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Wednesday, March 28, 2012


Freshmeat Class begins… 
                So the entire month of waiting has brought me to the first fresh meat class with excessive trepidation and much hype in my own mind.   Of course I have only put on my brand new skates 2 times in the 3 weeks that I have owned them.  The first time was in my kitchen the very week I bought them, where I then fell and kicked my 3 year old, bringing her to tears.  She lectured me for days that “we are not allowed to wear skates in the house”.  The 2nd time I put them on was right before driving to this class to pose for a photo in full derby gear for Facebook.  

Optimistic in my new gear!
So it is here I find myself walking into Roll On America for the first time ever, not having actually skated in 6 + years.   Open skate is happening and I stand around looking lost near the entrance with my neighbor until a roller girl finds us there and points us in the right direction.  We are taken to a dark, cold, crowded (slightly scary) back room where a group of girls & women are already gathered with paperwork.  And yes I am exaggerating but not for the last time I wonder if I am in the right place. 
                We, the fresh meat, are introduced to a few of the vet skaters, a Bad Ass Mama, a Juggz and a Meanie.  As someone who is psychotically organized I find the meeting mildly confusing with several folks chiming in with different opinions. (I later attribute this to recent changes in the league).  The girls around the table seem to regard each other with bewilderment or possibly this is my own reflection?  As I size them up, most appear to look much more badass than me and all look far cooler.  After introductions, in which one future skater introduces herself as having been shot recently (WHAT!?), I again wonder if I am in the right place.  But I join the rest of the group in strapping on my new pads and lacing up my skates. And try not to throw up on the floor.
                Cautiously we make our way onto the rink and I think possibly I will never be able to do this as I watch the leveled up derby girls. They race around the small track with such determination and turn in a blink to the whistle.  I am in awe of them as I struggle to just stay upright on my skates and learn about derby stance and using my toe stop to stand.   This is much harder than you would imagine, not using your hand to get up when on skates.  My thighs are not prepared for these any of these moves and protest in agony.   We learn basic moves that night, a variety of knee falls, toes stops and the impossible t-stop.  I will go into details later about learning these moves but the highlight of that class was stealing glances at the real practice.  I can’t imagine popping off me knees like they do, or sprinting and hitting.   But as my immature, weak legs find their derby balance, I yearn to let go and skate the track. And I know that in my heart I am in the right place.
From a Freshmeat perspective- Jaime

Friday, March 16, 2012

Derby Shopping...


So Roller Derby is actually an expensive sport.  But are any sports ever cheap?  Originally when Bad Ass said in her email about the fresh meat class that it was just monthly dues to sign up and annual insurance fee I was like, Score! This is cheaper than when I took yoga.  But her email also said that we needed a helmet, kneepads, elbow pads, wrist pads, and a mouth guard. (Oh and of course roller skates!)  We could borrow the equipment to start but my overactive imagination imagined the sweat of other past derby skaters that used that equipment and I chose to buy.   So one uneventful Saturday afternoon my neighbor and I, along with my 3 year old daughter drove the hour to the Bruised Boutique in Nashua, NH.  Of course we checked out the website but both thought it was best to actually try this stuff on since we had 0 experience with any of this gear.


I had done my homework ahead of time, checking out gear guides and recommendations online and knew where I wanted to spend my bucks.  I wanted better than good knee pads as I knew I would spend a lot of time falling on them.  And I also wanted a skate with a leather boot and a purple helmet.  Did I mention that I research things to death before I buy?  In the store we tried on helmets first.  And of course I have a giant melon and could only get an extra large helmet which meant – noooo purple! Boo!  It was white or black for me so armed with my new white helmet we tried on skates.  We tried on the base package skate first but my wide feet objected to my squished toes.  So I went with the next Rebel skate up which by no coincidence came in PURPLE!! At that moment, I decided Roller derby was definitely fate. 



My Purple Skates!!!


After that it was on to the pads where I settled on the basic Triple 8 elbow and wrist pads.  But for the knee pads I upgraded to the Scabs.  I embraced my inner derby and passed up the basic black for the Psycho pattern.  Then I picked up my least favorite accessory, the cumbersome but very necessary, mouth guard.  Tip on the mouth guard for other newbies- Buy a couple!!!  Heck by 3 or 4 once you find one you like.  This mouth guard and the one after would fall to tragedy quickly. After all the equipment was settled on, my daughter helped me pick out my first knee socks.  I am not yet ready to brave the tiny shorts and derby miniskirts just yet.  Knee socks, tights & equipment in hand, I slap down my visa debit– committing myself further to pursuing roller derby.   




From a Freshmeat Perspective - Nelly

Friday, March 9, 2012

An Incredible Year


One year ago, March 2nd to be exact, I took the plunge and joined the Fresh Meat class offered by what was then CMRD. Wow has my life changed dramatically since then. In the past year I went from learning basic skills and struggling to pass my assessments, being teamed and my first bout, to being on the BSBRD board and being named to the Punishers, and making some of the most amazing friends a girl could have in her life. 

