tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85185036382273841962024-02-19T17:57:44.270-07:00FOCO Girls Gone Derby - Northern Colorado Roller DerbyAn inside view of the lives and goings on of FoCo Girls Gone Derby!FOCO Girls Gone Derbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781272523872507801noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-14734672488066801072015-02-24T15:02:00.000-07:002015-02-24T15:02:20.056-07:00Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, let’s start at the beginning and how I found derby. In October of 2013 I moved to this lovely little town in Northern Colorado, Fort Collins. A large group of my family lived here, so I had visited frequently throughout my life. My husband and I finally made the decision to move after we had gotten married back in May of 2013.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-Rv_H5tJthQB2XWAT9lJMWPangsImZRzngwWpfxwK2nFpj_Bip7yrTMGto1LLuVdOUnLXn3QPUTylVQg4fT8VrlKqNDSDHzLnHtB_ldzPKSiTD5Izx93n3Onrp-fVSWFd9e13TEKNT_f/s1600/Cy+Helmet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-Rv_H5tJthQB2XWAT9lJMWPangsImZRzngwWpfxwK2nFpj_Bip7yrTMGto1LLuVdOUnLXn3QPUTylVQg4fT8VrlKqNDSDHzLnHtB_ldzPKSiTD5Izx93n3Onrp-fVSWFd9e13TEKNT_f/s1600/Cy+Helmet.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>We have a young son, Cyrus, who is absolutely amazing. We had spent the majority of our time just being a family after we had initially moved Fort Collins. My husband, Ryan, was working a lot and I worked from home, so by the time he got home we just wanted to hang out and be together.<br />
<br />
Although we all thoroughly enjoyed all the family time, we were both beginning to realize “Hey, making friends would be nice!” Ryan had it a little easier since he worked in an office full of people with similar interests. However, with me working from home the only time I really had much adult, human interaction was when I would take Cyrus to the park or a local indoor play area here in town.<br />
<br />
Around December of 2013 my cousin, Mollytov Maguire, planted the derby seed. I struggled with the idea of playing derby because I couldn’t imagine paying money to go get injured. I mean, who in their right mind wants to willingly join a group of people where the goal is to hit each other? No one, thats who! This idea of derby would change dramatically when I actually started.<br />
<br />
I attended the New recruits meeting in January 2014, and thus my derby journey began. Now onto the good stuff!<br />
<br />
My very first practice, literally within about 5 minutes, one of the ladies in my new recruits class fell and broke her back. I not only felt horrible for that woman, but was also mentally preparing myself for me to be next.<br />
<br />
That first practice was rough. I had never really skated, and have not been known for my grace. In fact, my family has an on going joke about the multiple injuries I have received doing what would seem simple for most. I was driving home after the first practice almost in tears, and strongly considering if I would go back.<br />
<br />
I went back (call me a glutton for punishment). This practice was slightly different, as all the new recruits were also in the same area as the vets. Watching them skate around like majestic roller skating beauties was so intimidating, but also became a source of something to strive for. I now saw what all these hard times, and rough practices, and those feelings of being completely lost would amount to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEWPg03vqITIW9Pw84wTPO2daoeujtCoDgYUvS8BJupKeTrp8D2NRj5BloSV4Ple9ynuOZOvia_oZhSXGYnpXCun5rTtZE6b_XskJhWN54QA9yF9i-7Z6OV0ztSiupIp56bh9bZe_zhXd/s1600/Smash+Millie+B+and+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEWPg03vqITIW9Pw84wTPO2daoeujtCoDgYUvS8BJupKeTrp8D2NRj5BloSV4Ple9ynuOZOvia_oZhSXGYnpXCun5rTtZE6b_XskJhWN54QA9yF9i-7Z6OV0ztSiupIp56bh9bZe_zhXd/s1600/Smash+Millie+B+and+B.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
After several months of practices, a few injuries (nothing severe), and meeting my derby wife, Misfit Millie, I was still struggling with so much doubt about my abilities in this sport. Most nights I left practice feeling defeated, and that I would never become a viable member of the league. Those feelings began to eat away at me so much that I could barely make myself go to practice, and ultimately lead to me taking a 2 month hiatus from derby and telling everyone it just wasn’t for me.<br />
<br />
And you know what, that is okay. I mean, it was not okay for me not to listen to all of the amazingly supportive teammates who were telling me I was doing just fine, or that they had been there before, and had literally felt the same things. It was not okay for me to feel that I had no one to really reach out to about these things, because I had so many amazing ladies I could have talked to before my internal struggle reached that point. But it was okay for me to take a break. This was my journey, and they were my feelings and I needed the time to process all of this.<br />
<br />
During my break from derby I realized how much I really did love it, and how accomplished it had actually been making me feel. All of those hard nights, and rough emotions were teaching me how to persevere and to remain determined even when I was not the best at everything. It gave me time to realize that I had been focusing on the wrong feelings, and that I needed to shift my focus. I began to think of all the times that I felt so proud of myself. That time I understood sculling so fast, and really seemed to have a knack for it. Oh, and that other time I helped keep all the other ladies in my new recruits class from feeling discouraged. Oh, and that other time I met one of my now best friends! These were all the things I needed to look at, because we make our own happiness. We create our reality, and I was tired of living in a reality where I was so miserable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj899o2TuYkWNBHWd_O3ggBgliXhM7a1JwU0NFhI77DAMEAemwIc6_BKwt0oBNVhJWeGiHhNSaLOwkGAlfVkutOGdWFf6pxzyIBf9Z-4BWtCb2wSp5ozzj0PFhIe7xMqaLqppiymG-1MNRr/s1600/smash+scrim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj899o2TuYkWNBHWd_O3ggBgliXhM7a1JwU0NFhI77DAMEAemwIc6_BKwt0oBNVhJWeGiHhNSaLOwkGAlfVkutOGdWFf6pxzyIBf9Z-4BWtCb2wSp5ozzj0PFhIe7xMqaLqppiymG-1MNRr/s1600/smash+scrim.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
I came back to derby in October of 2014. I have since passed my 27 laps in 5 minutes (whilst conveying every human emotion possible in that time frame.) I have moved up to Monday practices with the league, I have even had 3 Thursday night scrimmages with the league. Sure, there have been some rough nights, but that is life, and that is not where I am going to shift my focus.<br />
<br />
I may fall, but I have promised myself that I will always get back up, and will no longer allow myself to keep me down. I have also promised myself that I will always try to think of the positives derby brings to my life. I have made some friends, and get to hang out with some truly amazing women that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know otherwise.<br />
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I am so grateful for everything that roller derby had brought to my life, and how much more I know it will bring me.<br />
<br />
Smashrodite<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-89479061784160896692015-02-13T10:43:00.001-07:002015-02-13T19:09:09.202-07:00She's Baaack!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3koQmiZuoxH78eAilNnP01h-4V-tH1I_MpDSv4zTtBX6O_bHEGWcvVyqq-Qu_rrZXulyurqstEs-2RDpdnbLVkPgye0reRA7oNWnJmh2kKlH5JWVHF3hU3k7cwfAx5MrBet8tJkb25cQ1/s1600/Molly+Stonehenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3koQmiZuoxH78eAilNnP01h-4V-tH1I_MpDSv4zTtBX6O_bHEGWcvVyqq-Qu_rrZXulyurqstEs-2RDpdnbLVkPgye0reRA7oNWnJmh2kKlH5JWVHF3hU3k7cwfAx5MrBet8tJkb25cQ1/s1600/Molly+Stonehenge.jpg" height="150" width="200"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the stoniest of henges,<br>STONEHENGE</td></tr>
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Wow, it's been a long time since I last poured my little derby heart out on the 'ole FoCo blog... I have missed it. Sort of. Its also been really nice to have a break from the pressure. Since my last post, a lot has changed. I took a break from derby, I stepped down as Head of PR, and I had some serious travel adventures. As of January 2015, I am back on skates, have completed the WFTDA testing once again (28 laps in 5 minutes, yeah buddy!), and I am getting ready to come back to scrimmage. <br>
<br>
It's weird having been away from the league for so long. I was off skates from August 2014 to January 2015. I missed the workout, I missed my friends, I missed the derbs, but coming back, it's not the same. I don't know what I expected, but I feel like I don't fit in with the new recruits I have been skating with and the relationships I have with the veterans seem to feel different.<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqwyI9Kr20wNqhb4YnA695weKXd8rmdMVVJ8gAjXqLsoBxqcWxDj5KR0yM9mN9OfvEgT-Lh2zezAQejPmCxCe88qOP6a0H5KO_S7NksBa_wDVCDNWCi_80Ex8sErGVi7wAV-zEzJYVZEc/s1600/Campout+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqwyI9Kr20wNqhb4YnA695weKXd8rmdMVVJ8gAjXqLsoBxqcWxDj5KR0yM9mN9OfvEgT-Lh2zezAQejPmCxCe88qOP6a0H5KO_S7NksBa_wDVCDNWCi_80Ex8sErGVi7wAV-zEzJYVZEc/s1600/Campout+2014.jpg" height="150" width="200"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">League Campout 2014 - My last derby<br>event before I left for 4 months</td></tr>
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The logical part of my brain is like "But Molly, did you expect your team to stop growing and changing while you were gone?" and I guess, subconciously, I kinda did. I didn't expect to feel like such an outsider, I can tell you that. I feel like I am neither vet nor fresh meat. Not part of the league, but more than a fan. I feel like I have one skate in derby and one skate out.<br>
<br>
Another weird thing about being away from derby for so long, was introducing myself with my derby name again. The first time I said "My name is Mollytov Maguire but you can call me Molly!" I stuttered over the "Molly" a little bit. Like it didn't want to come out of my mouth. There has been lots of stuttering, and not just over my name. Skating, aching, going to 9pm practices, being AMPED THE EFF UP after them until 2 am, and getting less than 3 hours of sleep after derby nights, feeling the hunger of having burned 1500 calories at practice the night before; all are things that I had sort of romanticized. "Ah, the good 'ole days, when my muscles hurt all the time and I was eating all the food and enjoying after derby beer club, and I was part of something bigger than me! Golly wasn't that the best?!" but I had forgotten what it was like to have to <i>make</i> those friends and be in better physical shape. To have the pre-practice derby anxiety, and to have my shins hurt SO BAD that I almost cry. These are the things that I am LIVING once again, and it's not as romantic as I had made it out to be while I was gone.<br>
<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N_HL9gp_aQ9lHEDgzwmJDWpmFcD3lhAyvfGfqoub1UbFBRlm9oKqoVnbXWchhGV_xX0Qp19mZ6Hp3dDPAAPUAA8MOtymBkE4slwtIl6UGvE6rYwtPZCZ8aBuBNfNROL5QBlZHxp_GyJ9/s1600/backward+blocking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N_HL9gp_aQ9lHEDgzwmJDWpmFcD3lhAyvfGfqoub1UbFBRlm9oKqoVnbXWchhGV_xX0Qp19mZ6Hp3dDPAAPUAA8MOtymBkE4slwtIl6UGvE6rYwtPZCZ8aBuBNfNROL5QBlZHxp_GyJ9/s1600/backward+blocking.jpg" height="133" width="200"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I could backward skate...<br>LIKE A BOSS</td></tr>
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My skills and endurance have seriously atrophied and that is a real blow to the ego. I feel a little like the classic "Facebook Derby Girl" right now. She's the girl who wants to do derby so she can post about it on Facebook, but where is she when practice time comes? In my case, she is dreading going back to a practice where she feels more alone than when she is alone. Where her expectations of her skills and the reality of her skills are no longer aligned. <br>
<br>
What I am working on remembering is that these people, who I love, didn't just stop existing when I wasn't looking at them. They developed new relationships and inside jokes while I was away, and now it's me that has to adjust to being back, not the other way around. There is still a place for me in the league and it's up to me to find it. Just like it has always been up to me. Everything about my derby life has always been up to me.<br>
<br>
Derby Love,<br>
<br>
Mollytov Maguire <div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-21914699034049236792015-02-06T15:47:00.003-07:002015-02-06T15:47:46.130-07:00In Her Own Words: LA's Finest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVDLo8ai2Qe9QQBEuDzy7X9hMqKJpwiR4bCAjMhsjdAIGfdXmxezhDknComwuNeg7eHdkJ1_CPGqblJHIujcZupYolb7HcJjGrIJaAw-I4_LXo9vfgY8G7bEcUlj8yyheNSM1V04fpuYL/s1600/LA+Painted+Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVDLo8ai2Qe9QQBEuDzy7X9hMqKJpwiR4bCAjMhsjdAIGfdXmxezhDknComwuNeg7eHdkJ1_CPGqblJHIujcZupYolb7HcJjGrIJaAw-I4_LXo9vfgY8G7bEcUlj8yyheNSM1V04fpuYL/s1600/LA+Painted+Face.jpg" height="200" width="166" /></a></div>
Hello. My name is Tess and I play the wonderful sport of roller derby with the FoCo Girls Gone Derby here in Fort Collins, CO. This league of amazing individuals has changed my life. <br />
<br />
I moved to Colorado six years ago with no direction or purpose. I was born and raised in Los Angeles California and decided that I didn't want to raise my son in a giant loud city. My best friend and I decided one night we were going to take a chance and move to Fort Collins. We packed whatever we could fit into a Toyota Corolla and started driving. Not knowing anybody I settled in and got a job but, for me something was still missing. I'm not super outgoing so finding friends out of nowhere was pretty tough. <br />
<br />
One night I rented the roller derby movie "Whip It". I went to work the next day and was talking about the movie with a coworker. We liked the movie and loved the idea of roller derby. One of us jokingly told the other, “I’ll try it if you do". We looked up local roller derby and promised each other to give it a shot and stick together. About a month later we were at our first new recruit practice together and fell IN LOVE with this sport but, learned very quickly it was nothing like the movie, "Whip It", but better! <br />
<br />
Time came to pick our derby names. It's a lot harder than you think picking a derby name. Some of the good ones are taken! For my derby name I stuck to my roots where I grew up, "LA's Finest". My friend went with her favorite band (I am convinced she is their biggest fan) Miss Erie Business. She's one of the best friends I have ever met in derby and the dedication she gives to this sport shows on the track. Over five years later, Miz and I are still both skating for this league and even on the same team now!<br />
<br />
Speaking of love and derby...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowS0U_j5qRa5SYoB1Ht1vRHmf4ZXvw1XHzrBwZJMj-UL5SGt1G9528M-RYyDgyyosq-J_fw3nrotumzeZiGL5xvPh_CAhtwMIgRPdbeQFsDcQCi5eDFN_0rmtUUjAWxPKd_sAtjcKrtYL/s1600/LA+and+Munchy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowS0U_j5qRa5SYoB1Ht1vRHmf4ZXvw1XHzrBwZJMj-UL5SGt1G9528M-RYyDgyyosq-J_fw3nrotumzeZiGL5xvPh_CAhtwMIgRPdbeQFsDcQCi5eDFN_0rmtUUjAWxPKd_sAtjcKrtYL/s1600/LA+and+Munchy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> In my new recruit class I actually met the most amazing person in this world. No joke, she is now my wife. We met in FoCo's new recruit class, became friends for about a year or so and started dating. We were just legally married in November and I owe it all to this amazing league for bringing us together. I went into derby wanting to try a new sport and meet some people with some similar interests. I have some of the best friends I could ever ask for and a spouse! Derby has taught me so much about myself and has made me the person I am today. I would recommend anyone to try derby if it interests you at all. There's so much to get out of it. To be a part of this league and the community it comes with is something indescribable <br />
<br />
The friendships I have made in this league are hard to explain. Every single person in this league, from the skaters to the refs and the non-skating officials, the coaches, captains, volunteers…the love surrounding this sport is like nothing I have ever found. When I say roller derby changed my life... I mean it.<br />
<br />
<br />
LA's Finest <div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-47173560220006788822014-05-08T19:33:00.004-06:002014-05-08T19:33:46.375-06:00Suga's Goodbye Playlist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcu2-Ghzx3fJX29lCa0g_43ZDsVx632RuCedGf_rSA4hWs1imrygpYRa-Rxbs6mj38sHwJOgkALkfo0cWchLJ8EbXiWsq7vqpIBWcvz5PdafHDQ3D9Utwa_SG2PVD2PASj2tYVFplVTpgn/s1600/Bruisers+Suga+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcu2-Ghzx3fJX29lCa0g_43ZDsVx632RuCedGf_rSA4hWs1imrygpYRa-Rxbs6mj38sHwJOgkALkfo0cWchLJ8EbXiWsq7vqpIBWcvz5PdafHDQ3D9Utwa_SG2PVD2PASj2tYVFplVTpgn/s1600/Bruisers+Suga+2.jpg" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
I
have always been the kind of person to apply song lyrics to certain
situations. Whether it’s time to party and “Shots” by LMFAO & Lil
Jon comes screeching from my mouth or it’s a dreary day and I listen to
sad indie music; I’ve always had a playlist to coincide with my mood.
