Feb 29, 2012
Feb 28, 2012
Vacation in the North...
So me and Loony are in the North of Sweden at a skiiresort called Åre. We just got here today and decided to go for a walk in the ski-hill... Yeah, we probably looked like two giant toddlers... We kept on throwing ourself downhill and rolling in the soft but heavy and knee-deep snow...
Had an amazing dinner and now we are on our backs watching TV and feeling the excitement of going snowboarding tomorrow... It's Loonys third time!
Had an amazing dinner and now we are on our backs watching TV and feeling the excitement of going snowboarding tomorrow... It's Loonys third time!
Feb 27, 2012
Sunday Scrimmage and Saturday toddler
Sometimes we get indoor practices - and then we scrimmage... so yesterday we had scrimmage... It was fun, but not as fun as usual. I guess you cannot always be 100%... it was a long weekend - and I also had to catch up on some work...
Tomorrow me an Loony are going to Åre to spend a few days skiing/snowboarding with my father and his new family. I'm really looking forward to that...
On Saturday it was Hell's birthday party and I dressed up, very fancy, I was wearing a dress and that is not the most common sight. But it was fun, and some people got really drunk and some less... and we had a danceparty in her tiny apartment... Good fun! Now I'm off to present rollerderby to Stockholm City... yepp... very formal - I even made power point...
Tomorrow me an Loony are going to Åre to spend a few days skiing/snowboarding with my father and his new family. I'm really looking forward to that...
On Saturday it was Hell's birthday party and I dressed up, very fancy, I was wearing a dress and that is not the most common sight. But it was fun, and some people got really drunk and some less... and we had a danceparty in her tiny apartment... Good fun! Now I'm off to present rollerderby to Stockholm City... yepp... very formal - I even made power point...
We might have watched too much Toddlers and Tiaras |
Feb 24, 2012
Amelia Scareheart - A Derby Person I heart
Amelia Scareheart B-52 |
And I have to say it here, she is a woman with a very small frame but big assets, ok, I did it... I am over it... ok, not really... but ok.. yes I am. Pheeewww... but that said, she is a short skater, but not to be underestimated.
Photo by Wicked Shamrock Photography |
She was the head-coach for Team France and bench-coached them thru all of the World Cup together with Dixie Pixie, and I can say that I would not mind to have her as myc bench-coach. She has played and coached Paris Rollergirls the past year, she been at EROC 2011 and 2012 as an instructor. I just like her, I get happy to see her, and she is just superfun and nice... you know, I like nice!
Photo by Kay Dee |
Amelia always have good answers to questions and she is very levelheaded, and trust me AMAZINGLY fun at the afterparty. I just found out last month that she is moving back to Atlanta, and it will be a big loss for Paris and for Europe. I will REALLY miss her - she is so much fun to play against and with (even if there wasn't enough times of this)
Feb 23, 2012
European All-Star Invitational
So two weeks ago I got an e-mail from an LRG skater asking me if I'd be interested in skating for an European All-Star Team, against LRG... and I thought to myself "why not....."
Acctually to be honest I acctually started jumping up and down and since I wasn't allowed to tell anyone and I had no clue who else LRG had asked, I wrote an excited blogg about life and jumped up and down a little more... until Loony got the same question... and we both jumped up and down....
But since I am allowed to tell people now I will:
I GOT INVITED TO THE:
EUROPEAN ALL-STAR TEAM!!
(according to LRG)
Who knows, it's a challange, we might get beaten by 200 point, but it will happen while I am laughing and skating and doing my best!
So London Roller Girls are also hosting a boot-camp and it all sounds like it will be really exciting and fun, and now we have to book a ticket to London... London is really growing on me... oh oh oh... and I get to see Knickerblocker again...
EXCITED; EXCITED; EXCITED; EXCITED; EXCITED!!!
Acctually to be honest I acctually started jumping up and down and since I wasn't allowed to tell anyone and I had no clue who else LRG had asked, I wrote an excited blogg about life and jumped up and down a little more... until Loony got the same question... and we both jumped up and down....
