Blog
October 16th, 2023
Saturday was bout day! It was my first ever hometeam bout, and saying I was nervous might have been an understatement. The entire week leading up to the game, I played scenarios in my head trying to figure out how I could do the best job I could... but somewhere after my first jam of the evening, that anxity just went away. I was in the zone - just there to play derby.
I HAD SO MUCH FUN!
What went well:
I got up every time I fell - and I kept going.
I found that I was able to work my way through easier when I used my hips for the big hit, and then my shoulders/arms to wriggle through.
My teammates were super encouraging, helped me out (great offense), and we really worked well together.
What I need to work on:
Figuring out ways to not get stuck behind the tripod
Endurance (those grindy jams started to get to me)
I think I am ready to start folding some little apex jumps back into my game. My new skates were making it hard, but I am feeling so much more confident on them that I was before.
July 28th, 2023
We spent Tuesday practice working on transitions and one-footed glides. I transition easily at speed in one direction, but it takes a bit more for me to transition at speed turning toward the inside of the track.
What went well:
One footed glides - I can comfortably weave on one foot going forward
transitioning around others
What I need to work on:
Backwards one-footed weaving
Transitioning turning inside - I can do this, but it takes some thought!
July 21st, 2023
Since last writing, I have played one bout and one scrimmage. I am beginning to find my stride as a player, I feel like. Both times, I decided I wanted to focus on jamming. As a larger player, my style of jamming is what my teammate lovingly refered to as "Kool Aid Jammer". I like to hit hard, and push my way through. It gets exhausing, but also is rewarding when I make it though the pack!
What went well:
Jamming - my style of Jamming is very different from most jammers, but it was effective
Taking hits without always going down
only 3 penalties between both the game and scrimmage (one at the bout, 2 at the scrimmage)
What I need to work on:
Getting closer to my friends in the tripod
Staying lower
It's always remembering to stay low :)
Moving from my toe stops to my edges more quickly as a jammer
I feel like I did the right thing for my body at the game last saturday. I ate a big breakfast (comfort food :P - I had taco bell), focused on hydration, and tried not to eat before the game in order to keep myself from having a nervous tummy!
I want to say that I am so proud of my team from our bout on Saturday! While we didn't win, we tried our best and I felt like we played well together! It was super fun!
The scrimmage on tuesday night left me feeling very "ready" for the upcoming games/season.
July 11th, 2023
I had to collect my thoughts a bit about a game from last weekend. I didn't feel wonderful during the game, and know it wasn't my best showing. I can play derby a lot better than I did on Saturday, but also I can chalk the entire experience up to learning. I felt like I let the team down.
What went well:
I blocked and jammed - working on making myself a well rounded player
Our team as a whole got better as we played
I was captain for the first time ever
What I need to work on:
Taking hits without going down (stability?)
Getting closer to my friends in the tripod
Staying lower
It's always remembering to stay low :)
Listening to my body, and playing for endurance
I was seriously gassed by half time, and am thinking that I need to incorporate some cardio into my off skates workout time
Another thought is that I need to come up with a better pre-bout ritual. My head wasn't in the game and I don't think I did enough to get my body ready.
June 30th, 2023
It was SCRIMMAGE NIGHT for practice last night!
What went well:
I blocked and jammed
Reforming was generally quick
I could find the holes to get through
I understood when I needed to drop to bridge
What I need to work on:
Entering the pack at a lower speed when Jamming
Getting closer to my friends in the tripod
I listened to a teammate instead of my bench coach and called the jam too early