When I first started playing Roller Derby there was one lyric that
always stood out as my personal viewpoint to derby. This little nugget
of gold came from Ani DeFranco’s song Little Plastic Castle, “I wish
they could see us now, in leather bras and rubber shorts, like some
ridiculous team uniform, for some ridiculous new sport. Quick someone
call the girl police, and file a report”. That little snippet always
made me smile and think about Roller Derby.<br />
<br />
More than 4
years later, I have a whole new playlist for my Roller Derby
experience. As some of you may know, Mary Poppin’ Caps and I are moving
out of Fort Collins to the big city of Chicago. It was a decision that
was not made in haste and leaving our Derby Family was the biggest
decision to weigh. Now that the time has come for us to say our final
goodbyes (our last bout with FoCo is this weekend at the Mayday Mayhem
tournament hosted by Slaughterhouse Derby Girls), the only way I see fit
to do so is to share my Goodbye Playlist.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDnSjeqTttg_zb8JpS2TqAWMW1GqbpIE007iMSicgn8O9QFBGpNNQ9EpmjUv2tSCFiiT7796AlTC8LVcdqZmzq1P_wEQL0tAyQ3T3Zskj8qa_U_EN9P8IgOLLbK47ebiXHOwmHglhPppw/s1600/Suga+Black+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDnSjeqTttg_zb8JpS2TqAWMW1GqbpIE007iMSicgn8O9QFBGpNNQ9EpmjUv2tSCFiiT7796AlTC8LVcdqZmzq1P_wEQL0tAyQ3T3Zskj8qa_U_EN9P8IgOLLbK47ebiXHOwmHglhPppw/s1600/Suga+Black+Blue.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye) by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons<br />
<br />
The
song starts out with Frankie Valli saying “If you hate me after what I
say, Can't put it off any longer, I just gotta tell you anyway”. This
lyric makes me think of the fact that I literally cannot speak about the
move in front of Ms. Eerie Bizness without her either crying or yelling
at me. The song follows with the entire band singing, “Bye bye baby,
baby goodbye. Bye Bye Baby, don't make me cry”. For obvious reasons,
this lyric automatically makes me want to cry. FoCo, please don’t make
me cry (ya’ll know I hate crying in public).<br />
<br />
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam<br />
<br />
Another
obvious choice for a goodbye playlist, but this song also reminds me of
FoCo specifically. At Wild West this year, Coach Paul had the
MicroBruisers watch Remember the Titans before our first bout. It was
one of the best bonding experiences I have ever had with FoCo. We joked
about what FoCo player would be each character ( Miz was obvious the big
guy that sang constantly), and just sat around and enjoyed each others
company. Every time I hear this song I will remember The Original
Skankster turning to Coach Paul and saying “Sheryl. Sheryl. Sheryl. I.
Do. Not. Care” multiple times that weekend.<br />
<br />
Cowboy Boots by Macklemore<br />
<br />
Everyone
knows I love me some Macklemore, especially after our fantastic
choreography at the 2013 St. Patty’s Day Parade to Thrift Shop. However,
Cowboy Boots is a song in a completely different category than Thrift
Shop. Cowboy Boots is a bittersweet song about leaving the ones you love
and remembering the good times. Honestly, with a few tweaks this song
could easily become an ode to Derby. Switch “kids” to “derby girls”,
“city blocks” to “practice space”, “high heels” and “cowboy boots” to
“skate boots” and you have a perfect Derby ballad. It’s a song about the
nuances of a summer with friends in your city, but could easily be
about a season playing roller derby. A few of the lyrics really hit home
when I think about leaving, “Hold on to what you were, forget what
you're not. The streets were ours that summer, at least those two
blocks. Reminisce on those days, I guess that's OK, you wonder why, Some
grow up, move on, close the chapter, live separate lives. The
twenty-something confusion before the suit and tie. Strangers become
mistakes but those mistakes made you feel alive. Hindsight is vibrant,
reality: rarely lit. Memory's a collage pasted on to glue that barely
sticks. Good Lord, they broke all my shields. Locked bathroom doors,
graffiti, and high heels. Until you felt that altitude you don't know
how high feels. Party mountain, some don't ever come down from around
here. To be young again, I guess it's relative: The camel lights, the
whiskey rye, sink into the skin. I fantasize about a second win. Grow a
moustache (leg hair?), pick up another bad habit and let the games
begin”. There is so much in that verse that I could go into and explain
how it pertains to me and my derby experience, but I will let you draw
your own conclusions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TnYRLgwhwF_4cZdJK18w0z_msk-n9p4HjEnZ9Ke4-uXWLbIXf2wh5clIKc_kjJwucAnVyXznZh0HXp-Tj_AcK-uDzfCcecRrvvjkmQZq_69_d0VO06EQe4C_dOY4q6hWYdtb0VOpltiF/s1600/Suga+Bruisers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TnYRLgwhwF_4cZdJK18w0z_msk-n9p4HjEnZ9Ke4-uXWLbIXf2wh5clIKc_kjJwucAnVyXznZh0HXp-Tj_AcK-uDzfCcecRrvvjkmQZq_69_d0VO06EQe4C_dOY4q6hWYdtb0VOpltiF/s1600/Suga+Bruisers.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
Derby came to me during a
transitional point in my life: I was finishing up college and trying to
find out who I wanted to be. FoCo and the wonderful women of the league
taught me so many life lessons that I can’t even begin to describe in
this blog post. As I say my goodbyes, there are a few things I need to
ask the ladies of FoCo to do for me. Someone needs to sing Disney songs
with Miz at practice. Someone needs to say “Hallelu”, “Preach” or
“Church” when agreeing with a statement at least once a practice.
Someone on the Sirens needs to keep the Fishnet Rink Rash makeup
tradition going. And finally, always skate with dignity and grace, and
keep your heads up. You ladies mean the world to me and I don’t how I
could ever repay you for the lessons you have all taught me.<br />
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I
would like to finish this blog post in the wise words of Macklemore,
“And acquaintances turn to friends, I hope those friends they remember
me. Hold the night for ransom as we kidnap the memories. Not sure there
is a way to express what you meant to me, Sit around a table and use
those years as the centerpiece”.<br />
<br />
It bears repeating, “Not sure there is a way to express what you meant to me”.<br />
<br />
With all of my love,<br />
<br />
Suga Smaxxx<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-80611336177022551692014-05-01T12:00:00.002-06:002014-05-01T12:00:55.354-06:00Buying Lego's.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Building a house is never easy. It takes months of planning, hard labor, and lots of split decisions along the way. Now imagine pouring the foundation, building the frame, putting in the plumbing and wiring, and finishing the drywall. You've put bricks on half of the house and the second story is partially finished. Oh- and the garage has had the cement poured. It's been months but your almost done, right? Now I'm going to tell you that you built the house wrong, that it was resting on shaky ground, and that you need to tear the whole thing down, move it 6 feet to the right, and start over.<br />
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You're psyched, right? I mean, who <i>doesn't </i>want to put in all that extra work night after night when they already have a fine shelter and a thunderstorm is on the way? Now, if you couldn't tell (and I really hope you could), I'm being sarcastic. No one wants to tear down all the work they've done when they've got a perfectly good fireplace and all of their teddy bears are already placed in their room right alongside their unicorn alarm clock. Rebuilding takes work and it's not always a sure thing. What if you tear down the house and the construction crew stops showing up? What if it snows and delays your plans to pour the concrete? Nothing is guaranteed, which is why rebuilding is so hard, but so important.<br />
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Just in case you drifted off during the first two paragraphs, yes, this is still a post about roller derby. Derby is never consistent; rules change, players leave for a variety of reasons, people no longer have the time or means to travel, or committee work takes over, and it seems like our league is always in a state of flux where our player pool is always changing. We knew we needed to change some things in order to accommodate this ever changing sport, so we decided that we were going to do something things a little bit differently this season. This year we got something we'd never really had before- an actual coach who's invested in us and ready to start winning. We started doing fitness requirements to get our ladies to start working out outside of derby. We started doing a more intense off-skates warm up. We started formulating and implementing new strategy. We brought in a nutritionist to teach us about healthy eating for our active bodies. We started honing in on specific skills that would give us an edge on the track, and we stopped allowing people to feel entitled to their position simply because they had been around a long time. These were hard changes to make or implement; some people felt picked on or that the work load would be too much for them. Some of us just felt shaken up, worried that everything we had built was going to be tossed in the garbage. It was definitely a massive culture and attitude change, but when we all packed our bags and headed to the Wild West Showdown in March, not one player felt like they hadn't earned their spot on the team. We had all put in the sweat, tears, long nights, and burning muscles to get there, and because we all knew we had earned it, we felt more like a team than ever before.<br />
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I came to realize that some people were not willing to rebuild our foundation. Whether it be impatience, an unwillingness to be challenged, or just that they needed a more competitive platform, it was hard losing these valuable players. That being said, I would do it all over again. We're not finished, not even by a long shot, but we've torn down the old structure and we're slowly and steadily rebuilding to have a more solid future. Even though it's thoroughly depressing to stand and look down upon an empty hole where you once had your house, we're building this brick by brick and bolt by bolt in order to stay steady when we lose skaters to anything from pregnancy to career changes. We want out team to remain strong even when we only have 8 skaters to play an entire bout with. So, if your team or your heart is facing the old dilemma of where you want to be with roller derby, just ask yourself:<br />
<br />
Do you want to right the ship, or do you want to build a new one?<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
The Original Skankster<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-81724077450624121222014-04-24T07:31:00.001-06:002014-04-24T07:31:27.611-06:00My Weight Loss JourneySo why did you join roller derby? This is usually one of the first questions someone asks me when they find out I joined the sport. I respond to that question similarly to most of the things in my life- I did it on a whim. After all, I had never attended a bout. I knew little, if anything, about the sport and after years of broken bones, sprains, and injuries from riding horses, the idea of getting back into a full contact hobby was a little daunting- yet here I was, investing a small fortune into tights, knee-high socks, and glitter. Yes, it was a whim, but there was another, larger force at work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO6FikJV7nvfPyvALQSOeG3D7iZ_tBkOpllbES4da0AfzrdZvNxh8TXHaMuhPvBOmq5E5qVWHC3a1ONPSxj61G42aelrATFSK_AydnRHVeHSCxTBkF91lZFQuwbmk54GqiOB7-DmoVD0/s1600/Eve1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO6FikJV7nvfPyvALQSOeG3D7iZ_tBkOpllbES4da0AfzrdZvNxh8TXHaMuhPvBOmq5E5qVWHC3a1ONPSxj61G42aelrATFSK_AydnRHVeHSCxTBkF91lZFQuwbmk54GqiOB7-DmoVD0/s1600/Eve1.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
Instead of being thin and lithe growing up, I was built more like a Mustang horse...short and hardy. Since humor was something that came naturally, it was easy to be the chubby, witty girl in a group of friends. Even though I knew I was overweight, I still had a positive self-image and a voracious appetite for food and life. Over the years, the weight had crept up and instead of getting things under control, I told jokes. Then I stopped going out with friends. Then I rarely stopped moving my body from the couch or bed unless it was for work.<br />
<br />
"Got fat." There it was- two words jumping out at me when I accidentally glanced down at my audition sheet for a community theater production in 2011. "Egads" was one of the words that ran through my head followed by a series of swear words. The director of the show was not attempting to be mean or rude; in fact, the audition sheet is solely for the use of the director and was not meant to be seen by yours truly. Nevertheless, words were written and inadvertently seen by me, proving the hard truth that I had deliberately been ignoring for the past few years. In all actuality, it didn't hurt when I read what someone else saw when they looked at me. Instead it helped me become resolved.<br />
<br />
I joined Weight Watchers the day after the audition. I was cast in the show, ironically named, "Eat Your Heart Out" and told the director that by the time the show opened that I would be 20 pounds lighter. Nine weeks later, I was 19.6 pounds lighter. In less than a year, I had shed 60 pounds and began to find a smaller me within.<br />
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But this is not a story focused on Weight Watchers or the power one has to rise up from the ashes of couchdom. This is my secret reason for joining roller derby that I have rarely divulged...until now. The reason I joined roller derby is because I need to be the healthiest I can be. This doesn't translate to a dress size 2 for me, but it does translate to muscle tone and finding my collarbone without digging my fingers into my neck, and eventually making that mile jog in less than 10 minutes. Intentionally or unintentionally, my teammates hold me accountable to keep attending practice and keep me moving. At 25 years old I was borderline diabetic and my cholesterol numbers had doctors discussing medications that I had only heard about on commercials. Whether they know it or not, my Foco Girls Gone Derby league-mates have helped me keep those numbers beaten back with a well-wielded stick...of quad skates. Will roller derby help you lose weight? I can't really say, but considering the health risks I could face by going back to my stagnant lifestyle, roller derby is help saving my life.<br />
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Dyer's Eve<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-71320006206653470582014-04-17T09:19:00.000-06:002014-04-17T09:19:11.634-06:00Get Low - The Emotional Timeline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2r6X5aQTXWMYBMBQSbRQmB___J_PntyURnGgi0QJFfDHv6_zO57yCbC-1fJQyz7gd3ONx3wY08h0l7oGKG-pl6KS7yG3hJjpiyrZ307YNR7U8p-_nFIVI7MCg2sqAWRU7MfnC7zPOo8/s1600/poundtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2r6X5aQTXWMYBMBQSbRQmB___J_PntyURnGgi0QJFfDHv6_zO57yCbC-1fJQyz7gd3ONx3wY08h0l7oGKG-pl6KS7yG3hJjpiyrZ307YNR7U8p-_nFIVI7MCg2sqAWRU7MfnC7zPOo8/s1600/poundtown.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Even before I got on skates, "get low" was the anthem I learned when starting my journey with FocoGirlsGoneDerby. My first day of training I was an exact representation of what a baby dear on ice looks like, where I was simply told by the coach to "get low." Not heeding her advice, I continued to spend the majority of my practices on the floor not being able to stabilize myself, or do any of the exercises. The lingering phrase "get low" was told to me once again. Feeling defeated, and like a failure I almost wanted to throw in the towel.<br />
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I suddenly decided that giving up was not an option. I spent the days I didn't have practice in front of my house and at Rollerland practicing squatting on skates and skating as low as I could possibly muster. When we began to learn hits and blocking, I found that I needed to be even lower than I had anticipated, so I started squatting while doing the dishes, brushing my teeth, even at work if I could sneak it in. What I came to learn as I was being hip-checked to the ground is that the lower you skate, the easier it is to not only take hits but to do anything in roller derby. It was a whole new world as I finally started to have fun and improve. So, new recruits, when you feel like you're going to give up or that you made a mistake starting derby, just get low! -Ginger SnapHer<br />
