In running, 97% of your success comes from doing the training. Train enough, and barring some freak weather occurrence, you’ll likely succeed in completing the event. But throw other people into the mix (teammates as well as competition) and all of a sudden, everything is different. And for a control freak like yours truly, it’s a tough thing to accept.

In running, if I don’t achieve a goal, it’s on myself. I take the responsibility for not achieving what I wanted. But generally, all the pressure is self-imposed. Contrast that to playing on a team of 14 representing a league of 100, skating in front of a crowd of thousands. Now all of a sudden it’s not a personal success or failure.

Sure, the success part is amazing! But when things go the other way, I’ve found I feel that not only did I let myself down (and heaven knows I like to beat myself up over that enough as it is), but I disappointed others as well.

We lost our game on Saturday night, and although I was personally disappointed, I felt an obligation to “make it up” to the fans who were depending on us. That is really one thing that’s been so strange for me. When I don’t run a race as well as I want, I look internally to try to do better. But with roller derby, there is (for me) some weird sense of obligation to include leaguemates and fans into the mix as well. I learned my lesson: once I posted about how I did in a game and was told I was being selfish for not giving enough kudos to my teammates. So now my athletic performance is all wrapped up in how it’s being perceived by others. And that’s when I do well! No wonder not doing well and disappointing people is really messing with me emotionally.

I’ve also struggled with how many fans want to talk about the game. We lost: it sucked. The more you tell me you’re disappointed, the more I feel I failed you. We’re not consoling each other, you’re making me feel responsible for your disappointment and letting me know I didn’t live up to your expectations.

With marathoning, 99% of the people I talk to are just in awe I run; they don’t care that I ran 3:29 instead of 3:23. They wouldn’t even know the difference if I ran 4:29. This roller derby stuff is just really, really different and I’m still not sure how to handle it.

The “Mix Mash Smash Bash” teams were the Stock Market Crashers, the Economic Meltdowns and the Bailout Bombshells. The evening was organized as a round-robin, with each of the three teams playing against each other for a half hour. I was on the Stock Market Crashers team.

The game was at the Denver Coliseum. Whereas we practice on wood, we were playing on concrete. I made sure to arrive at the venue early to get some practice in on the different surface. The Coliseum was really warm: we managed to get fans pointed at the benches but it wasn’t the most comfortable.

Our team brought different food for the locker room: water, powerade, skittles, cut oranges and lara and luna bars. I stopped at Country Buffet before the event to carb-up. It was weird for me to be getting ready for an event in the evening: my standard practices of pasta the night before didn’t seem to be appropriate.

I was very nervous leading up to the event, but we had two of the members of the Mile High Club, Rockett and Wicked Sister working the bench for us. They set up our lines, made sure we kept track of who was in the penalty box and gave us coaching while we were skating. With 14 girls on our team and five on the track at a time, they had me go out the very first jam! So much for nerves!

Within a few jams, they gave me the illustrious star helmet cover. The jammer is the member of the team that wears the star, and is the only skater eligible to score points. Even with my uncertainty skating on the concrete surface (we were all sliding a little around the corners), I still managed to put the speed on. The first time I jammed I managed to get a penalty, but still well enough that I jammed several times over the course of the game.
One of the new rules for WFTDA 4.0 ruleset involves a situation where both jammers get penalties. It actually came into play in this game: both Honey Punches of Throats and I had three minor penalties when the jam started (you are sent to the box for your 4th minor). I got mine first and was headed to the box. I don’t even think I’d sat down when Honey got a penalty. The new rule says that I would therefore be released as soon as Honey got to the box, and then she would serve the same amount of time as I had. (generally penalties are a minute long).
Our team did really well, beating the Economic Meltdowns (a.k.a the white team) 115-65.

Then we were off for awhile while the other two teams played. While some players thought we were at a disadvantage because we would cool down between the bouts, I was thankful for the break! By the end of the half hour, I was definitely tired. A couple friends had come to watch me, so I visited with them, then some of us sat to watch the other game for awhile. It was a much closer game, and we didn’t know how it was going to end up when we started our warmup. In the end, the Meltdowns beat the Bombshells 87-71.

Then we started our own game against the Bombshells. The Bombshells had some really strong players, and it was definitely much more of a challenging game. I haven’t yet learned how to take hits well, and with the slippery concrete I fell into the bumpers 3-4 times over the course of the evening.

