BBDD vs GRG
On the 12th of April the CCR boys and girls ventured the short distance to Cocks Moor (ha ha…never fails to amuse!) to watch the Blitz Dames defend their turf as the Glasgow Roller Girls fought to secure a win. I’d already been down to London to cheer the Glasgow girls on so, despite being a member of another Birmingham based league, I did the same again at their second bout. To begin with it really seemed as if the GRG had secured a victory, but the Blitz Dames clawed back the lead out of nowhere some time in the second half. It was hard to say for sure what happened as the scoreboard wasn’t regularly updated, making it really difficult to figure out how each jam had been scored. Nevertheless, it was a good game and I screamed myself stupid for the entire two periods, giving Mr Gory and Psycho Spiller of the LBRG (who were sat on either side of me) tinnitus. I was disappointed for the GRG, but I’m sure they won’t let it faze them…I can’t wait to skate with them at some point :)
I got a few photos from the bout but they’re best viewed on my myspace. Unfortunately my camera found the crappy Cocks Moor lighting hard to deal with…
the LRG pay a visit…
On the 13th, the CCR were up bright and early (well, early for us…) to welcome some of the London Roller Girls to our practice. They brought with them some amazing skating skill as well as really useful ideas for drills and advice on how we can all improve our technique. Led by Bette Noir, we all did drills that develop speed, endurance, accuracy and balance before pairing off to get some one-on-one advice on how to batter the crap out of other women with your ass. I’ve got to extend a HUGE thank you to Auntie Terror (who I can’t find on myspace to thank in comment form!) who spent a lot of time letting me crash into her butt-first while offering me tips on how I could do it better…I learnt so much!
After that it was onto the scrimmaging (picture me rubbing my hands in glee), with us all mixed up together…and may I add, thank god! I pivoted against Fox Sake a couple of times, and she was lethal enough as it was without being teamed up with one of my nemesi (that is the mutiple of nemesis isn’t it?!), Hustle’her. Together they formed walls, bumped me out the way, and pretty much skated circles round me…and I couldn’t have been more impressed!
If I’m honest, I kind of impressed myself too. I think I did a better-than-normal (my version of normal that is) rendition of Pivoting, and I somehow developed a bit of a talent for pushing my own teammates into the spaces that I knew I couldn’t fill fast enough. I had the BEST time. It’s the closest to the zone that I’ve ever been and it’s got me hungry for more! The entire practice was fabulous in fact…and when I think back to it the memories have stars, hearts and glitter round the edges. They might be formidible on the track, but they’re all sweethearts. Another massive thank you to the LRG for travelling up and skating with us…it was lovely to meet some of you properly, I’m just sorry I couldn’t make it to the after-skate drinkies!!
a visit from Kaos
In our next week’s practice (last week) we were graced by a guest skater…Ms Raven Von Kaos of the Santa Cruz Roller Girls. She was more than a match for the best of our skaters and it was a total pleasure telling her what to do! Yes, it was that time again: Gory’s turn to lead practice. Apparently I’m a hard taskmaster, but considering I spend a good proportion of the session skating slowly slooowly round the inside of the track, blowing my whistle, screaming orders and generally forgetting to look at/press buttons on my stopwatch, I don’t finish practice with that nice glowy ache that only Derby can spread and therefore have no idea how hard I work my skaters. Like I said, according to them it’s pretty damn hard, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to think up new and more imaginative ways to torture them into being kick-ass skaters.
Even though I can’t really get involved I always end up using the drills that I love best, and after the LRG’s visit the week before I couldn’t help but include hot laps, where skaters perform sets of laps in skill groups to focus on specific areas of skating. This time it was speed and pack drills, with the first involving a speed sprint around the track in your group, and the second being a pack drill where speed and proximity make skating difficult. I was really impressed that even our newest newbies had a go…maybe it was something to do with my hugely loud voice and slightly too-quick temper? No no, I’m sure it was nothing more than their sheer enthusiasm for skating!! Ha ha…no, seriously, I’m sure.
I also brought along a drill I’d learnt from the Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Girls during my recent trip to Lincoln and had everyone (once again down to the newest newbies…these girls are pretty hardcore) being whipped and pulled around the hall in what the LBRG call the Inertia drill. Holding hands with a partner, the idea is to pull her along and whip her forward before being pulled along yourself…it’s hard to explain but I’m sure there’s versions of it going on in leagues all over the country…I’m pretty sure it’s also known as the whip and pull drill too but I could have just misunderstood drill explainations. It wouldn’t be the first time!!
I do love to lead practice, but I don’t particularly like the shouty bitch it turns me into. I’m the kind of person who demands eye contact and silence before I will actually believe that you’re listening to me (as Mr Gory will attest…he often hears the words ‘are you even listening?!’) and so I don’t work well in an environment where people are whispering and don’t seem to be paying 310% attention to me. Cue lots of whistle blowing, shouting and name calling…Chatty McChatterson being the name of choice (yes Chet Wisconsin, I’m talking about you!!). It hadn’t occurred to me before I read Chet’s blog on the CCR myspace that my technique of simply employing my lungs when people are being said Chatty McChatterson is actually a bit soft of me. So be warned CCR girls and boys (Chet especially…and Jack Beam!) from now on your snake-like hissings will no longer be a backdrop to my drill explaination…oh no! Instead, my voice will be accompained by the usual noises that go with squat thrusts. Happy days.
