A bruise named RUBY!

Okay, so this picture is kinda lame....but it was the week after I actually received this bruise named RUBY.

When I first started with the WCR, we spent a lot of time on pacelines (which I hate) and a lot of other random drills that I won't get into here. Basically, we need to become solid skaters before we can be effective rollergirls. That's all fine and dandy...until you show up at your FIRST blocking practice.

Blocking is a difficult concept to learn. Not only do you have to have good timing, form, and position, but you also have to be solid on your feet so you can knock a skater down without falling yourself. My first blocking practice was really fun...and even more painful. Start off skates (for you non-derby folks...that means in sneakers).....start running at full speed against a girl who is trying to hold her stance. Hit with your shoulder/side and hope you knock her down. My arm hurts just thinking about it....

Step 2 - Get your gear on and be prepared to fall down. A LOT. Then imagine you are up against a seasoned rollergirl named Ruby Ramone (a former Chi-Town Siren). She's not a newbie, so she knows how to hit and inflict pain on Payne. For some reason that night, she took a "liking" to me and decided I would be the best target for her. Fortunately for me, I think I only fell down once, which was quite an accomplishment because Ruby hits HARD! The following day, the battle wounds started to appear and I had to wear long sleeves to my day job for the rest of the week to avoid the "abused wife" looks...hahaha!

I've included another picture here of my battle wound from the following week....let's just say this one was WAY more painful....that's what happens when you get knocked down and fall on your own skate....you get a nearly perfect wheel-shaped bruise on your upper thigh...nice...

So...any of you rollergirls out there remember what it was like when you first started learning to block??? I'd love to hear your stories of your blocking virginity....please leave comments!!

Happiness is my name on a track jacket....

Okay, so I got enough people to ask that I return to the blogger world, so I will try to do my part to stick to my promise of coming back...

First things first....let me remind you that I am not an athlete (but I try to play one on tv). I've never been a part of a team of anything....unless you count my team of gourmet home cooks that I tend to associate with from time to time. I never knew what it was like to be a member of anything....until now.

WHAT MAKES YOU OFFICIAL?

I have to believe that with any sport, there is something that happens that makes you "official." In roller derby, the first step is to register your name with Two Evils...the International Rollergirls' Master Roster - the website that lists all current rollergirls' names so that nobody out there can steal it from you. Fortunately, my name was already registered as a member of the Central City Rollergirls in Birmingham, England...a secret gift they gave to me for my birthday last year (THANKS GIRLS).

TRACK JACKETS RULE...

In the Windy City Rollers - the thing that happens to make you "official" it is getting your track jacket. These jackets are special - only skaters can get them with the official WCR patch. When I first started skating with the WCR, it was fun, but I still didn't really feel like a rollergirl. Once my name was transferred on Two Evils to list me as a Windy City Roller, I got the approval to order a track jacket. And I LOVE IT!! Not only is it really comfy, but it solidifies my place as a true member of the roller derby community.

FINDING HAPPINESS...ONE COAT AT A TIME....

So, maybe it's that the jacket is really cute...maybe it's because when I wear it to the mall I get stopped by people all the time recognizing that I am a Windy City Roller....for whatever reason...I really believe that happiness can be found by putting your name on the back of a track jacket.

What is a pain dispenser?

I know, I gave you a list of blogs I would write. But, last weekend something came up that I thought I should share with all of you before I get into all of that stuff.

When you come up with your derby name, you always hope that people will "get it." When I first started wearing my name tag at Derby Lite, people just kinda stared at it for awhile. When it finally made sense to them, I'd hear "oh, pain dispenser.....I get it!"

Last week one of the Haymarket Rioters, Rumour Hassit, told me that I needed to talk to her son to ask him about pain dispensers. So, here's what 8 year old Smashin' Bastian had to say about a pain dispenser......

Okay - imagine there's a guy standing in front of a pop machine.
He puts in his money for the pop.
He pushes the button to get a coke.
He waits for the coke, but instead of the coke coming...

AN ARM REACHES OUT OF THE MACHINE AND PUNCHES HIM!!

That's a pain dispenser.

Okay seriously - That is a pretty creative story that this 8-year-old came up with. I love it (plus, I do have quite a fondness for kids sporting a mohawk).

So, next time you're standing in front of a coke machine....brace yourself in case it happens to be a pain dispenser in disguise.

Have you missed me???

As a blogger, I suck right now. It's been ages since I have touched this thing. With a new job kicking my arse, illness, skating, more illness, and many other excuses I could continue throwing out there.....I've just ignored this site for WAY too long.

Now is your chance to let me know...have you missed the blog?? If so, post a quick comment. If I get 5 people to post that they've missed reading the blog, I'll find a way to post on a regular basis....

As a preview of topics:

Happiness is my name on a track jacket...
A bruise named Ruby....
Oh how I hate pacelines....
Am I really a rollergirl?
First steps on the track at UIC...

These are just a few thoughts I have rolling around in my head......