But since I am allowed to tell people now I will:
I am always excited to play derby.... (photo by Bijan Bagheri) |
I GOT INVITED TO THE:
EUROPEAN ALL-STAR TEAM!!
(according to LRG)
Who knows, it's a challange, we might get beaten by 200 point, but it will happen while I am laughing and skating and doing my best!
So London Roller Girls are also hosting a boot-camp and it all sounds like it will be really exciting and fun, and now we have to book a ticket to London... London is really growing on me... oh oh oh... and I get to see Knickerblocker again...
EXCITED; EXCITED; EXCITED; EXCITED; EXCITED!!!
Feb 22, 2012
Feb 21, 2012
Preparing for WFTDA minimum-skills
On Wednesday we have another minimum-skills test for our freshies that still has not passed, so yesterdays practice was mostly targeting skills preparing for the test, and as I always say, you can NEVER practice your basics enough... Usually Mondays are our day for the girls that have passed minimum skills, but yesterday was open for everyone - but really, really focusing on the wishes from the girls that are taking the test.
We also had two visitors from Västerås Rollerderby and they are also coming back on Wednesday to take our minimum-skills test.
I was a few minutes late to practice since I decided that the bus probably was gonna be late (it wasn't) and Loony was really sick when I got home from work, so I had to feel a little sorry for her for a little bit before I could leave for practice. Only a few of us that played Stuttgart showed up, and we were all quite sore... We also had some girls that showed up that hasn't been to practice in a while, and that was super awesome to see them at practice!
Since I was late Twisted had already started the usual Black Widdow when I came, and when the black widdow was done we did 10 skills in 10 minutes... that is a skill per minute... things that we will test on the minimum skills and a few that we will not, but are good to know. We did some windsprints since it is one of my favorite exercises and after that we did a pack excersice and find your partner on the whistle. Since the girls had requested to do some whips we did whips, and we also did as many laps as you can in five minutes... and then we capped of practice with some hitting and hitting in a pack, just to end it all with another of my favorite exercises ''big pack''.
Every practice I run I get so excited about how much everyone are improving and how hard everyone are working... roller derby is the best...
We also had two visitors from Västerås Rollerderby and they are also coming back on Wednesday to take our minimum-skills test.
I was a few minutes late to practice since I decided that the bus probably was gonna be late (it wasn't) and Loony was really sick when I got home from work, so I had to feel a little sorry for her for a little bit before I could leave for practice. Only a few of us that played Stuttgart showed up, and we were all quite sore... We also had some girls that showed up that hasn't been to practice in a while, and that was super awesome to see them at practice!
Since I was late Twisted had already started the usual Black Widdow when I came, and when the black widdow was done we did 10 skills in 10 minutes... that is a skill per minute... things that we will test on the minimum skills and a few that we will not, but are good to know. We did some windsprints since it is one of my favorite exercises and after that we did a pack excersice and find your partner on the whistle. Since the girls had requested to do some whips we did whips, and we also did as many laps as you can in five minutes... and then we capped of practice with some hitting and hitting in a pack, just to end it all with another of my favorite exercises ''big pack''.
Every practice I run I get so excited about how much everyone are improving and how hard everyone are working... roller derby is the best...
Feb 20, 2012
Stockholm Rollerderby v.s Stuttgart
Photo by Mandy Ballaschanke |
Playing derby makes me happy, practicing it makes me happy... Somedays I come to practice and am in the worst mood ever, I barly did not go because I was tired, not in the mood and all those things. But I always push through and just go to pracitice, because I know I will leave with a BIG smile!
Yay for rollerderby! And there will be more exciting news this week - just hold tight and I will let you know as soon as I know... ah ha ha
Feb 19, 2012
We won against Stuttgart
I still dont think I really understand that we did. I am very bruised up but happy, we played a fair and VERY tight game, and we didn't only keep the audience on the edge of their seats, but also ourselves.
