Critical Mass

Our MASS was à mass of skaters and not a mass of bikers - We had a great time skating with the few bikers that showed up. And then we got some beers, sat in a park until late.

2008 - RollerCon it was

I went to RollerCon 2008, 2009 and 2010 - and all of those years I had a blast for different reasons... This photo is from my first year at RollerCon - I had been skating for about 9 months and I was starstruck and the classes were in a garage... we had black vs. white scrimmages during the night at Flamingo Banks and it was HOT HOT HOT and I remember the floor to be slick, slick, slick... oh, and all those Rat City girls totally sweet talked me... I was in heaven... 

That thing about the WFTDA minimum skills, again

I've talked about this before - but after some recent discussions and talks with new derbygirls - I feel the urge to once again bring it up... why we require our fresh meat to pass minimum skills before we let them participate in scrimmage... I am just going to quote myself, since i ma honestly to lazy to write it all again... this is what I wrote about a year ago about passing minimum skills and why it is so important...


"So some people think that passing test means you are boutready - in my opinion it doesn't - it means you are ready to scrimmage, and start working towards becoming boutready. It means that you are safe to skate in a pack - and that you know the BASICS of roller-derby... it pretty much means that you are SAFE. For me saftey is really important - you HAVE to be a safe skater for me to let you on track with my girls - not only for others but also for yourself.
Minimum skills are not very hard, but they are not easy either - they contain a very wide array of skills, because derby is not only about being a good skater - it is also about paying attention, knowing how to hit, how to take a hit, to control speed, to look BEHIND you, to know the rules, to jump over someone that has fallen, to not hold onto people when you fall, balancing on one foot, speeding up, keeping pace, communicating and skating in a pack without falling.
So there are lots of things to derby - and trying to skip the basics are not making anyone a better skater, just a dangerous force on the track. Giving your body time to build the muscles that are required for derby will reduce the risk for injuries - and also make you a better derby player."

Remember they are called MINUMUM skills and not "I'm all that skills", rollerderby and skating skills is something you will develop every practice... so to keep your skills you have to show up to more than one practice a month, I'd even dare to say that you need one practice a week to MAINTAIN the skill you are at, and if you want to progress and get better, you need at least two practices a week a few times/month.

This Sunday we had a minimum skills test - and since we really wanna help Västerås and Uppsala (they are two newly upstarted leauges quite close to Stockholm) out, we invited girls from both leauges, but only the Västerås girls could make it... we also had five STRD girls taking the test! Everyone did such an amazing job, and I am really amazed over how much everyone are progressing!

Photo by Gitta Wilen - STRD freshmeat/referee

Full-contact or hugging?

Should I be worried taht Suvii is hitting on my girlfriend?

Outdoor skate to Visätra

We concurred this in about 1,5 h

Me, Husse and Interupted all took our skates out to Visätra to watch Royals play their second public scrimmage, thye have four hometeams with girls on vary varying levels. There is lots and talent in the leauge, but they for sure need more practice, and for sure to pass minimum skills (from my understanding this is why they call it a scrimmage and not a bout, even if everything was set up just like a bout). Me and Husse were asked to announce for the first bout - I got a little nervous since I didn't even know the names of the girls playing.

I loved skating outdoors - it was really an AWESOME day to skate for 1,5 h - it was sunny but not to hot, and the road had some hills but not majorly and there was both up-and downhills... just like life! And we did not even get lost once... 

I am looking forward to many days skating outdoors this summer, I'm thinking that skating to work might be an option since I don't have a bike, and riding the bus in th summer sort of sucks...

The derby hair in STRD

Becky and Only has it...

Lonni is a hipster and keep it short on one side

You cannot deny Ice going all the way

But to be fair - Jazz really is the all that

And Husse for sure does it...

They all do it... shave a side, two sides, half a side... something is at least shaved... and they play derby... I really tried to find photos of the ladies in the full hair glory - but apperently shaving your hair also entails wearing something on the head... bummer...

And everyone are for sure not pictured... I just got to lazy to find pictres... but also Saliva, Amy, Red, Ryssen and probably someone else that I have missed has it too... and I see more of them in the future... summer and shaving is easy...

Not to miss that our referee has joined forces...

