Referee and Non-Skating Officials Training Day

Thanks so much to Coach Quad Queen for setting up this very cool day of learning how to complete all the carious forms for scoring and stats during a bout. I learned so much. It's right up my alley to keep stats and to make the software work the way we want it to, so this was extremely fun and useful...People came from Merced's Rollin Roulettes Derby Girls, from Stockton's Port City Roller Girls and from Modesto's SiNtral Valley Roller Girls. Talon and Roadkill Will were awesome! It was also great to meet Jayleen, who is Kileron's sister and she seems to be responsible for turning on some of our players to derby back last January..so ya gotta love her! She and I will be working on being proficient and organizing and training other NSO's as we go down our path of derbydom...That will be great to work with her.

After that a bunch of us went to the casino for some food and pool and gambling. It rocked major that Twisted Trixie was able to come and play after wards...I'm sure all the girls were beat too because I think they scrimmaged for like two hours straight, with learning bits in between. I just am so transported to another world when I watch my team play. I adore each of them just for being who they are...we are truly 'lucky' to have found each other... and thanks again to our Coach and assistant coaches who volunteer their time to make us better players...

Went to the physical therapist today. He was not convinced of the ortho doctor's conclusion that it was my iliotibial band (sp) that was hurt. But by the end of my appt. it certainly seems that it is the 'culprit' as opposed to my back making my knee hurt. I have 8 PT sessions scheduled out now and hopefully the guilt trip from work ends as I go through this repair process....I'm way over being singled out at work...they can suck it, seriously.. I do a lot there and just because I work in a quicker fashion than most I guess they think they can keep piling tasks on me, even after they've made union agreements which cut my pay. I work for money. Simple as that. I'm not retired and this is my career. Equal pay to equal work is how I see it....

Anyhoozle...I'm glad that there is hope for my knee and it will be better soon. I just have to play one real bout at least...maybe I will love it so, and maybe I'll be able to overcome the scary nerves before a bout...Although I've heard more than one skater say you are always nervous before a bout...Sounds like too much for me ..but we'll see. I'm having fun now so that's what matters now.

Pics from Sunday's learning:

2010 Display Case Creativity Fest!

Alright, it wasn't all that..yet...I'm just warming up to the space. But we have the red background in place...(lines and all)...Gerle Haggard, my creative co-designer helped decide on a red colored background...I added the recruiting sign...(could be larger, but the two friends of the twins that were visiting thought it was large enough to read)... Then I scratched on four black fleur d'lis sort of patterns around the corners...After consulting with Nicki Spitts, we decided that instead of differentiating between the team High Country Hellcats and the league of Mountain Derby Girls wasn't necessary yet. Maybe when the second team is more formed we can do that...So I slapped a couple of High Country Hellcat stickers in the top corners...

Next, I'll be printing out larger photos of my lovely and talented team mates, their names and numbers. And also a giant HOME and AWAY bout schedule for this exciting Inaugural year.

By the time I went to the store for some red background and got that stuff up, it was 9pm already. But before we left, Sheeda Bomb was very cool and she and Nicki demonstrated the new whip they've been trying out..S O C O O L! I'm just so proud of everyone...! THEY ARE AWESOME!

School started again today so back to juggling everything...There must be a happy medium between school, work, and derby. Two classes instead of four should be a lot smoother than four classes..I hope.

Let's see....other news? Well, Kimstigator has had her cast taken off! Very good. Ammo needs to still be careful with her ankle as a long walk bruised it up again, but she's skated a few times now and is holding up. What else...hmmm...Oh Stihl Queen brought up needing a babysitter tonight and I thought of a roller derby child care center...a very niche job...But I could see it being used for derby girl moms...

I have an early meeting at work tomorrow so here's one picture...I love this team photo and think it's a really neat way to do it...

The Angel City Derby Girls

Useless no more....!

I discovered that there are a lot of ways I can help my team from the sidelines while I wait to find out the future of my knee. There's the turning down and turning up of the music...timing the laps during endurance drills...take photos of the lovely players...and cheerleading...Maybe I can invent a cheer leading outfit and finally be the cheerleader I wanted to be in high school, but was too much of a st**** chick to even bother trying out. :) I could probably take attendance also. Anything to lighten the load.

They did a rehearsal of the show warm-up. Did MANY laps. And some other drills that don't have names yet....

Afterwards we went out for pizza and I finished three more player bio interviews for Slambo, our ref. Bryan, and Gerle Haggard...We had a chance to talk about things so I think these social nights are kind of important for that reason.

I've been sad not skating, but I can participate in the stretching portion at the start and end of practices and I do need that movement.

Planning night....and not planning

I planned to be at the meeting tonight at 7pm. I didn't plan on infecting my dear team mates with my germs...No way could I have missed that meeting though. It was a must meet situation as there is so much to do for our first bout on February 20th.

First off, let's clear up the fact that Stihl Queen WAS at the first practice of the year on Sunday....she had to leave just seconds before we took this team picture. This is also the last picture of me with long hair, as the next day I had it cut up to my shoulders.

Chisel Bit, Jodrlicious, Kileron, Sheeda Bomb, Block N Deckher, Sweet Alyce, Twisted Trixie (so cute kissing my helmet....), Ref. Bryan, Pinkie Lee, Pitchfork, Ammo, and insert invisible Stihl Queen...cuz she was there too...