Everyone on the team did a fantastic job, kept on pushing until it was over. Everyone kept a very good attitude on the bench both when we were down and up, and kept on putting their best skate forward.
I foresee more strategy talks on our carpet and fun focused practice. I for sure have to step up my off-skate routine... I also desperatly need to go see a chiropractor, my back is KILLING me.
And I must say Stuttgart was a FANTASTIC hosting team, and we had about 1,200 ppl watching us! It was craaazy...
Everyone on the team did a fantastic job, kept on pushing until it was over. Everyone kept a very good attitude on the bench both when we were down and up, and kept on putting their best skate forward.
I'm just gonna hold onto Twisteds ass... |
I foresee more strategy talks on our carpet and fun focused practice. I for sure have to step up my off-skate routine... I also desperatly need to go see a chiropractor, my back is KILLING me.
And I must say Stuttgart was a FANTASTIC hosting team, and we had about 1,200 ppl watching us! It was craaazy...
Feb 18, 2012
I found a unicorn in Berlin
On our way to Stuttgart we had to change our flight in Berlin, and guess what I found?? A gigantic UNICORN!!! Oh yeah... I considered stealing it, but figured that being arrested in Berlin would make it hard for me to show up and skate at a bout in Stuttgart the next day. I was worried that they would not listen to me claiming that the unicorn asked me to bring her, apparently everyone can not speak unicornish. And since I didn't really have the 150 euro that they priced the poor thing to, we had to leave her... And she is still loonily at the Berlin airport... :-( Maybe we have time to hug her on our way back to Stockholm...
In Stuttgart with coffee!
Morning in Stuttgart with Loony, Bananna and Titty... Boutday starting with lots of coffee and bread, Germans for sure love their bread :-). Me and Loony will soon go out for a prebout walk in our nice little Kallio shirts. We are wearing Amly's shirts for breakfast and laughing at each other.
Line-ups written, intro-song chosen, helmet covers in a safe spot, bout-fit prepared and a little trickle of nerves, coffee, and least but not last a smile Ready to goooo.... Goooo.... Hookup and skate, skate, skate...
I am superexcited about the bout tonight, it's gonna be great fun and apparently they have sold over a thousand tickets for it... Gives me the jitters... It is odd how excited and nervous you can feel for an hour that will come and pass.
I love rollerderby, there are so many things I love about rollerderby and so many things that we can do and develop, pushing a sport forward that we own, that is our own.
Line-ups written, intro-song chosen, helmet covers in a safe spot, bout-fit prepared and a little trickle of nerves, coffee, and least but not last a smile Ready to goooo.... Goooo.... Hookup and skate, skate, skate...
I am superexcited about the bout tonight, it's gonna be great fun and apparently they have sold over a thousand tickets for it... Gives me the jitters... It is odd how excited and nervous you can feel for an hour that will come and pass.
I love rollerderby, there are so many things I love about rollerderby and so many things that we can do and develop, pushing a sport forward that we own, that is our own.
Feb 16, 2012
When I don't roll... I dress up...
Bench managers can be pretty |
20's prom at Rat City with Summer Assualt |
There is something about dressing up and derby, I totally LOVE dressing up, but at the same time I'm not that much about dressing up when I skate. I think I just might be to focused on playing derby to acctually fuss about what I am wearing...
When I skated for Gotham I bouted in jeaggings a whole bunch of times and really big bling earings... I think I might just go back to the bling earings... When I moved back to Sweden I did wear a whole bunch of game-face makeup... but captaining in combination with a lot of different things, made me really pressed on time and I never really gotten into a consistant look...
Flagpresenter at Dockyard in 2008 |
Feb 15, 2012
Practice planned....
Benchcoaching in Helsinki May 2011 |
I am super excited to go to Stuttgart this weekend, it will be mine and Loonys second bout with Stockholm, and that is always exciting, it finally start to feel like we are a part of Stockholm Rollerderby. I've been coaching quite a lot, and I really enjoy coaching a leauge, a little more than just coaching at boot-camps.
