recall, which might explain why there was no update. Strategy, while necessary, bores the hell out of me and that was last week. Sunday freshie/endurance isn't exciting either, but more fun than strategy.

This week I simply find myself frustrated at myself. I'm always struggling with endurance and keeping up my speed and tonight I really felt that. It sucks to know you're the slowest of the bunch...or to feel like you are, but I'm pretty sure I am actually the slowest skater that's NOT fresh meat. After a year and still being so slow I feel rather beaten down in that regard. And at this point I'm not sure that my slowness is a matter of endurance the way it once was. I think I'm just slow....

Add to that my inability to complete a simple front to back transition (we have freshies that can do this, on their first night even) and I feel like I suck worse than ever. This is something that I've struggled with since I started skating and I simply cannot get my feet to do what I'm telling them to do while moving at speed. It is easy enough standing still, but a lot of things are easy when you're not really moving. I have this mental block or something in my head that tells me I can't do this...no matter how much I try. Plus not being able to complete said transition prevents me from learning a tomahawk stop as well, which isn't frustrating so much as it is annoying.

I love roller derby, but am starting to have my doubts about whether or not it loves me back...


Dixie