Outside of Playing Derby

I am one of those people whose whole life revolves around roller derby. Everyone who knows me knows me that I am a huge Roller Derby nerd. I have posters of roller derby covering almost every single spot on my walls. My friends always have to change the subject because I could go on forever about Roller Derby. I watch archive bouts, I glance over the rules, I try every possible moment to figure out how to do something better when I play.

Roller Derby is a full time sport but you need to do stuff outside of practice and games to become a better skater. Practice and Games are only a small portion of Roller Derby. I know that I struggle with strategy and rules. I hate sitting down and reading a piece of paper of all the rules. I can never concentrate on the words and end up drawing stars all over the paper. For me to learn the rules and strategies I have to sit and watch it in action.

Which is why I love to watch other games. I have watched all Division 1 and Division 2 playoffs. I spent a few moments of every day when I had free time I sat down and watched an archived bout. I watch what works for a team and what doesn't, I compare what works for one team that may not work for another. I love watching the jammers because  that is what I want to get better at. I watch blockers to see what they do to stop the jammers. Not only do I watch archived bouts but I go out and watch games that are in my area. Like tonight I am going to watch the Flint City Derby Girls VS Traverse City Cherry Bombs. I want to come out of that bout with an idea in mind of what I need to work on and maybe something I can bring back to my team. Watching bouts benefits you as a skater. Watching people play at the national level  gives you knowledge of how the derby world is forming and changing. Watching people in your own area gives you an idea what roller derby around is working up to be. Derby is different all around the world. When I moved to Michigan everyone was all about big hits. Back in Colorado everyone was about passive offense and recycling. Everyone has moved more to fast packs and recycling but every state has a different way of playing derby. It's nice to have a wealth of knowledge of how derby teams play.

Now this next one I am very guilty of hating to do. Cross Training. I despise off skates training. Back in Colorado my team was lucky enough to have a personal trainer to help us. He was amazing and I loved the way that he got us in better shape. We did circuits, races, football games, dodge ball., just a whole range of things. I am the type of person who finds it very hard to sit down for a certain amount of time and just do core. I like to move around and switch up drills fast. So what I try to do to cross train is intervals of different exercises. I might do twenty seconds of an exercise.. take a ten second break and do a different exercise. I love sprints.. I love sprinting for twenty seconds and taking a ten second break then sprinting for thirty seconds. I just love running. This doesn't work for everyone because everyone is different. You just need to find what work for you. I know that I hate cross training but it is something that makes me better so I know I have to do it.

My team only practices a couple times a week so I know personally that I have to stay in shape. Everything you do outside of practices and games will make you a better skater. Reading the rules, watching games, cross training, talking about roller derby. Roller Derby is just as much a mental game as a physical game so you need to have the right mindset and be physically ready for anything.

I love Roller Derby and all that it brings into my life. I love the healthy aspect of it and I love that it really is a full time sport. It's more than practice and playing games... It's about being an athlete and trying your best at something that you are passionate about.

Roller Derby Nerd,
Ringer

Being A Jammer Part 1

When you are a jammer there is about four main things that you need to do to be the best you can be out there. The first one has to be SPEED. If you don't have speed then you aren't going to be able to catch up to the pack or just in general get through those tiny holes that close in seconds. You have to have speed to be a effective Jammer.
Now Jammers used to have about five to ten to maybe twenty feet before they would come in contact with the blockers at the beginning of the jam. We all know now that doesn't happen anymore. Now all of the blockers stuff themselves right before the jammer line. Jammers no longer have any room to gain speed. The blockers are inches in front of them.
I know many people do not like the 'Scrum' start or how the blockers stuff themselves right before the jammer line. I used to hate it too. I hated that I wouldn't have any room to gain speed or anytime to find those holes. But as my team started doing this more and more I started loving it.
I wasn't running into the back of the pack anymore with so much speed that I couldn't slow down. I used to be the biggest back blocker in the world if I came up to a strong four wall. Now I don't have any speed I just have to use my force to get through the wall. I'm not saying I still don't get back blocks because I do. :(
I'm getting less back blocks now. ;-)
Jammers still need speed right off the line though, even if the blockers are inches in front of them. They need to get through some of the smallest holes in the matter of seconds.
To get through the scrum start I usually commit to one spot right before the jam is about to start. As soon as the whistle blows I go to that spot. Now all the blockers are going to be looking at me committing to that one spot. They are going to be trying to box me in, hit me out, anything that they can to get me out. That is when you switch your plan. As they are all moving to go get you out you go to where the holes are. This is where the whole speed aspect comes in. If you were on the outside line and they left a hole on the inside you have to be able to get there before they can. You could do this in many way. My favorite is jumping. I just jump to that spot and go for the hole.
I have to have speed to get from the outside to the inside. And then after that I have to have enough speed to leave the pack behind me.
I have seen to many jammers get eaten back into the pack after they get out because they aren't pushing to get away from them. Trust me I am one of those blockers who will go to the last possible second if I have the chance to get the jammer out.
One of my favorite skater Kay-Otic will even chase the jammer and then at the last second bark at them to throw them off. I have tried this once or twice before and it works too. A lot of jammers don't understand that when you are out of the pack your job isn't done. You have to have enough speed to get back around again.
When I get out of the pack I start my crossover and skating the diamond right away. I have to gain that speed in a matter of seconds. I have had blockers chase me to the last possible second. Some blockers have even fallen off my back as they try to hit me. Even Kay has barked at me to throw me off. When you get out of the pack you can't let this things distract you. What you need to worry about is gaining back your speed to get back around to the pack.
It's all about speed.