Don't get me wrong, I love coaching at boot-camps and hold practices for other leauges, but it is something special about seeing your own team progress and develop, it makes you proud and excited. It is easier to come up with drills for your own leauge since you know what they should work on...
If you know that they have a problem with lifting their feet, you can sit home and think about what the best way to target it would be... YEAH... I do spend alot of time thinking about drills and developing already existing drills, or what drills that will work well together. Yepp... I am really nerdy like that... I do it during work, I keep a document open and fill in drills during the day and then in the ned of teh day I print it and bring it to practice... very neat... I like it...
Awesome Derby Art Blog
A typical ''freashie'' |
A typical ''veteran'' |
So I just fell over this one blog by Elektra Q-tion, well, I saw the link on a facebookgroup and she does the cutest drawings ever, plus she does some really spot on observations about derby... AND I've skated with her on Team Amazon at ECE 2010... yupp... you should check it out....and yeah, all the pictures in in this blog is shamelessly stolen/borrowed from her!
I have a VERY amazing sense of derbyfashion.... (parts of Team Amazon 2010) |
Feb 14, 2012
Icebox might be thawing
Halleluja -
our practice space was not THAT cold yesterday, it was just cold, but no worse
than it was acctually enjoyable to skate. We still could see our breath, but it wasn’t painful to breath…
So yesterday
was advanced practice, for now advanced
practice in Stockholm Rollerderby refeers to everyone that has passed
minimumskills, so we were quite a bunch. It was superfun - I was leading practice and
time just went flying. I think there is one of my issues, that I just want to
cover EVERYTHING, but I have to tone it down and narrow down each practice to
just target a few things.
Since the
practice space have turned into a fridge, we have started every practice with
Black Widdow, and so we did yesterday, but with a few adjustments, we did the
ten, eight and six laps with a partner instead of alone... My main focus of the
practice was to work with a partner, not in a huge group, but with a partner.
Yesterday
was a fun day of coaching, and everyone seemed really excited, we had about 25
girls on-skates in our advanced group, and I was so happy to see so many ppl
work so hard. It makes me happy, both as a coach, but also as a team-mate. It
was probably an extra motivator that it wasn't as cold as it has been previous
weeks...
I had a
great time, and I'm proud of Stockholm Rollerderby and how hard everyone are
working and developing... and on Friday we will be taking off to Stuttgart to bout. So Wednesday
is our last practice before... I'm starting to get a little nervous...
brrrrrr.... hopefully it will be a good match-up! It will be mine and Loonys second bout with Stockholm Rollerderby...
I am really excited to get to hang out with Titty during Friday,
she is one of my favorite Germans… she has promised to spend Fridday showing us Stuttgart...
Feb 13, 2012
Tour de Force - full platta in Malmö
First we benched for Gothenburg |
...they did amazing for their first bout |
And then we watched CCR's A-team win against Paris |
So we all piled into my car and went to Malmö to participate in the usual derby awesomeness - me and Loony helped Gothenburg on the bench for their first bout ever. It was awesome, and they did so great for their first bout ever. I was very impressed by Gothenburg and was happy that I could help making their first bout a little easier. They have a few girls that really stood out, MadFish got MVP, even if she almost got seven trips to the box... but I thing the nerves got the best out of her. Villa will become great with some more experianc, patience and practice, and I was really suprised in a good way by Sandy, she really has developed since December when me and Loony coached in Gothenburg. In general - everyone looked great and amazing, and I was superexcited to share thier first bout with them! And i got to dress up - I litterly was wearing a dress - I did feel like a tranny, and Evil Eye apperently really like me with lipstick and looing like a tranny...
It was awesome to see that CCR were looking amazing, it was a little sad not skating with them, and I think we miss it more than we will ever admit, sometimes it's hard to turn to new pages in life. But for once I got to watch a bout and drink some beer and just hang out with friends... It was great to see all of the Crime City players, but also Titty was up from Stuttgart and I had the great company of my lovley car-companions Kix, Only, Loony and Amy....
