Week 3: More falls and stops, Swoops, Transitions

Hi girls! I hear you had sore butts from Saturday. It's working! Your derby butts are on their way!

Peku drafted up her lesson plan so that you can see what topics were covered. Thanks, Peku!! This next coming Saturday, expect an immediate 9am start time for off-skates. If you are late to practice, you will do additional lunges and planks at the end of the practice. Hopefully this will get you all there on time...we have noticed a lot of tardiness, so let's change that, shall we? 

Other things that will be different moving forward: less of a concentration on stops and falls. You will need to continue practicing these on your own when you get your gear, but we will not be spending as much time on them on Saturdays in order to move forward into other skill areas. I hope you are all coordinating for ordering your gear. When your stuff comes, please make sure to tell a PRD girl your skates are new so we can adjust your tight trucks. So exciting!

If you have not yet brought your $45 fresh meat fee, please do so this weekend. Checks are preferred, made out to Pacific Roller Derby. See you Saturday :)

Saturday 21 September 2013

Fresh Meat 9 -11

Peku, assisted by Pebblz & Weewah

Off-skates 9:10 – 9:45 by White Dynamite

Started skating at 9:52 (20 lunge penalty for taking longer than 5 minutes to gear-up)

Skill review: Practiced	New Skill: Demo, taught, practiced	Future skill: Only demonstrated
STOPS
t-stop: reminder to make a T-shape with feet, 90 degrees
Snow plows: Reminder to really push out with heels. Lead to>	Single-footed snow plows Single-footed studders	Hockey stops
FALLS
Single knee fall: practiced standing still in a circle with a focus on being low, fast recovery back into a very low stance (LUNGE)
Double knee fall: practiced standing still in a circle with a focus on being low, fast recovery back into a very low stance (LUNGE) Lead to>	4-point fall “superman-fall”: we practiced this in the circle again, without skating: Down to single knee Double knee Elbows/wrists Spread out long Caterpillar back up to being small very fast Up to knee/s and stand in very low stance again RECOVER IN 3 seconds or less! Make fists with hands to prevent finger injuries. If you get wiped out and fall big, quickly caterpillar up and get small. Try to eventually get up like a burpie: from a push up to both feel in one move.	Baseball-slide Rolling out of a fall
SWOOPS
Swooping with quality: we demonstrated splitting the legs, leaning towards the direction of the front foot, committing to the lean. We also showed a poor swoop: keeping feet parallel.	Hip checks: demonstrated that a successful hip check is just a swoop through another skaters leg.
TRANSITIONS to BACKWARD ROLL
	On the wall we practiced stepping from one direction to another, then we practiced transitions while rolling slowly against the wall. Those who were confident then practiced it on the track with a short backward “roll”.

Week 2: Breakdown of Basics

You need a strong foundation in derby to become an awesome skater! This starts with drinking your water throughout the week and extra water the day before. By Saturday morning, your pee should be odorless and colorless. We stress this in derby because when we practice in extreme heat in the very intense sun, our bodies go, "OH HELLLL NO!" and they give us heat stroke, make us puke, give us migraines, and suck our energy up like a sponge just to survive the workout. Chugging water the day before will greatly improve your survival rate. Don't like water so much? Jazz it up! Just make it happen. Also, water on practice days is more effective if you add a bit of sea salt, some lemon/lime, and a little bit of honey. The idea is to restore your depleting electrolytes.

Practice Recap:

Today I brought my awesome boom box that totally ran out of batteries until it was a whisper. To be fair, I used it at a previous practice, so it gave me a few hours total of play time. If anyone wants to contribute to my D battery stockpile, I will continue to bring it to your practices! I think it helped you get through the off-skates portion :) White Dynamite did some core work with you today and also had you do some shuffling movements that we will eventually do on skates. Lateral movement is critical to having quick and effective response on the track. Do this stuff at home throughout the week to increase your agility on skates! He ended with wall sits, and I could see shaking knees. I gentle reminder to do your best with these core workouts and do them outside of Saturdays... they won't suck so bad if you do them more often. We are trying to build up your derby muscles.

