Pack is Here: Getting Friends Into Roller Derby

Today, I'm going to outline a few possible road-blocks to getting your friends to join you on skates and some advice on how to respond. Keep in mind that I'm not advocating badgering our buddies, but persuading them if they'd love to, but...

1) "Oh, I'm too klutzy. I'll crash into people."

Actually, the second sentence is patently true. Admit that. It's a rare skater that starts off without looking like a newborn deer and one on roller-skates at that. Don't disagree with this one. Just explain that it's not unusual and that derby can help improve one's balance. And that she'll be wearing protective gear and so will everyone else.

2) "I'm not tough enough. Don't you fall?"

There are a couple of directions to go with this one. If you're in a low-contact league, you should stress that the sport features just that - low-contact is less prone to cause injuries that regular full-contact. It's that simple. But tell your friend that falling is a fact of life. And then possibly trip her.

If you're a full-contact player, try giving her a light hip-check (with permission) and ask, "Was that so bad?" Remind her that she'll be in full gear and taught how to handle falls long before she's allowed to play. Leagues want players in good shape and if she's willing to put in the time, she'll be well-prepared. And speaking of time...

3) "Don't you have to skate all the time? I'm way too busy."

This one is a legitimate hurdle. Time is key, especially for full-contact and competitive roller derby. Players who can't put in the time shouldn't play full-contact, competitive derby because they will get injured. However, recreational and low-contact derby can easily accommodate a tougher personal schedule.

Still, ask your friend about rearranging or re-prioritizing her schedule. Playing roller derby can be incredible conditioning for the body and one's social life. We often don't allocate enough time for healthy habits and playing derby can immensely more encouraging than going to the gym.

4) "It's anti-feminist."

I was a bit shocked the first time I heard this one. I'm a pretty strident feminist myself. How could my sport, my women's sport, be anti-feminist? Addressing this concern appropriately can require some complex thinking. A good start is to understand why we hear this concern. Derby is often sold as sexy, featuring babes on skates - just look at a few bout posters and you'll probably see it - and it can be difficult to articulate the difference between sexy and objectifying, to name just one concern.

If you want to have a good dialogue with a friend who has concerns about the sport, ask her to clarify. Then you can disagree.

...Actually, let me correct that. Get personal on this one. Talk about your experiences and what derby has done for you as a woman, working positively with other women. Does your league work with local charities empowering women? Does your team support each other?

Ultimately, derby spreads because we act as ambassadors for the sport. Do us proud.

Wheeling in Winter: The Roller Derby Off-Season

With November well underway, it's a time that derby starts to go dormant for the year in some countries. With WFTDA Championships coming up next week, derby girls are having their last hurrahs until spring. Season-ender parties and final bouts are popping up and would-be fresh meat in bigger cities are likely being told to wait for next spring's training camp.The Winter season, at least in Canada, is time for derby folks to practice, cross-train and have visions of spring bouts dance in their heads.

But keeping motivated is essential. For players who find being without bouts to look forward to hard on their derby dedication, the gym and skate nights at the local roller rink are not your only option.

Many recreational leagues don't have down-time: experienced players can volunteer their time as trainers and new skaters can always learn something - rec leagues often feature very experienced skaters who, due to injury, availability, or preference, have decided to skate recreationally. Low-contact leagues also emphasize strategy and positional blocking, since checking is out of the equation: it's a useful way of thinking about the game we love and it will improve your performance come spring. Refs are always needed, of course, and many rec leagues play and practice all year. Consider learning something new from your derby sisters on the other side of the rink. Volunteering your time (and likely being bought a drink afterwards) is something you can look forward to.

But what are your other options? Outdoor skating on ice is a kind of cross-training that will keep you  engaged (and frequently features hot chocolate), but wearing your knee pads is essential unless you fancy limping away from the rink as I did last year. Depending on your snow-fall, outdoor skating on your quads is a possibility, but it's important to remember that drivers may have less control on the road, again depending on the weather conditions in your area. Additionally, drivers may not be expecting skaters on the road - keep it on the bike paths.

Be sure to keep in contact with your fellow league-members. Other derby players will keep you excited as the days get shorter. Chances are that you came to the game for the challenge and the company: keep both part of your winter derby experience and you'll be ready for spring.

The Accidental Athlete: Fitness and Roller Derby

Let me begin by saying that I am not the most dedicated derby girl. Sometimes I  miss practice and sometimes when it's go all out or not throw up, I opt for the latter. There are derby girls who are incredibly fit, whose bodies are well-oiled and fishnet-covered machines. I am not one of those women.

Yet last night, I went jogging with my room-mate for the first time in about three years. And while I didn't keep up perfectly, I kept up a whole lot better than I did last time. My room-mate, a military reservist, is kind of my hero when it comes to fitness: she has amazing drive and her ability to maintain a commitment just blows me away. I couldn't help but note that while I'm about twenty pounds heavier than I was during that last run, I have better lung capacity and endurance, and, dare I say it, I'm more fit.