Back in Stockholm with fancy beer

Sun is also comming out in Stockholm - so after-work was spent in the sun with a beer, Jazz, Husse and Enoc and when the sun settled we all headed to Monks House of Porter to drink some really amazing beer. Me and Jazz shared 50 cm of dark beers, and it left both of us relly excited and satisfied but still urging for more. I am so happy that Jazz and Husse are my friends, sometimes it feel like we don't get enought time to hang out - even if we do see each other at practice twice a week!

For you who do not know me, I'm sort of a beersnob - I love beer, but I'm more or less specific about what beers I drink. I want them to have lots and lots of taste - and most of the time I'm all about the porters and the stouts - I don't really like IPA's, but that doesn't mean I exclude any beer without trying it.... and on a VERY hot summerday I will drink PBR or any other shitty beer if I get offered...

Later on a whole bunch of beerthirsty Stockholm Rollerderby girls showed up, had a beer and then all wanted to head to Roxy to win some bet about picking up the most phonenumbers... in the end of the night I ended up at the derby collective eating popcorn and cake since it was Becky's birthday...

Today we are gonna go see Royals scrimmage - it's not a bout it's a scrimmage... i don't know why, but I am really curious to see a public scrimmage with them. Royals is the other leauge of Stockholm that was founded about 9 month ago... 

Leaving Barcelona

Time flies when you are having fun - now back home - straight into a training committee meeting.

It's been a great time with family, food and slow Internet... And a tiny bit shopping... I think I even spotted a derby girl in the city yesterday, she had a HRD bag... We all stared at each other...

At one point I found a bear! Or can I say I became one?  I really enjoyed Barcelona - but at the same time I'm really excited I'm back in Stockholm... I love the lovley Stockholm... I just have to wait a little longer to skate around in a bikini!

Skating Barcelona

Like every normal derbygirl we tried to go on vacation - but we could not leave the skates behind...

We even made Em skate with us... Ah... Barcelona is really great for skating - so much darn fun!

Vaccationtime in Barcelona

Eating, walking and just living and laughing with family.
Yesterday was walking around enjoying some shopping and food!
Today we're gonna skate down to the beach and chill in the sun. Maybe even drinking some sangria!

In Barcelona

Maybe having a flight at 6.20 the day after a bout is not the brightest of the ideas... but we made the flight, even if the things I brought are a little mixed... we did bring our skates for some beach skating...

Today we got here, ate tapas and then went for a very long walk down the Rambla and all the way down to the beach, just to put our feet into the ocean. Amazingness! I love it! But I do admitt we feelt a little like shit, sore and slightly hungover, and awesome... all in one..

Wearing flip-flops and strolling in the sun... and lots and lots of AMAZING food and great wine! Vaccation time! It's me, Loony, my mother, stepfather, brother and one of my best friends Em. 

Won bout against Helsinki.....

My team is amazing! And now I'm on a flight to Barcelona... Supergood game against Helsinki... Thanks to Helsinki for giving us such an amazing game!

Photo shamelessly stolen from Facebook

See you here on Saturday...

Come watch us take on Heksinki! After 300 different problems and obstacles we seem to have a track... It cannot get any better than this! I'm excited and delighted! I'm so amazed by all the hard work all the girls of STRD have been putting into the leauge - positive energy and lots of love...
Oh, and today I hung out with Husse, Jazz and Anna to create fantastic secrets that will be reveled on Saturday!

So put your best birthday hat on and let's skate on Saturday... ( we are cleaning the floor tomorrow once more and we are also getting blankets at IKEA for sale, since the venue us a tad chilly)

I love Stockholm Rollerderby!

We are amazing! I love you all to bits and pieces...
The time and work we put in...
Even if it seem like the world is against us...

On Saturday we will be bouting!
Amazingness it will be!

Both the A and the B-team will be playing Helsinkis A and B-team! It will be AWESOME! Stockholm has never won against Helsinki before - so this will be a thrilling bout... (after we have cleaned the floor again... and again... and gotten a track down... people this is a loooong story)

Life outside rollerderby

Oh yes! One night in heaven - Minna made amazing food and then Rikard made Daquiries and we watched Pricilla, Queen of the Desert... Oh... life is amazing... now I'm just crossing my fingers that practice tonight will happen... four more days and we are bouting Helsinki, Stockholm has never won against Helsinki... so it will be really exciting...
And on the Sunday after our bout, I'm going to Barcelona...