On skates, we started on the track skating in derby direction (counter-clockwise) to practice WATERMELONS. Watermelons are a continual movement of letting your legs drift out wiiiiiide and dropping your butt lowwww, then pushing your heels out and pointing your toes in to complete the movement. It is basically a breakdown of the snow plow stop, but can be done over and over to work on building up your inner thigh muscles and your butt. Get used to the mechanics and snow plow stops will be a breeze!

We then went into T-stops, and I adjusted to have you go the long way on the rink to practice those with help from PRD skaters. First we started from a stationary position on the white line and just went through the motion of lifting up our dominant foot and placing it in an L behind our standing leg. We did this over and over to get the feeling of the balance shift. We went to the rink boards and grabbed fence, and practiced kicking our prominent leg behind us, then scraping it towards our standing leg until we formed an "L" again. There are multiple ways to describe or show this motion, so I'm going to keep finding other ways to explain it in hopes that one of the explanations resonate with you :) Another way to think of it is that the standing leg (which is bent, by the way) has all of your weight on it, and as your other leg comes in to meet it with your skate approaching to make that L, your weight is transferred to that leg. The stop comes from the weight transfer. All four wheels should be on the ground as you drag.

We went back in to both snow plows and T-stops with greater urgency by having three cones set up on the track to "stop" by. This helped to understand that the whole point is to have control over the stop and be able to make it happen by a target. We practiced that, then did a relay to increase the speed and intensity.

Next were single knee taps and double-knee falls. We saw a demonstration of both as well as a demonstration of the 4-point fall, which involves falling as small as possible to avoid taking other skaters out with you. We will practice that one next week. With the single knee taps, think of it more like a balance check. Control the fall, and pop right back up into the action. On a double knee fall, one knee hits the ground and then the other to break the intensity of the impact. Lean back towards your skates just a bit as you land so that you have control over yourself and can get back up again quickly. We aren't going to spend very much time on falls other than learning how to do them correctly because one goal in derby game play is to NOT fall, but please practice these so that you can do them with efficiency and in a controlled manner. We finished falling drills with another relay to again work on speed, as well as fast recovery.

We did some cone weaving today, which was a new addition. When we weave around obstacles, we have to sit low in our derby chairs and use our knees to guide our feet in the direction we want to travel. Our eyes are up and fixed on a target ahead of us, not down. We practiced them a few times through, then went up against the boards again to grab fence and try from a stationary position. Sitting in derby stance while holding the fence, we moved our knees to the left and to the right, our feet following suit. When you translate that into the motion of maneuvering on the track with your feet firmly planted on the ground, you are letting your knees dictate the direction you want to go. You may stagger your feet a little bit and let one foot guide you. We will build on this next week.

At the end of practice today, we stretched out (like we should've done last week) and went through some derby business. I talked about the $45 fee that will be due next Saturday. Checks made out to Pacific Roller Derby. This fee is to be applied to your first month of dues when you become a White Star after you pass assessments. If you do not pass, the fee will roll over with you to the next Fresh Meat Intake. I do not get any of your money-it all goes to the league :) We talked about injuries some, about strengthening exercises, resources and using the facebook page to get advice, and then about equipment. Some had questions about wheels and others about knee pads. I think it's important to spend more money on your safety gear than on fancy wheels/skates at this time.

GOOD (and rated to receive small impacts and one major impact)

BEST for repeat, violent impacts (like our sport)

BAD IDEA. Don't even go there. So dangerous!

While you are newer to the sport and still learning, injuries are more common. Protect your head with a good helmet. Read up on my helmet post here for more info. Upgrade to better knee pads. Again, any questions, ask on the forum and some PRD girls will give you their opinion. We've gone through a lot of equipment!

I stressed the importance of getting to know your derby sisters in Fresh Meat with you, and encouraged you to get together after practices or throughout the week to have a meal, talk shop, and work out. These are your girls, yo. Love each other and you will all excel together!

