Today I played rollerderby again... and it was fun

I was expecting to finish this season with Gotham, it was what I trained really hard for the entire season. Becoming better, stronger, faster and smarter, playing together with a team where each and every skater were just working so hard to do the same. I am not going to lie, being a Gotham Allstar is hard, both on your body and mentally but rewarding.
I miss my team very much, and when I got my visa denial I got upset, very upset. I am not going to lie, it was not only because of the derby, it was also a matter of the heart and that I had looked forward so much to begin a masters in something that I really really felt right about.
It has been a two really tough months, watching things fall apart around me, missing friends, being a little lost, missing my team, missing that one friend I spent so much time with, loosing myself a little
.
They do say that when one door closes another opens, so I enrolled in school here, taking classes towards what I want to do. Went to Paris and saw one of my best friends, spent time with my family, picked lingonberries in the woods up north, picked mushrooms in the woods outside Stockholm. Worked out with friends at Good To Go, ran in the woods, hung out in the Sauna, went to Helsinki and saw friends. I recovered my body and thought a lot on things that I really want to do. Places that I want to go, things I want to learn that aren't rollerderby. I realized that there are also other things in life that are great and exciting and everythign does not have to revolve around rollerderby...

I have been stressed out and I've lost almost five kilos, emotional stress, so many feelings... I have cried, I guess it is OK to cry. I have been pissed off and I have made jokes about everything, to ease the stress. I've written letters and put thoughts and feelings into print, some I sent, others I didn't.

Well, so with that said, all this made me not really feel like playing rollerderby. I love rollerderby, but I just didn't feel like it. I wanted, but I didn't want to. It has been nice being able to just go for dinner with friends instead of going to practice. I've watched so much Netflix and been drawing like crazy. I have written poems and short little stories.

But today I decided to go to Stockholms practice, they had a guest coach from Australia. So I spent the day at my moms place making labels for the lamb meat (slaughter was yesterday) she was vacuum packaging while my brothers and stepdad were chopping the lambs up. We had a big family lunch and then I got a ride back into town. I cam home and I sort of didn't want to go, but I did. I did miss skating... I FaceTimed a little with Nut, and I decided... YES I AM GONNA GO TO PRACTICE!

And it was superfun! I am really happy I went! I missed it, there are things I have not missed about derby, but I for sure missed playing and practicing. It was two hours of FUN! Yeah! I probably will go to more Stockholm practices now, and I am going to watch Gotham kick ass this weekend. And I will be proud of my team and I will see all the things we worked on all season be implemented in perfection, because I know how hard they have worked for this! And I will enjoy it, I will be supersad that I cant be there to play or even to support. But I will be watching with friends here and I will make the best out of what I have here and now. Because we do what we can with what we have!

ECDX 2015

Unicorns and Unicorns

Another amazing ECDX, the pool was back this year, and that for sure was a plus!

I had such an amazing time.

So proud of Gotham ALLSTARS, so amazing to be a part of such a strong and determined team! Hard work is all paying off!! HARD SMART TOGETHER!

I am also super proud of Shoch Exchange! Super well done! It's a great experiance to be a part!

And STOCKHOLM Roller derby - you guys killed it! So amazing! 

Something like that... 

DerbySMASH and Denver

Check out and support mine and Krissy Krash project... we want it to be easier for derby people to connect and meet--- ALLOVER the world!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/891631540/derbysmash/video_share


I am going to Denver with Gotham Allstars this weekend to play Rocky Mountain and Denver!! We had the last practice today and I am PSYKED!!

A little life update... april 2015

Roller derby is one of the better things that have happened to me, or rather that I found and made happen. Because that is the charm with derby, WE are all the people that make it happen. Season has started and on and off-skate is becoming intense. I am always a little sore, if it's not from one of our amazing jammers railing into my ribs it's prbably from some intense workout that Violet has put together for us.

One of the things I really appreciate about Gotham is the workethic, how everyone give their 100% and never gives up. On and off the track. Rollerderby is a teamsport, and you have to have your entire team want the same thing, to work hard towards the same thing, to trust our leaders. I miss having Fisti on the team, I still get to see her, because friends you make in derby are sometimes for life... and I'm keeping her. She also is room mates with one of my best friends Frozen... so she gets to see me wether she wants it or not.