I’m kind of glad I wasn’t skating as hard as everyone else was that afternoon as it was just the first installment in a Derby double-header weekend…the next day the CCR plus Raven were off to visit with the London Rockin Rollers, the Bedford Bandits and the Windsor Roller Girls for a mixed practice and a bit of scrimmagy goodness. Something to look forward to indeed!!
mixed practice…
So…the CCR bus was off bright and early (once again…I hate early mornings), headed for Milton Keynes and a date with some fabulous Rollergirls and their entourages. The leagues took it in turn to deliver drills, and we got to do yet more hotlaps (I was reminded that doing them is definitely more strenuous than it looks) as well as a few hardcore races and Lil Joker’s very own brand of torture on wheels.
Once again I more than impressed myself with some serious toe-stop running during both the hotlaps and the LRR’s version of the bleep-test for skaters. I’ve never felt like I could do them, but when I visited the Lincoln Bombers I got the chance to practice them in my own time and I found a well of previously undiscovered confidence that enabled me to carry on pulling off said toe-stop running during the CCR practices that followed. This mixed practice was like the ultimate acid test for my newfound skill and I got plenty of opportunity to keep proving to myself that I could still do it…despite being mortally terrified that I’d end up on my face in front of so many unfamiliar skaters.
The scrimmaging part of the practice was brilliant too, with everyone mixing it up within their skill set to get as many jams as possible. There were so many of us that we needed at least another hour to really get our teeth into each other properly, but during the short time we had I saw some really amazing skating. I’ve got to say, I was pleased that I was skating WITH Jack Attack and not against her…that girl was everywhere at the same time! Once again, I had the best BEST time, and even an unexplained excruciating pain in my wrist didn’t take me off my wheels. I’ve really been feeling the Derby love these past few weeks :o) partly because of all the lovely skaters I’ve met, partly because of all the superbad skate-time I’ve gotten in, and mostly because yet another of my lovely friends is rolling onto the Derby scene. She’s a London lass but Donna’ll be travelling up to Lincoln to skate with the Bombers and be their ref…which means we can steal her if we’re ever in search of Zebras! HOORAY!!
After the practice it was off to the pub for some well deserved bevvies and a long chat about our favorite subject…roller derby! I got to spend a good long time with the ever lovely Margy Bargy of the LRR, who is quite possibly the sweetest woman I’ve ever met, as well as being an amazing skater. It was really good to get to spend some time hanging out with the other leagues, and the pear cider was more than welcome after three hours of skating :o)
present day…finally! *phew*
Today our practice was lead by Hustle’her and our ref, Barry Fight. Both of them are really keen to whip us into shape, so they were relentless and brutal…and it was brilliant! Their practice, combined with the fact that I’ve been sat here typing for so long, has incited my legs to go on strike. I tried to stand up a minute ago and discovered that I couldn’t! I think they’ve more than done their job…
Warm up was more intense than usual, and after a quick stretch (that I led…with a few tips pinched from the LRR’s Speedpixie) we were up and doing as many laps as we could in 5 minutes. I’ve been feeling a bit drained all week, probably due to last weekend’s double-derby header, and other stuff in real life, and I pushed myself way too hard as we began to skate. When Barry called out ‘halfway’ I was already ready to drop and my previous light-footed hippity hop round the corners had morphed into a slow dragged-out crossover attempt. I’m sure I must have looked as if I was skating in slow motion by the end of the 5 minutes…I was still going fast though, Honest!
We also got more than ample time to practice all kinds of stops, turns, transitions and backwards skating techniques. Our fresh meat were doing amazingly well alongside the more advanced skaters, so I felt it was my duty to stop being such a wimp about transitions. When Barry wanted us to glide steadily from forwards to backwards skating, with a complicated looking hop, or terrifying looking jump back to forwards again, I swallowed my many MANY complaints and just did it. And I did it! Surprisingly enough I found it a damn sight easier to leap and twist in the air to right my skating direction than it was to do the twisty/privoty/footy thing, although I’m bloody proud to say that I managed to do both pretty well. I also pulled off many successful forward-to-backward transitions and once again the mohawk stop (or derby stop) was back under my control…but sadly this wasn’t the case when I needed to do either at speed or under pressure. I’ll get there though…this is a new more confident me, willing to try the things I’m sure I can’t do. Thanks to Barry and Hustle’her for all the instruction they gave us, and all the advice on how to get the hang of it quicker :o)
After all the drills there was just enough time for us to do another set of five-minute laps…and oh my god did it hurt. I learnt my lesson and didn’t go hell for leather right from the beginning (I don’t think I could have if I’d have wanted to anyway) but I paid for it with a lap. My first attempt had scored me 27 according to Ouija Broad who’s heels I’d been chasing, and on our second go Ouija and I jousted to be in front but we only just managed 26 laps. I’m incredibly proud to be hot on her heels, as there’s been many a time she’s lapped me doing this drill…I must be getting better!! Saying that she’ll probably leave me for dust next time ;o)
I’m aching so much but I feel sort of euphoric after today’s skate! I really feel like I learnt something today (actually, the past few weeks have made a massive improvement to my skating, my knowledge and above all, my confidence) and that makes me incredibly happy…as does sitting out in the sun in a beer garden with my favorite rollergirls after practice. I’ll miss you all next week!!
It’s been a really amazing few weeks. Goddamn…this blog entry is LONG.
No comments:
Post a Comment