Have a safe week, see you next Saturday!

Week 1: Fresh Meat Fun Day, Fall Intake!

Aloha Freshies!

Today was the first day on skates for many of you, and for others it was review so that you can be a stronger skater by December! No matter where you are on the skill spectrum, basics can ALWAYS be improved.

Throughout the Fresh Meat intake period (Sept - Dec) you may see unfamiliar faces with pretty good technique. These are Pacific Roller Derby league skaters that are joining in on the practice to work on basics and get a good workout in. Don't be afraid of them, they are a helpful group of ladies and can give you great pointers!

I will give a caveat here, though, and say that not all well-intended PRD skaters that want to help you, bless their hearts, have extensive background in derby. Like you, they started at the beginning and had to learn. They want you to succeed, but might need more time on their own skates to figure out mechanics. It's great to have cheerleaders, though! Just know that some girls helping are new themselves, and take any advice with a grain of salt as you go. If it feels bad or dangerous, stop!  Absolutely do not attempt a skill we haven't learned yet if you are uncertain! This mostly applies to anything involving full contact (hits, pushes, whips, advanced agility). We will get to that crazy stuff in due time, so don't rush it. Safe skaters skate long careers. Hazardous skaters, not so much. Duh, right? You can roll your eyes, it's okay! I am dubbed the "Safety Queen," but I don't mind that title. It was earned through 7 years of skating and some super intense derby injuries. I think some risks in life are good risks (going out of your comfort zone and playing a contact sport, trying new things, learning new skills). Bad risks, however, are absolutely unnecessary (skating without safety gear, skating in locations with obvious hazards like posts/close fences, gravel, heavy traffic flow, etc). Wear your helmet on skates at all times. It only takes one fall, and you may fall just standing still. I've done it plenty. If you need to cool down, sit down and remove your helmet. If you are worried about looking cool, put some stickers on that bad boy, but remember... no helmet could mean scrambled brains. Is that worth looking "cool?" Heck no!

On to the practice recap:

Today we had 30 min of dryland training led by White Dynamite. He is your off-skates fitness instructor and will be helping you develop the hard derby bodies that you've been dreaming about! Please attempt to stick out all of the difficult workouts he throws at you... they will make you a better skater. Dynamite led you on a warm-up run, followed by core and leg work. You did some circuit training, and then I led you in some wall sit intervals. 30 secs sitting, 30 secs rest, 45 secs sitting, 45 secs rest, 1 min sitting and dunzo. If you do this at home, you can increase the length and rest times accordingly. For added legburning, work back down to 15 secs after you've increased to 2-3 min sits. Good times! Do it watching Celebrity Housewives or Hoarders, or during your next Orange is the New Black Marathon.

We got geared up in loaner gear, and only ONE SKATER forgot her mouthguard!! Omg, small miracle! I was so proud of all of you for being excellent listeners. I hope everyone found gear that fit them. If something wasn't working for you, make sure to speak up and talk to a PRD girl to get fitted correctly next Saturday. You will need to rely on PRD skaters less and less, and we will need to increase the speed in which we gear up. By next month, I will be timing you to completely gear up in less than 5 minutes, so work on it!

On skates, we checked to make sure you had everything on properly and then you started rolling around the track. We learned "SNOW PLOW STOPS" and "SINGLE KNEE FALLS," then we learned "DOUBLE KNEE FALLS." The trick with snow plows is to allow your legs to go super wide and stick your butt out, then curve your toes towards your center to brake. Please practice these if you have your own equipment. With falls, we stress to fall gently on your knees. It is more of a balance check than a hard "plop." We also worked on our STRIDE, which is how we push off from one skate to the next. Basic stride requires that you push off to the sides, not behind you. This will maximize your power in each push. Derby stance was mentioned: "get low and forward" sitting in your invisible chair. If you ever feel unstable like you might fall, sit lower in your "chair" and lean forward. This easy method will save you from a hard fall (now you see why core strength is so important!) I mentioned to "protect your boobs." This means to keep your elbows locked in to your chest. Yes, it really does protect your chest a bit, but more importantly, it helps your form... you learn not to rely on your arms for balance. Your legs are the real action in derby, which is why Tyrannosaurus Rexes would've made excellent derby skaters.

