Up Coming SCRG Event
Labels: Santa Cruz Rollergirls
posted by Raven Von Kaos at
6:02 PM
1 Comments
2009/02/27
I Heart CrossFit
Oh Cross training . . .
I can gladly say that making the decision to start incorporating CrossFit into my cross training has got to be one of my smartest moves yet.
Things CrossFit has made realize:
*I have next to no upper body strength - this is one of the pivotal reasons I joined. I have the body frame to build muscle, I would even say I look strong . . . but the truth is I can barely do a pull-up on my own and at this point can only manage a girl-pushup. So much of playing derby goes back to strength. Having a strong core, arms and legs is super necessary. I see players out there who are in phenomenal shape and it shows in their game play.
*With enough motivation I can wake up at 5:30 AM and drag myself to the gym. The last couple weeks on Friday mornings I have managed to wake up obscenely early and go work out. How am I doing this?? Good question. I hate waking up early, but something about accomplishing a kick-ass workout before I go to work at 8:30 AM leaves me holding my head high for the rest of the day.
*I am an athlete - before roller derby I didn't really have any team or competitive sports experience. I took to derby quickly and chucked it up to love of the game and decent skating abilities that carried over from childhood. CrossFit spends a lot of time going over Olympic style weight lifting mixed with rowing and other elements. This is a totally new thing for me. I have NEVER in my life lifted weights, let alone spent time analyzing the perfect body position of a dead lift, thruster, clean, etc. I'm not only learning how to do these things, but I'm also building strength and spending time with people who really enjoy the high caliber of training and intense work out.
*I can pick myself up - No really, this morning I reached a minor milestone by dead lifting my own body weight and then going ten pounds heaver.
*I want it - Going to a CrossFit class as a newbie is a little intimidating. Honestly if I had not just gone through the newbie process in derby I probably would have not even had the balls to show up. I kinda suck - most people are lifting crazy amounts of weight and (as you can see in the picture above) I'm not really able to lift that much . . . YET. I'm on my way.
So with that being said, I highly encourage anyone to take the extra time and cross train. Even if it's only once a week it will totally be worth it. Everything you attempt off the track will improve your skills on it.
Hugs n' Bruises
xoxo
Raven Von Kaos
Labels: Santa Cruz Rollergirls, training
posted by Raven Von Kaos at
5:54 PM
2 Comments
Pro-Skating and No-Skating
So after my foray into outdoor skating a couple weekends ago, I realized that being off-skate for a year can be detrimental to progress in rollerskating and roller derby ability. So I vowed that I'd start skating whenever I could indoor and outdoor now that the snow is gone.
While looking at training, outdoor skating, and various other information, I came across some news that may not be derby-centric, but skating is skating... you know?
So first off, the pro-skating.
Worldofskates.com celebrated their one-year anniversary online last month by starting their own blog to help skaters find information on skate-related topics. They promote quad skates, as well as hockey skates and inline skates. The blog is SkateKingdom.com and it looks pretty clean. I don't know that it will become a resource for me, but I'm pro-anything that's pro-skating, so here we are. ;)
Ok, in the NO-Skating BOOOO area of my internet ramblings, I came across the story of Geoff Dornan, 71, of Normanhurst, Ormskirk. He rollerblades. Ok, I don't like rollerblades myself, but they are the societal norm and easy to buy anywhere, so I can forgive it. Geoff has been skating he says, for 7 years, and he street skates. He's appealing a fine of of £300 and costs of £1,792, accused at North Sefton Magistrates' Court of skating, sliding or riding on footpaths in "such a manner as to cause danger or give reasonable grounds for annoyance" to pedestrians. In actuality, it seems Geoff is quite responsible in his skating practice.
As a pedestrian, I have to say that groups of people walking sometimes expose me to harm. People on cell phones, not watching where they are going, cyclists on the sidewalks, dogs on leashes, and baby strollers also sometimes put me in danger. Watch where you are going and you can avoid most pitfalls, people. Someone 71 years old, heck above 25, is probably not going to intentionally run into you - it would hurt them as bad as it would you!
