How to Prepare for Your Next Fresh Meat Class

      Our next fresh meat class starts up on May 9^th!  If you ever thought about taking the plunge into roller derby-dom, here’s some tips on how to get prepared. 

1.     Do your homework.  Not just with gear or what’s the newest trend with knee socks, but with the game.  There are a lot of great websites that will teach you about the history and rules of this great game.  Here’s some examples:

·          www.wftda.com - Women’s Flat Track Derby Association website.  A lot of leagues follow this rule set and you can download the PDF rule book for your viewing pleasure along with practice tests.

·          www.derbynewsnetwork.com - DNN is your one-stop shop for all your derby news needs.  Even better is that they stream select bouts throughout the country for free.  They also have a schedule of Derby bouts happening in your area.  One of the main ways to understand Roller Derby is to watch Roller Derby.  Related: Their sister site www.derbylife.com, which feature columns and advice from fellow derbyists.

·          Read this book.  Roller Derby is a nice short book that will give you an overview of the history of Derby and basic rules. 

·          Get pumped up by watching movies about real Roller Derby (a.k.a. not “Whip It”).  If you have Netflix, “Brutal Beauty”, “Blood on the Flat Track” and “Hell on Wheels” are all available on streaming.

2.     Research your gear.  Online shopping is great for the convenience, but you never know what would actually work for you unless you try it on.  Lucky for us Bruised Boutique is a great derby shop right around the corner in Nashua, NH.  They have great knowledgeable staff and one of our very own skaters (say hi to BA!) there to help you with everything you need to start your Derby career right.

 3.     Skate as much as you can.  You can get a head start by going out to the park or rink and get comfortable on your skates (plus dodging little kids is sort of like Derby).  There are at least five skating rinks in the Boston area and we hold Meat and Greets at Roll-on America every month. 

4.     Reserve your spot for our next Fresh Meat class!  Our next class starts on May 9^th and is a 12-week program designed to help you become ready to skate and hit with the best of them!  For more info contact us at info@baystatebrawlers.com.

We’ll look forward to seeing you on the track!  Now go study up!

  

-       Scandinavian Flick Off (300hp)

Hard Hitting Action!

            Bout season is quickly approaching for the skaters of BSBRD!  This Saturday April 14^th will be chock full of exciting action as the Petticoat Punishers take on the ladies of Mass Attack Roller Derby in a rematch from last season.  After that battle takes place, our brother league Mass Maelstrom will be going head to head against the Connecticut Death Quads! 

            Doors will be open at Landry Arena at 5pm and all the awesome action starts at 6pm!  You can bring your own chair if you want a seat in the crash zone (which is honestly the best seat in the house!)  Baked goodies and beer will be available.  There’s no way we wouldn’t feed you!  Merchandise will also be available so bring cash.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for the kids.  Cheap fun for the whole family!  More details are included here.

            We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the start of what is looking to be an amazing year with the Bay State Brawlers! 

Behind the Scenes of a Bout

Buy a shirt from our merch table!

         With the start of the bout season only less than a couple weeks away, this is a good time to remember that there are many people (really…a lot of people) who make a bout organized and entertaining to watch.   They are our unsung heroes.  Some of them may be significant others of skaters or really, really great friends.  Some may just be fans of the sport but prefer to lessen their risk of injury by helping out instead.  A lot of the volunteers are skaters who are getting their hands dirty to make sure everything is running smoothly.  I’d like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on the folks who work behind the scenes.

            Referees: Team Zebra makes sure we’re all playing nicely.  I assume professional sports have conditioned us to not be pleasant to the folks in stripes, but in derby we respect these guys and gals.  They take it upon themselves to read a 50-page rulebook and know it inside and out.  They can smell an illegal elbow to the face a mile away and they make sure they call us out on any other naughty things we may be doing on the track.  In a bout, there are five zebras so they can catch anything at any angle.  Two of the refs watch the jammers on the inside with one watching the pack from the inside while the two outside refs keep an eye on everything on the outside of the track.

            Non-Skating Officials: It takes a small army to be able to keep score, track penalties, time the skaters in the penalty box, help the outside referee relay penalties to the person who is keeping track of the penalties, time the jams, and let everyone know there is a time-out.  Without these fine people, how would we know the score?  Skaters would be skimping on their penalties…maybe. (Insert wink here.)

            So say you’re at one of our bouts and you find that you’re hungry?  Or maybe you think you would really like a t-shirt with the logo of our league on them?  We have people for that too.  From ticket sales at the door all the way to security and bake sales, there’s a list of jobs that volunteers can help with off of the track.  These friendly faces are working hard so you can have a good time. 

            Thanks to the folks who help make our bouts happen!  Also if you feel the track calling your name but would like to not risk the injuries, the refs and NSO’s will welcome you with open arms…and possibly a whistle.  Email us at volunteer@baystatebrawlers.com to help out!

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 2^nd 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

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

An Incredible Year

One year ago, March 2^nd 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

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