After a water break, we broke these basics down just a little bit more by doing them in a straight path across the rink, allowing PRD volunteers to give individual feedback on form. Then we learned about "T-STOPS." These are tricky, but super helpful in crowded skating situations. You can practice T-stops at home like Peku mentioned, by holding onto a wall, squatting, and after kicking one leg behind you, slowly dragging that leg in towards your standing leg, flat on the ground. Your feet will actually form an "L" shape, not so much a "T." Just sayin.

We did one of my favorite drills, "Space Invaders." This involves standing in derby stance and basically doing what I do. From a stand-still, we stepped to the right and stepped to the left, did right and left crossovers (basically a grapevine), stepped in circles, stood on our tippy toes, jumped in the air, touched the ground, and did ballerina twirls. All of this is great agility work. You can do the grapevines off-skates to improve your crossovers on skates. Try it out at home! The lower you get, the easier it is to perform the crossover.

Next we did a relay. It was exciting! We formed lines of 4 and sprinted to the halfway mark to do a double knee fall, got up, sprinted to the end and did a snow plow, turned around to sprint back, tagged our next buddy in line and did a rock star double knee fall! We increased the skills on the second relay by making it a single knee, alternate single knee fall and then an optional T-stop at the far end. I think ya'll did fabulous for your first day!

We went on the track again and did an introductory drill to learn about "PACE LINES." This involved "STICKY SKATING" and arm's length from a person in front and in back of you in a line, going DERBY DIRECTION (counter-clockwise) on the track. There were four pace lines. After a few laps around the track, I had the person leading each line drop to the back so that the next girl in line could lead. This drill should have allowed you some real-speed practice on how to do a snow plow or use a T-stop to slow down, as well as how to pace yourself with other skaters in your pack, or line.

We got water and took gear off, then watched a brief demo of a live-action scenario where we had PRD skaters demonstrate a "LINE" for a "JAM." One line from each team has 4 BLOCKERS and 1 JAMMER. In a jam, a full "PACK" consists of 4 blockers from each team and 1 jammer from each team. The jammers wear a STAR HELMET PANTY and the PIVOT blocker wears a STRIPE HELMET PANTY. A jam is started by the refs with one whistle. A jam lasts for 2 full minutes, unless one of the two jammers establishes LEAD JAMMER. Lead jammer status is achieved by successfully passing all blockers from both teams legally and in bounds before the opposing jammer. The jammer, once clearing the pack on her INITIAL PASS, must sprint around the track. When she enters the pack on her second pass, she begins to score points for each blocker (and sometimes jammer) on the opposing team. All she has to do is pass the opposing blocker's hips legally to get her point. A jammer may accrue 1 point for each blocker/jammer on each pass, so a good pass will earn that jammer 4-5 points, depending. There are plenty of things that can go wrong and earn a blocker/jammer a trip to the PENALTY BOX. You will learn about penalties along the way in your derby adventure, so I'm going to stop there before your head explodes!

We talked a bit about expectations at the end of today. Missing one or two practices is okay, but always let me know so I can jot it down. If you miss more than three or know you are going to miss some for whatever reason, get with me so that I can talk to you about that and develop a plan. It doesn't mean you're doomed or shouldn't skate in fresh meat, but you will be missing a lot of material. 

Every Saturday we will incorporate new skills. When you learn new skills, you can continue to practice them outside of Saturdays, but if you do NOT attend that Saturday when a new skill is taught, you are at serious risk for injury if you attempt it without a knowledgeable vet helping you to learn the skill correctly. There are some excellent skaters in PRD that can give you great tips to improve skills, so do reach out and ask questions on the facebook group. Seek out a derby mentor to help you with skills that are tricky for you. Be accountable for your own development as a skater by learning about the sport, looking up bout footage on www.wftda.com or www.derbynewsnetwork.com, and volunteer as an NSO at PRD bouts. Be accountable for building yourself up into a lean, mean, derby machine! I can't make you show up, and I can't make you work out during the week. You have to do it for yourself. I know you can!!