As long as the skater is giving you ample room and warning, and isn't crashing into your babies stroller trying to jump it, skating at a high speed, or body-checking grandma, they aren't hurting you. It's more likely that they will wipeout trying to avoid you, than they would actually run into you.
Geoff is an honorary rollerguy in my book. I say, Keep Skating, Geoff! Good Luck!
While looking at training, outdoor skating, and various other information, I came across some news that may not be derby-centric, but skating is skating... you know?
So first off, the pro-skating.
Worldofskates.com celebrated their one-year anniversary online last month by starting their own blog to help skaters find information on skate-related topics. They promote quad skates, as well as hockey skates and inline skates. The blog is SkateKingdom.com and it looks pretty clean. I don't know that it will become a resource for me, but I'm pro-anything that's pro-skating, so here we are. ;)
Ok, in the NO-Skating BOOOO area of my internet ramblings, I came across the story of Geoff Dornan, 71, of Normanhurst, Ormskirk. He rollerblades. Ok, I don't like rollerblades myself, but they are the societal norm and easy to buy anywhere, so I can forgive it. Geoff has been skating he says, for 7 years, and he street skates. He's appealing a fine of of £300 and costs of £1,792, accused at North Sefton Magistrates' Court of skating, sliding or riding on footpaths in "such a manner as to cause danger or give reasonable grounds for annoyance" to pedestrians. In actuality, it seems Geoff is quite responsible in his skating practice.
As a pedestrian, I have to say that groups of people walking sometimes expose me to harm. People on cell phones, not watching where they are going, cyclists on the sidewalks, dogs on leashes, and baby strollers also sometimes put me in danger. Watch where you are going and you can avoid most pitfalls, people. Someone 71 years old, heck above 25, is probably not going to intentionally run into you - it would hurt them as bad as it would you!
As long as the skater is giving you ample room and warning, and isn't crashing into your babies stroller trying to jump it, skating at a high speed, or body-checking grandma, they aren't hurting you. It's more likely that they will wipeout trying to avoid you, than they would actually run into you.
Geoff is an honorary rollerguy in my book. I say, Keep Skating, Geoff! Good Luck!
Labels: roller guy, roller skates, roller skating
posted by Nia Capps at
1:22 PM
0 Comments
2009/02/25
Roller Derby Movie Review: JAM
JAM is a documentary that follows organizer Tim Patten, and a group of veteran Roller Derby stars, the American Roller Derby League (ARDL), who are determined to make the sport a national sensation once again.
JAM follows Tim Patten and the ARDL as they pick-up the roller derby torch in the late '90s and begin to kindle the roller derby spark that has grown into the wildfire of today's roller derby. If the ladies of the TXRD and Rollergirls gave birth to women's flat and banked track roller derby of today, the ARDL was the grandparent to all of it. These are the stars of the '60s and '70s that were on TV, and packing Madison-Square Garden. And they were giving roller derby their blood, sweat and tears in the late '90s and early 2000s. You may think roller derby died in the late '70s and came back in 2003 in Texas, but roller derby was revived long before that in SF, with the ARDL, the Bay Bombers and Demons, with Tim Patten at the helm. Tim even spear-headed the Bay Bombers move to BayBombers.com and their webcasts before we had the bandwidth to watch them!
The film is about roller derby, but we're also following the people involved, like Tim Patten, who says roller derby is what was keeping him healthy, though he is HIV-positive. We watch as business partnerships, business plans, and marketing attempts come and go, but Tim does not let go of his dream to bring back roller derby. And these skaters? Some are in their 50s, and even though they are doing the practiced, wrestling-style moves, and the storyline plays (when everyone plays along, that is), I know that's gotta be physically tough. I'm in my 30s and my body hurts sometimes after a tough game or heavy practice, so I can only imagine that in my 50s it will be pretty bad. And how do they feel when the new blood and fresh meat join the ranks?
I recommend this movie to any fan of roller derby, particularly old school roller derby. I won't give you any spoiler information, but I was left with a lump in my chest and feeling like I am very lucky to be able to play roller derby today. I look forward to some of you being the roller derby stars of tomorrow.