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Free this Saturday? Even if you're not, cancel them plans and head on over to watch our kick-ass Punchy Brewsters take on the High City Derby Dames! Traveling all the way from Aurora, these ladies are eager for to win, so this bout should be an intense firefight! Come to Qdoba Event Center at 218 Smokey St. in Fort Collins in order to experience the food, beer, crowd, and fun we have in store for you. The bout starts at 7pm, but the doors open at 6:30 so you can make sure to snag your favorite seat in the booty zone! Come and support your favorite roller derby league and we'll make sure you'll have a great time! Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/610896<br />
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See you track-side!<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-82429998707984241362014-04-04T16:37:00.002-06:002014-04-04T18:15:35.012-06:00Mollytov Maguire's Top 10 Derby Moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes, in derby, conflict happens. This can be between players, between teams, between skaters and refs. Conflict is hard. I am not a fan. I don't like to manage people, I don't want to fight. I mean, I am Irish, so I kinda do but I know that it's not really productive. I like it when everyone does what they need to do and they come to events at their scheduled time or they complete the committee work they were asked to with no additional nudging from me. But alas, this is not the role of a board member. This gal, sometimes has to be the bad guy and that sucks. I am the kind of person who likes to focus on the positive, feel like I have a role in being the change I want to see in others.<br>
<br>
So, instead of writing a bunch of crap about how much derby drama sucks, I am going to write a top 10 list. Here are my Top 10 derby moments:<br><br>10. That time when my cousin, Smashrodite, joined the league. We have been good friends for most of our lives despite a 10 year age gap. I love the shit outta her and I am SO. FLIPPING. GLAD. that she a) joined derby and b) joined my league. I love having a good friend that is learning how to speak my fave language in the family. No more will I sit awkwardly by myself at family events talking about the weather or whatever. NOW we're a team!<br>
<br>
9. That time I did more than just turn left. It took me a while to feel like I was doing anything at all when I was skating. I still have scrimmages and even games where I am pretty sure the only productive thing I did was turn left and stay with the pack. But I can still remember the first time I did something. It was a scrimmage and I was skating with Battle E. Portman and she is a great communicator and I just... did stuff. It was AWESOME!<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8CYDityWcus5ja_AKi6sLA__7SbAvVtgc4TwtB4TWu2zDUZ8dypiYUcpBtR0UVSQUs8oHJ7xl0Q2WoyM7nPUT-CRatB7_bWEIYdQOHPRYtTXLi8TRK2xy-ILf-wVy6Jf9tYTKU83CTmO/s1600/FoCo+April+Bout+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8CYDityWcus5ja_AKi6sLA__7SbAvVtgc4TwtB4TWu2zDUZ8dypiYUcpBtR0UVSQUs8oHJ7xl0Q2WoyM7nPUT-CRatB7_bWEIYdQOHPRYtTXLi8TRK2xy-ILf-wVy6Jf9tYTKU83CTmO/s1600/FoCo+April+Bout+Poster.jpg" height="320" width="210"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My poster with Unchained Malady</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
8. That time I played with Unchained Malady. Mal is a friend from life. She had wanted to join derby, but didn't want to step on my toes and as soon as she figured out that I would be STOKED to have her in my league, she was all up on that shizz. We've never looked back. I have loved having her there. She is my rock. She has gotten me through, what I consider to be, some if my toughest times with derbs and is one of the main reasons I am still skating. First time we scrimmaged together and I screamed my face off for her when she jammed, I teared up. No joke.<br>
<br>
7. That time I got my first jersey. Someone once laughed at me for feeling great about this moment, but I don't care. It meant a lot to me. It still means a lot to me. I wear it to the gyno and the dentist and all the places I don't really want to be because it makes me feel powerful. In a good way. Not like an "I will rain lightning down from the sky!" type of way. Just a general, good, confident, strong woman way.<br>
<br>
6. That time that I realized I could skate through the pain. There was a dark moment in my life almost 2 years ago. My grandfather and my uncle passed away in the same month and I went to practice and told Double Destruction (our new recruit trainer at the time) "I want to hate you more than my life tonight. Can we do that?" and she obliged. As I geared down, I realized that I had been too busy to be sad and my grief had lifted for two amazing hours. I knew I could and would be a skater in that moment.<br>
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5. That time at my first derby strategic planning retreat when Mudgie talked to me by the fire. There I was, being all awkward and not knowing anyone and she talked with me. She was the first veteran outside of my trainer who made me feel welcome. I will always love her for that kindness. Well, that and many others since then.<br>
<br>
4. That time at handbilling last night when Suzy hugged me and Battle E. had just the right words. I've been struggling lately and it was what I needed. It made me feel happy ALL DAMN DAY today. Thanks ladies!<br>
<br>
3. That time I bouted for the first time. It was Black and Blue Ball. I had a kick-ass dress. My family made matching "Mollytov" shirts and pretty much everyone in turn three screamed their faces off for me. L.A.'s Finest it me into the booty zone, and I won "Best Dressed." I still have the sash. AND Team Black won the bout!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX827ePt2OW9TiGvQk8n3B5qr2olo325hzA4PITkDjvUKJCrqjWmQx2uP3lO59tfGx1up_vexxBxb-Ldg9xJ_4mklLDOCG3iaJEO5ZsQ-wo9OaoZY45Ptr-3OcXbDL3MEnMsU-Ab4kBSgG/s1600/wives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX827ePt2OW9TiGvQk8n3B5qr2olo325hzA4PITkDjvUKJCrqjWmQx2uP3lO59tfGx1up_vexxBxb-Ldg9xJ_4mklLDOCG3iaJEO5ZsQ-wo9OaoZY45Ptr-3OcXbDL3MEnMsU-Ab4kBSgG/s1600/wives.jpg" height="200" width="200"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know I've used this picture before, <br>but it's still awesome!</td></tr>
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2. That time I learned how to give myself a break and didn't cry after jamming. I don't jam often, but I am working on this. I have still had practices where I didn't live up to my promise to jam at least once, each 1/2 of each scrimmage. I try though. Sometimes, I just don't have the lady-balls. There was this one time, and it was this season, where I jammed, and I didn't cry after. It wasn't that bad!<br>
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1. That one time that that I proposed to my derby wives. They're no longer with my league, but I miss them all the time. Femme and Mome are some of the best people I have known. Also, they've both changed their names, but they'll always be my wives, no matter when they're called. They're an inspiration for me still. I don't care that they're skating with other leagues, I love them all the loves!!<br>
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Derby Love,<br>
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Mollytov Maguire<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-52834777824528854732014-03-21T07:18:00.002-06:002014-03-21T08:20:23.235-06:00Does No One Here Care About the Rules?!Another spring; another rule set. What's a girl to do? Alas, it's the sport we play. The rules seem to change like the weather in March, and if you want to enjoy the sport you love and not spend the entire time in the box, then you have to hit the books! Luckily, I've become somewhat familiar with the new rules using my large brain and will gladly give you a run-down of how these new rules affect you. So come, join me, we'll walk through the glorious meadow of new rules together.<br />
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Now I have to hand it to WFTDA, this new rule set ain't half bad. Some really great changes have been made that really tickle my fancy. First: <b>30 SECOND GORRAM PENALTIES. </b>30 seconds! Bask in the delight, people, Christmas just came early.<br />
<b>The Good: </b>Power jams won't be so brutal. With only 30-35 seconds to score points, a jammer will only be able to make around 3-4 passes if they slice through the pack like buttah, which will only result in around 15-20 points; maybe even less than that depending on how great your wall is. This is a game changer. It will definitely make bouts a little more evenly keeled and better represent the distinguishing qualities between teams.<br />
<b>The Bad: </b>When 30 second penalties were announced, there were praises of joy throughout the land! People danced in the streets! Maidens were kissed by strangers! As great as it is to spend less time in the box, skaters failed to realize right away that they'll fail out <i>way faster</i>, and if your jammer isn't disciplined, she can fail out before the first half ends (and then you're out one of your <i>jammers for the entire second half</i>). This means that your team has to be incredibly disciplined and play clean. I think it's even more important to stay out of the box now than it ever was before, and whoever can stay out of the box will take home the win.<br />
<b>Synopsis</b>: You guessed it! It's the same as it's always been. <i>Stay out of the box.</i><br />
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<b>Yielding: </b>Thank GOODNESS this rule got changed. This was by far the most asinine rule of all time. Having to go back a full lap for having a sliver of a wheel behind the line was lame, and frankly a bit dangerous. Now a player can yield (give enough time for the opposing team to gain position) and then re-enter the engagement zone.<br />
<b>The Good: </b>It makes more sense. Being able to yield instead of going back behind the entire pack while staying in bounds is a lot safer. The old rule set caused a lot of necessary run-ins and collisions.<br />
<b>The Bad:</b> Sometimes an opposing skater isn't paying attention to how close she is to the line, and you can draw that penalty. Now, you can't. She'll just have to wait a few seconds and rejoin the pack.<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b> I like this rule!<br />
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<b>Cutting the Track:</b> How many times have you tried to go back to prevent a cut and one little sliver of wheel has thwarted you?! No longer! We are free from the chains of cutting when our true intention was to yield! Well, not totally, you still have to make sure that both wheels don't go back on the track, but this rule is the best rule ever (in my opinion). <br />
<b>The Good: </b>The reason why I like this rule change is because it tried to take into account intent. I intended to yield, and because my intentions were pure, I don't get punished for making a stupid mistake. Now, this rule doesn't actually measure intent per se, but it does give you a break when you're obviously just trying to get to the back of the pack and you're skates just aren't agreeing with you.<br />
<b>The Bad:</b> It's going to be a little harder to draw that track cut penalty now, which can really help a team out. With that, if you manage to draw the track cut penalty, it's a 30 second power jam. Going along with what I said earlier, this will mean less power jams in general and more evenly scored bouts when teams are mostly of the same caliber. Essentially, there will be less bouts where the team has a "bad day" and the score is a blow-out. It's also a lot harder for refs to watch for this, so mistakes will be made, and it might get a little heated because of it.<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b> Hey, don't cut still.<br />
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Well that's all I'm going over today, folks. I know not all of the rules were addressed, but make sure to read them over yourself at <a href="http://wftda.com/rules/change-summary/rules-2014-03-01">http://wftda.com/rules/change-summary/rules-2014-03-01</a>. Knowledge is power! And knowing the rules will give you an upper hand in any bout. See you on the track!<br />
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Cheers,<br />
<br />
The Original Skankster<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-34230833054894092722014-03-14T13:38:00.001-06:002014-04-21T09:35:05.629-06:00Non Skating Officials - Heart and Soul in Roller Derby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUH21Yji1L08FMjUaONBWrc8JLCLkK-SMoF2dsjpoeySfE_l6JInJ6dLF6pK8sKAjNl9xQzj1P2cHrIcAXPifRZEshPzbOZj_kyG2PMd4LWEoYdpPHIiYoeSf3XTm0Fs_8L3j1pki6jg6J/s1600/FoCo+April+Bout+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUH21Yji1L08FMjUaONBWrc8JLCLkK-SMoF2dsjpoeySfE_l6JInJ6dLF6pK8sKAjNl9xQzj1P2cHrIcAXPifRZEshPzbOZj_kyG2PMd4LWEoYdpPHIiYoeSf3XTm0Fs_8L3j1pki6jg6J/s1600/FoCo+April+Bout+Poster.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a>For many years I had been interested in roller derby, despite having never attended a bout. It wasn’t until I met two co-workers, Unchained Malady and Mollytov Maguire, who spoke so enthusiastically about their league, FoCo Girls Gone Derby that I finally decided to go to their 2013 Season Opener home team bout. I was sold.</div>
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After attending a New Recruit Informational Meeting shortly thereafter my derby dreams began to blossom. I was GOING to be a skater and I was GOING to skate in my first bout before the end of the year. I admired and idolized other skaters in my league, listened to their advice and pushed myself to become a better athlete. However, my body had other plans...<br />
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Towards the end of my 5th practice as a new recruit I sustained a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patellar_dislocation">patellar dislocation</a> to my knee, a common injury amongst female athletes and the 9th I had experienced the same injury. Discouraged, I began the long road back to skating. For those considering skating themselves, I have since found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXuvpnEWH2Y">training tips</a> and <a href="http://www.sk8ratz.com/smith-scabs-safety-gear-knee-gaskets/">gear</a> to help prevent knee injuries like this.<br />
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Once seeded the love of derby can only continue to grow. Before I even began skating as a new recruit, I was invited by the league to attend scrimmages and learn the rules of Women’s Flat Track Derby as an NSO (thanks to my derby wife, ZZ Stardust.) Team Flamingo (nickname inspired by the pink official’s shirts) became my home as I worked to get back on skates.<br />
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For the Non-Derby readers, NSO stands for Non-Skating Official. NSO's are volunteers, sometimes injured skaters like me, who LOVE the game of roller derby and want to be involved. We do a variety of jobs during a bout, including penalty tracking, inside/outside whiteboard, scorekeeper, lineup tracker, penalty box timing, Jam timer, and collecting/submitting bout stats as Head NSO.<br />
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It may not sound as glorious as being a skater, but it’s also a lot less work. It can also make for an awkward vibe when players with your league try to talk to you in the penalty box and you have to ignore them. Or maintaining neutrality by not cheering for your friends or gasping at a hard hit. Oh, also there is 100% less dancing...<br />
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But for a Bout to be a Bout, we NEED NSOs. Imagine the chaos were there no one to keep score and determine the victor? Or make sure that players serve their penalties for unsafe play? Or keep time to determine the end of a jam? Collectively, NSOs make roller derby happen!<br />
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Luckily for me, if there ever was a perfect league to learn NSOing positions, FoCo Girls Gone Derby is the place. FCGGD boasts four dedicated <a href="http://wftda.com/officiating/certified-non-skating-officials">WFTDA Level 2 Certified NSOs</a>: Bladeybug, JewJew Bee, Shake n Break &Whistle Blower (also a skating official.) All of which are happy to teach, share WFTDA knowledge and advice. <br />
