Hello again!
  So this is going to be that roller derby post that I was promising in my very first blog! It's going to be long winded and I will try to explain everything the best that I can. 

  I guess I should start out with the fact I have never been athletic. Sure I played sports on occasion, but I was bad at it. Like really bad at it. 

Yup. I was the kid staring off into space.

  I think I played two seasons of baseball and one of basketball in my entire childhood career.

So what, you ask, in the world inspired me to think that I would ever want to tryout for roller derby? I am so glad that you asked! To really understand how I got swept up in the magic of roller derby, you would have to go watch a bout. Since we don't have that luxury on a blog space I will just have to try to explain with copious use of the exclamation point!!!!!!!!!

  Roller Derby is truly a fascinating sport! That's right, it is a SPORT! No, there is no ball. No, we don't get to beat each other up. No, it has no relation to the movie Rollerball with Chris Kline. Here is a picture of the basics:

So for #1 you have 5 skaters from each team out on the track. The skaters with stars on their helmets are the Jammers and collect the points. The rest of the skaters are the Blockers (Like me!) and they make up the pack of hip-checking, impenetrable wall-forming madness. The two Blockers with stripes on their helmets are the Pivots, one for each team. The Pivots manage the strategy for each team's pack. They can also except the star from the Jammer if she is getting tired and become the new Jammer.

Click on this link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yI9drSydFM

This is also a short explanation about how we roll. See if you can pick out yours truly in action! 

  Are you itching to run out and buy a pair of skates yet? After watching my first roller derby bout I was! So I go to the local skating rink where the tryouts are being held, dragging my roommate along with me for support. I convince her to also tryout and lo and behold, we both make it to the Fresh Meat program! The Fresh Meat program is where all newbies of various skating experience are taught the basics of the game, how to fall to avoid injury, and build up the endurance needed to skate with the big girls. So here I was, an intermediate (at best) skater, with no endurance training what-so-ever and throwing myself into roller derby as if throwing myself into the arms of a long lost lover. Needless to say I sprained my ankle within the first month of training. Only a minor setback! I didn't care! I was enthralled! I was in love! I was more tired, sweaty, and gross smelling than I have ever been in my life!

  I was a slow starter in roller derby. Lifetime of minimal sports+ plus size girl= lots and lots of work. The whole point of the intense training of Fresh Meat is to get you ready to pass the Minimal Skills Test that one must pass in order to be a rostered player. These skills require many things including: various knee falls demonstrated correctly, jumping a wooden board, and the endurance test. The dreaded 25 in 5. A skater must complete 25 laps around the track in 5 minutes or less. I must have tried 20+ times before I finally passed this test. There were tears! There were panic attacks! There were moments of hyperventilation! Then came the day! The day that I finally put mind over matter and just frickin' did it! Happiest day of my life.



And now I do thing like this! This photo is curtesy of Rhett Amick.
He always catches the greatest faces! Check out Me and Shifty Eyed Mavis
of the Magnolia Roller Girls on the far right.







I am part of the coolest sports movement ever! I get to skate with the
best groups of people, like this fun loving group right here.

  So, this post doesn't cover everything by a long shot. I will keep all you fans up to date on all the goings on of this spectacular sport and, more specifically, my amazing league!
  Remember, this Saturday the Red Stick Roller Derby Allstars are taking on Spindletop at 7pm! Keep up with our league schedule at www.redstickrollerderby.com.

  My next post will be a simple and waterproof eye look that you can wear to the beach, a pool party, a bout, where ever! Seriously I tested it out.

   Pop Out!