I'll leave you with these final thoughts:
Directorial Information:Let me start by giving the movie a big two thumbs up. Documentaries, to me, are supposed to make me feel something; happy, sad, horrified, angry, emotional or driven to action by the subject matter. This movie did that very well. I ran a gamut of emotions during this movie that ranged everywhere from roller derby excitement, to awe, frustration, and a little amazement, to heart-tugging inspiration in 90 minutes.
Mark Woollen's (Director) feature debut JAM won the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival, was short-listed for an Independent Spirit Award,and has been hailed as "highly entertaining but deals with such layered issues as gender, sexuality, mental illness and the American Dream." His company Mark Woollen & Associates has created theatrical advertising campaigns for recent films "Slumdog Millionaire", "Milk", "The Wrestler" and "Burn After Reading."
JAM follows Tim Patten and the ARDL as they pick-up the roller derby torch in the late '90s and begin to kindle the roller derby spark that has grown into the wildfire of today's roller derby. If the ladies of the TXRD and Rollergirls gave birth to women's flat and banked track roller derby of today, the ARDL was the grandparent to all of it. These are the stars of the '60s and '70s that were on TV, and packing Madison-Square Garden. And they were giving roller derby their blood, sweat and tears in the late '90s and early 2000s. You may think roller derby died in the late '70s and came back in 2003 in Texas, but roller derby was revived long before that in SF, with the ARDL, the Bay Bombers and Demons, with Tim Patten at the helm. Tim even spear-headed the Bay Bombers move to BayBombers.com and their webcasts before we had the bandwidth to watch them!
The film is about roller derby, but we're also following the people involved, like Tim Patten, who says roller derby is what was keeping him healthy, though he is HIV-positive. We watch as business partnerships, business plans, and marketing attempts come and go, but Tim does not let go of his dream to bring back roller derby. And these skaters? Some are in their 50s, and even though they are doing the practiced, wrestling-style moves, and the storyline plays (when everyone plays along, that is), I know that's gotta be physically tough. I'm in my 30s and my body hurts sometimes after a tough game or heavy practice, so I can only imagine that in my 50s it will be pretty bad. And how do they feel when the new blood and fresh meat join the ranks?
I recommend this movie to any fan of roller derby, particularly old school roller derby. I won't give you any spoiler information, but I was left with a lump in my chest and feeling like I am very lucky to be able to play roller derby today. I look forward to some of you being the roller derby stars of tomorrow.
I'll leave you with these final thoughts:
- It's never too late to go after your dreams, roller derby or otherwise, but life is short, so don't wait.
- If your roller derby league is not profitable enough to grow it, maybe you should re-think your product and marketing strategies. Your location and media attention will drive your audience.
- I hope that some of us are still playing when roller derby finally breaks its' ties with its' storylines and wrestling, chair-crunching, clotheslining, body-slamming past, but I hope, when I become one of the dinosaurs of roller derby, that I have the good sense to coach or ref, and not play.
- I'd like to go to a Bombers' game someday, if I ever make it to California.
The DVD is out and available now! You can buy it at http://www.jamthemovie.com/buydvd.html . If you are a roller derby fan, you need to add it to the collection. It'll open your mind to a lot of things you maybe never thought of, like.. What will you do when you're too old to play roller derby?
Labels: roller derby movie
posted by Nia Capps at
10:19 PM
2 Comments
Mat-omic Joins DerbyLuv.com!
If you read my posts, you know I had a new blogger coming on board. Well, here he is! Let me introduce you to Mat-omic!
I am proud to welcome him to the Derbyluv blogging team because roller derby is good when the guys play it too! I can't wait to see my first live Men's roller derby game! And I now have another reason to make it back to Dallas/Ft Worth someday...
Dontcha just luv that hair?
Location: Dallas, Texas
Derby Team: Dallas Deception Mens Derby, (Pssst...He's the co-captain!)
Assassination City Women’s roller derby (He's a coach!)
Mat-omic's Skating History and Current 411 :
I’ve skated my entire life, from 5 to now(22), I also have spanned the spectrum of skating, from recreational in the beginning, to roller hockey, to aggressive, to inline speed, but I spent the majority of my time jam skating for the World Skating Association.
