Level 2. The BRRG Ladder.

It's been months since tryouts. I am a Blue Ridge Rollergirl. I made it. A summer of busting my ass, and this dream has been realized. If there are words, I have yet to find them. This one, in it's original state, describes the experience quite well:

Awesome: [aw-suhm]

–adjective

1. inspiring awe: an awesome sight.

2. showing or characterized by awe.

I want to write about what it was like going to a practice with the vets. Walking into Skater's Choice as a Blue Ridge Rollergirl, but definitely FRESH MEAT. We have to earn everything, as it should be. It has been hard. I will climb and sweat and work my way to the A-Team. When I have more words, I will write. Until then, I will just keep skating and working and hitting and fighting to get there.


<3

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2 days until tryouts.

I am going to vom.

Going for the Gold

So much is going on right now. I am practicing like crazy, upping the ante, spending a lot of time (I know, I know) VISUALIZING making the team. I read roller derby blogs like my life depends on it.

Upping the ante: practicing jumps!

Anytime someone tentatively asks..."how's derby going?" I burst with happiness and try to act like a normal person talking about a normal thing. But really? I want to tell them all of it. How much I love skating. How I am getting more comfortable in my skates, but still have so far to go. How I mastered turning around. How my wrists smell after practice (awful). What the fellowship is like with these rad new women I am meeting and dreaming and sweating with. About the hours I have spent dreaming of bouting, jamming, hitting, and, of course, derby names.

After hours of painstaking deliberation (no joke) about a derby name, I think I am going with T-Wrex. For now. I made a cute little logo to go with it, so it may stick:I did a photoshoot that, if published in Nat Geographic or wherever, would be titled something like, "An Evening as a Derby Newbie." Here are some of the shots:

Tryouts are in 11 days and counting. I haven't wanted something like I want this in a long time. Especially something that involves exercise. It feels amazing.

11 more days.

I got my Fugitives today -- !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been having a lot of trouble skidding/slipping on my curves lately. I am trying to up my speed, but I lay off when I feel my wheels slide, so it is affecting my time. Then: A sweet guardian angel of mine had a set of Fugitives sent to me for my birthday! I got them today and I can definitely feel a difference. There is a still a little slip but not the few inches I was feeling before. I really pushed into the curves tonight and it felt great! I am so excited to skate more on them...I am so very lucky to have the supportive friends that I do.

I love you all.

NSOing

Last night was my first night as an official NSO (Non-Skating Official). Mallory and I went to a Monday night practice of the BRRG to learn the ropes. We were like little kids going to the water park the weekend before the Monday practice. It's all we could text or talk about. I am a very visual learner, so I feel like somewhere, in the deep recesses of my mind, notes are being taken on form, moves, footwork, etc. Liquor Possi, a ref, and Hippie Check, a former skater, went over penalty tracking with us in depth, and then we got to try it out with a quick scrimmage. Aside from getting dizzy following the team around and around (penalty trackers stand within the rink; the donut hole if you will, rather than the donut), trying to remember all of the penalty codes (X = Cutting Track, E = Elbows, O = Out Of Bounds Blocking, F = Forearms (or hands!), and so on and so forth) while getting them in the right part of the chart, and remembering on which jam we were...it was overwhelming at first. But fascinating. It's like learning a whole new aspect of the game. It is a bit nerve wracking when you think about it too much (like everything with derby!), because you can really mess up a game if you miss the penalties called, or write them down incorrectly. Thank god they used pencils rather than pens!

So Mallory and I headed to Greensville, SC to do penalty tracking at the BRRG B-Team's French Broads vs. The U.R.G.E. It's one step closer to being in the rink, one more aspect of the game to know inside and out, one more way to watch as much derby as is humanly possible with a 6-day-a-week work schedule.

Are all skate rinks unbelieveably tacky?

Mallory and I thought that perhaps it would be more helpful if we had the ref hand signals memorized, so she printed them out and we tried to go over them on the way to the bout. Turns out it was not helpful, but I want to know them anyway so I am glad we studied them.

It was really great. I almost peed myself several times when refs were circling and yelling out numbers, colors and penalties. It's all so fast. I definitely broke into a sweat and got what jam we were on mixed up several times. But I am learning so much that I believe will help me when I finally (FINALLY) begin bouting. I want to be there for every game. There is one this Saturday, but the Knoxville game is the Saturday after and I am NOT missing that one. Two Saturday's off...will work allow it? I think I will ask and see. It makes me so happy to watch and be a part of this sport. And to wear fishnets of course. And to enter through the same door as the skaters. Oh my, I am obsessed, I simply must stop.

Huzzah!

The Heat is On.

For the first time, I had to drag my ass out to skate. The temp neared 100 today, and I just don't fare well in the heat. There is no AC in my home, so I spent the day in front of a fan with a pit bull panting beside me. I get depressed when I don't have a schedule, a routine, a purpose, which probably says something negative about me, but I'll pretend otherwise.

It had been two days since my last (awesome, bruise-filled, tear-up) night skating, which is close to a record for me. The only other time I think I took that much time off was when I fell on my tailbone. And maybe when I hit my head. That hurt. So, I lugged my sweaty self to the rink. Mood: Foul.

I took my sweet time suiting up, which takes a decent amount of time as it is. I took a phone call. I stretched. I got water from the fountain. I watched the basketball players miss shot after shot. Then I did a 5 minute endurance skate, and I use that word loosely. Endurance is relative, really. I only had half the rink and when you hit the middle there is some warping, so I wasn't going full-out. In fact I doubt I was even going half-out. But after a few minutes it felt so good to be out there! I am finding my feet, and some days little things just click into place. Like when I finally turned around. When my crossovers suddenly got a lot smoother. When I hit my stride one day and got going really fast...before falling on my tailbone and feeling like I could simultaneously pee myself or throw up. My skates are beginning to feel like a second skin.

At the end of my 5 minutes Koco and Laney-Dee showed up. Perfect timing. We did some suicides and some weaving and a few more endurance skates. The sweat was impressive.

But, somehow, somewhere in there between massive Poweraid consumption and catch-up on how much we hate Bele Chere, I began to feel better. As we stripped off out stinky knee gaskets and soaking wrist guards, I felt ok for the first time in a few days. Now I am back in front of the fan with italian ice and chocolate chip cookies because, damn, I deserve it.

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.