“Returning to Derby After Pregancy” ~ T. Rex Ya Face

In early 2008, I was engaged to my boyfriend that I had been with for seven years. I knew we’d be soon making plans for a wedding and a family but something huge was in the way: roller derby. I had been balls to the wall consumed with roller derby since Sept 2006 when I walked into the rink for the first time. The 2008 season was a good year for DDG. We had some nice wins under our belts, and were getting the chance to play top ranked teams like Detroit and Madison. After a unfortunate declined invite to the Eastern Regional Tournament due to lack of skaters, and also a loss to Tuscon, the season ended in early September. We spent the next few months getting our numbers up and re-organizing the league to gear up for 2009. In late November, I found out I was pregnant. I was nothing but happy and what perfect timing. You think of it from the outside and it seems like a long time without skating, but being pregnant, my mind was consumed. I still attended and coached tons of practices and bench coached a few games. I was even awarded Member of the Month for my hard work during the time I was off skates. By the start of the summer, about seven months into my pregnancy, I was ready to get back on the track and start skating.

I gave birth to Bridget Niamh on August 06 2009. She was 7lbs 7oz. and the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

As a new Mom, some days went by so fast and some so slowly. I was ready to get back on the track. Against the wishes of my doctor, husband, family, I donned skates again for the first time two weeks to the day after I gave birth. All I did was skate around the outer edge of the track, but dammit I WAS READY. I knew that no matter how bad I wanted to start skating again, I needed to wait until I was given the “all clear” by my doctor, which came in the beginning of September.
Coming back to a league I’ve never skated with was a bit strange. There was an entire new crop of skaters filling the spots on the team that I last skated with. Its was great though. All my old cronies kept pumping my jamming skills up to all the new girls and that really added pressure on me to be as good as I was before I had my baby. Ugggh! It was hard. I went slow. I took it one lap at a time to get my skate legs back in gear and after a few weeks I stared to feel more agile and comfortable on my skates. At the end of my first month, I took my eval to start scrimmaging again. I passed and from them on I was “back on the team.” Still not where I left off last year but not that far behind.
I gained 70 pounds during my pregnancy. I was a skinny 115lbs before and coming back to derby I was not 115 by any means. I have, to date, lost about 40 pounds and the last bit of baby weight is just hanging on for dear life. Thank goodness derby doesn’t require a certain type of body to play. I tell myself that thirty pounds just makes me hit harder. I knew all that pizza and creme brulee would have its benefits one day. Ha!

Having a baby during my derby career wasn’t bad at all. It gave me a well deserved break for my knees. It allowed me to a necessary step back and gave me the oppotunity to prioritize everything I did for the sport to make all that I do better. Bridget is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I skate for her now, as corny as that sounds… When I get pregnant again a few years down the road, I know that my league will be there and welcome me back again with open arms.

An Ode To DDG 2009

As the year winds to a close, your ever faithful derby league winds with it.  The past year has been wrought with ups and downs, but we ended up here…Daft Punk….harder, better, faster, and certainly stronger. At our last business meeting, Thunder Lips graced us with this piece of prose. As our gift to you, we share a little of our hearts…

Twas a cold night in November back in two thousand and eight
when we sat around a table at Bravo’s looking at each other thinking ….“oh great!”
One glance at the tally, it seemed as though we would fall
For we had just enough skaters to train some new and wondered if we would bout at all!
Who could have known the hard work we had lying ahead of us all
Or the gifts we would find along the way some LARGE and some small

First was a group of fresh meat that we knew we had to get passed
There was Smax, and Cheese, Ate and Pants and of course Texas
It didn’t stop there; the next batch brought us Pippy and Freaky and XPresso
Was that it? ..you ask .. to which I say “Oh no, no!”
Booty, Miss Bea, and Pixie came from leagues around the globe
They came to Dominion looking for a new place to call home.

We kicked off our season with a rematch against DC
Ready or not, we gave it a try ,and it was an ass whooping indeed.
We didn’t stop there, it was on to Atlanta next
And, we saw something there that no one ever had…
It was a sport court track with a built in launch pad!
Though we lost that bout too, we really had fun
Drinking some Red, riding elephants, and a dance off that I think Duchess won!

The trend continued through our trip to ECE
The defeats, huge point spreads, and oh the sore knees.
It was there  we turned a corner, and acquired a new male.
He could not hold it in any longer and had to let it wail.
“Look back!” “Pair up!” and “For Gods sake GO HOME!”,
“Get in and out, hit hard, stand up, be KNOWN!”
So Big Daddy joined us next and became our team coach
We trained like crazy, rebuilt a team..

and together we found hope.