Disco and I hitting the bumpers

One of their biggest hitters, Primal Rage, definitely got into my head. (Hey, her bio even says one of her most well-known traits is her “ability to launch skaters into the crowd”). I took a good fall at one point that really shook me up. I wasn’t hurt at all, just unnerved. Although the first game had gone so well, this one shook me up a bit and I had to sit a few jams out to regroup. We had a few of the coaches helping us this time, and the guys were really great at giving me the time I needed. When I was ready to go back in, I gave the disclaimer that I didn’t want to go out if Primal was out, so they subbed in Moira Lee Devoid for me when they saw Primal hit the rink. I’ve never really been a team sport sorta gal and never had a coach for anything so I was really thankful with how supportive and accepting they were. Within a jam or two I offered to don the star helmet again, my fears (mostly) allayed. With less than two minutes to go, our team was down by 10 (87-77). Knowing how important this last jam was, the captain and co-captain of the Mile High Club were put on the jammer line as a showdown. Our jammer, Ariel “Crash Dance” Quigley took the lead, and lapped the pack several times. Our team did an amazing job at keeping Tracy “Disco” Akers from getting through the pack in order to be eligible to score. After a few quick laps, Crash called the jam off, and all of us held our breath and the scoreboard updated…. 77…79…81…83.
Final score: Bombshells 87, Crashers 83.

So, our tournament ended up with all three teams winning one game, and two of them were incredibly close. It was great derby, I’m sure much more thrilling than some of our recent games (Green Barrettes 297, Slaughterhouse 12, or Mile High Club 313, West Texas 48). Overall, I felt like it was a good game. While I had a little bit of a freakout in the second bout, I need to remember that this was my first bout, and I’m playing against some pretty incredible skaters (the Mile High Club is ranked by Derby News Network as 6th in the nation).

My next bout will be in September, and I’ll play with my home team, the Green Barrettes. While yesterday was fun, I know I have plenty to learn and I look forward to seeing how the next time goes!

1. Fri 2:30pm – Beginner Jamming, Beginner Blocking
2. Sat 11am – Ninja Blocking
3. Sat 1:30 – Hitting 201
4. Sun 11am – Intermediate/Advanced Confident Jamming

As you may infer from the blog post title, I tested up to A-level and am now eligible to play in bouts! To prepare myself, yesterday I purchased some new pads: Pro-Designed pads are generally considered the premier pads for derby girls. They also do custom sizing, so I took measurements of my biceps, forearms, thigh and calves, and also provided my height and weight. Based on my measurements, “Wild Bill” set me up with the Mini P.D. knee pads and the Mini Elbow pads. (Many of the girls on the league had said they went with the mini pads, despite the fact they are ‘suitable for those 12 and under’)

Armed with these and my new McDavid Derby Padded Shorts, and I’m ready to rumble! (Although the first time I wore the shorts, I still managed to cultivate a pretty good bruise on my leg, just below the line of the shorts…)

I didn’t really think about it, but testing up to A- indicates that I’m at a higher level than some of the other skaters. I noticed as we were doing the drills that the trainer (Bea Ware) had her eye on me (she also ran test-ups). Quite often she’d make comments on how I was doing (“good speed skating position, Andrea”, “Andrea – what are you doing to better your jammer’s position?”). I know it’ll definitely help me continue to improve at a higher level, but it was a bit of a surprise at first!

Thursday was the first time I’d been exposed to the 50 lap exercice. 50 laps around the “big track”. I grabbed my Garmin to check my heart rate, and then realized I could also use it to help me count laps! We started skating, and I did well, lapping quite a few girls. At one point Bea said “so this is just like the marathon, right?” (I’m now known as ‘the marathon girl’). I looked at my heart rate: it was 189! Not quite like the marathon!

We kept skating and once or twice I wondered if I’d remembered to hit the lap button. Then the trainer called out “Andrea – you’re done, aren’t you?” Other people I’d passed were finishing up. How sad that I was the one tracking laps on a watch and I miscounted! In the end, I did 54 laps. I wasn’t overly careful about hitting the button right as I passed the pylon, so these numbers aren’t exact, but overall I was able to see that I really didn’t slow down at all during the drill:

In the end I mentioned that my heart rate had gotten up to 194, within 3 beats of my perceived max. Bea said she was surprised at that, but I explained that I was an endurance athlete, I’d rather go long and slow than fast. I AM glad to be doing this sort of cardio in derby, though! It’s great cross-training without the jarring!

When inducted, each member of the DRD is considered a “B” skater. As quickly as 60 days after induction to the league, a member may be invited to “test-up”. Based on their test results, they may be ranked as an “A” or an “A-” skater. Both A and A- skaters may be drafted to a team and participate in scrimmages, but only A skaters can play in bouts.