 I mentioned that this is the beginning of a journey with your fellow freshies, and that right now, you ARE NOT COMPETITORS. That comes later. Right now, you are each other's support system! Get to know each other. Arrange workouts together, especially off-skates workouts as you get ready to order your gear. Speaking of gear, order it! Put in a group order for your gear to save money on shipping. Questions? Ask on the Fresh Meat page on facebook... there are a lot of PRD girls on there that have background in this and have been in your position. Remember, we all start somewhere! Don't be discouraged. Some days it will feel like you are climbing a mountain, while other days you'll have a huge breakthrough...a true "ahAAA!" moment. Be there for each other for all of it, and be supportive. Pacific Roller Derby is lucky to have you, and I am extremely excited to help you as we start at the beginning. Welcome to roller derby, ladies!

xox, Calamity

Choosing The Best Helmet For Roller Derby

Tricky thing about injuries... they don't often happen in bouts. More likely, they happen during practice, on your off day cross-training, and doing silly stuff... like skating nerf dodgeball or practicing your disco halftime moves. Recently, I suffered a concussion/shaken baby syndrome: I was warming up for scrimmage Sunday, and all of my safety gear was on. One of my shoelaces came undone and as I pulled myself off the track to tie it, it wrapped around my wheel, causing me to fall straight back (banana peel-style) and landing flat on my back... and the back of my head. This same type of fall killed a friend of my father's who was rollerblading on polished concrete without a helmet. Lucky for me, I had a helmet. My helmet actually cracked from the impact. I'm okay now, but there is a moral to this story: Wear your safety gear when you're on skates, and make sure the gear is GOOD gear. It's your muthafucking brain, yo. You only have one.

Here is a worthy post that I discovered as I search for a new helmet. Maybe you'll learn something, too!

 Deja Bruise

• League Member
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Choosing a Helmet for Roller Derby

« on: July 12, 2012, 12:16:19 AM »

Roller Derby, as it's played now, is a relatively new sport.  Helmets worn in roller derby are actually helmets designed for other sports or recreational activities - mainly skateboarding*.

Since there are no helmet standards (in terms of manufacturing) specifically for roller derby, you'll need to take extra care to ensure that you have the protection you want from your helmet purchase.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and ASTM International are two entities that test helmets for impact/safety standards.  When purchasing a helmet for roller derby, it's recommended that you look for a CPSC or ASTM International rating to ensure that the helmet has been tested and rated for impacts.

As the sport of roller derby grows, safety equipment needs continue to be re-evaluated.  Here are the most recent recommendations for helmets, listed "most suited" to "least suited" to the full-contact sport of roller derby...

1. Ice hockey helmets.  Ice hockey helmets are highly recommended for roller derby.  Hockey helmets are designed and are tested for multiple-impacts over extended periods of time.  These are helmets that are designed/built for full-contact sport and high speed, violent falls.  Hockey helmets are held to an ASTM F1045 rating standard and are certified by the HECC (the Hockey Equipment Cerification Council).  Look for a HECC label and/or a sticker that says ASTM F1045 certified on the helmet or in the web product description.  The HECC also has a listing of certified helmets on their website.

2. Multi-sport helmets that are CPSC and ASTM certified.  These helmets have the next highest recommendation for roller derby.  Consisting of ABS Shells and hard EPS or EPP foam liners, these helmets are certified for several small multiple impacts and one high/large impact.  Helmets in this category include: Nutcase Crossovers, Bern Macon Summer EPS Helmets, Bell Fraction, Bell Whiplash, ProTech Ace SXP and ProTech B2 SXP, S-One Lifer.  Model names can change so be sure to look for CPSC and ASTM ratings on the helmet or in the web product description.