A near loss against Duchland, down by just four
Left us hungry and ready for just one bout more
Another teaser for our team, a near win again the Bootleggers
It ended in a loss, but led to a pool party kegger

It was after that bout we picked up two bears. 
One, just a wee little cub, and one huge, with lots of hair.
Thank goodness we had them at our trek to Regionals
For our fairy god mothers were prepared for it all.
New bearings and wheels and kind words for us too
It all helped us clean up our hurting “Boo Boos”
As we left Dorton after a weekend of strong play
It was hard to hold our heads up at the end of the day.

Fired up more than ever before
We kept pushing and trying and training for more.
We ended our season with a stellar bout
Twelve took the track that night and we had it out
Knoxville didn’t know it but they never had a chance
We, the All Stars had taken our stance.
It was victory for us, no other option would do!
So we were smart, struck hard and found our way home too!
Victory for a change
When we won that bout by 80 and the hard work was not in vain.

 
That’s the story of our team this year
I know it’s in a nutshell
It wasn’t all on the track that helped the DDG prevail
Our referees cannot be over looked
Nor, volunteers, announcers or teams that we booked
Our sponsors and fans, we do it for you
We couldn’t have gotten through this year if it wasn’t for all of you too

We lost some friends along the way
Due to ever changing lives…

Ho(fosho) went off to become a lawyer one day
The Navy took Ate down south
OSB is a student now – oh how we miss her mouth.
Tex is gone to Florida we miss her face already
Texas won the tug o war for Cheese; but to lose her, we just weren’t ready
Their being gone from us has left a small hole
For they became our sisters now when we will see them again, we don’t know.

But our family is still growing; we have new kids in the ranks
We’re smarter and stronger and we want to offer our thanks

To all who helped turn the league around.
The endless hours on the track,
Events like Jasonstock and car washes that broke our poor backs
It wasn’t all for not, we’re ready once again
To start a new season, with two teams this time
And do it all over in the year two thousand and ten.

Thanks to all our fans, our sponsors, our families, our staff, and the wonderful athletes that make this league what it is.

Happy Holidays to all!

Tales from the Fresh Meat Locker – FM Sarah

I had no idea what to expect when I joined Derby as a Fresh Meat. I found the Dominion Derby Girls through my apartment manager. The day I moved in and picked up my keys, she asked me what I was looking forward to now that I was moving to Norfolk. I said I was looking forward to surfing and skating down the board walk in Virginia Beach. (Probably an odd choice since it was dead in the heart of winter.) She asked me if I was going to join the Dominion Derby Girls. I responded by asking her what that was. She gave me some rough details that the Hampton Roads area had a roller derby team. Well, that idea rolled around in the back my head for about 9 months before I followed up on it.
I was looking for something to do on weekends that got my butt off the couch and involved exercise. I once upon a time ago (10 year back) was pretty good skater so the idea planted by my apartment manager bubbled to the surface. I went in search of the Dominion Derby Girls on the internet and behold, that next weekend, they were holding a Boot Camp.
I looked at the list of required equipment for the boot camp and decided I was pretty well set, since I had pads and a wrist guards from Wal-Mart from my board walk skating. Since I was missing a helmet and mouth guard, it was another trip to Wal-Mart to finish out my gear bag before the Camp.
I had not been on skates in about 10 years, except for two trips down the VB board walk about 3 weeks prior, and being of the military mind, I didn’t want to walk into an engagement without getting the lay of the land. So what did I do? I hustled my butt down to Haygood skating center so I could try out the track and see if I could get my skating legs back under me. Great in thought, not so great in execution. Since I had not been on skates in a while, my skating session the night before Camp worked muscles in a way they had not been worked in quite some time. (Ooww! I was sore at Camp!)
So the next day at Camp I fumbled and stumble my through (nursing my aching muscles). But the encouragement I got from the Veterans (Vets for short) was wonderful, and kept me motivated and made me want to come back for more!
So here I am three months later chomping at the bit to get eval’ed and now I know that Wal-Mart pads have a Derby shelf life of about 2.5 months (my knees are taking bruises until my new pads come in the mail) and that Derby is more then a weekend commitment (and I love it!).
I love that we not only skate and do Derby, but we also give back to the community through raising funds and sponsoring different charities with money from our bouts. We hold charity events and try to making things better.
I also love that now Fresh Meat can go to four butt kicking practices a week!
Derby bouts are also more then just showing up and trying to beat the other team. It’s a whole team production from set up to take down. Even those who aren’t skating at the bout have import jobs to do to make sure everything runs smooth and everyone, especially the fans, have a great time. Everyone has to pull together to make that happen.
I like that there is such a wide choice of things that you can do through committees or events to support the team. You can go where you skill set lies or try and learn something new. You can be on a committee or run a committee. You can plan an event or you can just do heavy lifting as support staff. It’s all up to you, but it doesn’t matter what you do for the Dominion Derby Girls, you are a valued member of the team, and that is something you don’t find very often. Go DDG!