I must say that Crime City really looked very together, Ninja and Firebird wall looked nice and strong, Ankefar jammed like the awesome jammer she is and so did Curly, and as always I loved to see all of the really nice packwork out there by Crime City...
Paris did not look to bad, but at times they seemed a little disorganized on the track, and I missed seeing Amelia in the pack -and I saw much more of her jamming. I was very impressed by Paris Machete, she had some really great blocks and waterfalling action out there.
about
Amy,
Bout day,
Crime City Rollers,
Gothenburg rollerderby,
Kix,
Mad Maloony,
MadFish,
Only,
Swede Hurt
Feb 10, 2012
Yesterday, today and tomorrow
Some really exciting things have happened the past days! I am getting more and more excited about the upcomming derby year!!
Right now I'm in my car squeezed in the back with Kix and Amy who are both trying to sing and dance at the same time as Only is driving through mörkaste Småland!
Tomorrow me and Loony are gonna help Gothenburg om the bench for their first bout. I'm so excited for them, about a year I went and coached them in Gothenburg and they have gotten so far since then .
I marvel everyday over how much rollerderby are growing.
Right now I'm in my car squeezed in the back with Kix and Amy who are both trying to sing and dance at the same time as Only is driving through mörkaste Småland!
Tomorrow me and Loony are gonna help Gothenburg om the bench for their first bout. I'm so excited for them, about a year I went and coached them in Gothenburg and they have gotten so far since then .
I marvel everyday over how much rollerderby are growing.
Towards Malmööööö and Tour de Force
So I'm filling my car up with Loony, Kix, Amy and Only and heading towards Malmö this weekend, ahhh... it's gonna be so much fun! CCR's A-team are gonna be beating up on Paris, it's their first A-team game since me and Loony moved, so we will not be missing that! Not at all, it will be stellar! I think it's gonna be a great bout to watch!
Before that Gothenburg will bout for the first time ever against the more seasoned CCR's B-team, and me an Loony have promised to help Gothenburg on their bench. It will be really awesome and fun, to see all the growing talent of derby in this northern part of the world. I am so EXCITED!
I am also sooooo excited to see all the girls in Crime City too, I miss them soo much, especially all the girls that played on Team Sweden... oh oh oh... and Titty from Stuttgart will be coming too... it's gonna be a blast! And I also heart Amelia Scareheart from Paris, so it will be SUCH a blast and amazingness to get to see all those lovley people!
Feb 8, 2012
Current Swedish Roller Derby
So the past year there been an explosion in Rollerderby leauges in Sweden and also the first National Swedish team was created and went all the way to Toronto to bout.... So I decided to make it easier for you if you were looking for where to start with rollerderby in Sweden. And I appologize if not all the leauges are here, please let me know if I missed someone and I will make sure that they will go up too...
I'll start from the north, and go south:
Slaughter Daughter Roller Derby - Luleå
Ume Radical Rollers - Umeå
Östersund Rollerderby - Östersund
Sundsvalls Demolition Rollers - Sundsvall
Borlänge Näsblod - Borlänge
Gävle Rollerderby - Gävle
Uppsala Roller Derby - Uppsala
Västerås RollerDerby - Västerås
Stockholm Roller Derby - Stockholm
Royal Swedish Roller Derby - Stockholm
Norrköping Roller Derby - Norrköping
Lindköping Roller Derby - Lindköping
Karlstad Rollerderby - Karlstad
SufferCity Sweethearts - Lidköping
Tinderstix City Slammers Roller Derby - Jönköping
Växjö Roller Derby - Växjö
Gothenburg Rollerderby - Gothenburg
Dock City Roller Derby - Gothenburg
Halmstad Roller Derby - Halmstad
Helltown Hellcats - Helsingborg
Visby Valkyries - Visby
Crime City Rollers - Malmö
Malmö Royals Roller Derby - Malmö
Soul Sisters (junior derby) - Malmö
Team Sweden Roller Derby - Swedens finest...