I apologize for being germy around my friends...We got a lot of things worked out for the 20th bout. Who is doing what, and all that jazz. I have a new responsibility that I was actually thinking about before it was offered and that is to take care of our glass photo display case at the arena. Along with the lovely and talented Gerle Haggard whose artistic skills are notorious because she makes the cutest cards and gifts for people..very creative she is....That will be fun to make. If anyone on the team has a specific photo of themselves that they'd like to see in the display case, please let me know. I'll put it in.

holy rollers minishrines by ~iron-kitsune

Not sure if I mentioned that I picked up my xray at the hospital, and in typical useless healthcare fashion, no one called to tell me the possible injuries to my knee. However the diagnosis says: "radiographic evidence of a joint space effusion. Mild spurring is present involving the superior pole of the patella. Mild narrowing of the medial joint compartment of the knee. Possible etiologies include: a) injury to the nonosseous structures of the knee; b) joint space infection, c) arthritus, d) occult fracture. I go to the ortho. doctor on Monday.

Roller Derby Rumble by ~Chickenoftheland

After the meeting, I was walking to my car and RevRa asked if I wanted to go out for a bit. The bowling alley was having a DJ that night. Of course I went. We had a lovely, relaxing time chatting. I always dig hanging out just bs-ing with any or all of the sk8trgurls...they fucking rule! Each and every one of them are unique and getting to know them is so great.

Rollerderby2 by *maskofmemories

Depending what happens at the doctor I'll know if I should be playing roller derby or not. It also just comes back to my main rule of life...I'll do it as long as I can live with the worst possible consequences. In my mind, the worst possible consequences is being paralysed from a fall, these falls can happen in practice or at a bout or in a scrimmage...so there's no really perfectly safe way to play. I don't see me ever being ok with that, and yet I don't see me ever leaving this sport either. Puts me in a real crappy position. At some point I hope it becomes clear what to do. Also I know that even if I decide to not play, I'll still want to be involved. I could be a super volunteer and do a lot to assist the league. The website, the display case, anything....I'm just very attached to the ladies and always want to support them.

SuperCoffee Spindlies 5 by ~sammiebookworm

Let's see...what else...? Oh, the first live bout on Derby News Network will be Saturday the 9th at 3:45pm our time. It's a double header. Milwaukee's BrewCity Bruisers head down to Indiana to take on North Central rival Fort Wayne. Justice Feelgood Marshall and Val Capone will announce the game.

*all the art on this post is from the awesome deviant art website....

Despite the sore knee, despite the smashed toe...still rolling with my girls...

First practice of 2010...!

How amazing and wonderful to be back in the arena with my team!!

I tried on my skates a couple hours before practice to see if I could get my blood-spurting, Mt. Vesuvius toe in there without reactivating the red fountain of gore that it was a few days ago...check. Next I lifted my other leg up slowly to see if my knee would snap in half from the weight..I could feel the extra weight straining my knee, but nope, no snapping...Woo Hoooo! That put and end to my over-active imaginings of what it would be like to try and skate again...I felt much better at that point. I wrote on my facebook and the lovely Chilli Jam from Australia left me a nice post. It's been so grim since Nov 17th, waffling back and forth wondering if I could or would ever skate again...It's been like being a wounded animal in a pack...

Though I used to get dressed for practice out in the arena on a bench or something.. this time I wanted to be in the Cat House with the ladies...When I first went in the arena, cleaning day was still happening and I saw Pinkie Lee, and Ammo, and Block N Deckher first in the pro-shop, then Sheeda Bomb with a vacuum, then I saw Kileron, (who has a very sweet smile, btw). Next in was Stihl Queen, who for some reason, we like to hug sometimes...generally we aren't a huge team of huggers, and yet the love is overwhelming between us...at least that's how I feel when I see each of them...Stihl's husband bought her a pair of Wicked skates for xmas, she's very excited! Jodrlicious was back after a long time, Chisel Bit, Twisted Trixie, P.Fork...11 of us attended the first practice of this new year and new decade....and I was armed (or legged?) in my new GIANT Triple Eight knee pads.

To be safe, once I was dressed I brought everything except my laptop with me on the first trip across the floor..No need to fall and break it, I thought. The first step down to the floor, (which is like one inch high), was iffy, it hurt my knee when I stepped down and you know you turn your knee out ward a bit. After that it was ok, I took it real, real slow. Having not moved at all in like 7 weeks I really needed to just stretch and relearn in a sense how to move. When Coach QQ came to the floor, the ladies were in the center circle stretching. Everyone was sitting down and I got this horrible feeling that if I sat down I wouldn't be able to get back up without help. So I stood there, like a silly, while Coach laid out the 2010 season for us.

We're adding a half an hour to the Sunday and Tuesday practices now so that the first 45 minutes can be new player practice time, and the rest for other players. And we've moved our monthly meetings to the second Sunday of each month.

I was tempted to jump right into drills again, but I didn't at first. I just skated slowly, stretched etc. I got a charlie horse on the bottom of each foot a few times..three times I had to remove my skates. That started to happen towards the end of last year and I'm not sure why. I laced up a little looser and went on about skating the best I could. Jodrlicious was free skating around a bit and in a hilarious moment we plowed right into each other...and it happened in like slow motion...Very funny...Luckily I landed on my right hip (and no I didn't have my padded shorts on)..it didn't hurt too much and we took the time that we had laid out on the floor to chat a little and catch up... :)

At one point we did a little rehearsal of our 'show warm-up' that was cool and with time we'll be really smooth and solid looking while we do that...I did participate in that and luckily there's only once that we take a knee so that is ok. I can do that I think. Mostly I'm concerned about landing hard and being able to get up again quickly.

As soon as Coach Q sends me the group photo from practice I'll post it...

It's nice to be back on the Sweet Alyce blog and I would like to thank everyone who reads it...thank you!

See ya'll on Tuesday @ practice!

∞♥☮∞ Sweet Alyce 3.14 ∞♥☮∞