MDG First Scrimmage with SiNtral Valley Derby Girls

It's been so hard to start this post because it's not easy for me to encapsulate my deep emotions that day.

First of all, seeing my team in white shirts was a new experience.

Typical of me, I panicked a bit when I was asked to do the 30 second timer along with the jam timer. So take that panic and increase it a million times and that might show how nervous everyone who has never played a scrimmage before with another team. I see from facebook that it was Purple Push Her's first scrimmage. Her team mates yelled at her a lot to call of the jam, I noticed. Personally, I do better with encouragement and calm explanations of what I'm doing that seems incorrect, but hey all teams work differently I think. Another thing discovered this week is that it seems that some teams even have new players use the term "fresh meat" in front of their names. It's not a gang for goodness sake...but again this is just my opinion. All teams work differently.

The ladies from Modesto and Stockton have been IMMENSELY helpful to us and we owe them a lot for their service...THANK YOU to them. It's like having a lot of big sisters.

I only cried two or three times during the scrimmage, once when I saw the team having their equipment checked by the officials. Once when the scrimmage started, P. Fork went out to play, and it hit me hard that I couldn't play too. Then I cried when Ammo fell...then everyone took a knee while she was tended to. That taking a knee during in injury is going to make me cry every time it happens I think. It's just too nice, and so respectful that it makes my heart melt.

I don't have kids so I guess the feeling of being proud of something I was part of was a little new for me...Proud is a good word...not a dirty word. When you put yourself into something with a group and it begins to come to fruition it does make a person feel proud...I would have been more proud of myself if I could have played. But proud of the team as a whole FOR SURE....They were all so beautiful, conquering their own fear and digging right in to the game at hand. Each woman with her own reasons for playing this sport, finally doing it. It was amazing!

The final (unofficial) score was 94-94. I'm sure it's a debatable score but it was perfection for this scrimmage if you ask me. As far as I know, there are no tie games, over time must be played, but in this case, although both teams were ready to put in a OT group, it was decided to let the tie stand.

I sat with Mermad, Rachel, Bill the derby widow of Sheeda Bomb and a person from SiNtral, whose name I never got, in the center track during the scrimmage. I have to say that it is then that I decided unless my head could suddenly spin all the way around, it was quite the uncomfortable position to watch a bout, unless you were a ref or other official with skates on...

Each and every jam absolutely floored me...I could not believe how professionally everyone played. It didn't seem like their first times at all and that speaks to the overcoming of fear that each woman had to do within themselves...I'm just so sorry that I couldn't experience that with them. Hopefully in December...where we are playing away from our home base...we can all freak out and go for it together then...assuming I am chosen to play at that bout, of course.

That after party and Bobbi's wonderful house was fantastic. People yacking around a fire is such an ancient way of being that I think it brings out the best in us humans...it's a perfect place to be...all warm and safe.

I'll save the after after party info for posterity... let's just say my throwing up from drinking streak has ended... ;) And Gerle Haggard is the chick you want to be with when you have to hurl...believe me...(Thanks LOVE!)

Well...it's quarter to 6..and I need a shower before practice tonight...maybe I'll edit this and spruce it up later on...