I was invited to test-up this week, which consisted of a written test on Wednesday night and a skills test last night. This made for a pretty busy week since I ran the Boston marathon on Monday and traveled on Tuesday!

The rules are all available on the WFTDA website, but I wish I’d googled the rules and come across this slideshow before taking the test! (Although, I’m not sure what version of the rules they’re based on; we’re on 3.1.)

The written test was more difficult than I expected.

Then last night we had the physical test. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how recovered I am from the marathon: it would have been a shame if I’d still been hurting. The test-ups were long; it took about 2.5 hours for the 10 of us! I felt all right on the basic skills parts. When it came to falling, I was worried my knees wouldn’t cooperate but they seemed to be ok.

The last two parts of the test are the most intimidating: the blocking drill (where A skaters hit us), and the time trial. We had one of our really hard hitters participating, so we anxiously watched our friends take hit after hit. When it came to be my time, though, I stayed on my feet pretty well! I was often hit out of bounds, but I stayed up.

Last was the time trial. We did two waves of 5, and I was in the ‘fast’ wave. We were being graded on our 5 lap time and 20 lap time. We got started, and I quickly found myself at the back of the pack. Although my legs weren’t sore, I just didn’t quite have all the power I generally do. In derby, the fastest way around the track is to go wide on the straight-aways and close on the corners, and I found myself getting “cut off” by the other skaters. I finished my 5th lap at the back of my group, thinking “See? Not a sprinter!”. Ah, yes, but then the endurance part of the drill kicked in, and I found myself steadily gaining on the other girls. I picked them off one-by-one to the cheers of the others waiting to be tested. As I neared the end of the test, the last girl in the pack was in my sights again and I gave it my all, lapping her just as I hit my 19th(?) lap. I kept going, wanting to catch the others. Then I noticed everyone slowing; so evidently I’d miscounted and pulled off a victory lap; 21 laps in all.

I stopped skating and immediately wished I had my heart rate monitor on. I’m pretty sure I hit an all-new high! I was coughing, which used to be common after hockey, but almost never happens anymore. My lungs ached and I was sure that was the effects of oxygen debt. Good – speedwork without pounding my knees!

Then it was all over, and I headed the 45 min drive home, still coughing and with a ringing in my ears. When I got home my heart rate was still 106, high considering I’d just been sitting in the car, but no indication of what I’d hit. I woke up this morning and my chest is still sore. As I’ve said before, I wear the pain proudly; I know I pushed myself!

So now it’ s over but the waiting. We have 48 hours to find out about the physical test and I believe the written test results will follow soon after. Now that it’s over I know I shouldn’t stew about it, but I know I’ll be anxious until the results come. I think my biggest concern is that the written test won’t have gone well, because I didn’t get much of a chance to review the rules in the days before the test (we were only invited Tuesday night; not sure why I didn’t think to review them ‘just-in-case”)

Needless to say, I’m giving myself a day off from cardio today!

1) Killer quads. After 24 marathons, my quads don’t mind “speed skater position” for 2 minute drills!

2) Endurance. Again – I can sustain a 174bpm heartrate for close to four hours. Our practices are “only” two hours!

3) Awareness. I realized this benefit during the Boston Marathon. When you’re running in a crowd of 20,000 runners, you’re watching for those gaps, and accelerating, decelerating and moving laterally to move forward. I think these are the same skills that help a jammer move though the pack!

Photo credit: Kansas City Star

I managed to catch my partner really well once; and threw myself off balance in the process. I’m happy to announce that I reacted properly and managed to “fall small”, curling myself into a ball as I hit the ground. Unfortunately, I did manage to fall directly in front of Bijou Blacnbleu so we had a bit of a pile-up. Still, I jumped up and got right back to skating.

Secretly, the testing your physical limits is a big part of the fun! We played Queen of the Track again – generally the rules are that everyone is on the derby track and you hit each other – you’re “out” if you fall or are knocked out of bounds. Tonight for the last round you had to fall to be “out”. This was a great change, as I tend to get knocked out of bounds or I’ll edge people out. This drill actually forced us to really try to hit, AND it was good to just see how stable we could be!

From my spill earlier in the evening I think I may actually have my first visible derby injury – on my shoulder. I was a tiny bit stiff but really not too bad at all.

And of course, I like the pain. When any of my athletic friends talk about being sore after a workout, I always respond “isn’t that the best??”. I like the physical ache of good work. The lung burning of speedwork? Not so much. But to feel your muscles after some good physical activity? There’s nothing like it.

Yup, pretty sure I’m a derby girl.