big update

So after our season ended I pretty much took a hiatus from posting. I was still skating at practices, but there hasn't been a lot of exciting stuff going on. We built a nine foot roller skate for our local Christmas parade and that was a blast! Since my last post I have (FINALLY) started to kind of get the hang of turning from front to back. I'm very terrible at it though. But the progress is there.
I've also learned how to remove plates that have been riveted to a boot. A hammer worked great. Then I learned how to mount and realized that I need my own tools...anyone got a spare break off tool? I also bought a pair of vintage Riedell 265 boots. Sadly they are too small for me and despite my best efforts at stretching them they are still super uncomfortable. I'm probably going to sell them to a teammate if she likes them.
But not until the white skates I bought come in. They look like a Riedell 295, but the person I bought them from referred to them as 8wheel (brand?) skates. IDK. They are going to be plastered with purple leather paint and mounted on my size 4 invaders for now. Assuming its not too long for a size 8 boot...lol
At any rate I am hoping for a set of DA45 Avenger Mg for Christmas in a size 2. Those will be S/F on the new boots and if I don't get them for Christmas I will buy them just as soon as I can afford them. And I want to do my own mounting job. I need a drill.
And I think that I've covered pretty much everything that's been going on.

Also, a note to the commenter who was concerned about my concussion. I am pretty sure that I had a minor one(my mom the nurse seemed to think so), but suffered no ill effects and am fine. My helmet has been replaced.

<3,
Dixie

ERG vs. CCRD

We lost our final bout of the season last night. Our first half was god awful and we had a rally in the second until some bad calls really killed our momentum. I felt like this was the worst I had ever played and managed to fall and hit my head pretty hard during the second half. I got up and kept skating but came back off after a lap or two because I tptally thought I heard four whistles. Turned out I was just knocked half stupid and hearing things. I think I'm OK tho. I mean other than just being depressed that we lost and feeling pretty inadequate as a derby girl.

I'm thinking about blowing off practice for a week or two so I can regroup and get my head on straight but I dunno just yet how I feel about it. I do know that I am really struggling with feeling as though I practice well and then play at a level that is nowhere near how I do at practice. The problem is that I don't onow why thos and that is something I nees to figure out ir I'm ever going to get better. I've been up for less than half an hour so ir things are jumbled or whatev thaya why. Also I just realized that my head still effin hurts. Now I'm annoyed. And I still feel like the worst derby girl ever and I think I let my team down....


Not feeling the love today,

Dixie von Doom

Had a good practice tonight but left feeling a bit down after having to deal with someone who I find to be less than pleasant...I'll get over it I'm sure. Had some funny moments including hearing someone yell, "the goat's jumping the fence!" As I was the goat in question and directly behind the person speaking it made me laugh so hard I almost fell. Some of the ERG skaters came down and played with us to prep for our bout on Saturday since we are borrowing them against their own team. Is there irony there? Anyway if you're in WNY or Western PA or if you feel like a road trip come see us in our last bout of the season in Erie, PA. Also this post was sent from my phone so ignore my typos!

Derby <3,

Dixie von D.

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