Last summer in Paris

By the Eiffel Tower... 

This was just such an awesome trip... my dear Evil Eye just tagged me in this photo - and it made me miss all those awesome Crime City ladies a little more... I do love STRD, but that doesn't make me miss Crime City any less...  and this trip was awesome... 

Battle of the Bank 2012

Yes I am going and I am playing with Team Legit... and then I'm gonna go visit my friends in NYC

I am excited - I am going to two of my favorite cities in USA - oh oh oh!!

When the wind just exhaust you...

I just wanna be on track... 

It's like living in limbo - we never know if we can or cannot practice, we have no money to pay for a venue and the venue we have is so full of dust that our wheels just slide and slide...

Yesterday I sat in a corner and just cried for a bit until I shooked it off and  planned a strategy class instead of on-skate and went onto the dusty floor, slid around cones and talked about the thoughts behind our strategies and why we do what we do.

Sometimes it's just hard to motivate yourself to be a good coach, to come to practice and be all peppy and excited when all you wanna do is crawl under a blanket and cryyyy...

I hate that the mood of the whole leauge is dropping - it's hard to be motivated when it feel like everything is working against you. All we wnat to do is to play derby, to work out, to feel concrete, wood anything that can be turned into a track under our feet. We all want to get better, we want to develop... but it's hard when the precious time we have turn dead-ends.

We need new winds, more carrots and more sugar... we need more love and we need a place to call our own... I love rollerderby... just freaking let me play!!

It sort of just sucks - a wet blanket over us at all times... please... we need some sunshine... more sunshine...

Eating worms in live radio

Photo from P4 webpage by Ronnie Ritterland

So me and Red got to be on radio, talking about roller-derby... AWESOME you'd think... until they offer up toasted and seasoned WORMS... yepp, so apperently the previous speaker had talked about eating insects... and they just kept the selection for me and Red. Yum yum... another of those things I've don for derby... If you wanna know more or listen... just visit P4 website here! 

But why?

Spring and the dust from the hall the otehr night seem to have gotten to me... maybe that sternumhit in London also plays in - but I have a hard time brething... it is annoying, since I have a fair belive that I am indestructable... VERY indestructable!

I sit at work and dream about warehouses - yes - you know you are a true derbygirl when you start to dream about warehouses... well, a derbygirl that always am stressed about where the next practice is going to be....

Tag - you got me - now I'll get you

So my dear friend Alotta Riot tagged me in one of those "answer those questions"  blog... and I thought... why not... It's fun to answer questions (yes I love surveys, and I'm delighted everytime I get to fill one out) and at the same time I'm not really sure if they are that exciting on peoples blogs... but I guess in this way you get some more random facts about me...

Sol eller vintersemester? (Sun or winter vaccation?)If you would have asked me ten years ago I would have said winter, since back then I was an obsessive competative snowboarder... but times changes, and now I have started to turn my face towards the sun, soaking in every moment of precious sun time... and sun means skating... Oh, and that reminds me that we are going to Barcelona in 2 weeks... BEACH SKATING!

Bästa staden? (Best City?)
It is spring and sun out, I have to answer Stockholm, I love Stockholm... there are many other cities that have captured my heart, but none that has a grip on my heart like Stockholm (´snart kommer jag att brista ut i en spontan version av "Stockholm i mitt hjäääärta")

Favoritmat? (Favorite food?)

I love food - if I get to pick it's probably something that involves avocado, seaweed, soysauce and rice. But to be honest, I cannot say I have one single favorite food, I do prefer vegetarian, but I do eat meat. I just love to eat... not to much fried food... but fruit.. pasta, vegables... MmMMMmmmm

Vad är lycka? (What is happiness?)
It's to be able to look at the people you love and see that you make them happy.... Happiness is also the days when I feel my team and I are one on the track.

Vilken är den bästa årstiden? (Best season?)

Depends on where, but in general I'd say summer, this year it is summer at least, I have high expectations for the summer. Summer will be great... 