Tales from the Fresh Meat Locker – FM Sheilah

I thought I had an idea what to expect as Fresh Meat. Honestly, I had no clue at all and Boot Camp was my first experience with skates in years. I came with this picture in my head of a bunch of jaunty, rough and tumble women. I envisioned something like Westinghouse’s iconic Rosie the Riveter; spirited girls with a can do attitude.

What I wasn’t expecting was for them to be as warm and encouraging as they are. These are real women with careers, children, spouses and commitments and they do this for the fun of it. From my first Boot Camp on I was and still am in awe of them, particularly T-Rex Ya Face. She was one of the first girls I met and she graciously lent me her helmet until I could get one of my own. And at that Boot Camp when I did time trials for the first time, I was struggling. BamBam skated right behind me on my last few laps cheering me on.

It’s a really refreshing feeling to have women around you can look up to. Frakendoll, Duchess, The Ruffian, Lips…each one has made me feel a little more confident in my skates when to be honest I’ve never felt more unsure of myself or my abilities.

In my almost 3 three months of Fresh Meat training I’ve learned 2 things about Derby. One: This is not the type of thing you can do half-heartedly. You have to be totally committed to it. Two: You have to trust yourself and you have to push your limits. After every practice, I can’t wait to get back on the track because I want to keep testing myself. I want to take in as much as I can, because each girl on this team has something to offer and things I can learn. And I watch them, how they move so effortlessly, like they were born derby girls. But I remember….they were once Fresh Meat too and they know exactly what I’m going through. And I want to get better so I can join them out there and make them proud. Because when we (Fresh Meat) succeed it proves what great teachers we have.

Member of the Month – December 2009

Congratulations to Terra Incognita for being December’s Member of the Month!  

Here’s what her fellow league members had to say about her:

“She is to the grind on the track and off and making our website come alive.” 

“Since Tara has joined the league she has really stepped up and done some amazing things. She has taken over the task of updating the website and I think it looks great. She has been able to video tape our bouts and several league events and put the on the internet for everyone to see. She has also recognized our desperate need of reffs and has decided to join “Team Zebra”, which shows she is very dedicated to our league. Tara has been a really great friend to me through out the Fresh Meat process and I just wanted to tell her ‘Thanks”!” 

“I think she’s shown commitment to the league in a stellar way! She’s all over the website, active in committees, vocal, positive, and when she saw she might not be able to commit to being a team skater – what does she do? She joins team Zebra! True definition of team and commitment. Plus, she looks fierce in her uniform…Growl!”

“She has really stepped up to update our website and proactively produce video for our league to promote us on Youtube. Also, even though she couldn’t make the time commitment as a skater, instead of quitting like most would, she has recognized the DIRE need for refs and will soon be an asset to DDG on Team Zebra. Her willingness to devote her time and talents make her my number one vote for MOM for December!”

Well done Terra!!  We really appreciate what you do for the Dominion Derby Girls!

Coach’s Corner: Volume 2 – Derby Stance

 Derby Stance?  Derby Stance!  Derby Stance.

From the moment you become Fresh Meat and throughout your derby career, there are a few things that you will hear from your coaches constantly. One of them, the most important of them, is “Derby Stance”! In this blog, I will share with you some of the reasons that derby stance is so important, what it looks like and how to help achieve it.

Derby Stance is the skating stance that we all aim to achieve while skating in this sport.  It looks like this:  arms tucked in or across your chest, feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent and directly over the toes at a 90 degree angle, your weight is in the balls of your feet, bent over at the waist with tush out, shoulders back, chest out. To give our Fresh Meat a visual during their first few practices, it’s described as the “Pee Hover”… you know exactly what we mean. You’re in a nasty public bathroom and you don’t want to out your tush on the seat so you squat and hover. That’s Derby Stance!

We skate low for a number of reasons. First and foremost is for safety. When you’re low with your knees bent and your weight on the balls of your feet you are more likely than not to fall forward.  We protect our knees with pads, but this stance is for the protection of your butt. Also, being low when you fall allows for less impact on your knees, allowing for your pads to last longer and your precious knees to absorb less so you can skate longer!

Second, skating in Derby Stance makes it harder for an opposing skater to hit you. Being low protects your core. In theory, your belly is tucked in, arms are protecting your chest and you’re being low makes it very hard for someone to get under you to throw a shoulder check. Additionally, your center of gravity is lower and your feet are wide so your ability to absorb a hit without falling is increased tremendously by being in Derby Stance.

Third, when laying a hit on an opposing skater, being low and in Derby Stance (along with a sharp cut) will bring the most force behind that hit. In doing so, you’re more likely to take that skater off her skates and keep her out of your pack and off your Jammer’s back longer than just tapping her out of bounds. Big Plus!

Last, but not least: Jammers who are depended on for their speed and agility make themselves more aerodynamic by being low. Standing upright not only opens you up for a hit in the pack but allows for greater resistance which impacts your speed, thus the length of time it takes a Jammer to get back around to the pack to make a scoring pass.