I still live with Viscious and Violet, and for most of the time my brother from another mother Kenbo is here. We live  deep into Brooklyn, and I must say I like it here. I also see lots of my international friend Brazilian Nut who just transferred back to Gotham from Philly. Oh, and I am also single and ready to mingle, if anyone was wondering.... ha ha ha... and also me and Krissy Krash are building something that I think is going to be fun: DERBYSMASH - a way for derby people like me and you (yeah YOU) to connect. If you wanna sign up for our newsletter:
http://www.blockerseekingjammer.com/ don't be shy!! I will write more about derbysmash in my next blog...

I played my first game with Bronx Gridlock and I made the 2015 Gotham Allstar squad.... EXCITED!!

I still feel like I am developing as a skater, and after four years of not really gotten coached and just focused more on others develpment, it's quite cool to just be helped and told what to do... ha ha ha
And as I said in the previous blog, I'm one of the New York Shock Excahnge managers this season, and I am superexcited to work with the team and the other managers. This past year has really given me a new outlook on mens rollerderby.

Yeah... and I am going to write in my blog more often... because I want too!!

Nailbiter bout yesterday...

Yesterday Manhattan Maybem played Brooklyn Bombshells, and it was a freaking nailbiter. Brooklyn was in the lead most of the bout, but in the end of the second period Mayhem rallied and took the lead... in the end Brooklyn won, but I think me and the rest of the audience were on our toes... It could have gone either way, both teams played really well... Slaydie is such a force on the track... damn, I love that I am on the Allstars with her, but do I hate to play aginst her...

 I was working the bout, sporting a very Chun Li hairdo... ha ha... jumping around doing my own interpetation of her moves. Hm, maybe I should go back to kickboxing classes, I acctually always enjoyed the kicking, both in kickboxing and in capoeira... hm... maybe I should just start going to ComiCons... or wait for it... play rollerderby... I'll stick with rollerderby...

Laying in bed drinking cold coffee and checking out the first version of mine and Krissy Krash baby DERBYSMASH (working name was Blocker seeking jammer). Soon it's ready for Alpha testing... I am so excited about this!! 

Back in NYC and as entertained as ever

I am laying on the bed of my best friend, she's working away, and I am sore and slightly whiney. Yesterday Facebook decided that Swede Hurt s nt my real name, and I'm now Lina Berglöf with the world. Also yesterday I scrimmaged with Bronx and then with the Allstars and did those fun landrills that we always do on scrimmage days... This mornign I got up early and went to work out with my Bronx captain... Because the season is in full swing, and fitness is not going to be an issue.... I really do like to work out, but I can't do it myself, I just can't. I am WAY to easily distracted, I just come up with a thousand things I should do insted of the squats, pushups pullups or whatever is on the docket... So working out with a buddy keeps me on track...

I also decided I have to go on a healthier diet, not that I eat unhealthy, I just sort of over or undereat... I need to acctually be a little more consistant in my eating... 

OH OH OH... I got three TANKGIRL albums, I am more than delighted and will spend tonight falling asleep to the most amazing comics ever... Hells yeah! 

Good to Go - again

So this year I took a real off-season, in that way that I didn't skate, I did continue to work out, but not as much, more maintaining than really building. I needed that, I took some mental "me" time, I took care of some things that was long overdue.

I made the Gotham Allstar 2015 squad, but January was a HARD month on me. Really hard! Even if it had amazing highlights, I have amazing roomies, I have an amazing brother that made my birthday fantastic and a whole bunch of supportive friends. AND me and Krissy Krash finalised our plans on blockerseekingjammer.com 

Now it feels like I can see the light in the end of the tunnel, I guess you have to hit the low points to be able to appreciate the high parts. And I'm currently working on getting my body and mind completely ready for the 2015 season. 

Practicing with Gotham Allstars is one of the most amazing experiances ever, but it is also super hard, and you are always expected to push yourself. 

Currently I'm in Sweden for a two weeks to work, and since I've come home I've already been at Good to Go twice and had amazing work outs and my body is SORE! I was also invited by BSTRDs to come and join their practice. It was superduperfun to see a bunch of familiar faces from Stockholm Roller Derby.