Derby Girl Boot Camp

So you wanna be a derby girl? Well, we’re recruiting!

The Dominion Derby Girls Boot camp will help you learn the basics and be placed in the appropriate group to ensure proper training for your fresh meat period. Come out, skate, and learn roller derby with the best from Hampton Roads!

Please contact our coaches at training@dominionderbygirls.net for more information.

August 2, 2009
9am-1pm (Time subject to change)
Haygood Skating Center
Cost:$25.00 in advance and $30.00 day of Boot Camp. *This fee covers your first months league dues.

Bootcamp:
1st hour
Basic skating
Beginner drills
Derby form
Speed assessment

2nd hour
Review
1 on 1 work or solo practice time

Break – lunch/discussion

3rd hour
Leaning
Weaving
Whips/pushes
Jumping/hopping
Hitting Demo
Time to practice solo or with coach

4th hour
Final assessment
Q&A

You will need skates, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, a mouth guard, and a helmet. Some gear may be available to borrow, but you’ll need to contact training@dominionderbygirls.net for specifics.

Also, join us at Guadalajara Town Center for our recruitment meet & greet fund raiser on Sunday, July 26th from 6-10pm. Skaters, referees, coaches and widows alike will be there to answer your questions, and ten percent of your bill will be donated back to the league. So come on out, say hi, grab a bite to eat (and a drink!) and help raise money for a worthy cause!

We can’t wait to see you there!!!

Derby Tripping: ECE – Pippy Longstalker

After a cancelled flight, sitting standby for the next one and then fitting 6 people into a 5 person rental car, I made it to the East Coast Derby Extravaganza! The excitement was all around me. My teammates, my opponents, my fellow fans–everywhere you looked, people were enjoying being surrounded by roller derby! Watching the Dominion Derby Girls skate against Connecticut was hard. I wanted to be out there skating with them! But, they gave it their all, that’s for sure. My voice was hoarse for the rest of the day after cheering on my team.

After the bout, a few of us went to grab lunch before heading back to watch some more derby action. While deciding on which delicious menu item I would choose, America the Bootyful proposed! We looked into each others’ eyes and knew that it was meant to be! *blech* Just kidding. It just seems like a great pairing. I’m learning the ropes about derby and she’s willing to teach me. And, we’re having TONS of fun together in the meantime!

So, after a restful night, I wake up on Sunday morning and begin to prepare for my very first bout appearance. It’s been four and a half months in the making and I’ve finally made it to my first bout. After donning my uniform and my pig-tail braids, I grabbed my gear and headed off not knowing what was in store for me. Warming up, I felt the nerves begin to grow. The other team, Grand Raggidy, wasn’t intimidating–it was the unnerving doubt in my abilities and the fear of letting me teammates down. But, before I know it, introductions have started and the announcers are calling my name. “Number 36 AA, PIPPPPPYYYY LOOOOOONGSTALKER!” Oh no! What do I do? I quickly raised my arms and blew a kiss to the crowd with the biggest grin on my face. This is it! My first bout! My debut as a Dominion Derby Girl!
And then, the whistles blew and the skating started. The first half went by quickly. Too quick actually. What happened in that first period is all a blur. Half time came and went and now the second period was starting. A sense of determination came over me. I was not going to let my teammates down. I was not going to use my inexperience as an excuse. This was a new period and a chance of redemption.

My name was called in the lineup and out I went. Lining up on the inside behind The Ruffian, I looked around me and realized that the opposing team wasn’t any different from me. They weren’t any better than me. We all had 8 wheels strapped to our feet and I wasn’t going to let a little bit of nerves get in my way. And, then the whistles blew. Off we went. All I could think was, “Stay together. Hold the line. Hit them HARD!”. Then, it happened. Their jammer was coming through the pack! I pushed off and skated straight into the path I knew she would take and WHACK! my shoulder went straight into her chest. Take that! That’s right! You just got knocked down by a newbie!

A wave of confidence and pride came over me. I did it! It doesn’t matter how good another skater is as long as I remember what my coaches have been teaching me and I put it to use. I can succeed at this sport! I can help my team! The rest of the period played out and it was over too soon, but I will never forget that first hit. Now, I am a stronger skater. I’m a stronger teammate. I’m Pippy Longstalker, a Dominion Derby Girl.

Pippy is pictured here on the left.

Member of the Month – July 2009

T. Rex Ya Face

Coach T. Rex & her 2 slices

What her teammates had to say:

As Head of the Merch Committee, T has been a key player with ordering, inventorying, storing, and researching all of the Merch. She’s always ready to fill an order and haul the suitcases wherever they’re needed.
As Director of Training, she is instrumental in the organization of keeping the DDG knowledgeable in the new 4.0 rule set, she’s the attendance nazi and is always ready to inform a skater/ref as to what they’re status is, she is an key player in bouts by making sure that the skaters are where they’re supposed to be on the track, and as a Coach, she’s always willing to demonstrate a play or an idea to benefit both an individual skater or the whole League.
The DDG would be lost without her and thus she should be recognized for all of her hard work.

I think I speak for most of us when I say that T Rex’s involvement in the DDG continues to amaze me! We all consider the DDG an extension of our own family but it’s easy to let life get in the way and when it does, derby takes a back seat. Its so easy to lose motivation when you cannot be on skates for whatever reason! She happens to have THE BEST reason – being pregnant with her first baby!! Through it all – she has never faltered. She has been at every meeting, coached many practices solo and still managed to ‘teach’! She has travelled with the team and she has been an active bench coach – one that we would be lost without. I don’t know where she has found the energy, especially as she gets close to the end! Its nothing but impressive. Now hurry up and have that baby….we’re tired of seeing you on the sidelines and ready to have you back on the track!!