I performed jam skating shows around the United States and have multiple state/national achievements, including a 1st place at the WSA 2008 Nationals. I joined the Dallas Men’s derby 2 weeks after it was formed, have been there ever since jamming for them and trying to gain exposure for men’s derby.I also became the coach for the Assassination City Special Ops travel team in late 2008 because I LOVE my TEXAS Girls, ha-ha . They are a great group of skaters with the same goal; to gain more exposure for Roller Derby as a sport.
Want to know more about Mat-omic?
Q: Who is your favorite roller derby league, team or skater right now?
A: My favorite derby league would be tough, there are so many, favorite team would have to be my own, seconded by the Lone Star Assassins from Assassination City, and favorite skater hands down would be my partner in crime Miley Virus.
Q: Where do you see roller derby in 5 years?
A: Television hopefully, possibly the X-Games, I also hope it becomes more Global, I’d love to have a World Championship some day.
PSSST, Mat-omic, check out your local cable/satellite providers and get MavTV, they do show WFTDA bouts/tournaments on TV. I am jealous of those in the US that can watch.
And what is Matomic's favorite roller derby story? Check this out:
First tournament I ever played was the “Throwdown in the Sound” men’s tournament, the first of its kind, 4th jam into the first game I was jamming and got hit in the back and thrown into the crowd, caught the almer side of my wrist on a steel chair in the crowd, snapped my wrist, had to finish the jam and then play 2 games later on with a broken wrist….
Well, this determined jammer will be helping out by doing interviews with rollerguys and rollergirls in the South and Southwestern US for us. And he'll keep us up to date with Men's Roller Derby events for the Dallas Deception Men's Roller Derby. Welcome to Derbyluv, Matomic!
Labels: ACDG, Dallas Deception, Derby Luv
posted by Nia Capps at
1:02 PM
1 Comments
2009/02/23
Four Corner Feud Results
If you are in the Toronto/Ontario area, or can logon to http://www.640toronto.com/ at 3:30 PM EST - do it. And listen to an interview featuring Splat Benetar of GTAR (Greater Toronto Area Rollergirls) from Toronto, ON , Thane Burnett from the Toronto Sun, and the Edmonton Oil City Roller girls on the Adler Show.
While you wait, you guys know I shy away from being a stats whore. I'm not a referee, I have no dreams of becoming a WFTDA-announcer - if you knew me, you'd agree with my Canadian-ized Southern Accent and fast talking voice being kinda off for being heard over airways.... I leave that to those silky-voiced men out there and to real derby-luvvers and stats-keepers like my former hero Hurt Reynolds formerly of havederbywilltravel.com and Justice Feelgood and their friends at DNN .
But, thanks to DNN and LeadJammer, we get to watch boutcasts now of WFTDA bouts. And if you're a rollergirl, rollerguy or roller derby fan, last night, you were online and watching the Four Corner Feud tourny. At 11:30 PM EST, the first half of the final game was almost over, and I had to call it a night, but it was clear who would win. Denver's Mile High Club was tearing up the track.
Good tourny to watch, good plays, good hits, some good jammers - I would comment on some fun stuff I saw, but I am sure you all saw it already... ;)
Anyhoo, you don't need another write-up. You can replay the boutcast Here, or just check out a writeup like this one.
While you wait, you guys know I shy away from being a stats whore. I'm not a referee, I have no dreams of becoming a WFTDA-announcer - if you knew me, you'd agree with my Canadian-ized Southern Accent and fast talking voice being kinda off for being heard over airways.... I leave that to those silky-voiced men out there and to real derby-luvvers and stats-keepers like my former hero Hurt Reynolds formerly of havederbywilltravel.com and Justice Feelgood and their friends at DNN .
But, thanks to DNN and LeadJammer, we get to watch boutcasts now of WFTDA bouts. And if you're a rollergirl, rollerguy or roller derby fan, last night, you were online and watching the Four Corner Feud tourny. At 11:30 PM EST, the first half of the final game was almost over, and I had to call it a night, but it was clear who would win. Denver's Mile High Club was tearing up the track.