Typically, when I call myself fit, I mean that I fit into about half of my wardrobe at any given time. But the last time I zipped up my Docs, I had to loosen the laces to let the boots fit my calves. Despite my inconstant heart, derby is having an effect on my body - not just on my confidence and my social life.

And my ability to earn my level-three skills bearing necklace!
Photo credit Rosemary Van Gelderen

In some ways, I feel like this happened accidentally: I've never really felt like I've improved in terms of my fitness level in derby, perhaps because what I tend to focus on is more my skill testing. But it happened anyway. It turns out that I'm proof that anything - anything - is better than just sitting on your bum. When I was focused on other things, say, my cross-overs, I was getting fitter without realizing it.

Vansterdamn teaching me. She's awesome.
Photo Credit: Natalie 'Vegas' Buragina

And this is why roller derby is better for you than stair-climbing, in my estimation. The sport has so many potential payoffs - the challenge, the friendships, the confidence-building, and as I've found out, the slow but steady progress of one's fitness level.

Roller derby tricked me into being more fit. And I couldn't be happier about it.

Getting Lapped by the Best: Derby Celebrities

Last Wednesday, I had a brush with fame. While skating the the North London Optimist Community Centre in London, Ontario, a friend of mine pointed out Killson, a FCDG player and a member of Team Canada for the 2011 1st Annual Roller Derby World Cup. We fangirled over her skating posture and general coolness. The experience provided a good example of what celebrity means in roller derby.

Not the only star on the flat-track.

Because of roller derby's DIY-nature and outsider status, we don't have our own versions of Anna Kournikova or Derek Jeter - though I'm sure they'd both be great on quads. I think the most famous derby player at the moment is Suzy Hotrod, jammer for Gotham Girls Roller Derby All-Stars and the Queens of Pain, who was profiled in ESPN's 2011 Bodies We Want Issue (warning: link leads to naked folks, NSFW).  But for the most part, even derby players famous within the sport have day-jobs and put their booty shorts on one leg at a time, like everyone else.

As roller derby grows, naturally the gap between star players and fans may widen. Until then, even our best remain pretty regular (or highly irregular) women. They aren't paid. They aren't endorsing anything. They probably aren't on steroids. In roller derby culture,  your hero can be the girl sitting next to you on the bench.

Credit: Natalie 'Vegas' Buragina

Most sports do tend to breed heroes, it's true. But how many, say, hockey fans can say they were lapped by Sidney Crosby? Last week, I skated on the same rink as a member of the team representing my country at the first roller derby world cup ever. A friend of mine almost crashed into her. It was awesome. One of things I love about roller derby is that the absolute queens of our sport are still players, still just women on skates, chasing the track.

What's in a Derby Name? Choosing Your Persona

At the risk of passing on whatever Lovecraftian illness I have, which does seem to be aggressive enough to spread itself via blog posts, today we're talking choosing a derby name (more on the derby name as a phenomenon later this week).

Often, new roller derby players have a name in mind before they've tried their skates on. Others have months to find the right one. In both cases, they sometimes end up finding it's already taken by checking the International Rollergirl's Master Roster, (as we all must). When I started out, I was devastated "Bettie Rage" and "Pain Austen" had already been scooped up. Whether you're just starting out considering the name you'll give to your derby life or you've come back to the drawing board, here's one model of picking your name and then some suggestions more generally.

When I started skating, I made a list of names I liked. Being a grad student in the humanities, I went largely for puns related to literature. When the more obvious ones were taken (though "Charlotte Brawn-te" is still free, I think) I got creative. Not every skater uses a pun for her name, but I'm very into puns, so making weak plays on words felt natural to me. In the midst of a brainstorming session (and boy, was there a list of at least fifteen possible names), I thought of "Cthulhu Lemon", riffing on H.P. Lovecraft's "Call of Cthulhu", a cosmic horror story, and LuluLemon, purveyor of expensive yoga gear.

Terrible, Terrible Photoshop by me. Yes, that is a Lemon

In my case, I risked a lot of folks not getting my name or even knowing how to pronounce it. With my stutter, I myself have a lot of trouble with the hard 'C' at the beginning of my derby name. I can admit that this is at least a bit funny. I'm often Lemon for short. These were things I should have considered, though accessibility and pronunciation will matter more or less depending on the player. All in all, I love my name because it's geeky and weird and that's me on or off the track.

