Being a good vet for your league

Let's face it. We were all there once. Each and every vet skater started as Fresh Meat. They looked up to someone else on the league and at some moment were immensely proud of the first time they made it through a practice without falling!

As a vet, you are a role model, you may even be a hero to one of those girls. They look up to you, admire you and may even envy you. I know, you didn't sign up for all that, you just wanted to skate and have a little fun. So, how do you go about being a good role model for your team?

Never forget for one minute that they are doing the best they can with the information and skill level they have. There are very few girls who make it to the scrimmage or bout eligible level that don't give it at least 100%. We all struggled in the beginning. Remember how hard your first scrimmage was? Keeping track of the inside line? How do you do that when 4 other girls are trying to hit you. And jammers....how are you supposed to keep track of them too? It's an instant case of A.D.D. Remember how frustrated you felt not being able to keep up? Hopefully you don't, but if you were like me and most every roller girl I have ever met, the first year was a year of self flagellation. I never walked away from a scrimmage night feeling like I was a help to anyone.

Now flash forward to your first bout. How many times did you get to play in each period? Once? Twice? And out of those few times, how effective did you think you were? Again...beating yourself up because you couldn't be better for your team, or your own ideals. But you were doing the best you could with all of your newly learned skills.

No one excels at new skills on the first try. And roller derby is certainly no exception. Try, try and try again and once you get something they will toss a whole new set of skills at you. You are not only trying to master new skills but wearing 8 wheels on your feet! It's hard.

Each time you take the track with your new team mates, it's your duty to make them feel welcome, wanted and guide them. Give them everything you ever wanted to receive when you were in shoes (or skates). They deserve your patience and praise. I would be inhuman if I expected you to never get frustrated with people when they maybe just don't seem to be getting it just as fast as you want. But being hard on them won't help.  Notice when they cross a landmark and let them know you noticed. If your league has lots of newbies, make an effort to try and work with or at least talk to each one at different practices. Ask them how they are doing. Even if you aren't a coach there is something you can share with them. Maybe they are really struggling with snow plows and you can offer that one trick that really helped you nail them once and for all.

Be attentive, supportive, a good and true friend and mentor. Lead by example and don't skimp on the praise.   

Now go play some roller derby!

Halle PAIN Yo

Roller Derby & Yoga...a match made in heaven

Since I started roller derby, I have really appreciated yoga. I started my first yoga class probably a year and a half before I started derby. To me, yoga and derby go hand in hand. Balance, strength and flexibility...hellz yeah!


My first months in derby were the most painful. I quickly remembered that I had been doing a basic yoga workout from different online sources and tried it at night after practice. Voila! I was no longer sore...or as sore... after practice and my flexibility and balance were increasing.


Years ago when I discovered yoga, a friend of mine referred me to a free podcast on itunes called   Yogamazing. Yogamazing focuses each under 30 minute workout on a specific area. Yoga for beginners,
skateboarders, back pain, digestion, runners...the list goes on. And all are wonderful. I find that yoga for beginners, runners and snowboarding/skateboarding are the most beneficial to my derby life. I also found that on Netflix, they have free streaming workouts. Early on I discovered that Crunch has a yoga workout called Candlelight Yoga that is PERFECT for after practice or before bed when I can't get to sleep. It's all stretching and relaxation based yoga. I have even been laying in bed at 2 in the morning unable to sleep, got up, did Candlelight Yoga, and woke up on the floor in the morning. It's that good. 


There is also great yoga resources anywhere you look on the web. Try http://www.yogajournal.com/ or http://www.yogabasics.com/  just for starters.


Any which way, I want to say that yoga is a brilliant addition to roller derby. It will increase your flexibility, strength and balance and fitness level. There are tons of online workouts online for free that will benefit you in so many ways.


Cheers and happy Yoga-ing...


Halle PAIN Yo

Fun. Respect. Teamwork.

written by Bootsy Killins

Fun. Respect. Teamwork.

It is not just something we say, it is something we live by.

At Pair O’Dice City Rollers we have a skater’s oath. The oath is: “I will always honor and respect my teammates. When giving guidance or coaching another skater, I will approach them in the most positive and constructive way possible. I will always do my best to receive constructive criticism with an open mind. I will approach every practice knowing that I am there to grow and my teammates are there to help and guide me along the way. I will do my best to keep my teammates’ best interests in mind whether it's growing individually as skaters or as a team and know they are doing the same for me.” However, we wanted to condense it down to a short motto that contains these ideas in a chant we could do at each practice. The resulting motto is: “Fun. Respect. Teamwork.”

This motto condenses all that the Pair O’Dice Rollers are about into simple words that hold an extraordinary amount of meaning.

Fun- We don’t get paid to skate, in fact we pay monthly dues to skate, teach and learn. It is safe to say that most people that join roller derby are in it to have fun. If you only want to get in shape, go to the gym. If you only want to meet people, join a social club. If you only want to skate, go to the rink. Roller derby gives you all that and more. It gives you fun! No matter how hard we work, how challenging a new skill is, how far we have to travel to bout or practice we all have smiles on our faces. Having fun together helps foster both respect and teamwork.

Respect- Respect is what makes you push harder to improve yourself. POD City skaters push themselves for personal and accomplishments and out of a desire to be the best they can be for their teammates.  We support and encourage each other, we don’t say “I can’t do that” we say, “I need to work on that”. We listen to all voices and each member is not just allowed to contribute, they are expected to contribute to the good of the team. We identify, acknowledge and utilize each member’s special talents and abilities. When you give respect, you get respect and our mutual respect is observable in each practice. We practice self respect and respect for others.