A lot of skaters struggle with this stance. Some are knock-kneed; some have weak back muscles and most simply do not have the leg strength to maintain this stance for any period of time when they first start skating. Here are a few tips to achieving a good Derby Stance:

• Practice hovering, in your skates over the toilet (the “Pee Hover”) – squat and hold. Face the back of the potty and bring something to read… as a distraction this time, not to pass time. Keep your wheels stable and use the toilet as a gauge for how low you actually are and the angles you’re working to achieve.
• Squats, squats and more squats!! I recommend doing three (3) reps of thirty (30) squats every single day! Yes, even your days off skates – especially your days off skates.
• Crunches – a tight core will help more than you might imagine. Do it! Do it! Do it! Three (3) reps of thirty (30) – every single day!
• Stretch your back before practice, during a break and after practice.
• Practice your stance – don’t be lazy. Derby stance in warm ups, derby stance in line drills and derby stance in pack drills will almost always translate to derby stance during game play.

So when you hear your coaches yelling “DERBY STANCE!!” – think about protecting yourself, helping your team by staying on your feet and being able to haul tail! And, when you see a girl not in Derby Stance, not protecting herself – HIT HER! ☺

-Thunder Lips

Tales from the Fresh Meat Locker: Crystal G.

When I was younger you could find me almost every Friday or Saturday night at the skating rink. I would skate for hours and loved every minute. As I got older I stopped going to the rink as often, then it came to a point when I stopped going at all. I grew up, got married and became a mommy, and skating became just a distant memory.

When I found out about roller derby by word of mouth, I got really excited. From that moment I knew I had to find out more so I went online and researched roller derby and got even more excited. I found out that there was actually a local derby team here in Hampton Roads and that they were recruiting. From that moment on it just seemed like everything fell into place. The league was having a “meet and greet” in a few days and a “boot camp” a couple weeks later. I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to do this.

After my boot camp I realized that the combination of not skating in ten years and becoming a mommy was going to make this much harder than I had originally anticipated. At that point I made a promise to myself that no matter how tough it was or how bad it hurt, I was going to do this. It might take me awhile, but I am not giving up. Over the time I could feel myself getting better and better. Some of the things I couldn’t even begin to do at boot camp now seem so easy.

Joining this league has really given me a chance to challenge myself. It is hard work and I am still learning, but I am truly having a blast!

Tales from the Fresh Meat Locker: Tara

I am not an athlete.

As a young girl, I was always more creatively inclined, forsaking kickball games for ballet and singing. I am a strong person, but not very fast and my stamina is nil.

Fast forward to thirty-two years of age. Married, kids, career. My family was dealing with a health crisis and the demands of my life had become unbearable without some outlet for my stress. I desperately needed something and remembered reading about a local roller derby league. I went online, and found the Dominion Derby Girls. I went out on a limb and emailed Pretty Skate Machine. I spent a month at open skates, trying to get my skate legs back. I saved and purchased the gear I needed; I paid my dues and attended my first practice. I was awed by the endurance and ability I witnessed. I knew that I would have to work very hard to get to that level. I met a few of the veteran skaters that first practice, Thunder Lips, who was very encouraging, telling me (although I think she was being nice) “oh, you can skate…”, Frankendoll, who was so very compassionate and easy to talk to. She spent an extraordinary amount of time encouraging and reassuring me… and I am grateful.

Day One was the hardest. I am sure I looked like a complete fool. I fell and cracked my tailbone. I dropped out of the 25-lap time trial with a crucial calf cramp. I left thirty minutes early to go cry in my car. For an out of shape, older, mom of two…. this was difficult work. I wanted to puke. I wanted to leave and never go back. But when I got to my car, I felt pretty good. To some, it may seem that I was unsuccessful. But I was. To me, just showing up was success. I may not have finished 25 laps, but I finished 17. I may have cracked my tailbone, but I learned how to fall correctly. I may have not been the best thing out there, but I had the balls to strap up and show up.

Two months later, I am still here, doing my best. Am I as good as I can be? No. Am I better? Oh hell yeah. I see the improvement in everything I do. I may not be able to hang with the veterans yet, but I will get there soon enough. I put things in perspective; only looking at what I can do today… getting through each individual practice is my only goal. I increase the bar every time, setting it higher as my ability increases. I am thankful for this, and thankful that I am welcomed into such a fantastic organization made up of extraordinary women.

November E-Newsletter

Check out our November E-Newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/e2K

Member of the Month – November 2009

The Ruffian

Congratulations to the Ruffian for being November’s Member of the Month!

What her teammates had to say:

As I’ve gotten more involved in committees I am seeing firsthand how much she does to keep this league running. She is obviously very devoted and I appreciate it lots!