Long Absence and Contact-Eligible(Finally!)

Hey, everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last post! Things have just been so busy lately. Also, derby had to take a bit of a back seat this past semester I had a class smack dab in the middle of one of our practices.  (The professor wasn't sympathetic to my derby plight). I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I assessed into level two and can actually hit people now! Woot! That in and of itself is very exciting but also very intimidating, especially when I miss practice on a weekly basis (we have two per week). It often leaves me feeling clueless and behind during drills and "scrimmages" because I've missed so much and had so much less practice time than everyone else. It goes back to not trying to compare myself to others but it's really really really (really) hard! Sometimes I leave practice feeling so blue because I don't feel like I understood half of what was going on. I realize it takes time but it's a weird and uncomfortable feeling to be so out of my element, I am so used to not stinking quite so badly at things. I try to chin up and I'm sure it'll get better once I figure out what's going on. I'm also currently not skating as a teammate fell on me last week at practice and tweaked my leg in a funny way. Or should I say teammates fell on me. I don't know why so many people fall on top of me. Is it just part of the sport or do I have a target on back because I'm a pipsqueak? Either way I'm resting my leg this week as I aggravated it by skating on it too soon a couple of days ago. It's torture having to wait so skate and I am incredibly thankful that it's just sore and not anything more serious. But I can't wait to get back to skating, especially since school's out for the summer and I'll hopefully have some time to skate after work!
Love to you all,
XOXOXOXO Emma

Assessments 101

Hello my derbylings! It's been pretty hectic around here as of late...midterms are a pain *bleh*. But even midterms can't dampen my derby spirit! I recently tested into the contact-eligible level of my rec league! (Or as some of the other girls like to say, "we finally get to hit some bitches!). So with my recent assessment in mind, I thought I'd share my tips and TIWSHTMBs (Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before).

1. Arrive on time.
As with most things in life, punctuality is a good thing. It'll give you time to fill out all the necessary paperwork, gear up, stretch out and warm up.

2. Wear something memorable AND comfortable.
Wear a bright color, like neon or maybe glitter. Derby girls love glitter. It'll make you feel awesome and it'll make it easier for assessors to identify you.

3. Check your gear the night  before.
Make sure everything is cleaned, tightened, and ready to go the night before. It'll make things less stressful for you the day of, plus, nothing sucks worse than realizing your toe stop is cracked or that you forgot a knee pad when you get to the rink.

4. Ask if you can see the assessment rubric beforehand, or better yet, find an experienced skater who will run you through the rubric skill by skill.
Thankfully my league sent it out in our newsletter for us to use. However, the biggest help was having my girl Pippi run through all the skills and give me pointers. Knowing what is expected of you ahead of time makes it easier to prepare. For me, going from non-contact to contact-eligible meant stance, pace lines, t-stops, plow stops, stride, endurance, cone weaving, falls/taps (single knee, double knee, four point), and being able to look in different directions while skating forward.

5. Use the restroom before you start.
This might seem obvious to some people, but trust me, having to do the 27 in 5 on a full bladder is a situation you do not want to find yourself in.

6. Be positive. 
Everyone else is probably nervous too, and having someone around who is positive and encouraging is INVALUABLE.

7. Drink water.
Just do it....

8. Be confident.
You are fantastic. I love you and am rooting for you!

Hope these tips will take some stress off during assessment time. Wish me luck in contact level! :)

xoxoxo Emma

A Trip Back Home

I recently took a trip back home to see my family and to see my old league. It's was interesting to see how much had changed with my old league and my derby friends in the short time that I was gone. It was great to be back! Being able to skate with the friends that I missed, going out for food afterwards, catching a men's roller derby bout that happened be going on, and getting caught up on all the derby news I'd missed. I was very happy to be back but also a little sad too, knowing that I'd have to leave them again soon. Accepting that that chapter of my life is over for now is a little hard for me to accept, but I know that when I leave, I have another have an awesome league waiting for me.