3. Helmets that are CPSC certified only.  Made with hard EPS or EPP foam liners. Certified for one high impact fall.  Look for the CPSC rating on the helmet or in the web product description.  Helmets in this category include: Triple 8 Brainsaver CPSC

4. Soft-foam helmets.  Traditionally, soft foam helmets have been - and still are - marketed to skateboarders and roller derby players as multiple-impact helmets.  These helmets have been used by derby players for years, but these types of helmets do not meet impact testing standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or ASTM International.  Several states prohibit the sale of soft foam helmets for this reason. Helmets in this category include: Triple 8 Brainsaver, ProTec Classic, ProTec Ace, S-One Premium.

Finally, all of this is moot if your helmet doesn't fit your head.  Make sure that the helmet fits you properly.  It should not wobble or shake on your head.  The helmet should sit level on your head and low on your forehead—one or two finger-widths above your eyebrow. The side straps should form a "V" shape under, and slightly in front of, each ear.

*By law a bicycle helmet must meet the CPSC standard to be sold in the US market - but that law is unique to bicycle helmets, and there is no US law that says a helmet being marketed only for skateboarding and/or roller derby has to meet any standard whatsoever. The manufacturers and retailers can sell anything at all as a skateboard helmet and/or roller derby helmet as long as they don't market it for bicycling.


Links:
Windy City's study on helmet types and safety information
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bwvru-uzg6F5Utm8nH_TZd5lY8TNlCt_578tYVQSvDw/edit?hl=en&pli=1

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) table on helmet certifications.  As a relatively new sport, roller derby is not included on this list.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/349.pdf

WFTDA's helmet page
http://wftda.com/gear-up/helmets

Disclaimer: the following links are sponsored by S-One (a helmet manufacturer)
http://s-onederby.blogspot.com/2012/04/list-of-best-helmets-for-roller-derby.html
http://s-onederby.blogspot.com/2012/04/list-of-least-protective-helmets-for.html

A Fallen Star: Tough Love Advice from a Rookie

I really can't explain the concept of hard work and dedication any better than this rookie did, so I'm posting it unamended. This woman is gonna NAIL that assessment next go-around!

"A fallen star: Some of us didn't make it to or pass the White Star Assessments for a number of reasons, injury being one. I'd like to talk about why I didn't pass my assessment at the end of Spring Fresh Meat. I came into it thinking, there is no way I cannot pass. From the beginning, I knew that "sports" come naturally to me. I played basketball, softball, threw shotput/discus, powerlifted, and even ran cross country. To top it off in my adult life, I am an avid Crossfitter. I don't think I was too cocky, but I had a little pride that I wasn't willing to give up to learn. 

I became frustrated with the hurting (ankles/lower back/shins you name it... it hurt at some point)... I like to call it "butt hurt." Some things came easier to me than others, and I broke my cardinal rule. I focused on those things that were easy. When shit got hard, I bailed... Blamed it on my aching back, my cramping thighs, or my burning shins. About a month out from assessment, I stepped up my game... practiced practiced practiced... met up with Vet skaters, watched derby bouts online, tried my 27 in 5 almost every day!!

My first assessment was miserable. I started having back spasms and freaked out... I bailed. Blamed it on my back, but it was just a lot of hard work that I hadn't been participating in on a weekly basis. No matter how much you practice outside of Saturdays, you WILL NOT get the same effect. So I encourage you to show up on Saturdays, not just be there but show up!!! Participate, when you think you can't go on, stick with the drill another minute (unless you are truly injured).

My second assessment was much more relaxed... different assessors and less girls. I pushed myself harder than I ever had, why? Because I knew I had to do good!! Why didn't I have that attitude every practice?? I had NO idea that my past performances at practice would be a factor in the decision for me in passing/failing my assessment. So what should you take away from this? Show up, be present, push yourself beyond your comfort zone, because you don't make progress being comfortable. I still hate crossovers and plow stops, but you better believe every time I put on my skates, I work on them!!! Don't let your ego get in the way, be humble, and punish your weakness!!!"

