Hit That Shit

Tonight was the night! HITTING! What we all have been waiting for! Wowyeswow!

But, first, the rink. A rain storm hit right before I went to Carrier, and the rink was full of tiny rivers. But, fear not! The three of us took towels and went to work dispersing the water. As we rung out wet towels the park guy came with a squeegee to assist. It was sans water in no time. Towels drying in the evening light, we stretched and did some warm up laps.

The washing of the rink.

There were four of us. Three played pivot, and/or blockers, and one played jammer. As the sun sagged behind the mountains we skated together, communicating with yells and light touches on arms. I was still hurting from the workout yesterday, and I could feel my thighs aching to catch up with my mind. The previous day we did exercises to strengthen our "core" while we waited for the Wednesday night hockey game to disperse. A ref called Icon was out with us and quizzed us on penalties and rules as we did planks and other fun stuff.

Tonight we worked together in a way we had yet to do. Pushing, slamming, falling. Our wheels skimmed off of each other as we humbled ourselves with new techniques. Icon called out penalties and gave us tips. He redrew the lines of the derby-sized track, as the rain had washed the chalk into little trails leading away from the main circle.

Icon drawing the lines

Sweaty shoulders met sweaty shoulders. I landed on my ass in the same place twice. It is numb now. Nicole's head bounced off the ground. We high-fived each other for good falls, nice blocks, and great ass usage.

I love how derby engages your mind. Look behind, watch to make sure you aren't out of bounds, try to anticipate where the jammer might go, watch your teammates, look for a hole in the pack, stay in bounds, keep forearms and elbows tucked, be in derby form, watch, watch, watch. My bones are jarred and my body aches, but I can't wait to get out there again. I'll be blocking in my dreams tonight, for sure.