Good tourny to watch, good plays, good hits, some good jammers - I would comment on some fun stuff I saw, but I am sure you all saw it already... ;)
Anyhoo, you don't need another write-up. You can replay the boutcast Here, or just check out a writeup like this one.
Labels: GTAR, OCDG, roller derby
posted by Nia Capps at
2:28 PM
4 Comments
2009/02/22
2009 Derby Season News - FCDG - and my new hair!
Well folks, I am happily walking around with a new haircut, which no photo I took of it could really tell you how I feel about it or how cool it is.Thanks to Saranda, a hair designer at the salon in Jackson Square Mall in Hamilton, ON, I am back to looking as young as I feel. Of course, she had the super-hot straightener and the wax to make it shine... but I can deal with it. Ignore my stupid smile (my derby widow made me do it), the hair that was blown out of place, and just check out the MTLRD, Contrabanditas and SmallMarketSports.com banners and the Alouettes pom pom on my wall.... Love it!
Ok anyway, here's my excitement for this weekend - apart from knowing lots of derby went on this weekend that I failed to talk about (sorry) - I just read up on the FCDG 2009 Season Schedule this afternoon on facebook, and am happy to hear that FCDG has consolidated into a single team as the Thames Fatales and is doing home and away games this year with teams from the Ontario region, plus Beast of the East in Montreal. It's a long season with the last confirmed date in November 2009, with lots of time to fit in other events and training, and I can only hope as fresh meat on an already 17-member roster, that I'll get to play. I hope so! If you're in London and you are into roller derby, please consider joining the league as a player, ref or volunteer!
I'd post the roster and the schedule here, but I'd like to get the permission of the FCDG first, so I'll just for now leave you with a link to the facebook group with the schedule posting for the Thames Fatales.
In the meantime, I move in T-39 days to London, ON and it's going to be very busy in March and April with both derby and non-derby stuff.
Beast of the East 2009 in Montreal is T-60 days away!
I started the couch to 5K running program at Week 1 last week. I hope to be running 5 K in 30 minutes by April 30, 2009. I hope to be skating at least 3 times in March, and 3 times per week starting in April. If I can't play, I'll be training, so WTF?!
And in other news, I am waiting for a roller derby DVD arrival to review for you, and I am working on figuring out how to manage Derbyluv this year. The blogging, the comics, the interviews.... I have a possible interviewer for rollergirls headed into Derby Luv soon with a jam-skating history and a possible new blogger from the UK. If you would like to become a roller derby blogger, contact me! Your league and region will thank you!
posted by Nia Capps at
4:47 PM
1 Comments
2009/02/20
Finding Balance
I'm not talking about on your skates - although balance is sorta vital for derby - I'm talking about finding that balance between derby and life.
When I first joined SCRG I was in my last semester at San Jose State. It almost seemed too easy being a working student and going through the freshmeat ranks. Granted my GPA that semester was not amongst the highest in my college career. I shortly graduated from freshmeat to player and from working student to fully employed graduate.
I'm the kind of person who does not just do something a little (especially if I like it). I don't just stick my toe in to test the water, I cannonball into the deep end and make a splash.
I currently find myself wearing many different hats within the league these days. I'm enthusiastic and honestly there is nothing I love more in this life then playing roller derby (maybe not mention that to my boyfriend). I'm a problem solver and a natural leader, so I'm not surprised to find myself with as much responsibility within SCRG as I currently do, but when do you know if you have taken on too much? How much is too much derby?
I think the first year is pretty entrancing. You stop calling your outside friends, go to every derby event possible and spend countless hours at work and home on the internet reading, blogging and chatting about derby.
Towards the end of last season I started to feel really burnt out. I was literally ODing on roller derby. Between playing derby, day-to-day league operations, derby events and socializing with only derby peops - I was chocking on it. I loved it, but it was kinda getting ridiculous.
One of my New Years resolutions this year was to spend more time with non-derby friends, not feel like I have to go to every bout in a 200 mile radius and occasionally take a personal day-off from derby. I also vowed to do the things within the league that make me happy and try not to take on tasks because I feel like I have to or no one else will do them - Hi, my name is Raven and I'm a confessed control-freak.