Off-Skates: How to be a better skater

Just starting out? Looking to build strength? Want to be a badass?

It's not all about the skates. Really.

Derby is part mental game. You have to get your head in the right mindset! Watch footage, visualize yourself doing those things you struggle with at practice, and do power stances in front of your bathroom mirror every morning.

All hail the Queen of Power Stances!

Derby takes a TON of core strength and proper form to make each stride powerful and worthwhile.

This is a great blog post about some off-skates work you can do at home or at your cubicle:
http://alinedecat.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/5-ways-to-improve-your-skating-in-everyday-life/

You can also do wall sits. Lots of them. Get rid of your chair at your desk and do squats .

ALL. DAY. LONG.

I did this at my desk. You can, too!

Like this ass? Make it yours!

Build up proper derby muscle groups, and you will turn into a DERBY ANIMAL. Rawwwrrr!!!

Eats Jammers 4 Breakfast

Derby muscle groups to concentrate on:

ankles
legs (calves, shins, quads, hamstrings)
hip flexors (loosen those puppies up!)
lower back
abs
lungs (endurance/cardio!)

If you are putting together a workout for yourself, make sure it's programmed for derby. Doing bench presses all day will not make you a better skater. Doing leg presses will. Bike often... it is the #1 best way to cross-train for derby muscles!

As always, be careful when attempting new exercises and learn proper form before attempting something new! Over-committing to squats will stress out knee tendons and create issues. Knees over toes, shoulder width apart!

What are you doing at your next derby get-together while drinking? WALL SITS!! Make it a game. Last one squatting doesn't have to drink the nasty concoction of rootbeer schnapps and hot 100, mixed with PBR!


Or you could just be a nerd like me and do wall sits to music in your living room.


-Calamity

ps. Also, I do recommend healthy eating to become a true derby machine. We are athletes and should fuel our bodies right! No more burgers and fries after hard practices, girls.... don't undo everything you just did! Some fantastic skaters are vegans, vegetarians, some eat paleo, and some just eat healthy food. I struggle with eating clean all the time, but even a little effort goes a long way. Drink lots of water, too. Odorless and colorless!!

Post-Assessment. Don't Freak Out!

There are a gazillion things to think about after you finish your assessments. First, you're probably thrilled that it's over and that you survived! Then... the panic starts to creep in. What if you didn't pass? What if you failed some of the skills? What if Godzilla ate your rules test before it got graded?

Relax! 

Everyone gave 100%. Some gave 110%. No one died, and lucky for all of you, the White Star Assessment isn't a precise cut-off like some big leagues on the mainland (we have TWO intakes a year. TWO!! Also, we're having assessments two weekends in a row to accommodate schedules and re-takes. In Minnesota, they have one tryout a year, and you either make it or you're cut. It's 4 hours long, and that's just to make the boot camp that they eventually draft from!).

In Hawaii, we rely on dedicated new skaters and transfers to bring momentum to our league. It's a very transient place. Many of our island skaters are military or are married to military and are relocated every few years. We need to retain as many skaters as possible! We do NOT want you to get discouraged because you didn't catch on as quick as Janie Speedskater that just transferred from another league, and QUIT. That would defeat the purpose of a Fresh Meat Intake. Not to mention, what would that say about your attitude and your commitment?? Hmm? ;) We have quite a few struggles unique to our location, one of them being the fact that we're surrounded by water and hundreds of miles from other WFTDA leagues. We train hard and have competition on the brain, but we also heavily rely on recruitment to spread the derby fever. You're now a part of the madness! Get excited, and get involved!

Remember, no matter what, it is super important to stay involved with the league, both when you are waiting to pass your White Star as well as when you DO pass. If it doesn't happen now, it will happen eventually if you stick with it and work your ass off. In the meantime, read this:

10 Ways You Can Become A Better Roller Derby Player Without Even Putting On Your Skates

Then start watching bout footage. GO!