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The more time I spent learning various NSO positions, saturating myself in numbers and statistics, the shape of my derby dreams shifted. The aspiration to join the Micro Bruisers travel A team was replaced with the desire to travel MORE by officiating tournaments, and someday gain the knowledge and experience to officiate a championship tournament. I’m already looking forward to NSOing at <a href="http://www.slaughterhousederbygirls.com/">Slaughterhouse Derby Girls</a>’ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaydayMayhem">Mayday Mayhem tournament</a>, and hope to go to Casper, Wyoming for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WyoRDC">Wyoming Roller Derby Cup</a>. These opportunities allow NSOs to develop their skills and meet officials and skater from all over the country.<br />
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Mind you, not every NSO gets certified or seeks to travel, just as bout after parties aren’t for everyone in the league. Many NSOs love the league and devote what time they can to volunteer wherever they're needed. It’s an easy sport and community to love. Everyone’s experience with roller derby is different and there’s a spot for all.<br />
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This month I’ll be celebrating my one year derby anniversary. Looking back, it wasn’t the year I thought I’d have, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. I look forward to what the future holds, and should my knee hold up I plan to get back on skates for Team Zebra as a skating official. Yay, roller derby!<br />
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Derby Love, <br />
Danger A-Gogo<br />
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P.S. Hello reader, thanks for stickin’ with me so far. Perhaps you’re interested in officiating yourself, either an NSO or skating referee? Well we’d LOVE to have you! Email us at <a href="mailto:referee@focogirlsgonederby.com">referee@focogirlsgonederby.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-64942529850034904922014-03-06T09:19:00.002-07:002014-03-06T09:19:46.276-07:00The Showdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first week in March is designated each year for the Wild West Showdown, a round-robin style tournament that features a ton of hungry leagues looking to rise in rankings, and "showdown" is the perfect word to describe it. We all show up, angry that the TSA confiscated our skate tools, wet (because in Bremerton, WA apparently 'sun' is an abstract concept), and freaking out because someone forgot something essential like a WFTDA patch or their uniform. Somehow, someway, we all manage to make it to a very large steel building that smells like hot dogs and derby pads and we get ready to bout like we've never bouted before.<br />
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Now the WWS has always been bittersweet for Foco; it giveth and it taketh away. We always manage to win a sweet one, lose one that we totally should have won, and lose one by not as much as we were predicted to lose by which good for rankings but feels just yucky. We started out our three-bout in three days schedule by watching Coach's favorite movie of all time that he quotes on the daily, Remember The Titans (and then we were <i>super</i> grateful that coach doesn't make us do up-downs in 90 degree weather). Our first bout was against the Slaughterhouse Derby Girls, our local rival that we have a standing competitive score with. Don't ask me why we traveled 700 miles to play a team that lives 40 minutes away, but the Wild West Showdown gods had decided that this was where we would make our stand against Slaughterhouse. It was neck and neck for a while, until a few power jams got the best of us, and by halftime we were 75 (Foco) and 109 (SDG). We weren't far behind, but we knew we had to take back the bout. This was our win and we knew it. We had been busting our little behinds for months; doing cross-training, running new strategy, and practicing worst-case scenarios so we could take home that sweet NoCo Trophy. With hard work and some great strategy implementation we took that bout with 205 points with SDG at 161. It felt awesome. Both teams played with amazing talent, and heart, and SDG remains one of our most favorite teams to play. And because we won, coach had to wear Hammer Pants!<br />
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Our second bout was against Sicktown, a tough team that Flat Track Stats gave us an 11% chance of winning. We knew we would have to fight hard, but we trusted in ourselves and in our teammates. At half-time we were far behind. They're pack was very good at recycling to keep our jammers at bay, and they did a very good job at thwarting our offense. The referees were trying their best, bur unfortunately their calls made no sense, and it's really hard to fix penalties when you don't understand why you're getting them. Coach brought us to a corner and gave us a pep-talk! We talked about what we needed to change and how we needed to play in order to win. In the second half, we really played some great derby. Our packs were tight, our hits were well-timed and hard, and we were putting points up on the board. We lost the bout, but only by 18 points. It was a devastating loss because we felt like we should have won, and that we lost the the referees. Sicktown was definitely a formidable opponent and hopefully we can get a rematch in the future.<br />
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Our last bout was with Port Scandalous, which we had a 1% chance of winning against. Spoiler alert! We didn't win. As a team, we felt like we played incredibly for the first 45 minutes of the bout, but we felt like we fell apart in the last 15 minutes. At our team meeting afterwards the conversation turned from the bout we had just played to how we've grown as a team. Last year we felt like a team of individuals and this year we feel more like an actual team that supports and encourages each other. This meeting, after the loss, was actually my favorite part of the whole trip. We realized how much we all appreciate each other. We admitted secrets, insecurities, and had some great laughs. Altogether, I would say that Wild West was a success, with the exception that half of us got the derby flu on the way home and now we're all sick in bed. Alas, the things we suffer through for this sport.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
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The Original Skankster<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-35689327133298548802014-02-27T17:55:00.003-07:002014-02-27T17:55:50.551-07:00Right-Sizing your Derby InvolvementThis week The Original Skankster and I sharing this little blog-o-sphere with a side-by-side piece about how we make derby fit our lives. I firmly believe that derby can be the right fit for everyone, and there are degrees to which you can be involved. From the intensity and glory of the Micro Bruisers to the recreational type fun on the Punchy Brewsters, you have to find what works for you. Deciding what your derby goals are, and being flexible with them is a really important step in figuring out your role in the league. Skank is speaking from the role of a Micro Bruiser. She has been on the traveling A team for as long as I have been in the league, so she knows a thing or two about about a thing or two, knowwhaddimsayin? I will be speaking from my own experience as a Punchy Brewster, member of the traveling B team. Our goal here is to help people who are coming up or currently evaluating their own role to find the right fit for them and being satisfied with your decision.<br /><br />Here is the lovely and indomitable, Original Skankster’s take on rollin' with the A Team:<br /><br />More opportunity – playing on the travel team means that you naturally get more opportunities to play derby. By being on the WFTDA sanctioned team, tournaments, scrimmages, and bouts are more likely to open up to you. Other teams are also more willing to travel to you in order to bout. By having more opportunities with ladies that you don’t skate with day in and day out, you have the chance to become a much more experienced, more adaptive player which improves your game in the long run. You get more playing time, more experience with other leagues, and the chance to meet new people. Networking is huge in derby, not only for making friends but for solving league problems as well. Have you ever run into another skater and asked their advice about an issue you were having? I have! And I've gotten some great guidance when struggling with a derby, or life issue. When you're able to sew new seeds of friendship, you or your league is more likely to be invited to a tournament or bout opportunity. And it goes without saying, other leagues throw some great parties!<br /><br />If it isn't hurting, it's ain't helping. The truth is, if you're not being challenged at derby, you won't get better, and playing against the tough skaters who are all vying for that same spot on the team won't leave you coasting. It's harder to plateau if you're learning from and being exposed to the players who know what they're doing. Also by traveling, you're exposed to different skating styles and different strategy. By observing and playing against these teams you're able to come up with great ideas in order to counteract these strategies. Being on the travel team is a constant challenge and I love being able to see myself improve. It's hard work, but it's why I love it!<br /><br />And what about hanging with my derby ladies?! Road trips and traveling to bouts has always been a major highlight about derby. Our B team definitely gets to travel, but there is more weight for travel with our A team because of WFTDA requirements and opportunities for WFTDA play. With a weekend away from life, we get to pump some tunes, drop our guards, and have some fun! I've made some of my most precious memories on derby trips- singing along to The Little Mermaid with Miz, rapping with Sug and Poppin', petting puppies with Ktal and Spice, and dancing in the street with my entire team. When I went to RollerCon, I was by myself, and I was pretty much adopted by derby friends I had made while skating with my travel team. It really was like a big derby family, and being a part of something where people are warm and accepting was incredible. Skating on the travel team definitely opens more doors for you, not only to network with other leagues but to strengthen the friendships you have with yours!<br /><br />I love being on the travel team, but it's a lot of time, and more importantly, it's a lot of work. When you’re a member of the top team, coasting isn't something we can afford. As a member of the travel team I need to be an example of dedication, good work ethic, positivity, and camaraderie. At times it can be very stressful. It's also hard work to watch what I eat, lift weights and go running outside of practice, implement new strategy, and go 100% at practice at every practice. Am I a perfect league member? No. Sometimes I take a day off, but nothing that came easy has ever really been worth it to me. I want the challenge. I want to see myself improve. I want to look in the mirror and know that with every move I make I'm becoming more like Wonder Woman. So, if that's what you want from roller derby, the travel team is for you!!<br /><br />I, Mollytov Maguire, prefer a different role in the league with the traveling B team. Here are my thoughts on that:<br /><br />The traveling B team may not take us as far and wide as the A team, but I still get to travel. Going to neighboring states to play in bouts with other skaters does give me the opportunity to meet new people, but there isn't the same amount of pressure on my to worry about our ranking. Being on an unranked team gives me more flexibility to be experimental, to really <i>play</i>. What I mean is that Punchies are purely for fun and that is the experience I am interested in. I am in the very serious derby business of having fun on the flat track.Yes, I work hard to be OK at derby, but I am there to hang out with my girlfriends, get some exercise, and not have to be at work. I firmly believe both teams are fun, both are creative, adaptable, and exciting, but I don't want to lay awake at night thinking about how I *might have* single-handedly lost the bout for everyone on the track (because if you don't know me by now, that's TOTALLY what I'd do). No pressure, less time, so fun.<br /><br />If it isn’t hurting, uh.. well, that’s good for me. I don’t like being sore everyday but it’s OK some days. I hate it when I am so sore from practice the night before that I regret getting a car with a manual transmission. I like working out knowing that I am building a healthier me. I do not work out so that I don’t let down my team, however. Sorry ladies, I can’t take on that kind of responsibility. My satisfaction lies in knowing that I gave 100% of what I had to give, and that’s enough for me. Maybe my 100% looks a little different than someone else’s, and that is what derby is about; being able to “right-size” that stuff.<br /><br />I guess the main thing I love about being a Punchy is that I do get to coast. I feel like it’s the right derby/life balance to suit my goals. Sometimes I am more intense than others. Sometimes I am stoked to be there and sometimes I come just because of the attendance policy. I don’t want to be the next Bonnie Thunders. I mean, it would be TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME, but that is not something I want to work <i>that </i>hard for. Seriously. I love derby, and I love the community, but I also love the life that I spent 30 years building before derby came into it and stole my heart. Like with any relationship I’ve ever been in, I’ve always told my significant other that I want to <i>want </i>them, but I will never be the girl that <i>needs </i>them. When I need derby or I feel like derby needs more of me than I want to give, it’s time to re-evaluate things.<br /><br />
Really, I think Skank and I are getting at the same thing; we both love derby and we both love our roles. We’ve each sat down and thought about what derby brings to our lives, how much time we’re able to put into our derby goals, and came up with the solution that fits our lifestyles the best. Also, I love that there is room in my league for someone like me and my slacker ass "17 pieces of flair" attitude, and someone like Skank who asks us <i>all </i>to be more and leads by fearless example with a spirit that is nothing short of admirable.<br />
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Derby Love,<br />
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The Original Skankster and Mollytov Maguire<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-21411179801487045672014-02-20T13:26:00.000-07:002014-02-20T13:26:19.606-07:00Offical Review: Being Gay in Sports<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The views expressed in this blog entry are the opinion and do not necessarily reflect or endorse the views of Foco Girls Gone Derby, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association or any other sports entity.</span></i><br />
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If you've If you've picked up a copy of the sports section lately, you might have accidentally confused it for the lifestyles or opinions section based on the large number of articles about "gays in sports." Just a few articles I have read in the last week include: <i><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-miah/being-gay-at-the-sochi-ol_b_4742965.html" target="_blank">Being Gay at the Sochi Olympics,</a> <a href="http://www.sdgln.com/health/2014/02/10/missouri-football-star-could-be-first-openly-gay-nfl-player#sthash.ztpvnISj.dpbs" target="_blank">Michael Sam Comes Out As Gay: Missouri Football Star Could be 1st Openly Gay Player</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/13/gay-athletes-poll_n_4781448.html" target="_blank">America is Ready For Openly Gay Athletes, Poll Shows</a></i> and my personal favorite: <i><a href="http://www.secondcitynetwork.com/behave-around-gay-teammate-michael-sam/" target="_blank">How to Behave Around Your Gay Teammate in the Locker Room</a>.</i><br />
