Thursday, December 23, 2010

And the virus just keeps spreading...

For a small little country that had never heard about Roller Derby a year and a half ago, we have grown to an amazing number of leagues.
We now have no less then SIX leagues!!

The brand new league is the Arnhem Fallen Angels!!



One of our very own Amsterdam Derby Dames, Peachy Piek moved to Arnhem and after being infected with the derby bug she couldn't live without anymore. So she started her own league!!! Good job Peachy Piek! We cannot wait to play against the Arnhem Fallen Angels. :p


For the Amsterdam Derby Dames there is a winter stop right now, which sucks. Cause I want to skate. But I guess if I would have to say something positive about it. I would say it's good to have some time off so I can focus on uhmmm well work, relaxing and board stuff. I still miss practice though... A LOT!!!!!

Earlier this week I got my end of the year bonus and threaded myself to a x-mas present... I finally ordered new protective gear. After reading the intro from Black Dahlia in Blood and Thunder magazine issue #15 I got the last push I needed to order it.
She had crappy knee pads and fell really badly... Took her months to recover. And she said that good (and expensive) protective gear is not something to safe your money on. And she is so right!! The only derby scar I have until now, I have because of cheap shitty kneepads.
So anyways, I finally ordered some 187 Pro's!


Of course it's hard to resist ordering other stuff when your are on a webshop like wickedskatewear.com.
So I ordered new elbow and wrist protection and some clothing too. Cannot wait for it to arrive!!

Well everybody, I want to wish you all a merry x-mas and an amazing derby filled 2011!!!!

- Furrrocious




You can find the Arnhem Fallen Angels on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arnhem-Fallen-Angels/147617188621900?v=wall&filter=3

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Fresh meat makes you feel all fuzzy inside!

Today I was finally able to go to practice again. Glad to be finally on skates, especially after just seeing so many bouts this past Saturday.

So a couple of weeks ago we started our three month training program for the fresh meat girls and guys. And I was there the first night they came. It was great to see all those girls and guys trying to skate, after not being on skates for years.
Some girls had shaky legs and were like those new born animals standing up right for the first time. Shaking and unbalanced.

So I didn't see them skate for a couple of weeks and my gosh was I amazed!!! The baby animals are turning in to fierce ladies!
It just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see these newbies improving so much.
And I love how motivated they are.



For myself it was just great to be on skates again. My ankles are doing a lot better and I was finally able to finish my five minute endurance laps with a pretty decent score. It's been so frustrating not to be able to skate as much as I wanted and keep up with the rest. But slowly but surely it's getting better. And I am back on my way to play!


- Furrrocious

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Roll DMC - What a day!!

Friday
After spending a almost a week in Berlin, my fellow ADD ladies arrived on Friday. After some hang out time, it was registration time at the Berlin Bombshells practice space.



After declaring that we take full responsibility if we break our legs or get paralyzed and more stuff like that, the officials meeting started.
Riff Reff (Stuttgart) and Dr. No-No (Berlin) did a great job at organizing the officials side of Roll DMC. The refs and NSO's were split up in three teams, Treptow, NeuKölln and Kreuzburg. Each team worked two bouts and for the finals the head refs created one team with all the 'best' refs and NSO's from the whole day.
After the meeting it was time to socialize and with a group of officials we had a bite to eat at this great restaurant.

Seeing how we needed to be at the Arena the next day at 10 am it seemed wise not to go out and party. But my wifey Lola Rock 'n' Rolla had her birthday coming up on saturday so we went to the bar to be able to toast on her b-day at midnight. After that we went straight back to the hostel, so we wouldn't be tempted into partying more then we should!


Saturday - The BIG day
It was a crazy morning, after not sleeping to much, due to excitement for the big day , a lovely but snoring roommate, some roommates that weren't NSO'ing the next day and did go out for drinks, and these awesome derby girls from Rotterdam and Utrecht that I had placed in a room above ours (....) and enjoyed partying a lot, I went on a quest to find my derby wife, Lola rock 'n' Rolla a birthday cake at 8.30 am in berlin...
It was crazy, but I managed. :) After all surprising her for her birthday, me, Vegan Vengeance, Limpin' lily and Belle Anger set off to the Arena.
Once there we had another officials meeting, and starting getting ready for the first bout!




The first bout was between the Stuttgart Valley Roller Girls All stars and Rollergirls and friends.
It was also the first bout that I was NSO'ing. It was great being a part of this exciting event and even though my NSO job as outside whiteboard isn't the most important job on the earth, it still felt great to be a part of it all.
The officials teams are so important to the game and you learn so much about it by NSO'ing. I would definitely advice each derby girl to do this. Although the most annoying thing about being a Non Skating Official, is the Non Skating part. Man oh man, how it is torture to see everybody skate! I wanted nothing more then to skate myself. But I will skate a bout, one day....