Vad är viktigast i livet? (What's the most important in life?)
There are so many different things that are important in life, that your family is healthy, your friends healthy and that I'm healthy. But also you have to be happy with what you doing.
Sometimes I have to reach inside me, slap myself and put that smile on, because I know things will get better. So I think it's really important in life to keep on going even if things seem not so awesoem because that makes it all more awesome in the end.

Vilken är den bästa högtiden? 
I think I really love Christmas - because it's the time I know I will be with my family. I am not really crazy about why we celebrate Christmas and it's not about the presents, it's just good to know that I will be with my family and people that are important to me... and eat lots of food... (not the christmas food only, we are waaay more inventive in my family)

Skräckigaste skräckfilmen? (Scariest scary movie?)
I have a terrible habit of watching movies that seem to scar me for life... but I must say that first time I saw the Ring - I could not sleep for a week. Two Sisters - a Korean movie is really freaky too. Oh, and the Orphanage... and pretty much a lot of Asian movies are freeeaaky... yeah...

Vad önskar du dig mest i hela världen? (What do you wish for most in the world?)
That Stockholm Rollerderby had a practice venue - with a taped track, that was quite central. A bouting venue is quite high on the list aswell... I know - I probably should wish for world peace and all those ohter amazing and nice things and I do... but above would make my life so much easier... and also happier and also most of the people I spend time with happier and more relaxed- and I guess I do rate personal happiness high.

Om du bara fick lyssna på en låt resten av ditt liv, vilken låt skulle det vara? (If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what song would it be?)
Bruises with Chairlift - don't ask me why - it just makes me smile and think about rollerskating NYC.

Vilken är de godaste drickan du vet? (What's the best bevarage you know?)
Guiness I guess - non alcoholic I'd say Rabarbersaft... 

Rules:

- Each tagged person must answer the 7 questions given to them by their "tagger” and post it on their blog.- Then, choose 7 new people to tag and link them in your post.- Create 7 new questions for the people you tag to answer.- Go to their page and tell them they’ve been tagged!
- Do not tag back to the person who has already tagged you.

Who inspires you the most?
What is the wildest thing you have done?
Relationship to rollerderby/rollerskating?
What about kids?
Love or money?
City or mountains?
Future goals? 

You kids can consider yourself tagged:: 
Mirijam

Viva La Diva

Kozmic Bruise
Sandy DeLuxe
Men mest av allt... 
Manic Medic
RToBeatU

Another hall, another problem...

So we found a place to bout Helsinki... It's really not central - but as I've said a thousand times - beggars can't be choosers... At least it's a super beautiful ride on the commuter train...

BUT we got out there today to tape the track - and kid me not - there was one MAJOR problem - the entire floor was covered by about quarter an inch of white dust... So instead of skating we ended up scrubbing, rubbing and tubbing a floor... Yeah - it was sort of CRAZY and we all left covered in white chalk and yeah... in the end it seemed much cleaner!

It's quite far from my work - and no kidding it is NOT central... but it is beutiful out there - and I think we will have to decide practice-times in colaboration with the commuter train times :-D

I truly love Stockholm

Stockholm is showing off - smiling with sun and being just amazing as only Stockholm can be.

Summer and spring in Stockholm make up for all the time we spend in the dark, it's just epic. Sweden in general is fantastic in the summer, but Stockholm has something extra, a city that boarders to lake and sea, with over a million of people but still a charming touch of small town. Continental and homegrown, all in one - I love this city so much I sometimes have to escape.

MayDay in Stockholm

I am back in Stockholm, I meet people that I haven't seen for years, we smile and then we go for a long walk, together under red flags and blue sky, it is like I never left but a decade went past. People are the same, but different, we live and we still love.

I remember MayDay as much louder and angrier, I remember something different and still the same. There is a message in there, there is a thought.

Later on, we go and meet up with some Stockholm Rollerderby friends - sitting in park I also remember from 16 years ago. They are celebrating MayDay Finnish style - and we bring pizza and Minna comes with two paperbags of popcorn.

Before dawn we go to a club/party - and I'm standing leaning at a table with a friend that have known me since my hair was blue, and she has two children now and getting a PhD in something important. And we both reflect
"Was this what we wanted for ourselves? Have we done what we expected?"

At night I find my girlfriend sleeping on a couch at the club and I decide we should go home and we end up sleeping at a friends... things never really turn out as you expect them too, and I don't know if it is a good or a bad thing.