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Before I delve into this topic (see disclaimer above), I should be transparent about why I am writing this piece. I am a gay man who officiates in the sport of women's roller derby. Does my role as an official make me an expert on <a href="http://tahoesafealliance.org/for-lgbqtia/what-does-lgbtqia-mean/" target="_blank">LGBTQIA</a> individuals involved in sports? Certainly not. But as a gay man who is also a sports aficionado it feels completely appropriate to write about the recent buzz in both the LBGTQIA and sports communities.<br />
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As a young kid, I grew up with team sports. I can remember at an early age being involved with the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). My mom would cart my brother and me, once a week to practice and to games on the weekends. This was my first real exposure to team sports and although I can't tell you our win/loss record for each season I participated in with AYSO, I do acknowledge that the experience allowed me to feel like a member of a team and also afforded me the opportunity to eat a lot of delicious orange slices after each game!<br />
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My second foray into organized sports was recreational volleyball, which, at the time, was largely considered "feminine" and I was one of the two boys on the team. While I loved being on the team and played for three seasons, it was the first time I wondered if my teammates, coach, or spectators speculated about my sexuality. You see, I knew I was gay very early in life and although I didn't come out until I was fourteen, this was my first intersection with sports and my sexuality. It was the first time I wondered if being gay meant I couldn't play sports or be on a team.<br />
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It wasn't until I went to high school, where all students were mandated to play team sports in lieu of physical education classes, when I actually panicked about being gay and on a sports team. By that time in my life, I had come out to myself and my family, but wasn't out to my friends or classmates. Having attended a boarding school where you live, eat, and sleep with your classmates, it's not an easy secret to keep and my "sparkling" personality didn't really help either.<br />
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My first season of high school sports, I was invited to play on the varsity soccer team. Apparently my youth soccer experiences paid off in the skill department. Our first several games of the season were home games, which meant I didn't have to travel to other schools, but more importantly, it meant I could go back to my dorm room after the game and shower in the privacy of my own room. However, it was my first away game that I dreaded, for fear of having to shower with my other teammates before we boarded the bus back home.<br />
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Let me shed a little light here for a second; when I was in high school, I was more terrified of showering with my straight teammates than they likely ever were of showering with the presumed gay guy on the team (see sparkling personality reference above). I had a lot of the same body image issues that lots of young people face when you're going through puberty. The only times that I ever looked at someone in the locker room was more for comparisons' sake of "Oh wow, my body doesn't look like <i>that, "</i> or "Am I supposed to have hair there?!?" My cursory glances, and those glances of my teammates alike, at other's bodies were more about the growing body image issue that we have in America, which is a different topic for a different day. I survived through two years of high school varsity sports (soccer, swimming and tennis) with my head down and always being the first in and out of the rampant heterosexual environment known as "the locker room." I provide this backdrop as context of what it was like in the early 90's to be a young gay athlete.<br />
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When I joined Foco Girls Gone Derby in 2012, I was never required, nor did I feel compelled to disclose my sexual orientation. I joined with the hope of becoming part of a team again and to engage in a sport that I felt passionate about. What I appreciate most about the sport of derby is that it has a relatively open door policy and that you have the right to be who you are without judgement or retaliation. While I cannot speak for all leagues involved in either WFTDA or its male counterpart, Men's Roller Derby Association (MRDA), thus far I have always been treated with respect and welcomed with open arms by players, coaches and fellow officials.<br />
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It is encouraging that the revelation of gay athletes is as celebrated as it is, but also disconcerting that in 2014 an athlete's coming out story is still national news. While I'm excited that Michael Sam is now "out" and has prospects to be the first openly gay NFL player, and the international response to Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws, especially in light of the International Olympic Committees objections, at the end of the day, fans and athletes alike still care about one thing: sports.<br />
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For my fellow athletes: treat your LGBTQIA teammates the way you would treat any of your straight teammates. Joke with them, interact with them both on and off the track, court, field, etc., help fight the heterocentric nature of the locker room, and while you're at it, challenge body image issues raised in the locker room, and most of all, don't make judgments of an athlete's ability simply because of their sexual orientation.<br />
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For fans who love sports, neither I, nor most athletes, need a standing ovation for being gay athletes. Simply acknowledge gay team members as an athlete who's out there doing what they love while providing you entertainment and enjoyment. Support athletes when they make great plays and prevent yourself from using hateful words like gay, queer, or fag for players who make bad plays or are on teams you cheer against.<br />
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Michael Sam's coming out may open the door to a new audience for the NFL, but it likely won't have any huge ramifications on existing fan bases. I, like many others, will not cheer any less for the Denver Broncos, despite their blundering performance in Super Bowl XLVIII, in place of a team that drafts the first openly gay player. I also don't expect a mass defection of fans from a team that chooses to draft Sam. There have always been and will always be LGBTQIA athletes but it is first and foremost the responsibility as athletes, officials, and fans alike to display the highest levels of dignity, respect and sportsmanship to all, both on and off the field.<br />
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Whistle Blower<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-51687963312696250702014-02-13T16:30:00.001-07:002014-02-13T16:30:19.167-07:00Handing Over the Reigns<div style="text-align: center;">
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I've been in management positions for most of my adult life; I've managed multiple restaurants and even have a degree in management. After a few months of playing roller derby, I knew that I wouldn't be content not having some say in the organization of the league. So, as a doe-eyed newbie I ran for captainship of one of the home teams, The Deathrow Dolls. I captained the Dolls for almost a whole season before I decided to run for the Co-Captin of the competitive travel team, The MicroBruisers. I captained the Bruisers for almost two seasons before finally deciding to step down at the end of last season and oh boy! Has it been a ride!<br />
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When I thought that managing a team of roller derby ladies would be no different than my previous management experience, I couldn't have been more wrong. This is no restaurant, we don't get paid and managing those ladies will be a challenge I will never forget. Being a competitive team captain means a lot of things; choosing rosters (possibly leaving out skaters you consider good friends), writing lines, leading practices, championing the team in athletics committee meetings, keeping morale high and even disciplining unsavory actions (dun, dun, dunnnnnnn). My co-captain, Slim Skatey (and later Miz. Eerie Bizness) and I have a special obstacle to overcome as well- it was just us. No coaches, nothing. The coaching staff was just two ladies that had to figure out how to be "The Boss" while still skating as a teammate.</div>
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I know I'm probably making captaining seem like the WORST. IDEA. EVER. But, alongside the issues and stress, I had a lot of great times that far outweigh the hard parts. I got to wear my captain "C" ) "A" in the beginning) with pride, because I knew that this was a team that I helped create. I got the pleasure of being told, "Great practice, Sug!" after practices I have developed and put together (a very daunting task, btw). I got to introduce new strategies and watch them succeed (or fail, but let's not talk about that). When morale was high, I could turn up my chin and know that I had had a part in it. I got to take my team to two tournaments! And, finally, when we won...WE WON!</div>
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Now that I'm no longer a captain of any team, I find myself trying not to become the dreaded "backseat captain." But, it's hard not to have a say in the team that, for two years, I worked so hard to build up. Luckily, I couldn't have asked for a better coaching staff to hand the reigns over to; Coach Paul, Assistant Coach Hayl, and our two wonderful captain The Original Skankster and Princess of Wails are AMAZEBALLS and I am so excited to see what they will do with this team. Their motto for this season is "Athleticism, Discipline, and Teamwork," wowza!</div>
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So, to my successors: Have fun wrangling us through the bountiful derby merch at Wild West to get to our bouts (FYI, it will be like herding cats in a room full of catnip). Don't wallow in your defeats. Enjoy your victories. And, finally, soak in as much as possible, because one day you'll be like good ol' Suga Smaxx having to pass off the torch. </div>
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Now, let me get back to my stress-free derby life...NOT!</div>
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Much love, </div>
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Suga Smaxxx</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-5585580125163373122014-02-07T12:29:00.006-07:002014-02-07T12:29:53.809-07:00Roller Derby is (also) for Introverts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ36wI81gEc_esWc6NJy7vHUDGyPHzFV0ttd16QyARJRg0Cv5Ccb55ke3V9e3JolWr5w6BseS1Pvso8BKnYHEUAvhKeeg7xopvDsHs_YYgpD-bWIYH7OA6-JycyDO9kVMlaZIrehZJ2qZV/s1600/intorvert+not+shy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ36wI81gEc_esWc6NJy7vHUDGyPHzFV0ttd16QyARJRg0Cv5Ccb55ke3V9e3JolWr5w6BseS1Pvso8BKnYHEUAvhKeeg7xopvDsHs_YYgpD-bWIYH7OA6-JycyDO9kVMlaZIrehZJ2qZV/s1600/intorvert+not+shy.jpg" height="170" width="320" /></a></div>
I love people. I love watching them. I love listening to them (when they know I am listening <i>and</i> when they don't). I don't really love interacting with them though. As much I love being a part of social situations, I don't <i>really</i> want to be social in them. I am like a cat in that way. I want to be in the same room as something social, but it's sometimes really hard for me to <i>be</i> social, even with my close friends. I kinda just want to be in the same room and not have to talk. Sometimes. Not all the time. Sometimes, when I get enough booze and fried food in me, and I won't shut up.<br />
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Roller derby is perfect for me because we have a thing that we're doing. I don't have to ask people gently probing questions about their lives, their personal history, their families, their health, their happiness because we're <i>doing </i>something. We're derby-ing. I can tell them "Jammer standing!" and "watch the inside!" without hesitation but when you ask me about my day, I am flummoxed. I like to go to a place where I get to be with my friends, but I don't have to talk about my feelings in front of everyone. I make left turns, I skate it out, and I feel like I have done something. I saw some people today and it mattered that their faces were in front of mine. Roller derby is a fun, safe, place full of people I like and trust, who don't need to make me be things I am not. They only ask that I push myself harder, whatever that looks like for me.<br />
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I think introverts make awesome teammates because we are:<ul>
<li>Very self-aware</li>
<li>Thoughtful</li>
<li>Enjoys understanding details</li>
<li>Interested in self-knowledge and self-understanding</li>
<li>Tends to keep emotions private</li>
<li>Quiet and reserved in large groups or around unfamiliar people</li>
<li>More sociable and gregarious around people they know well</li>
<li>Learns well through observation*</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don't get me wrong, I love my extroverted friends, colleagues, and teammates, but an introvert will wait and watch before they give feedback. We're thinking about what we're going to say before we say it. We do this on the track, in committee and board meetings, and in our relationships. We try and really understand a situation. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuhlSuK17ptPf9FNeKMXpdS3I4Rt9C6hv0LQf3D-YILicVnCgwZe4YaXsxKcl6ITkb0vx-yizFx28TueP07wHx10pRX2Vu1SXtpJLLJssENDx-wPdlWA1UQtPz-7jVf28W5IfgvMVEzDl/s1600/social+events.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuhlSuK17ptPf9FNeKMXpdS3I4Rt9C6hv0LQf3D-YILicVnCgwZe4YaXsxKcl6ITkb0vx-yizFx28TueP07wHx10pRX2Vu1SXtpJLLJssENDx-wPdlWA1UQtPz-7jVf28W5IfgvMVEzDl/s1600/social+events.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think the hardest thing for me is all the social opportunities surrounding derby. The after parties, the pre-game talks, the time when you're gearing up and down. Those things are like the first day of school for me STILL and I have been with my league for more than 2 years! There are new people, there are cliques, there are the "popular girls" and despite my best efforts, I know that I am not every one's cup of tea. And that's OK, it's just stressful sometimes. I get in my car and panic a little about who I am going to do endurance practice next to. Are they going to judge my squat-jumps and burpees? When I gear up, can they smell my wristgaurd stank like I can? OH GOD. Hopefully I am with someone in my inner circle, then I give no f**ks about those things.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moral of the story, everyone has their hurdles, but being an introvert shouldn't stop you from PLAYING ALL THE DERBIES! because there are a lot of benefits of being an introverted type of person, on and off the track!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Derby Love,</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mollytov Maguire </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*<a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/trait-theories-personality/f/introversion.htm">What is Introversion?</a> By <a href="http://psychology.about.com/bio/Kendra-Cherry-17268.htm">Kendra Cherry</a></span><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-88691513555930061292014-01-30T08:46:00.002-07:002014-01-30T08:46:30.100-07:00What's Your Roller Derby Spirit Animal?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ever wonder what kind of skater you are? Do you ever feel inadequate with the skill-set you have? Wishing that you could just skate like that one girl on the team you envy? Wait, really? WHY?! Roller derby is about a place for everyone; every body type and every skill-set. Every skater is unique and guess what? We need <i>all of them.</i> You might go around thinking that you're not as valuable as the other players on your team, and you would be very, very, wrong. One day you'll go up against this bad ass team of chicks and there will be one girl that no one can stop but you. You'll just <i>get</i> the way she skates when no one else does. So buck up little camper! Roller derby is not a sport about feeling sorry for yourself, it's about <i>taking control</i>. Now I'm sure I didn't capture all the roller derby spirit animals but I assume they're a lot like Pokemon and you can just add more when you come across one. Read on!</div>