I hope you have missed the blog. I've missed all of you....

XOX

Becoming a Roller Girl...the adventure continues...

Going to England was a turning point for me and my skating development. Skating with the "real" rollergirls really gave me a sense of confidence that I can hang with the big kids. It was after my run as lead jammer that I looked at Pez and realized that I am a real rollergirl.

So, I decided to try out for the Windy City Rollers on November 1st. They had open tryouts for the farm team (this will be the group of skaters that they will select new team members from). I figured since I'm not getting any younger, I may as well go for it.

I was sooooooo nervous. After all, I've only been skating since mid-February (and only seriously for the past few months). I had no idea what I was in for. I knew they would only accept a few new girls (9 actually), so I had no idea what my chances were. I'm not gonna lie - it was tough for me. I'm a fairly decent skater, but I'm still working on that whole "fitness" thing. When we started with 30 minutes of off-skates exercise, I was a little winded (okay, a lot). Plus, it didn't help much that my pants kept falling down and I had to stop to hike them up. Note to self: always jump around in workout gear before going to an important practice to ensure that your arse will stay covered.

It was a 2 hour tryout. We did our off-skates stuff, then a bunch of skating, followed by an interview. I felt good about all of it - for me it was a real accomplishment just to get thru the entire practice without letting my nerves get to me.

I am very excited to announce to all of you.....

I AM A WINDY CITY ROLLER!!

I can't even believe it (except that I have late practice tonight). I'm excited and scared to death all at the same time. I'm not afraid of injury, I'm just afraid of the unknown - afraid that I won't be good enough or fast enough or strong enough (or awake enough to get thru 9-11pm practices). But, you know - it's okay to be nervous (as Waldo, Belle, & Pez keep telling me). I just have to remind myself that everyone starts somewhere and I've had a pretty good start so far with Derby Lite. I'll just try to keep my nervousness in check and go skate my arse off. Or at least just try to keep up for now....

And, before I forget....I would like to thank anyone who is reading this for supporting me, being my friend, and talking me down from the ledge when I feel like I should quit.

Let the adventures continue.......

Life in the fast lane...

Today is November 30th. The last time I touched this blog was on November 4th. A whole lotta stuff has been going on over the past month or so. So much so that it will take numerous posts just to catch you up with what I've been up to. If you're thinking I've hung up my skates, think again.

I'll try to be brief with the boring stuff. In a nutshell, I've been sleeping, eating, working, and skating (not necessarily in that order of course). It's been challenging to keep up with everything since I have a new job and I've been skating with new groups of people (more on that later). As you know, I went to England in October to visit friends for the first part of October. Upon my return, I was happy to be back at Derby Lite. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had seen my "local" derby friends! Plus, I was really excited to teach all of the DL ladies what I had learned from my derby friends across the pond.

Follow the leader....
It was very exciting for me to finally lead practice at Derby Lite. I had wanted to do it for awhile, but the opportunity didn't really present itself to me until I returned from England. Since I had been practicing with the Central City Rollergirls in England, I learned quite a few new tricks that I was anxious to put into the rotation at Derby Lite.

I had a really great turnout for my practice. It was a new space, so I wasn't quite used to the floor yet (VERY SLIPPERY). Either way - I was there to do a job - and that job was to make these ladies SWEAT!! I started out the night with Little Joker's 10 minute warmup of alternating knee falls, touch the floor, spin around, bounce, and anything else that sounded good. Then I followed it up with Ouija Broad's fall down / get up drill. That one got people to curse at me I think (and boy, were my arms and chest sore the next day!!). Then I followed that up with Hustle'Her's "hot laps" drill. Once all that was done, we did some backward skating (which I love) and some other random drills. I definitely made them sweat!

I learned a lot about myself that night. I learned that I work really hard as the leader because I don't want to be one of those people who expects everyone else to perform the drills, but I just sit and watch. I also learned that I really enjoyed being the coach for the day. I was really happy to have had the opportunity to do it - and I hope to lead practice again!!! Hopefully the Derby Lite ladies enjoyed that practice as much as I did!

So, stay tuned and I will do my best to find a few minutes here and there to bring you up to speed with the rest of October 'till now. There have been A LOT of developments in the skating life of Payne D. Spencer. Just you wait and see...

5 Derby Teams + 5 Hours = SUPER FUN!!

Me & the Central City Rollergirls

Derby in England...Take 2!

So, when my new friend, Hope N. Gory, suggested I join her and the Central City Rollergirls for a mixed scrimmage in Bedford, England - I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew that there would be representatives from 5 teams in attendance - Central City Rollergirls, London Rockin' Rollers, Bedford Bandits, Windsor Rollergirls, and the Romsey Rollergirls. That is a whole lot of girl-on-girl roller derby action for Pez to handle in one day for sure!!!

The Wheels on The Minibus....

We took a minibus from Birmingham about 2 hours and arrived in Bedford around 11:30am. It was pretty funny for Pez & I to smoosh into the back seats of the bus with a tower of gear ready to fall on me at any time. Fortunately I was able to take a nap, so I didn't have to worry about any potential car sickness....thank goodness!!!

