Though my official hiatus continues until after my first comprehensive exam for grad school, I thought it was time for a personal update. A viral infection has had me down and delayed my Triumphant Return to watch for elbows at last Friday's scrimmage, but I made it to LOCO's yearly Friends and Family Barbecue. My derby godmother Knuckle Slamwitch visited from Toronto to join us in the eating of grilled meats, hot on the (w)heels of her announcement that LOCO Toronto is up and running. Canada's biggest city, home of several leagues, now has a low-contact, recreational option. Our sport is at its strongest when it gets to benefit from diverse styles and players, so the news is pretty darn exciting.
The barbecue featured many a pair of hot pants and the terrible, dark glory of the Coca Cola cake, which is the tastiest. Seeing skaters and their families is always a treat. This year had our highest injury quotient yet - cracked ribs, broken wrists, and concussions came out to celebrate another year of LOCO.
The barbecue also marked a goodbye to one of our stars, Atom Bombshell. She's relocating and it's our loss. One of the best things about being part of a league is getting to see skaters grow and seeing them leave is one of the worst. Bombshell's energy, warmth and sense of humour make her as essential off the track as her speed and maneuverability do on the track - any league will be lucky to have her. But, like many of our skaters who had had to move, she always has a derby family with us. We found her first. So there.
Upcoming excitement: rules-oriented practices and less than a month until exams.
I was so sad to see Bombshell leave that I couldn't actually let myself get sad, you know? No one likes hormonal pregnant tears at a picnic.
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