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The Honey Badger<br />
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Cuz you don't give a shiiiiz. Honey badger don't care. She don't care one bit. The honey badger is the lady who hits hard, hits fast, and manages the pack with her feisty skating. She tornadoes around, faster and with more direction than you thought a skater could, and is the skater that makes every jammer sweat when she's on the other team. Is she always with her wall? Not necessarily. This one likes to go rogue and fly solo while she plays offense for her jammer and picks off the opposing players one at a time, leaving more than a few bruises in her wake. She's mean, she's scary, and every hit feels more and more like defeat.<br />
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The Bull<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_ZAu3Y8n9-CH7hsuzeu9OnyyfVHSPL24EKbhmkUlU4jhDXf5ab4QkDsGi74miJzxyZ3S1R2-i-vYgeiDPNbq_prUXX4yrnywVQWC7dB7YPb7hn5ZknhIqQ-KJXxGpS9cWABuOhiSI76y/s1600/gaur001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_ZAu3Y8n9-CH7hsuzeu9OnyyfVHSPL24EKbhmkUlU4jhDXf5ab4QkDsGi74miJzxyZ3S1R2-i-vYgeiDPNbq_prUXX4yrnywVQWC7dB7YPb7hn5ZknhIqQ-KJXxGpS9cWABuOhiSI76y/s1600/gaur001.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
This skater is the most fearless skater on the track because she knows the WFTDA rules like the back of her hand, or should I say, hoof? So when something doesn't sit right with her she digs her heels in, takes a deep breath, and charges ahead at full speed. Calling time-outs to challenge a call is her specialty and instead of playing reckless, she plays smart. Opposing players fear her, because they know when she challenges she has a good reason. Her teammates go to her for advice, council, and questions, wanting to know as much about derby as she does. If you're a bull, stay that way. If you're not, pick up a rule book and get studying!<br />
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The Wolf<br />
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Do you ever find yourself herding all of the other skaters so that they're where they need to be? You're always nipping at their heels by yelling, pointing, and physically moving them with your body? You're the wolf; mother of the pack. You know that keeping your pack together will mean life or death for the jam and you're not taking any chances. Newer skaters look to you to tell them what to do, where to go, and how to improve. Off the track, you're more of a mother, giving advice to inexperienced skaters and explaining that last jam to anyone with a 'deer in the headlights' look. On the track, you're a wolf, keeping everybody in line and forcing them to improve their game.<br />
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The Emperor Penguin<br />
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A very interesting fact about the Emperor Penguin is that mates for life. It finds its "soul mate," looks all over the beach for the perfect pebble, and then presents it to its true love and they are together forever. Awww... If you are an Emperor Penguin on the track, it simply means that you skate better with a partner in crime. You tend to use the people around to you to land your hits, booty block, and force the track cut on that pesky little jammer when your partner drags her. This girls is your derby soul mate and you know each other like the back of your skate. There are also penguin skaters that work well with any partner, but the principle is the same, they know that 2 pairs of skates are better than 1.<br />
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The Springbok<br />
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This little skater is a jumpy, hoppy, all over the place jammer. You get low as you approach the pack and then spring into action, flying past everyone in front of you. If you manage to get caught, it won't be for long. You're great a juking, stepping, toe-stop work, and you leave people behind in a flash! You know one of the most important lessons in derby, <i>levels matter</i>. You've also taken a few lessons from Patches O'Hoola Han and have learned how to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge! <br />
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The Ram<br />
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<a href="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/004/cache/bighorn-sheep_463_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/004/cache/bighorn-sheep_463_600x450.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
You're a great jammer, but you're not a springbok. Instead of hopping around and trying to dodge your opponents, you power through with incredible force. Because you're solid on your skates and know people can't hit you out easily, you bide your time and just muscle your way through. Hearing a "No Pack!" is your favorite sound, because you've managed to power push the wall to the brink. As much as the pack tries to slow down with you forcing them forward, they simply can't. No amount of snow plows or hockey stops can stop you from getting through, and the team depends on you to go up against those tough blockers that dominate the track.<br />
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Didn't find your spirit animal? Not to worry, there are dozens of them, all equally important for a team to be successful. Whatever your spirit animal is, just own it. You don't have to skate like your derby crush, or Suzy Hotrod, Bonnie Thunders, or Jackie Daniels. We all now that it's not about what you got, but what you <i>make</i> of what you got. No one's born a great derby player, so stop comparing yourself to others, and just become the absolute best of what you are! <br />
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Cheers,<br />
<br />
The Original Skankster<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>FOCO Girls Gone Derbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781272523872507801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-17491776100672274832014-01-23T18:03:00.000-07:002014-01-23T18:03:43.632-07:00Battle-ing JammingIf you've ever read a roller derby blog then, inevitably, you've read about the dreaded jammer panty. Also known as the plague panty. If you're unfamiliar, the jammer panty is the helmet cover that the jammer (point-scorer) wears on the track. Think of it as a giant target plastered to your head.<br />
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The reason behind its dread? Jamming can suck. A whole lot. Even people who are really <i>good</i> at jamming have the fear of the jammer panty. It means up to two full minutes of being caught in the other team's sights and having the snot hip-checked out of you. It means endurance, speed, and agility. Things that don't always come naturally to - ahem - some of us.<br />
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I'm just starting my 8th (what? really? holy crap!) season of playing roller derby. I only started volunteering to jam LAST season. No one dreaded the panty more than me. When someone would ask, "Who wants to jam?" I would quickly put the pivot panty on, or sprint to the track to avoid it. I wasn't small, agile, or fast like a jammer should be. In fact, I didn't <i>want</i> to be.<br />
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I played derby for many seasons, content to be a blocker. I'm a bigger girl, was even bigger when I started. I could take a hit, and I could lay people flat if I was able to get the timing right. I didn't cross train, I wasn't athletic. I couldn't run, I fought constantly with my asthma. What I got out of derby was enough for me back then- a little bit of effort and the fun of skating.<br />
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Something changed a few seasons back. I decided I wanted to be healthier, and derby is a great way to achieve that. I put more into my practices, started hitting the gym. I lost some weight, and in the 2011 season, I finally earned my first MVP award in a bout. That still wasn't enough suddenly. I KNEW that I could do more- that the only thing limiting me was, in fact, me. I started the Couch to 5K program in the beginning of the 2012 season. I kept going to the gym. I kept getting in better shape. I made the active roster for the travel team. It was one of my proudest moments.<br />
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I was still afraid to jam.<br />
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My asthma was part of it; it still is. Running has helped me get a better handle of endurance, but there are times I still need my inhaler, and jamming definitely stresses the body. But I was getting sleeker, faster, and more agile. And so, halfway thought last season, I decided I would MAKE myself jam. Every scrimmage. At least once per half. It wasn't easy, but it got easier. I got lead jammer! Hey, this time I actually scored points! It wasn't scary anymore. I decided to jam in a home bout and I got lead AND scored points! Sure, next time I jammed I got shut down and the opposing team mopped the floor with me. But you know what? I went out again.<br />
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I even gave it a shot in a competitive travel bout. That...still needs some work, but it's good to have goals, right?<br />
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Derby practices used to have an underlying note of anxiety for me. When was I going to have to jam in a drill? Would they make me jam in scrimmage, even? I don't feel that anymore. I can even say I'm EXCITED to jam. I volunteer to do it, I like the feeling of getting through that pack, scoring those points, and being able to call it off. <br />
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Hey, it only took 8 seasons, right?<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>FOCO Girls Gone Derbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781272523872507801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-91323367384670135752014-01-16T12:43:00.001-07:002014-01-16T12:43:12.754-07:00Mollytov 2.0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Derby Resolutions:<br />
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<b>1. Eat like a champ.</b> But seriously, <i>like </i>a champ because I <i>AM </i>a champ. Or will be this season. I don't want to say that I eat like crap, but I also don't eat all the things I should. I don't drink enough water either and I will do this too. I am doing this right now in fact. I need to have more leafy greens, more vibrant reds, and less Yellow #5. This one is going to be HARD. <br />
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<b>2. Jam.</b> I am <b><i>really </i></b>gonna do that this year. I am not going to say "No" to the panty if I can breathe and stand. In scrimmage. I can't say that I will commit to bouts. That sounds traumatic. I can say that this is MY YEAR to be awesome at derby. I know that more jamming will make me a better blocker and I will see the game that much better. I think it will (in the long run) make derby more fun for me. The dread that I feel about being asked to jam and knowing that I am going to turn it down will be a thing of the past! Instead, a fresh new kind of hell will take it's place. That hell is jamming. Some things are worth the struggle. Hopefully, it won't always be my own personal derby hell. <br />
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<b>3. Go to the gym.</b> I will commit to going to the gym. I am going to include more yoga in this because when you do high impact all the time, it's hard. I need me some quiet, stretchy-breathing time. Time that I don't think about lists and committee work, and doing the dishes because that is a problem for me. But really, if I am going to be honest with myself, I need to work on having faster feet, not breathing. OK, both at the same time and I am going to do that on a treadmill and with some free weights. Peer pressure might also work, keep me honest people.<br />
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<b>4. I will strive for better work vs. life vs. derby balance.</b> I need to leave certain things on the track and keep my drama to myself. No excuses. No punishments. Just better compartmentalization. I will also not obsessive watch my blog stats, Facebook stats, website stats, or any others that aren't relevant at that time. No screens allowed on date night. That is going to be a hard habit to break, but a very worthy one.<br />
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<b>5. My final resolution is to be as nice to myself as I am my friends.</b> If they screw something up, I don't punish them. I talk them down from the ledge. I give them room to learn from their mistakes and I don't sit in the bottom of the shower crying about them at one in the morning. This is something I am going to give myself this year.<br />
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Welcome to 2014 everyone.<br />
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Derby love,<br />
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Mollytov Maguire <div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-89610987266437942382014-01-09T16:12:00.001-07:002014-01-09T16:12:47.165-07:00Last Year's Bucket List and MORE...Alright ladies, exactly one year ago I wrote a New Year's Resolution blog post about what my plans were for the year to make my roller derby experience as awesome as possible. Now I'm here a year later, shame-stick in hand, looking back to see whether I accomplished the goals I set for myself. Did I make it? Did I become the most wonderful, productive derby girl of all time? Read on and find out!<br />
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1.Learn the Rules.<br />
Hmmmm. Rules rules rules. My most favorite thing about roller derby...NOT. I know, I know, the WFTDA rule book is not as exciting to read as Fifty Shades of Grey, but it's well worth the effort. It's also a bit tricky, because a new rule-set comes out every year, but I have to say that I dusted off the ol' rule book this year and hit the books hard. I gotta tell you, I learned a lot! In fact, it saved me a few trips to the penalty box, so if you're looking to reduce your time <i>off</i> the track, the rule book is the place to start.<br />
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2.Make it to RollerCon.<br />
Mission accomplished! In fact, I was the only girl from our league there. It made me a little sad, because I didn't know a whole lot of people, but I have no regrets about going. RollerCon is definitely the place to go if you need a new spring in your step- er- I mean skate. With a ton of classes taught by the best roller derby players in the world, they're tailor-made for each skill you're trying to pull off next. With scrimmages, merch, bouts, and parties, RollerCon is the Mecca for any roller girl. While I was there, the Ark Valley Rollergirls, a league not far from my town took me under their wing and pretty much adopted me for the week. It was so amazing to hang out with these ladies; they were kind, fun, and I had a blast with them. With all of the relationships I cultivated, things I learned, and experiences I had, I'll definitely be making the trip again this year!<br />
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3.Win One MVP Trophy at a WFTDA sanctioned bout.<br />
Promises, promises. Unfortunately I only managed to accomplish this one 50% of the way through. I won an MVP trophy for a home bout (which I kicked BUTT in BTW) but my goal was to win one during a travel team bout. I wanted the ladies of the other team, who had never seen us in action, to see me as a valuable asset to my team. Call this a selfish goal if you will, I understand, but can you blame me for wanting to ROCK THE BOUT??! So this goal will be rolling over to this year, and somehow, someway, I will accomplish it! That being said, doing what's best for the team is more important than making yourself look good, so be a team player and rock the bout!<br />
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4.Jump the Apex.<br />
I totally jumped the apex, once. ONCE. But I did it! So it's practice, practice, practice until I do it again. And again. One day it will be rainbows and cupcakes over that apex jump, so I'll just keep on truckin' until it happens.<br />
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5.Be Awesome.<br />