I am excited to see that Rollerderby is growing past what I ever thought was possible - Rollerderby been my love for the past four years, and now when hitting my fifth season... I am excited... I am happy... even if there are days I feel really really burnt out! It is all worth it!
I'll start from the north, and go south:
Slaughter Daughter Roller Derby - Luleå
Ume Radical Rollers - Umeå
Östersund Rollerderby - Östersund
Sundsvalls Demolition Rollers - Sundsvall
Borlänge Näsblod - Borlänge
Gävle Rollerderby - Gävle
Uppsala Roller Derby - Uppsala
Västerås RollerDerby - Västerås
Stockholm Roller Derby - Stockholm
Royal Swedish Roller Derby - Stockholm
Norrköping Roller Derby - Norrköping
Lindköping Roller Derby - Lindköping
Karlstad Rollerderby - Karlstad
SufferCity Sweethearts - Lidköping
Tinderstix City Slammers Roller Derby - Jönköping
Växjö Roller Derby - Växjö
Gothenburg Rollerderby - Gothenburg
Dock City Roller Derby - Gothenburg
Halmstad Roller Derby - Halmstad
Helltown Hellcats - Helsingborg
Visby Valkyries - Visby
Crime City Rollers - Malmö
Malmö Royals Roller Derby - Malmö
Soul Sisters (junior derby) - Malmö
Team Sweden Roller Derby - Swedens finest...
I am excited to see that Rollerderby is growing past what I ever thought was possible - Rollerderby been my love for the past four years, and now when hitting my fifth season... I am excited... I am happy... even if there are days I feel really really burnt out! It is all worth it!
Feb 7, 2012
I'm selling the services of my girlfriend....
Loony wearing the tights, hotpants, armband and helmet panty she made... |
My girlfriend is extreamly talented, she is a great derby player, she is smart, funny, athletic a little crazy, and amazing performer and so on... but then there is also her talent for sewing... she makes really cool tights! AND she can make helmet panties - both for practice and for bouting. She made the bouting panties for Team Sweden, she also made our leggings and hotpants AND our armbands.
I love those armbands - with my number on - since I'm sick of forgetting my pen, end up having black marks allover my light shirts and so on... scrimmage/bout armbands with your number on are fab! And the reff will never have to send you to the box because your number sweated away...
So this is a big add for ordering those amazing and handy things from Loony.... she just got a new sewing maschine...
Nosebleed and more practice...
We were fearing that it would be -14 degrees outside yesterday and that it would put the indoor temperature to way below the 0. But we were "lucky" and it was only a modest -7 or something, so it was practice as usual. Loony was leading practice and we did the usual Black Widdow, and a bunch of partner exercises and ended it with some off-skate and partner streching.... Mondays are our practice for everyone that has passed minimumskills. It is awesome to see that lots of our new skaters are improving so much for each practice... We have three bouts coming up the next two months - first is two A-team boutsStuttgart in two weeks, and then London Roller Girls B-team and least but not last Gothenburg going up against our B-team. It's all going to be EXCITING!!!
I had the pleasure to get one of our skaters wristguards in my face - resulting in a nosebleed.... quite painful... first nosebleed I have ever gotten in rollerderby. I laid down next to the tires and almost cried a little while the blood was dripping onto the rubbercovered black floor... yeah... HOT... I guess that is impressive - after four years in rollerderby I have never gotten a nosebleed until yesterday. Today nose is tender and it is a little hard to breath through it today, but it will not kill me... (I hope)
I had the pleasure to get one of our skaters wristguards in my face - resulting in a nosebleed.... quite painful... first nosebleed I have ever gotten in rollerderby. I laid down next to the tires and almost cried a little while the blood was dripping onto the rubbercovered black floor... yeah... HOT... I guess that is impressive - after four years in rollerderby I have never gotten a nosebleed until yesterday. Today nose is tender and it is a little hard to breath through it today, but it will not kill me... (I hope)
Feb 5, 2012
The derby non-derby life and food
So yesterday me and loony went over to Jazz and Toxic place to have dinner with Hell, Husse and Husses girlfriend Enoc. I have been friends with Husse and Jazz waaaay before derby, and I really enjoy to hang out with both of them outside of skating. One of our freshies came by later in the evening and was really supriesed that me and Husse have known each other for over 13 years...