Once we arrived at the practice location, everyone really made me feel welcome. Heck - I felt like a rock star for the day! I was announced as one of 2 visitors for the day. Everyone was incredibly nice. It was really fantastic to be recognized and to feel like a "real" rollergirl instead of a rollergirl-in-training. We were skating in a double-sized gym, which was good since there were about 60 girls and 6 token men. Cool that they let the dudes skate with them from time to time.

10 Minute Warmup

We started our practice with a 10 minute warmup led by Little Joker. Dang - he is a super fab trick skater and is SOOOOO fast!! He shouted out random commands for us to follow such as right knee falls, left knee falls, 180 degree knee spins, touching the floor, and jumping over lines. I thought it was an excellent warm up drill indeed!

Me as PIVOT!

Since the practice ended up being 5 whole hours (yes, for real - 5 hours), we performed a lot of different drills. I'll try to describe some of them, but there were so many - it's hard to remember everything. Plus, the last 1.5 hours was a mixed scrimmage....but I'll tell you all about that in a bit.

Fall Down, Get UP!!

Ouija Broad (the captain from the CCR), decided to run a fall down, get up drill. Basically, get 4 girls in a line across the track (not in front of each other, next to each other). When all 4 girls reach a certain line, all fall down (all the way to your belly) and get up super fast at the same time. Then skate around until you hit that line again and all fall simultaneously. The thing is that after the group starts, another group starts around the track about 3 seconds later. The trick to this drill is to get up fast before the next group reaches you and falls on top of you.

Variations on a Paceline...

I've learned that all derby teams perform their own version of pacelines. They are all different, but all serve many purposes. The first is to get used to skating very close to other girls. The second is to find the ability to maintain your pace and remain equidistant between the girl in front of you and the girl behind you. Then each team incorporates a little bit of a variation to freshen it up a little. The London Rockin' Rollers were no exception. Get started with a weaving paceline, which means the girl in back skates between each girl until she reaches the front. This time, between each girl, we were to touch the floor and then give a slight shoulder check. It gets pretty exhausting after awhile!

10 Minutes in HELL!!!

What was really cool was when the captains from the representative teams asked me to lead a drill. They said the girls didn't seem like they were sweating enough yet and asked if I had any suggestions. OF COURSE!! 10 Minutes in Hell will certainly do the trick. You can read my older posts about this drill (I'm running out of room for descriptions). At first the girls were all chatting when they were skating. After they had to drop the second time to do their exercises, it was completely silent in the gym (with the exception of a few grunts & groans). Everyone seemed to have a love/hate relationship with the drill, which is exactly what I was hoping for. It felt really good to have the opportunity to play coach - if only for 10 minutes in hell.

I GOT THE FINGER OF POWER!!!

Mixed Scrimmage....

With 1.5 hours left of the 5 hour marathon practice, it was time for the mixed scrimmage. They broke up into 2 groups - intermediate and advanced. All of the teams mixed up and played derby together. I had no intention of joining the scrimmage. After all - I hadn't taken "real" hits yet and I was on vacation! I really didn't want to get injured on the second day of my trip and wind up ruining the remainder of my visit to England. BUT - when I told Ab Salute (the captain of the Bedford Bandits) my intention, she convinced me to join the intermediate scrimmage. Boy, was I glad I did.

Pivot for A Day...

Everyone took turns playing all positions, which was really cool. It seemed like every time the intermediate group was called, the pivot panties (the helmet cover, silly) were thrown at me. I'm not sure why, but one of the girls said they appreciated my efforts as a pivot. I really enjoyed playing that position. I learned a lot about myself as a pivot - I can look all around and still skate well while shouting instructions and blocking the opposing jammer. It really gave me a lot of confidence that I can play "derby regular" instead of just Derby Lite.

The Radest Thing EVER...

So, it was the last jam of the day for the intermediate group. Nobody wanted to be jammer. So, I said fine and I threw the star on my head. I have to say - I was more than excited to hear the ref shout:

PAYNE D. SPENCER - YOU ARE LEAD JAMMER!!!

I never really expected to hear that....especially when I was on vacation!! Lucky for me, Pez snapped the camera at just the right time to capture the moment. It was one of the most fantastic feelings I have ever felt in my life. When the jam finished, I skated over to Pez and he gave me the biggest hug ever. I think I even started to cry a little because I was so excited. It was at that moment that I realized that I am a real rollergirl. Inside and out. For sure.

Hope N. Gory & Payne D. Spencer

So, I must end this post with a sincere thank you to my friends, Hope N. Gory, Ouija Broad, Chet Wisconsin, and all of the Central City Rollergirls. It was really a privilege to be a member of your team - if only for a few days. It is because of people like you that I am reminded of how special roller derby really is and how happy I am to have an opportunity to be a part of it.

Until next time...CHEERS!!!!!