Let’s back up a little bit to the start of my “derby career”, I had known I wanted to derby since I was quite young – for me it was way before seeing “Whip It” or watching “Rollergirls” on A&E. I remember watching banked track derby on TV in the late 80’s when it would come on after American Gladiators. I would watch and think, that is a sport I could LOVE! I was never most athletic person–yes, I played sports in jr. high, threw shot put in high school, but no one was ever going to call me an athlete. Always in the back of my head was this crazy sport where being a “big girl” could actually be an advantage. 

The start of my derby career – at a BDD Clinic  

When I moved to Boston in 2006 I did some research and found the Boston Derby Dames. After a number of years of health issues, I finally felt ready to give this crazy sport a try in the fall of 2010. I went to a few BDD clinics, bought my gear at Bruised - fell a couple times just trying on my skates - and went to the BDD tryouts in October. I knew there was about zero chance I was going to make their league that year, but I wanted to at least give it a try. Once I didn’t make it and assumed that I would try again next year until my fabulous friend Arrow introduced me to BA and the new fresh meat program she was going to run. I decided to take the plunge and join the league.

 My fresh meat class

While some of my fresh meat mates sailed through the beginning of our class easily, I struggled a fair amount. I wanted it badly and worked my ass off (quite literally) at practice and open skates. It took me 2 times to pass my level 1 assessment which made me want it more. I knew that roller derby was something that I loved and was determined that I would be successful at it. I knew I would never be the best on the track, but I was going to be the best I could be for my team. After I passed my level 1 assessment I was able to move on to the “hitting” phase of our training my love for derby was reaffirmed. I’m not sure what it says about me, but I really love hitting and being hit by my friends on the track! I picked up some AWESOME bruises along the way and gave a few too. Again, a number of classmates assessed for their level 2s and passed while I still had work to do to be safe on the track. Luckily, I had Kenya going along at the same pace I was. While I cheered them I kept skating and working on my skills until I passed in late June. I was super pumped to be able to scrimmage, but even more so to officially make shirts with my name and number.


My name honors my late mother-in-law who would have loved this sport and my number is is my telephone prefix growing up in MN.

It was then time to start scrimmaging and have the opportunity to be drafted on to a home team before the 2011 season was over. I had no idea how quickly that would happen! I started scrimmaging and generally felt like a waste of space on the track. I often could see what was happening or going to happen, but couldn’t get myself to the spot I needed to be. It was very frustrating, but I could feel myself getting a little more helpful to my teammates with each scrimmage that went by. In mid-July I was informed I was drafted – I was officially a Bluestocking Bomber…and I would be playing in my first bout in a week! That meant a quick call to Derby Skinz to get my shiny gold skirt and thankfully not too much time to freak out.

 Pumped to be a Bomber!

I was able to bout with the Bombers twice in 2011 which apparently makes me a vet now. It is pretty crazy to think that other skaters in our league look at me like I looked at all those other skaters a year ago. Somehow, through this crazy journey of the last year, I’ve learned how to hold my own on the track, but still have a ton to learn about the game. Derby has given me one of the best years of my life – and I know this year is going to be even more incredible.

 
Look forward to seeing you on the track.

Sandra Mean

Friday, March 2, 2012

How Not to Skate Over Your Own Foot




Learning to skate after years of slothfulness on the athletic front can be very daunting . . . daunting but doable. No I wasn't a great skater before roller derby. I found my buttocks had a love affair with the floor and couldn't stay away from it. So why at the Fresh Meat-n-Great I decided to put on a pair of skates and give it a whirl is beyond me. I think I'm a tad crazy. Still I strapped on those sucky rentals and fell and wobbled and fell and wobbled. You get the picture. It wasn't pretty.

Fortunately, that was late September and Fresh Meat started in early November. I had some time to practice. More importantly I had Friday night skate with other members of the Bay State Brawlers Roller Derby who were more than willing to give their advice. Here is what I learned in brief:

1. Skate in a squatting position. If you look like you are going poop, you are in the right position to skate. This position will also allow you to fall forward on your pads and not backwards on your unprotected glutes no matter how attracted to the floor they seem to be.

2. Look straight forward. Never look down. Much like walking a tight rope over the Niagara. If you look up you won't fall. You will wobble but not fall. If you look down you're screwed.

3. Getting the actual skating motion can be a wee bit of a challenge. What worked for me was when Brian Barfield of Mass Malestrom told me to think of it like water rippling and flowing outward. It worked and then I had to pee.

4. If you have to fall backwards pick a cheek and stick to it. You can hurt your spine if you fall down flat but if you pick a cheek you only injure half your ass.

5. When learning crossovers lift that leg and make sure it crosses over the other foot and move it away from said foot. If you don't step over enough you step on your own foot. If you move your feet towards each other you clip your own wheels or roll your back skate into your front skate and, well, refer to number 4.

6. To stop try the t-stop. If you are having issues with the motion imitate the bad guy in horror movies by going forward with front foot while turning out the back foot and dragging it in behind you. Like in the movies you will catch up and kill it eventually. (Taught this way by Hipburn who reminded me it was her who taught it this way.)

Whatever you do don't give up. Remember persistence wins after a few long and loving nights with your new best friend, the ice pack.

Franki  W.  Level 1