Jazz is totally amazing at cooking, she made us all halloumi burgers, with homemade salsa and guacamole. Jazz is what we like to call a ''kocksvin'' and very particular about cooking, and I'm NOT gonna complain, because everytime we go over for dinner, we leave happy.
I do love cooking, but my foods are more comfortfoods, soups and stews, me and Loony have started to to start to pack lunch bags for work too. Every week we get a box of ecological produce delivered to our appartment - and it tends to last us all week... it is aaaamazing!
about
cooking,
Enoc,
food,
Hell'nDesTroy,
HussInsane,
Jazz,
Mad Maloony,
Toxic
Feb 4, 2012
Indoor practice
Today is the day - we have practice INDOORS... I don't need long-johns and a down-vest on... Almost feels weird...
It's scrimmage, and this time we chose to only have it open for the girls that passed minimumskills before december, so the girls that are newer had a chance to NSO.
I think it is superimportant to watch and NSO some scrimmage before you get to throw yourself 100% into it.
It's scrimmage, and this time we chose to only have it open for the girls that passed minimumskills before december, so the girls that are newer had a chance to NSO.
I think it is superimportant to watch and NSO some scrimmage before you get to throw yourself 100% into it.
about
fun,
practice,
Scrimmage,
Stockholm Roller Derby
Feb 3, 2012
My carpet is a derby track...
about
coaching,
fun,
rollerderby,
Stockholm Roller Derby,
STRD,
weekend
Rollerderby and life
A year ago I came home to Copenhagen from EROC and I was nervous and excited, because I had just experianced European Rollerderby for the first time, and I was excited to do so many things.
I did a lot the past year, and I had fun doing it, but at one point I realized that everythign felt like an obligation, things that I HAD to do rather than things I wanted to do. And I think the worst was that people expected me to do things, with no room for error. I am a human - I am full of errors, but trust me, I really try my best to do my best.
In some aspects I really miss skating in US, I miss having a coach, someone that pushes me, I miss having people that tell me I'm awesome when I have a bad day and that randomly buy me ice-cream when I feel like everything is shit. I also realized that because I was stressed and sad I made life hard for the people closest to me.
I expect lots from myself and that is probably why I expect so much from others, rollerderby is supposed to be fun, it is fun, it is freaking amazing. I love the derby that I have been a part of, that we become more healthy and driven for each year. That we play derby for the sport of it, I think it is OK to go into a game with the mindset that we wanna win and to be willing to work for it.
There is a place for everyone in derby, but we have to accept that we are different, there need to be room for the ones that just wanna come once or twice a week and just play a little, but it also have to be room for the ones that wanna come four times a week and spend extra time on off-sakte and strategy sessions...
I did a lot the past year, and I had fun doing it, but at one point I realized that everythign felt like an obligation, things that I HAD to do rather than things I wanted to do. And I think the worst was that people expected me to do things, with no room for error. I am a human - I am full of errors, but trust me, I really try my best to do my best.
In some aspects I really miss skating in US, I miss having a coach, someone that pushes me, I miss having people that tell me I'm awesome when I have a bad day and that randomly buy me ice-cream when I feel like everything is shit. I also realized that because I was stressed and sad I made life hard for the people closest to me.
I expect lots from myself and that is probably why I expect so much from others, rollerderby is supposed to be fun, it is fun, it is freaking amazing. I love the derby that I have been a part of, that we become more healthy and driven for each year. That we play derby for the sport of it, I think it is OK to go into a game with the mindset that we wanna win and to be willing to work for it.