Kay-Otic barking at the jammer. <3

How I Started Roller Derby

I guess I should start from the beginning... 

My friend at the time Deni (Delia Doom) was the one who got me into Roller Derby. She was friends with my parents at the time and she told me I should come see her play. I went in November 2009 to see her play. I watched in amazement as the girls skated around and hit each other. It was so amazing I fell in love right there. I wanted more than anything to join Junior Roller Derby. I began to talk to Deni all hours of the day trying to figure out how I could join a Junior team. At first there was none in my area so Deni said the best thing that we could do was practice. 

It was probably a good thing that I started to learn how to skate before I joined Roller Derby. I was one of the kids you see clingy onto the side walls to stay up on their skates. At Skate City I had to use the brownie rentals to skate. I was literally a train wreck out there.

It scared me the first time me and Deni met up at Skate City so she could teach me how to skate. It was a two hour session early Sunday morning. There was only a couple people there other than Deni and me. So she got all of her gear on and got out on to the floor. I did what I usually did and hung on the wall to skate around. 

One time she skated by me and said, "Domi to skate like a Roller Derby girl you have to let go off that wall."

So I gently let the wall go and started to skate around the rink. I must have fallen at least a million times but every time I got up and I would gain speed. My fear of falling was over. 

By the second hour I was skating faster than I had ever before. Deni would keep up with me easily but she would always tell me, "You were made to be a jammer."

I believe about three months later at a bout me and Deni were at we heard the announcement that changed my life. "Juniors 6-17 Come Try Out For The Pikes Peak Derby Brats. Talk to Mama Beast if you want more information"

So I did... My  mom emailed Mama Beast that night and I got the information to go to practice. I got the cheapest pads from Play It Again Sports and I ordered the Chicago Men Skates. No break in time because they just were there. If they fit they were your skate. They had HUGE toe stops at the front and a plastic plates. I don't even know what the hardness of the wheels were. 

I also had to find a name. I knew I wanted a name before I even started the Roller Derby team.... Because really think about it. The people who join Roller Derby and then take forever to find a Derby name you almost always call them by their real name. Everyone in Colorado called my mom 'Mech' instead of Flam Babe. So I knew that I wanted a derby name before I started.

I had Deni come up with my name... She gave me choices.

They were

Roundhouse Rose
Ringer Rounda Rosie
Smack Down Rose
Rosie De Rivet Her

I chose Ringer Rounda Rosie.... Yeah I know that's not my name anymore. I cut a lot of the name out.... I'll explain a different time.

I showed up to practice a couple weeks later and I knew no one. It was the middle of summer right before school was supposed to start. I know that much because I was starting 6th grade at the middle school right across from my old elementary. So my coach at the time Dirty Dish had everyone say what school they were going to be going to.

When she got around to me I said, 'Mann Middle School'. A girl in the crowd stood up and yelled happily, 'I'm going there too!'

She came over and stood next to me. She introduced herself to me as Lady Joker. We became great friends and even derby wives for a little bit.... but that is later.

So that's how I started Roller Derby.... Five Years Ago. I have been through a lot since then and this blog or whatever you want to call it is going to explain how I became the skater I am today. I will talk about tips that I find helpful too. I'm trying to teach one of my good friends how to skate better ... I'm pretty sure she won't mind me throwing some tips around