Hmmm...can I truly answer this one objectively? Last year I vowed to stop complaining, work out, eat right, and leave it all on the track. Did I do that? Did I accomplish my goal of being awesome? Heck yes I did! I focused a lot on my nutrition this year and making sure I worked out a few days every single week other than derby. I also stopped playing it safe and tried hard to push myself during practice. This is probably the most important thing you can do to better yourself. Set goals, set timelines, and then push push push!<br />
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So in the spirit of the new year, follow my lead (which is excellent) and set your own Roller Derby New Year's Resolutions! <br />
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Cheers to a great new year,<br />
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The Original Skankster<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>FOCO Girls Gone Derbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781272523872507801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-41593266068933730342013-11-14T16:47:00.000-07:002013-11-14T16:47:10.458-07:00A Few Bumps in the Road - But We're All Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh, Ogden, UT. How I always miss visiting you. NOT! The bars close at 1am. The mountains are on the wrong side. Not to mention the breathtakingly beautiful scenic drive through the middle of Wyoming is anything but breathtaking or beautiful. Even so, every year we make the pilgrimage to the great state of Utah to play the Junction City Roller Girls. It's a great chance to spend time with our teammates and have fun on the last travel bout of the season, and the Junction City Roller Girls are a formidable opponent. I won't go through the gory details of the trip, but I will share a few good morsels with you.<br />
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<b>On the Road Again</b><br />
The trip there is always full of new things. Everyone's amped about the trip, the energy is high, and without fail we learn so many little tidbits about each other. It's really nice to learn more about the ladies that you're skating with. Did you know that Double D-struction is planning on roasting an entire pig for her birthday? Or that CeCE She-bash'ya wants to raise her own chickens? Or that Pootie Tang loves to implement graffiti in her graphic design? I didn't, but what else are you going to talk about on your way through a high-altitude desert covert in a thick layer of dirt (no offense, Wyoming, but let's face it. You're a very dirty state). Despite the lack of visual stimulation there are at least some cool things about Wyoming. Such as:<br />
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1. Gas stations so big you could survive there for years during the zombie apocalypse.<br />
2. Cool rock formations.<br />
3. It's fine cuisine.<br />
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<b>We are a Family</b><br />
When we're on a trip we do everything together - eat, sleep, drive. laugh, and play derby- really <i>everything. </i>We basically just swarm around town in a huge dust cloud causing destructions wherever we go, and since we're wearing our derby swag people tend to take notice. "Oh, did you see those girls this morning? They were all wearing black jackets and singing show tunes."<br />
Why yes! That's us! Booty blocking in public! And during this special trip, 98 Pounds of Steel made the devastating mistake (although I supported it) of getting Ms. Eerie Bizness a toy microphone that echoes her voice. Disney classics rained down from the sky! Katy Perry songs melted our minds! And she sang, at the top of her lungs, at every restaurant, with absolutely no shame. I will not be able to rip the memory of the Hercules opening song out of my mind for as long as I live.<br />
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<b>Bouting is Hard</b><br />
We took the journey to Ogden, UT to play the Junction City Roller Girls; a tough team that hits hard and plays a great game. Although we held out own for a while, ultimately the Junction City Roller Girls figured out how to bust through our walls and we lost the bout. Feeling dejected, I thought about all of the things I needed to work on. You need to skate faster, Skank! Get lower! Get on your toe-stops more! Stop the jammer, don't just slow her down! I was beating myself up about how I should have played a better game for my teammates, when something clicked in my head. Instead of thinking about what I did wrong, I started thinking about how proud I was of so many of my teammates. Pootie Tang was an excellent jammer who was tired and out of breath, but she showed courage by continuing to jam her heart out. 98 Pounds of Steel was the only one who didn't go to the penalty box. Agent Cox Moulder played for almost the entire bout- not resting in between jams but staying and playing while the rest of us were tired. Princess of Wails landed some great hits that sent people flying! Ms. Eerie Bizness was the hoppiest jammer with the fanciest footwork, and every one of my teammates showed class and poise in a tough situation. I had so many reasons to be proud of my teammates that day, and <i>that's</i> why I love traveling with my team. Win or lose - we leave it all on the track.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
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The Original Skankster<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-26591388164521811102013-10-25T09:26:00.002-06:002013-10-25T09:26:17.275-06:00Show me that Smile Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My body hurts all the time. Just a little bit, but it's seriously ALL THE TIME. My hips are tight and my knee is stiff. My ankle pops and my lower back aches. It's getting close to the end of the season and I am burnt out. Practice nights mean that I am not getting to bed before midnight and it feels like there is no end in sight. There is a derby event seemingly every weekend. Public appearances, bouts, meetings, and more meetings. I have league meetings and board meetings, there are committee meetings and special Sunday coffee meetings to talk about that special bout we're thinking about. I am there early and I stay late. This is my derby life.<br />
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It didn't start out this way. I thought it would get me out of the house, get me active, and help me meet people. Which, well, mission accomplished. I joined the league and had 50 new close friends. I don't know when things changed, but they have. Somewhere along the line, I became totally infatuated with derby. The more I learned about it, the more ingrained in the culture I became. I talked about the merits of different wheels and pads, which bearings to buy, and different styles and brands of boots. I have talked about strategy; from eating the baby to passive offense. I have watched hours of playoffs and have yelled at the T.V. to "Back bridge!!" and let the defense know there is a "Jammer standing!!" more times than I can count.<br />
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No, this is not an announcement of retirement, but I can say, that like with any relationship, the new-ness has worn off and I am left with the reality of derby. A reality that is always challenging. Our "season" is pretty much year round. While other sports play from September to January, we practice for 10 1/2 months together. Taking December off and a a few weeks in the summer. It's a marathon, not a sprint. I practice with my team a minimum of 6 hours a week and am expected (but have trouble with) training on my own outside of practice, to eat right, to be at my peak of performance for MORE THAN 1O MONTHS OF THE YEAR. I do not get paid for this, rather, I pay to do it. I give my time, my money, my body, and my heart to this sport and my league.<br />
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I live and breathe FoCo. I had a dream the other night about having paid positions in my league one day. An actual dream. Not like, "I have a dream" but I was laying in bed, my eyes were closed, by subconscious was running the movie behind my eyelids and I dreamt about my hopes for the league someday and I dreamt that I was a part of them still. Dedication, no? That same night, another league member had a dream that I could jump the apex and we were all on ESPN.<br />
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I wonder how far we are from those derby dreams. No, no. I don't mean me jumping the apex. (I am not going to use the word "impossible" for that, because you never know.... but it's awesome knowing that someone has that much faith in me!) I mean from being a major sport in the world. What will that look like? What <i>do</i> we need to sacrifice in order to mainstream? Are the 2020 Olympics something that we want to pursue? Are the small people like me going to be left behind? I love the fact that I, personally, have had a hand in building this league. I love that so many others do too. It was here long before me, and god willing, will be long after me. I love that part of WFTDA's member league requirements are that all leagues are at least 80% operated by skaters. What does that look like as the outside world comes in? What does it look like as we let them in?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiermxqqvd5PmhXHQlRB5fCzzFmThuEImUtLCmGSV7rOMDQd1-6KjAFa8ynYg8zQx19ksczZGfjSGUla6LROPwuqMEYNH6b283mqWUB3_THA_2jfdZb0LyYUeywFqTKq4hbx3m3424YYSpt/s1600/olympic+dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiermxqqvd5PmhXHQlRB5fCzzFmThuEImUtLCmGSV7rOMDQd1-6KjAFa8ynYg8zQx19ksczZGfjSGUla6LROPwuqMEYNH6b283mqWUB3_THA_2jfdZb0LyYUeywFqTKq4hbx3m3424YYSpt/s1600/olympic+dreams.jpg" height="119" width="200" /></a>As the sport grows, as our athleticism increases, as we surrender to the mainstream more and more, I remember the things that attracted me to it. Beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and ages wearing fishnets and sparkle booty shorts with PRIDE, having ridiculous names like "Suzy MuffinCrusher" and "iOna Switchblade", and being an unabashadly powerful force of womanhood. The epitome of confidence. That is what they are to me still. That is what I am to me now. If I lay down my derby name and short-shorts at the altar of my future (as yet non-existent) daughter's Olympic dreams, what am I telling her about the sport I helped to shape and build?<br />
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I came to derby because it was offbeat, because it was non-tradtitional. If we lose the things that make us non-tradtional in order to get to what someone else thinks is "the next level" are we willing to also lose the good things they bring us? If the culture of derby was like soccer, volleyball, or basketball I can't say that I would still be here now, nor might I have signed up those 2 years ago. Here's to the last year FoCo Girls Gone Derby, and the next. I love you all.<br />
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Derby Love,<br />
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Mollytov Maguire<br />
<br />
Final thought: with derby being featured in the <a href="http://www.paris2018.com/en/sport/355/roller-derby">2018 Gay Games</a> and own known commitment to LBGTQ rights and equality, how could we knowingly send our athletes to places like Russia for the Olympics? Discuss. <div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-18418722608172539312013-10-03T16:45:00.000-06:002013-10-03T16:45:00.401-06:00From Left Turns to T-Bones, It's Progress<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YkUMxrxm6Oj20e6j_PYBM8eUWwohNe6yU5Z7_YcpDyVilFOAw3AMatYWknH93miFYuD031Af4XR-P_yGRFe9rLznMjbss9rjt03-S1qWArdufzUqmGJYZ7k-shNDVIf5L5Rw-VGX6Hec/s1600/derp+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YkUMxrxm6Oj20e6j_PYBM8eUWwohNe6yU5Z7_YcpDyVilFOAw3AMatYWknH93miFYuD031Af4XR-P_yGRFe9rLznMjbss9rjt03-S1qWArdufzUqmGJYZ7k-shNDVIf5L5Rw-VGX6Hec/s1600/derp+face.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrible derp face on my part.<br />Awesome shot from Pixel This Photography</td></tr>
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Something seems to have clicked. Finally. I was coming to peace with the fact that I might always play derby badly. That I may never "get" it and that the fun of being out there with my friends might have to be enough. And then the planets aligned and I made it to another level. I am not going to say that I am anywhere near a level that could be considered competitive but I am saying that this is the best I have ever played. I had 3 weeks of scrimmages in which I didn't cry ONCE and more importantly, I didn't want to cry either. It was just fun. It felt like home. Like I belonged on the track with my team.<br />
<br />
I had lines that I played with consistently and I understood <i>most </i>of my role out there with them. I felt how they were playing and positioned myself accordingly. And then there was the bout. The Punchy Brewsters are FoCo's traveling "B" team. We don't play sanctioned bouts, but we play with HEART man! There were two such bouts in as many weeks for us and I was disappointed in my performance in it. I had been doing actual derby things in the scrimmages leading up, my on-track-confidence was at an all time high, and I thought I was ready. Instead, I as a person making left turns amid a derby bout (or so I felt) and that was sucky.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde4W-SFwS646K7ZaeyMo8_APWrl4yNQDeVFrw2hm77j_kQD7HsJfjEC5gABnlx_S55fJjHuKnTxwrzsw-ZQbd7wVgYwYcbZGJwm8DkGA1Sc1uVF4HIz9WshGAzIePOgw7_ot5Ww5DSOKW/s1600/both+teams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde4W-SFwS646K7ZaeyMo8_APWrl4yNQDeVFrw2hm77j_kQD7HsJfjEC5gABnlx_S55fJjHuKnTxwrzsw-ZQbd7wVgYwYcbZGJwm8DkGA1Sc1uVF4HIz9WshGAzIePOgw7_ot5Ww5DSOKW/s1600/both+teams.jpg" height="134" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pixel This Photography</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I prayed to the derby gods that the bout the following weekend would be different. That I would hit other people and I would work hard to stay with my line and get to the front when it was time. I SWORE those were things I could do, but doubt started working its way in. I started to wonder if I could only play well (or what felt like it to me) at scrimmage? Were the only people who would ever know that I sometimes hit people the ones who skated/reffed/NSO'ed on Thursday nights?<br />
<br />
I can remember other people starting to get good, DAMN GOOD, at derby. Starrmageddeon for example. I can remember our first scrimmage after our winter break last year when she went to hit me and there was some serious MEAT on that hit. I just looked at her and thought "Oh god. I am pretty sure I am the worst player in this league." and the same thing when C.C. ShebashYa jammed right past me later in practice. I wondered how I became worse at derby over the break and they got better. I was, again, not trying to judge myself too harshly about my skills or abilities, really trying to not punish myself for the lack thereof.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YaNcGil0iyHzErk5zuOoHXt2VFwBScFOhAc-bpfaXEl8bT0gi1VKhzDaJAnReuLf07NoQbovQOWvUcvRIJPLbI-dTG-KAyL2mCaMqhw2yrw8nxHrGjpkNAW-WGqG7YsUyU6tnHnVhex1/s1600/booty+block+pvrv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YaNcGil0iyHzErk5zuOoHXt2VFwBScFOhAc-bpfaXEl8bT0gi1VKhzDaJAnReuLf07NoQbovQOWvUcvRIJPLbI-dTG-KAyL2mCaMqhw2yrw8nxHrGjpkNAW-WGqG7YsUyU6tnHnVhex1/s1600/booty+block+pvrv.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aw yeah! I'm BOOTY BLOCKING in this shot. <br />Not just turning left.<br />Precision 10 Images</td></tr>
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With these feelings building over the year (a year that will go down in the history books are the worst ever) it was getting harder and harder to be motivated to come to practice. And then it began. The climb to greatness. Or in my case, no being the worst skater on the track at all times-ness. It just clicked. I have heard a thousand times that with doing things you're dedicated to there is sometimes a plateau point. A point at which your skills don't seem to be improving or growing. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, they explode. This is what happened for me.<br />
<br />
I am so glad I stuck it out through those doldrums. I think that I had to learn to love derby even if I was never going to be any good at all in order to start the great skill ascent again. I am pretty sure this is for life now. I said a while back that I felt like a derby poser before I bouted and now I realize that I *maybe* never stopped feeling that way. Until now. I really REALLY feel like I am part of the team. Not just a body on the track that makes left turns. It feels damn good people!<br />