There is a place for everyone in derby, but we have to accept that we are different, there need to be room for the ones that just wanna come once or twice a week and just play a little, but it also have to be room for the ones that wanna come four times a week and spend extra time on off-sakte and strategy sessions...
Feb 2, 2012
Another day in the ice-box...
At next practices we will do a relay kicking balls... (no pun intended) |
Wednesday practices is our ''everyone practice'' day and yesterday it was mine and Twisteds turn to run this practice. We started off with a shortened down version of ''Black Widdow'' (starting at 14 laps) it seems to be our current warm-up of choice. Yesterday was only around 4 degrees Celsius in our practice space - so it's all about keeping warm and getting the muscles going. We could see our breath... I also like that we do some core and general strenght exercises, since we don't have much dedicated off-skate practices.
Then we continued with an excercise that we picked up when we skated with TORD in Toronto - 10 exercises in 10 minutes. It is simple - we all do an exersice for 1minute and then directly change into another, for a total of 10 minutes. Good things to throw in are; skating on one foot, big slaloms, transitions, skating backwards, jumping from foot to foot... ect ...ect... just exercises where you can challange yourself on your own level.
The challange with everyone practices are to find drills that everyone will find challanging without disencourage the less skilled girls and not to make it too basic for the advanced girls.
Later on we did some matching steps, both side by side, and following each other, yesterday we only did it two and two, but one day I hope we can skate a whole row of people on step, it's fun, makes me remember when Deadly Aim used to run practice. It sounds really cool to have a whole row of girls skating on step. We also did ''shopping carts'' and ''truck'n'trailer'', also an old classical drill that seem to be a standard in every leauges practice protocol, it is a good endurance drill, and I like the competative moment to it, if you want it to have.
I really like running practice - adn I think everyone felt accomplished afterwards - of course there is always room for improvement both from the coaching and from the sakters, but I guess that is what we live for.
Fisti Cuffs - a derby person I heart
Photo by Nicolas Charest and stolen from facebook |
Fisit Cuffs is a Gotham Girl, a Manhattan Mayhem skater and also on Team USA, she is a VERY impressive and amazing person. She is a person I miss sooo much.... and she also has a really cool company together with Beatrix Slaughter called Lock and Spoon... they make amazing jewlery... Fisti gave me a ring that she mase, and I always wear it... it is really simple but oh so pretty!
So I moved to New York because Bonnie and OMG talked me into it (and all those other reasons), and I was superduper lonly and lost (and excited and nervous), and I didn't know anyone except from Bonnie and OMG -and they both had busy lives and still did an amazing job of being my derbymothers (there will be a blog about them coming up too).
I don't know why me and Fisti Cuffs became such good friends, maybe because we shared the equal lack of co-ordination while off-saktes, maybe because we both were tall (I am taller), maybe because we both are kind of goofy I really don't know. I don't really even know when we just became friends, but somewhere along the way in New York she became my captain, both on the Allstars and on Mayhem and she was always an inspiration but also a friend.
We are VERY serious people |
Fisti has done derby longer than any person I know - she started in Arizona and then moved onto New York, and her style of playing is just lazy but with urgency. She always tend to be right where she needs to be, and she knows that when she has to go for the big hit, she has failed blocking, I admire Fisti Cuffs very much. She is a VERY smart and accomplished player and I love watching her play and I love playing with her.
it was the look of 2010 |
Fisti LOVES vintage shops, art and sparkly things, it very much distracts her. She took me to Trash beach (she likes to refere to it as Treasure Beach, and it is an old landfill in Brooklyn that now is leaking into the ocean) where we got a tan and coca-cola bottles from teh 50's. Fisti also discovered the punching games and I have gotten many bruises from her pracitcing it.... and also trying to save her from playing it with 250-pund muscular guys a week before Championships... and she will dress up and be silly.. I am scared of letting her cut my hair... I will admit that!
This is Fisitis way of showing love before a jam starts |
I need to go to New York and visit soon... or even better... FISTI come here and bring Justin with you!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)