It's actually been working out. I do feel like I have a second full time job some days, but I LOVE that job. I feel like I'm contributing and still having some small semblance of an outside social life.
I guess only time will tell if I got it down pat. The thing is that life is not a constant, it's continually changing and so is derby. I suppose all you can really do is go with it and learn from past experiences.Here's to a busy and balanced 2009.
XOXO
Raven
Labels: life, Santa Cruz Rollergirls
posted by Raven Von Kaos at
7:51 PM
2 Comments
2009/02/17
Derby Luv: The Comic #006 - Roller Derby Memento Etiquette Tip
Labels: Comic, merchandise
posted by Nia Capps at
9:58 AM
2 Comments
2009/02/15
MId-Winter Thaw = Skating... or does it?
My first winter in Southern Ontario, Canada. After 12 years in Montreal, Quebec, I was thrilled with the low number of below -30 degrees Celsius windchills and disappointed with Ontario's cleaning of sidewalks, salting of roadways, and the lack of winter driving tires and skills on Ontario roads.
But, this year, like a lot of Canada, global warming has brought a mid-winter thaw that has resulted in the melt-off of all the snow. You can see muddy grass, the roads and sidewalks are clear, and today at +1 Celsius (about 34 degress Farenheit) the Bayfront Park in Hamilton was quite busy.
So off I went. Trekked through downtown Hamilton with my skates over my shoulder, wearing three-layers of clothing (including thermals, says the girl from North Carolina that moved to Canada, and admiring my brand-new Kryptonic Route 65 wheels from Rollergirl.ca.
So first off, it was chilly near the still-frozen water, and there is a lot of goose crap at Bayfront Park. And since the paths are kept cleared, there was an asphalt path covered in water in some areas (from snow melting), goose crap in a lot of areas, gravel and twigs. But the sun was nice, so what the heck!
Secondly, and more importantly, the new wheels are awesome outdoor wheels for fun skates! Okay, even with China Reds bearings, they aren't as fast as my Blue Demons, but they are smooth over the bumpier surfaces, are sidewalk-usable and I think they were a great buy! Just a little slow. But put a big girl on soft wheels and it's a good strength training addition to skating. LOL
But, this year, like a lot of Canada, global warming has brought a mid-winter thaw that has resulted in the melt-off of all the snow. You can see muddy grass, the roads and sidewalks are clear, and today at +1 Celsius (about 34 degress Farenheit) the Bayfront Park in Hamilton was quite busy.
So off I went. Trekked through downtown Hamilton with my skates over my shoulder, wearing three-layers of clothing (including thermals, says the girl from North Carolina that moved to Canada, and admiring my brand-new Kryptonic Route 65 wheels from Rollergirl.ca.
So first off, it was chilly near the still-frozen water, and there is a lot of goose crap at Bayfront Park. And since the paths are kept cleared, there was an asphalt path covered in water in some areas (from snow melting), goose crap in a lot of areas, gravel and twigs. But the sun was nice, so what the heck!Secondly, and more importantly, the new wheels are awesome outdoor wheels for fun skates! Okay, even with China Reds bearings, they aren't as fast as my Blue Demons, but they are smooth over the bumpier surfaces, are sidewalk-usable and I think they were a great buy! Just a little slow. But put a big girl on soft wheels and it's a good strength training addition to skating. LOL
With no pads, untested wheels on my old skates, and avoiding the ground hazards (well, you can skate over goose crap, but I really didn't want to clean it off my skates later) I kept the skate short and sweet. Just long enough to get warmed up and have some fun. Then I just took a stroll and trekked home. The mess on my skates after reminded me of how skates looked on MTL Rollergirls after we skated/marched in the Montreal St Patrick's Day parades. Only better and less muddy.
No worries. Attempt number 2 will come and I'll wear my knee pads so I can be a little more reckless and we'll see if I can get in a decent training skate on Kryptonics. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll enjoy that I went recreational skating in February and that I get to spend some time cleaning my skates for next time.... L8r Sk8rs...