<br />
Derby love,<br />
<br />
Mollytov Maguire<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-85022344934590314352013-09-26T12:28:00.001-06:002013-09-26T12:28:17.921-06:00Official Review: My Year in Roller Derby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zuvuBp3eOT6JAI-Nh0Guq1cRpqqdOxZkZ3x3eTmqEedvUzxsOE5qj5vIk5TdU4356HAPUsdZf1U3zNO9qayG-xkM1FRaT3kHeIFIFh4EEK-lHdszmIDrGOAh8yEVoMYGFGLeqs8J2_e7/s1600/Whiste+Blower_Trading+Card+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zuvuBp3eOT6JAI-Nh0Guq1cRpqqdOxZkZ3x3eTmqEedvUzxsOE5qj5vIk5TdU4356HAPUsdZf1U3zNO9qayG-xkM1FRaT3kHeIFIFh4EEK-lHdszmIDrGOAh8yEVoMYGFGLeqs8J2_e7/s1600/Whiste+Blower_Trading+Card+2013.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a>“Yes, I officiate roller derby.” I say that phrase a lot; often to the surprise of people I meet on airplanes, at conferences, or even when I am with my friends and family. People usually ask me a ton of questions about the sport, the rules, what I do; and quite often, provide commentary about how surprised they are that roller derby is even around anymore.<br />
<br />
As I prepare to celebrate my <b><span style="font-size: small;">cough</span></b>*36th*<b><span style="font-size: small;">cough </span></b>birthday next week, it dawned upon me that I quietly celebrated another milestone last week, the conclusion of my first year in roller derby.<br />
<br />
It was with more than a little angst that I agreed to volunteer with our local roller derby league, FoCo Girls Gone Derby in September of 2012. At the time, I had some exposure to roller derby through my then local (now WFTDA Apprentice League) <a href="http://www.appalachianrollergirls.com/">Appalachian Roller Girls (ARG)</a> in Boone, North Carolina. Although I had watched several bouts, witnessed many wicked hits and celebrated the wins and loses with ARG at their after parties, looking back, to say I knew anything about roller derby would be misguided and just plain wrong.<br />
<br />
When I headed off to my first “practice” as an official, I didn’t even own a pair of skates. I arrived at the roller rink, picked out my size 10 rental roller skates and then had a quiet epiphany; I hadn’t put on roller skates in over 20 years. *Flashback Alert*: Picture it, the late 80’s/early 90’s; as a young middle schooler taking a trip to the roller rink and skating to the then coolest Madonna or Tiffany song, ya, that was my last go around with roller skating.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxDwKFqHcGp-YJSKmCmbZD-oxsaJz6XFaB-l1HhyphenhyphenGoAetUA1FqHOolWdrJ7uum_l0X8i26GVZkGHE3bBSTdcClx6ZeXJ_zsVaSKnOciiThyCnk65AHFolfurr19PBhRshRtUvYhmczIX7/s1600/Colorado+Cup_Ark+v+CRRD_04.28.13_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxDwKFqHcGp-YJSKmCmbZD-oxsaJz6XFaB-l1HhyphenhyphenGoAetUA1FqHOolWdrJ7uum_l0X8i26GVZkGHE3bBSTdcClx6ZeXJ_zsVaSKnOciiThyCnk65AHFolfurr19PBhRshRtUvYhmczIX7/s1600/Colorado+Cup_Ark+v+CRRD_04.28.13_5.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a>I put my gear on, and off I “skated” (editorial commentary here: to say that I was “skating” is probably an overstatement. What I was actually doing was balancing on 8 wheels and gently rolling forward praying to God, or frankly any deity that would listen at that moment, that I wouldn’t fall.). Sure, on a Saturday night at a bout, you see how athletic and quick the skaters and officials are, but quite frankly, you don’t get to that point without falling. You see, there’s LOTS of falling in roller derby. Lots. Did I mention that we fall? A lot.<br />
<br />
You might guess that I am terrified of falling, and at that time, I would absolutely, unequivocally agree that falling and getting hurt is what worried me most about roller derby. To call myself an athlete prior to joining derby would make anyone who knows me, laugh out loud. Heck, it would make me laugh out loud.<br />
<br />
Regardless of my fear, I told myself that I really wanted to experience this sport and to eventually become the best official I could be. So off I “skated” (reference editorial comment above) in the outside official’s lane while the skaters whizzed by me at an amazing clip. I cringed every time a skater came within ten feet of me or when their body slammed into the ground around me. What I started to notice was that every time they fell they literally bounced back up like popcorn. Falls seemed to mean nothing to these women, in fact, it was an expectation that at some point you were going to fall and fall hard.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO3fJfy36nAu4N54aLe9J7Rknn6ipBjgOiCJIFo0lTaNJXWqLm_wTXP7NudvjuQ9AqSBketohttsw9kZeKONW_YYshWcNFE4kg04rbtOWX3H8WkclYv0E0O4KDaafjyMx4Q6S5qTzNKPB/s1600/Southside+Derby+Dames_05.11.13_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO3fJfy36nAu4N54aLe9J7Rknn6ipBjgOiCJIFo0lTaNJXWqLm_wTXP7NudvjuQ9AqSBketohttsw9kZeKONW_YYshWcNFE4kg04rbtOWX3H8WkclYv0E0O4KDaafjyMx4Q6S5qTzNKPB/s1600/Southside+Derby+Dames_05.11.13_1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>It wasn’t until about a month into my derby career that I was beginning to feel more confident on my skates, and was quite happy with my progress. I had practiced my crossovers, my “controlled” falling and my stopping skills. I was skating with the big kids, the A-Team <a href="http://focogirlsgonederby.com/index.php/multimedia/a-travel-team-micro-bruisers">Micro Bruisers</a>, now at practice and then it happened.<br />
<br />
I was skating in the outside lane for officials when the scrimmage jam ended. The skaters on the track were rushing off, the next line of skaters were rushing onto the track, I was skating to my position for the next jam when, standing before me was a skater. We made eye contact, I zigged, she zagged and BOOM, we hit each other, hard. The contact was hard enough that we both spun around, fell to the ground, me hitting my head on the track and the skater landing on top of me.<br />
<br />
I was dazed and confused as to what had just happened. It took me a minute to get up and rattle the cobwebs out of my skull, but then I realized I had just experienced my first real “fall” in derby. Sure, it hurt, but more importantly, in my mind, had “survived” a brush with derby death! Let’s be honest, those next few jams all of my fears of falling getting hurt came rushing back into my head. While the first fall didn’t kill me, I was sure that something similar would happen again and I would get really hurt.<br />
<br />
As we continued the scrimmage, three or four jams later a skater while falling down herself, unintentionally slide tackled me to the ground. Many people, sans me, saw this happening as they described it, in slow motion, but didn’t have time to “warn” me. Unlike the first hit which I saw coming, this one took me totally by surprise and I went down like a sack of Idaho’s best potatoes. What surprised me more than the fall however was, much like the skaters I bounced right back up and resumed skating.<br />
<br />
After that scrimmage, I realized that I had this incredible energy and drive when it comes to derby. I never expected roller derby, of all things, to become such a positive influence in my life. My derby experience has not only taught me about skating, but also about the importance of getting up after you fall, whether it’s on or off the track.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEKJFkRx08UApWdhN8n5XPqkhP0C4Gj5VrMn_Fxm_gDAu57Od-0PZYl9_eR0SCAdpiBpoOPAtI7R4IUfzbyFVs4J54yLyJtcr_GMtMxceotwi_sDqotopCsGsfe3zRqpBuQO4JS1crq9o/s1600/IMG_1935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEKJFkRx08UApWdhN8n5XPqkhP0C4Gj5VrMn_Fxm_gDAu57Od-0PZYl9_eR0SCAdpiBpoOPAtI7R4IUfzbyFVs4J54yLyJtcr_GMtMxceotwi_sDqotopCsGsfe3zRqpBuQO4JS1crq9o/s1600/IMG_1935.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I’ve grown to love this sport and I couldn’t be happier knowing that derby will be an integral part of my life for a long time to come. I look forward to celebrating more derby anniversaries in the years to come.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a great year!<br />
<br />
Whistle Blower<br />
<br />
<u><b>First Year Stats for Whistle Blower</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li># of Bouts Officiated as a Skating Official: <b>23</b></li>
<li># of Bouts Officiated as a Non-Skating Official: <b>26</b></li>
<li># of Tournaments Officiated: <b>4</b></li>
<li>Furthest Distance Traveled to Officiate:</li>
<ul>
<li><b>1224 miles</b> for Rolling Along the River Tournament. Sioux City, IA (Driving Roundtrip);</li>
<li><b>2040 miles</b> for Wild West Show Down, Bremerton, WA (Roundtrip Flight)</li>
</ul>
<li> # of Derby Crushes: <b>4</b></li>
<li> # of Derby Wives: Still Zero. Nada. Zilch.</li>
<li> # of Derby Weddings Attended: Just <b>1</b> real one (Love you HardKore Ken & Warchick Barbie!)</li>
<li> # of derby friends: Too many to name, but I am so fortunate to have each of them in my life!</li>
</ul>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-3664507733639402332013-09-20T11:02:00.002-06:002013-09-20T11:02:42.331-06:00Your Butt is Your CanvasI'm feeling saucy today. More than saucy. I'm feeling a little unhinged - in a good way. So instead of a wonderful, well thought-out blog full of good content, I'm filling it with BUTTS. That's right, good ol' fashioned eye candy. We've all seen it before; roller derby ladies have astounding ways of expressing themselves, but none better than the booty shorts wreathed in messages, art, and the usual sass. Join me, oh brave ones, for your viewing pleasure...The Butt Canvas.<br />
<br />
First, the attitude. These ladies are <i>daring</i> you to mess with them.<br />
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Who doesn't want to pack an extra punch while playing derby? These ladies see themselves as their OWN superheroes, and we love them for it!</div>
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A little, Patriotism, perhaps?</div>
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And last but not least, the skaters that just LOVE roller derby and aren't afraid to shout it from their bums!</div>
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And last but certainly not least...</div>
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Instead of looking at the ladies as simply, "well-dressed butts," think of them as badass Monet's, Rembrandt's, or Picasso's. We all love our butts, and you should too!</div>
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Cheers, </div>
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The Original Skankster</div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192925109979229207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518503638227384196.post-52871002553699211292013-09-12T12:56:00.002-06:002013-09-12T12:56:54.592-06:00The Doctor is InWhat time is it folks? That's right, it's time for another P.S.A. courtesy of the fine ladies of FoCo Girls Gone Derby, and me, Mollytov Maguire. There are a lot of phrases that get thrown around in derby; vulgar, funny, and punny alike roll right off our tongues (see what I did there? Get it? ROLL??). Something like "shut up and skate" is fairly innocuous, but today I'd like to draw attention to "derby is my therapy."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9l8uM1hzI4Zp5zfGO8KhNhNErzRMvT_vKwwHOXcjshPS2iaF76DBlBYJtfuonNOxq4-vCeoiFvEnL39-Luj_3QjHIEPM4D1DBpe_27fI1W-ehrW4_Jjh8Q5jXPcXRrM4HhZJHLEzbfPi/s1600/dr+is+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9l8uM1hzI4Zp5zfGO8KhNhNErzRMvT_vKwwHOXcjshPS2iaF76DBlBYJtfuonNOxq4-vCeoiFvEnL39-Luj_3QjHIEPM4D1DBpe_27fI1W-ehrW4_Jjh8Q5jXPcXRrM4HhZJHLEzbfPi/s1600/dr+is+in.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
While I love that so many skaters of the world have felt healed, helped, and included by roller derby and derby culture, I am a little worried about denizens of the derby-verse who need more than just skills, drills, and scrimmage to feel balanced. This week is suicide awareness week and I would like to reach out to those who can't just smile and hip-check their friends and loved ones into feeling better. This is an issue that is near and dear to me as I have lost many friends to suicide.<br />
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For many of my teenage years, it was a common thing. I went to more funerals than I rightfully should have. Friends and schoolmates dropped at around 1 per year for almost all of my teens and into my 20's. There were some who I was particularly close to and there are regrets that I will always have about "not seeing the signs" and whatnot. I loved those people and still do which is why I want to talk about when derby isn't the best therapy because THERAPY is. There ain't no shame in struggling folks.<br />
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I wonder if this idea that derby is on par with therapy undermines the people who do actually need help. These are our friends and lovers. They're our bothers and sisters in arms. They're people we'd take into our foxholes. I can speak from experience that when I've said "derby is my therapy" in the past, what I meant was "Gee, playing this sport with my friends sure is swell. I am very happy to be here right now!" and not "Derby has fixed something that was broken inside me. If you don't feel the same way, you obviously haven't accepted roller derby into your heart as your personal savior." It's the latter interpretation that concerns me. This is like telling an already depressed person that it's their fault because they're not doing it right, that they're not derby-ing right. When I have struggled with life's little "treasures" off the track, I have looked at the glee on the faces of my teammates with covetous hostility, wishing that I could rip the happy right off their faces and keep it for my own. "Why do they get to be happy about derby? Don't they know about all the shitty shit in <i>my</i> world right now? Bitches."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEMvg4iX-EiZkX5b8Ji_pjiXCUl3gCeSmzygWcvze2PS-4BaMds7mEgGiLonDM2NfwzOJCHhkFbZaKX6TfIELwc50Ti96XrGqZYlFI62dqUL_bYs_d54iKyRkM9HOj4Uif6f32kLuNTPG/s1600/not+alone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEMvg4iX-EiZkX5b8Ji_pjiXCUl3gCeSmzygWcvze2PS-4BaMds7mEgGiLonDM2NfwzOJCHhkFbZaKX6TfIELwc50Ti96XrGqZYlFI62dqUL_bYs_d54iKyRkM9HOj4Uif6f32kLuNTPG/s1600/not+alone.jpg" height="167" width="200" /></a></div>
I read a post on reddit a few months back about a skater who was coming back from injury while struggling from depression, and the idea of socially re-assimilating into her league was stressing her out. She couldn't decide if depression had made her feel more isolated than she was, or if she was pushed away by the league because of her injury/depression. Well, that is the million dollar question isn't it? Is my issue real or am I imagining it? I couldn't presume to know which was true (both maybe?) in that skater's case but I do know the things that help <i>me</i>. Her post has haunted me sometimes and I wonder what happened with that skater. I hope that she found her place in the league again and has dug herself out of the darkness. I hope that she isn't looking at the women in her wall is suspicion. I hope that she is back on skates and chipping away at all the hard things day by day.<br />
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Depression is a real, serious thing and it happens. Even to derby folk. Sometimes derby is the best therapy, and sometimes it isn't. You, as an individual, have to be able to identify the difference. There are many ways to start getting better; you can talk to someone, you can take some anti-depressants, you can (preferably) do both, you can hug a friend, snuggle your cat, play... uh bad-mitten, or scores of other things that make you feel like you're not a shell of a person. For me, I'd rather get some extra sun on my skin, have a wild night with my girlfriends, or a cozy/restorative night in with Mr. Maguire but when my usual bag of tricks started failing in huge, epic disasters, it was time to find another way. And I did. And now I am OK. And you can be too. And use your community and resources to find out what is right for you. And then let's all get together and play some derby, K?<br />
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Derby Love,<br />
Mollytov Maguire<div class="blogger-post-footer">Please visit http://focogirlsgonederby.com</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0