With the upcoming home game on Saturday and two loses under our belt, I'm left thinking about teamwork. Our loss against Sonoma I could take, those girls were just better then us. They have been skating together longer and really have their coaching dialed in. It was the loss two weeks ago that I'm just not accepting - as a team we determined that although we have some spectacular athletes and derby players we just have not been connecting as a team lately.

Team. That was the strongest thing about the All-Stars last season. We came up against some sticky situations and (seemed like) we always came up on top. Team work is what won us the game against LADD at the beginning of this season - so where did the spark go? The connection, the bond? I still feel it - I know it's there, it just needs a little dusting off. I recently read an article by a sports psychologist suggesting that teamwork really is a psychological thing - it does need to be inspired.

I wish I could be that person who knew just what to say and just how to say it to inspire everyone. I have so many strong feelings of the importance of teamwork and trust - I totally trust each and every one of my teammates and hope they feel the same about me. But how do I verbalize it? Whenever I try it all just comes out so awkward sounding. I guess I'm better with the written word.

If I had the opportunity to speak to my team on Saturday without the influence of my awkwardness, self consciousness and female hormones, I guess I would say something like this:

Today is about us. Our team, our league and our accomplishments. I am nothing on the track without you. Together we will win this. Individually we can take them, but as a team can conquer them. We have one brain out there - we think as a unit, one big derby robot controlling the track. We hit off the line at the first whistle and don't stop hitting until the game is over. We play smart, touching and talking to each other.
Whether we win or loose, we play as a team, we play aggressive, we play clean, WE play derby.

Short and sweet. No one said inspiration had to be pages long ;)

The game is this Saturday at 6:30 @the SC Civic Center. We're playing the Jet City Pink Pistols. Their a WFTDA league that has yet to be ranked. Should be a good game.

Hugs and Bruises,

Raven

Labels: jet city rollergirls, santa cruz derby girls, team building

In my usual early week review of all things roller derby, I heard about the Central New York Roller Derby league that has split. Now we have the CNYRD and the Utica Roller Girls.

So let's look at the Pros and Cons of starting a new league, or splitting your league:

Pros:
-You can correct mistakes and use your past experiences to build a better organization
-You can direct your new league to be more go or more show (concentrate on development of athletics, or development of crowd-pleasing as you see fit)
-You can have control over where your dues are going and can use a communication style that fits you better.
-You can make your own rules and not go by the original league rules.
-If starting a new league, you get the automatic gratitude of your future new recruits when they fall in love with roller derby.
- You'll have more networking opportunities. Let's face it, be honest, we all want to be popular.
-You may have a higher position than you had before, so you may have more access to training and information than a basic skater.

Cons:
-If you are splitting: You dilute the talent pool if there is a league in your city already. Depending on your numbers of new recruits each year, you'll now have competition for those new skaters that could be super stars.
-You will have to compete for media coverage, promotion, sponsors and fans. With the economy being in a recession, people do not have as much money to spend on a family of 4 at $15 ticket prices with snacks and merch as often.
-You may have a lot of drama and gossip and fighting amongst the former league members, and the ones that come with you. Now, if you're into that kind of drama, more power to you. This also depends on the amicability of the split and the size of your city.
-You undermine roller derby to the fans and the original league to other roller derby leagues, which can hurt fan sales, fundarising, and future bout contractual agreeements.

-If it's a new league in a new city, it will be a LOT of work. Be prepared for it! And be aware that you will not make everyone happy all the time.
-If you're a new league: Getting sponsorship is hard.
- You will have to devote twice as much time to roller derby, because now you're a skater, as well as part of the business that has to run the business.
- You will need partners and other board members to help you. And you will have to trust each other.
- Leaders have to lead. So you will need to work harder, try harder, practice more, and inspire others with your greatness, or at least your commitment to greatness.

I am sure there are other issues, I couldn't list them all. And every city is different. But if you're thinking of splitting, or of creating your own league in a own with or without roller derby, it's important to do what's best for roller derby in your town. Roller Derby is bigger than a single skater.

Everyone can't be happy all the time, but if some people can be happy most of the time, and most people can be happy some of the time, and a few people are unhappy only some of the time, then that's probably as good as it's going to get.

Ok, I am talking about this because I miss roller derby and if starting a new league would fix my time issues and allow me to go back to full-time training and practice tomorrow, part of me would say, YEAH! do it! But the logical, derby luvver part of me says, no. There's already a lot of roller derby and some awesome leagues in my part of Ontario (ToRD, GTA, Hammer City, Tri-City, London (Forest City)) and it would be bad for roller derby. So I'll be patient for '09.

In the meantime, I have the GMDD skills clinic with Bonnie D Stroir and Bully Julie of San Diego in two weeks, and I am trying to arrange a practice with the Blue Ridge Rollergirls in NC for my annual US Thanksgiving trip home, and I am also waiting for a final trip approval for a business trip that will allow me to catch a practice with the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls in Denver in early December.

Keep your elbows down and skate hard!
Later,
Nia

PS - 47th day of no smoking - I'm making it! Over halfway through my 90 day challenge. And I am a non-smoker!

Labels: GTA Rollergirls, Hammer City, HCRG, practice space, rollergirls, team building, training, Travel

I wrote a big long post about my trip to the Blood and Thunder Training camp in San diego, but it apparently dissapeared. I`m way too lazy to write a new one, so if I don`t find it you`re outta luck.

On a brighter note, how geeky am I? I have already reserved my room at the Imperial for Rollercon. I couldn`t resist because if you reserve now, you can get rooms for $49 bones. For a derby gal on a very very tight budget (aka lack of job beginning april 1), it`s a good deal.

To add more to my geekiness and lack of avoiding a million prjoects at once, I am going to try and start up a league in my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario when I go at the end of the month. I am going to hold a roller derby basics and info session to try and recruit some ladies to build a league there. Am I a nerd? Yes. Have I accepted it? Sure.

I hope that people will show up and take an interest into creating a league. It is stressful, at times make you feel a lil crazy, but in the end, soooooo worth it.

Labels: rollercon 2008, team building