- Derby Luv was here February '09 - Nia Capps
Labels: roller skates, roller skating
posted by Nia Capps at
3:36 PM
3 Comments
2009/02/09
Derby Luv: The Comic #005 - A Numbers Game
With the mid-wnter thaw that has occurred in Ontario and my dreams of finally playing roller derby again in 2009, I had to think about wether I would have to change my name or not. It turns out, I'm still on the registry so I can keep Nia Capps and my number #74 and transfer to FCDG, but if I was going to change it, I've been playing around with names lately. Nia Capps was a quick choice that rhymed with my previous nickname (Tia), and was a body part like my first choice (Elle Beauzai), but doesn't really speak to me. But since I'm already known by it, I'll probably stick with it. So I'm now determining the name of the Derby Luv girl you see in these comics. I'll announce it soon!
Well nonetheless, in roller derby, our numbers are often tied to our names if not to our personal selves. Trash N Smash of Montreal chose 1.18L as the Quebec equivalent to Georgia W Tush's 40oz all tied to big drinks. Rae Volver chose .9mm. Meanwhile, I chose 74, but had my name related to hot rods, I would have said 1969 for my 69 Ford Mustang that was my first car. Or 1979 for my 79 Camaro that I adored. And in all the name and number debaucles, it comes down to numbers that have personal meaning to you, that are not already taken, and that will fit on your uniform, and on your arm!
Anyway, I just realized when I was name playing, that there are so many skaters now, it's harder and harder to come up with a name that's not taken, and numbers are already being duplicated. Will leagues like in pro-sports begin to retire numbers for players and founders? Will we ever start skating under our real names? Would you want to?
I wouldn't mind it. I haven't really developed a true split persona for Nia Capps, other than I wear glasses and Nia does not. I don't usually wear dark makeup, and Nia does. But I shove my way through crowds, swear, get angry, work hard... just like Nia does. What does Nia do that I don't? Ok, so Nia shows more leg than I do in her skirt, and more skin when she falls and her ass is in the air. But would it sound as fun when the announcer yells, # Seventyyyyy-Four, Tracy Brock as it is when they yell #Seventy-Four Niiaaaaaah Capps! ? Derby names just have more of a fun ring to them.
L8r,
Nia
Labels: Comic
posted by Nia Capps at
7:58 AM
1 Comments
2009/02/08
An almost skating day in February - TCRG (BC) Game write up and more
There's been a mid-winter thaw in Hamilton ON this weekend. Yesterday it was +7 degrees Celsius yesterday and it melted alot of snow. My derby widow and I took a long walk from our home to the Bayfront Park as a test, and I found that the City of Hamilton has the paths of the park cleared, even though it's February, and I said "WEEEE!" I could potentially already go back to skating! (warm coat needed, of course).
So today came, and we headed out on our environmentally friendly, automobile-less treck through downtown to the grocery store, pausing only to stop by the Telephone Booth for a quick Blackberry reset and charge-up (it has gone dead and needed a re-boot). It was sunny... the sidewalks were dry, the snow was gone.... and I began to dream about warm weather and skating....
And had it not been for the 4 km walk, Half with 30 pounds of groceries on my back, and the rest of the Sunday requirements (laundry, etc) I would have so gotten out my skates....
No matter. A few rainy days this week should lead to a clear weekend next weekend, which is my 12-year anniversary weekend, and part of our celebration (barring snow that may sneak up on me) will be heading to the Bayfront park to skate on my Rollergirl.ca Stop Smoking Challenge Kryptonc Route 65 outdoor wheels... cold or not... with my iPod and a couple layers of hoodies. Screw it - time waits for no rollergirl, and I want to skate!
Speaking of Rollergirl, the TCRG (Terminal City) Rollergirls have a nice recap/bout write-up from their Jan 30 season kick-off game.
And out here in the east, a post-Bytown Blackhearts (Ottawa, ON) and Montreal Sexpos bout write up turns into a a tale of drama between Ottawa roller derby founder Kelly McAlear (Ottawa Roller Derby founder) and the Bytown Blackhearts, who split up recently. I didn't even find a score in this article, so in Ottawa, it looks like the politics of roller derby over-shadowed the game of roller derby this time. But, thanks to the love of roller derby games will go on in the nation's capital city.