Teamwork- We are a team and being able to function as such is what gives a derby team the ability to win. Because roller derby is a strategic game, whose primary mode of play involves skaters together as a pack, even a team of amazing skaters cannot perform to their full potential unless they can work together as a unit. You cannot truly have teamwork without respect and fun is a widely use tool to foster teamwork.

Three little words sure can mean a lot.

So what is your motto?

Open up and say YEAH!

The first time I remember another skater cheering for me, I was doing a drill called Shuttle Runs. At the time I thought it was honestly going to be a very short lived derby career. I had just passed my level 2 assessments and was being introduced to a whole new level of drills and endurance. And it hurt. Bad.

But somewhere through the sweaty haze I heard my teammate, Lady Hulk, yell "You've got it, Halle" and that was it. Someone believed in me. I could do this. She wouldn't be calling my name if she didn't want me to succeed right? I pushed, I pushed harder, I wouldn't let my teammates down!

The first time I cheered for another teammate, it felt like I was speaking a foreign language. It was an odd sensation being on the giving end. I didn't feel that I was an experienced enough skater to be cheering for someone else. Shouldn't they still be pushing me? But when it came out of my lungs with a loud burst, it felt amazing! I knew that I was cheering on one of my teammates, and I knew from experience that it mattered. It mattered to them, it mattered to me AND it mattered to my team. I realized that we all needed to be pushing each other. It didn't matter how much seniority you have. Everyone needs a little nudge. It's part of being a team.

Cheering can become viral. Opening your mouth and showing support can push one more person to shout, and then another, then another. Then your whole team is cheering each other on. How awesome is that?

Pair O' Dice City Roller Derby opens each practice with a cheer. Someone yells "What is tonight about", the entire teams yells back "FUN, RESPECT, TEAMWORK"! Sometimes when we are leaving or cooling down, if it was a particularly great practice someone will yell "what was tonight about" and we will cheer together again. It opens and closes the practice on such a positive note. After all, when our founding members got together, those are the values that we decided were the most important. So we remind ourselves about it as often as we can.

So, the next time you feel that you are dragging during a drill, open your mouth, give a cheer and see how much it will boost your energy level. You will also be boosting your entire teams morale.

Cheers!

Halle PAIN Yo

Why Push Pulls?

I know I don't particularly love them, but they always seem to work their way into endurace. Push Pull Pyramids. Push your buddy for 5 laps then they push you...then finally pull your buddy...it seems to last forever. But what are the benefits? Are you really learning an important derby skill?

Absolutely!!! Read this recent post by mega-blocker Bootsy Killins!


Why Push Pulls? The benefits of the push/pull drill to derby
performance.
Benefit 1- Strength: The act of moving both your own body and the mass
of another around the track has obvious strength and muscle endurance
benefits, just as squats with weights are a greater challenge than
squats alone.
Now stop thinking about push/pulls as simply skating laps with extra
weight. You should not be just skating. To get more out of push /pulls
you can do several things: jockey for position, pass others, protect
the inside line, accelerate at corners and perfect derby form.
Benefit 2- Communication Skills: As you skate you are communicating
with your partner. You are choosing where and how to pass other
skaters. Will you go to the outside or the inside? Do you pass now or
wait for the corner drift? You learn how to communicate these things
verbally and nonverbally as well as become more familiar with how your
partner skates and the decisions they tend to make.
Benefit 3- Track & Form Awareness: In push/pull drills, track physics
become much more observable than in solo skating. Passing skaters on
the outside while having the added burden of another skater is much
more of a challenge than passing on the inside in terms of physics of
the track. It is easy to overlook this when you can accelerate more
effectively skating solo. You also become aware of track spots where
your partner tends to drift off the line, creating openings to be
passed. Again when you skate solo, it is easy to lose track of these
spots as you subconsciously compensate.
In push/pulls, form is essential. If you are not in derby stance, you
lose balance quickly and become a liability to your partner. Form also
is vital in efficient cornering. If a skater being pushed or pulled
does not stagger their stance, they place substantial drag on the pair
and may significantly slow their partner’s progress. Thus push/pulls
encourage proper skating form and helps skaters practice staying
upright and in motion even under challenging circumstances.
I hope this explanation has clarified the value and applicability of
push/pull drills. While all the benefits may not be readily apparent
they are quite real. However, you only get all the benefits if you
stop thinking of the drill as simply moving your own and another’s
weight. While doing the drill, skate as if you were in a jam. Jockey
for position, pass other pairs, don’t be afraid to make contact and,
of course, push yourself! Try to finish first! Sprint the last lap!
Strive to create as little drag as possible when being acted upon.
Challenge yourself and you will be rewarded!

Ready, Set, arrugh!... Bootsy's booty block is in my way again!!

We are Pair O' Dice City Roller Derby. Our founding team is the Pair O' Dice City Rollers. We are a member owned, non profit, flat track, roller derby league from Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

Our motto, "Fun, Respect, Teamwork".

We are a new league, made of experienced skaters and right now we are gathering more momentum than a run away zamboni on an iceburg.

Are you ready?

We are going to blog about drills, gear, off skates training, level testing, beer and bouts.

Check back often. Got ideas? Email us at: pairodicecityrollers@yahoo.com

Bottoms up!

Halle PAIN Yo
#151
Feel the burn :-D

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