Seven Suggestions For Selecting Your Sobriquet

1) For guidance, try picking a theme. Celebrity names are often a go-to (our league has Kat von Damage). Riffs on your real name are also a possibility (hence our Killer Suenami). Do you want it to relate to your hobbies, your work (our own Sewer Princess works for the city), your own personality, or on the flipside, something with nothing to do with your real life at all?
2) Get ideas from friends and family. You'll get some groaners, sure, but they may surprise you.
3) Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm. Have back-ups. There are a lot of derby girls out there and some of them might already have the name you want. Don't just change one letter so you get to be "Betteee Rage". Get creative. Having a great derby name is a point of pride.
4) Consider how the name will shape the expectations of other players. Do you want to seem fast, sly ...homicidal? Consider how it will make *you* feel to be called by a certain name or a shortened version of this name.
5) Check your name out. Is it offensive? Is it misogynistic? Remember this is a representation of you and your league. This is what you might be called while playing for your country at the Roller Derby World Cup, if you're particularly awesome.
6) Consider the implications of your name more directly. If it's a joke, do you care if people get it? Are you willing to explain if necessary? (Warning: this *can* be a bit of a hassle, but it's worth it if you love it.)
7) Check out resources like Rollergirl's Guide to picking your name, SVRG's Ultimate Guide, or Cherry Rockette's guide, which is particularly good for laying out considerations for the Master Roster.

Get your thinking helmets on, ladies.

Take Back The Night...On Skates!

On September 15th, I and several of my league-mates volunteered to be safety-sisters for London, Ontario's Take Back the Night march. For those who don't know (and until recently, that included me) Take Back The Night is a rally and march, held internationally, that brings women and allies together to protest violence against women, partriarchy, and the simple fact that as a twenty-three year old woman living in a city, I get nervous walking home alone at night.

Photo Credit Mike Maloney London Community News

Our London-VP suggested we volunteer for the march as a way of continuing our league's commitment to community involvement. Several skaters attended, some, including myself, on foot. We were safety-sisters, which meant that we wore orange and yellow reflective neon vests and walked or skated along the street median, so marchers would know not to walk past us and cars wouldn't hit anyone. It was honestly a little bit harrowing. Several times vehicles sped up as they passed us, potentially endangering members of a crowd of about 400 people. But we cheered and chanted anyway.

On my way to the rally, I was in a wretched mood. But when I got there, I was stunned by the joy and passion of the crowd and the organizers. When we marched, women shouted and waved to pedestrians and cars and drivers honked back. A contingent of male supporters applauded us from the sidewalk, holding up a banner that said "Men Against Violence Against Women". I was buoyed up by all the positive energy, all the intensity of feeling that rode through the street, contained only by a dotted line of women in neon vests.

As is probably obvious by now, my roller derby is feminist. I put on my skates as a feminist activist and I love the sport for many reasons, but chiefly because it is a sport that encourages women to know one another, to work together, to compete productively. For me, having roller derby players skate for a feminist march is not merely logical, but also the coming-together of two things I fiercely love.

What's next on my feminist agenda? I'm going to improve my transitions because I'm back on skate this week!

Fresh Meat Tips

Today, we're going to go over my top five tips for fresh meat before, during and after their first few skates. Mostly these are things I wish I had known or wish my mama hens had shouted at least one more time so it might get through my baby duck head. Without further ado...

BEFORE skating

1) Stretch. Stretch, stretch, stretch. Try to get in the habit of doing it every day. It's good for your body.
2) Get to know your equipment. Check out resources like Rollergirl's guide to skate maintenance.
3) Hydrate. Fill a glass of water. Drink it. Repeat. Skating will have you sweating and being dehydrated will slow you down and distract you from learning.
4) Know your derby. Look up instructional videos on Youtube, like this one on skating. Check out the full rules on WFTDA and, again, Youtube for the basics.
5) Relax! You're a baby duck. You'll learn as fast as you need to.

WHILE skating

1) BEND YOUR KNEES. Seriously. You think you're low? Get lower. Bending your knees will improve your balance and leave you with less distance to cover when you fall.
2) Speaking of falling, practice falling on your knees. One knee, both knees. Do it until your body does it automatically when you start to lose your balance, otherwise you will fall on your bum and risk serious injuries.
3) Ask questions. Your league should have trainers, but I don't know a derby girl who  isn't invested on getting the skaters around them to skate better.
4) Remember that hydrating? Do it some more! Afraid you'll need a bathroom break? If you haven't gone to the bathroom in skates, you haven't lived. Also, you can take your gear off. There is always time for bathroom breaks.
5) Pick a skater whose skills you admire. Watch how she skates. Imitate her. This will engage your learning and very possibly get you a date.

AFTER skating

1) Stretch! We often cool-down by skating only and stretching is a key habit to get into.
2) Socialize! Go out to the bar afterward (even if you don't drink) or get in on social events. Getting to know the other girls can be hard at first, but the better you know your league, the likelier it is you'll keep going.
3) Analyze your successes and areas for improvement, but don't punish yourself. Ask your trainers if they noticed anything you really need to practice, then do so.
4) Find other skating opportunities. The more you skate, the better you will be. Look up local arenas if the season isn't outdoor skate-friendly. Offer to drive / pay for gas with other girls.
5) Use the internet to supplement what you've learned on-skate. Check out derby blogs. They're a 24-hour resource and the internet is a big place.

In closing, skate on, freshies. Everyone starts out fresh. Learn and pass on what you learn. Maybe even blog about it?