So today came, and we headed out on our environmentally friendly, automobile-less treck through downtown to the grocery store, pausing only to stop by the Telephone Booth for a quick Blackberry reset and charge-up (it has gone dead and needed a re-boot). It was sunny... the sidewalks were dry, the snow was gone.... and I began to dream about warm weather and skating....
And had it not been for the 4 km walk, Half with 30 pounds of groceries on my back, and the rest of the Sunday requirements (laundry, etc) I would have so gotten out my skates....
No matter. A few rainy days this week should lead to a clear weekend next weekend, which is my 12-year anniversary weekend, and part of our celebration (barring snow that may sneak up on me) will be heading to the Bayfront park to skate on my Rollergirl.ca Stop Smoking Challenge Kryptonc Route 65 outdoor wheels... cold or not... with my iPod and a couple layers of hoodies. Screw it - time waits for no rollergirl, and I want to skate!
Speaking of Rollergirl, the TCRG (Terminal City) Rollergirls have a nice recap/bout write-up from their Jan 30 season kick-off game.
And out here in the east, a post-Bytown Blackhearts (Ottawa, ON) and Montreal Sexpos bout write up turns into a a tale of drama between Ottawa roller derby founder Kelly McAlear (Ottawa Roller Derby founder) and the Bytown Blackhearts, who split up recently. I didn't even find a score in this article, so in Ottawa, it looks like the politics of roller derby over-shadowed the game of roller derby this time. But, thanks to the love of roller derby games will go on in the nation's capital city.
Labels: Ottawa Roller Derby, roller skating, terminal city rollergirls
posted by Nia Capps at
5:35 PM
1 Comments
2009/02/06
Gearing up for Season Two
As of the second week of January, SCRG is officially back in season.
It's odd how much more normal it all feels to me this year.
Last year practicing 3 nights a week seemed really grueling. Now I enjoy getting off work and going to practice.
Last year I did next to no cross training - this year I go to the gym on days I don't skate and only give myself one day off in the week. I cross train like a mo-fo. I do 45 minute interval runs on the treadmill and circuit train. I have a jump rope in my garage that taunts me into jumping every time I go down there.
Last year I would drink after practice, between games, pretty much whenever I could. This year I am turning a new leaf - I have not drank in 27 days. I plan on not drinking between games and probably won't even then - The best part of not drinking is you know you can always drive, you don't feel like ass then next day and I never have remorse of naughty drunken behavior from the night before.
I'm ready. I have never considered my self an athlete until now. My skill and endurance have improved - my awareness and knowledge of the game are in tune . . . I'm ready to kick ass.
Five weeks until our season opener against the LA Derby Dolls.
All the ingredients are there - I'm ready for showtime.
xoxo
Raven
Labels: LA Derby Dolls, Santa Cruz Rollergirls, training
posted by Raven Von Kaos at
7:59 PM
0 Comments
2009/02/02
Derbyluv Comic #004 - WWJD?
Although I am feeling a bit under the weather today, this week's comic was already done so I've posted it on the way back to resting. This one just kinda happened, and made me laugh like an idiot.
The topic that generated it was that I was watching some footage of some roller derby bouts that included some fights. Not from the '70s era, but more recently in WFTDA and Flat Track bouts. When sprung from a lost temper after you've been tripped, tackled, illegally blocked, pushed from behind or egged on for 45 minutes of bone-crunching roller derby, or when resulting from defending yourself from a player that is just out of control and coming at you, fights are gonna happen.
Some leagues condone it, practice what to do and how to fight without really hurting one another and putting on a show for the crowd. Others, especially WFTDA and WFTDA-to-be teams are very strict on fighting and eject players for it.
There are lots of ways to respond to a dirty player. You decide based on your own temperament, and based on the unspoken behavior norms of your own team/league. Just know, if you are the dirty or annoying player on your team, you may be the last straw for someone on the opposing team, that asks themselves WWJasonD?
Labels: Comic
posted by Nia Capps at
9:22 AM
3 Comments