The bouts lasted 2 x 20 min, and to be honest they were over before I knew it. I was working together with a great team.
On the referee team we had:
Matt the knife - inside pack #1 + Head Ref (Leeds)
Dr. No-No - Inside pack ref #2 (Berlin)
TestosteRon Jeremy - Jammer ref #1 (Helsinki)
Crank Skice - Jammer ref #2 (Barock city)
Joe Rout - Outside pack ref #1 (Stockholm)
Fluke Skywalker - Outside pack ref #2 (Stockholm)
Zäpp VänDäle - Outside pack ref #3 (Hamburg)

On the NSO team:
Nena - score keeper #1 (Berlin)
Maelstrom - score keeper #2 (Paris)
Rosa DeLux - Penalty tracker #1 (Berlin)
Brute el Peste - Penalty tracker #2 (Paris)
Ma'am Phizz - Penalty board (Stuttgart)
Mary ME - Jam timer (Berlin)
Mojo jojo - Penalty timer Jammer / box supervisor
Ms. High-handed - Penalty timer blocker #1(Berlin)
Christina Agapitou - Penalty timer blocker #2 (Berlin)
Cosmic ReAction - Outside Whiteboard #1 (Stuttgart)
And me Furrrocious - Outside whiteboard #2

You can see we had a pretty international group, and it was great working with so many derby refs and nso's from all over Europe!
As an Outside whiteboard you write up the penalties the outside pack refs report and communicate them to the inside to the penalty trackers.
So I was most in touch during the game with the outside pack refs, especially with Joe Rout and Fluke Skywalker both from Stokholm. And even though they didn't have to much to report to me, we had a good time working together. It was a great team to work with in general, the communication was good and there was great team work.

I am not going to give you all a recap on every bout, because first of all, I am not a derby expert (yet), and second I was working during a lot of them, so I had a different look on the game. But I will advice you all to go see them at: http://justin.tv/eurorollerderby/b/275532878
You'll love the commentary, it's Swede hurt (and Mad Maloony) and she actually says during the final:
"NSO's out there in the world, you know we love you guys, you are very important to all of us!"
Thanks for saying that Swede!


The whole officials team:



Photo by Michael Wittig

I said earlier how frustrating it was not to be able to skate. Well I found out after the first bout how annoying it was to not be able to Scream and Shoot during other bouts... Being an official is all about being impartial. So even when you are not working you can not cheer on other teams. And even though I am actually impartial about the teams in Germany. There are just sometimes that you want to scream at an awesome block or whatever, and I love doing that. I really become a little hooligan! :p But I couldn't.....

So after NSO'ing two bouts and watching a couple more, it was time for the bout for third and fourth place, between Devil Dolls Essen and Hanse Connection for the last bout.
And Essen won!! Number 3 of Germany, a great score I would say. One of the Essen girls, Lola Brentt formally know as Gina Gasolina is one of the most awesome Derby girls I know! And is actually Dutch! :) Here she is as a Jammer skating her but off!!



Photo by Michael Wittig

The finals were, as expected, between Stuttgart Valley Roller Girls All Stars and the Berlin bombshells.
After the game between the dolls and hanse the head refs picked the refs and nso's that would be working the final bout. All of us Amsterdam Derby Dames NSO's wanted to work it, and were very happy to hear we all got picked! So me and Vegan did the outside whiteboard and Belle Anger served as a penalty tracker and Limpin' lily as a score keeper.

It was a crazy bout!!! The place was packed and there were 'camps' for both teams cheering as loud as they could. It was just amazing!!



Photo by Michael Wittig

As the bout started it was very clear that these two teams were equally good and it would be a close one.
The teams both showed some really beautiful Roller Derby, great hits, blocks, whips and very fast and skilled Jammers!
As an NSO I was a lot busier at this bout. More penalties were caught by the outside pack refs, which was good cause there was some much going on.
I was standing at turn one, and had a great view at the Pivot line, so I saw the start of every jam. It was great!



Photo by Michael Wittig

It was really hard to hear the outside pack refs sometimes, because the Stuttgart fans were right behind me and screaming their heads off!! It was so loud and wild, really amazing to see and experience how big Roller Derby can be in Europe.




In the end, it was down to the last jam which would decide who was going to be Germany's first Champion. As the score keepers were giving the score keeper the final jam's score, the crowd went completely crazy! As Berlin got their points first, they seemed to have won, so their fans went wild. But then Stuttgart's points came in and they got four points more then Berlin. Setting the finale score to 124-128.
The crowed went mad, and then the Derby love was showed, by the final laps, where the crowed stands around the track and skaters high five everybody around the track. I love that. It such a nice interaction between skaters and the audience.
Then the Berlin bombshells as organizers of this great event, gave out Thank you buttons to refs and NSO's and medals to the teams.
It was just a great bout, a amazing championship, an awesome day all together!! And I am so glad I was lucky enough to be a part of it.

One of the nice benefits about Roller Derby bouts/events is that derby girls know how to throw a party. And the after party was great! It was at another part of the arena and there where bands playing and it was just a great way of hanging out with other derby girls from all over Europe!



This is me and my Derby wife Lola Rock 'n' Rolla and my brand new intentional Derby wife Vegas (Stuttgart). These great ladies, both had their birthdays during this day!

Again thanks to the Berlin Bomshells for organizing this great event, thanks to Dr. No-No an Riff Reff for organizing the officials side of the championship, you did a great job! And thanks of course to all those derby girls playing their asses off and the last thanks goes out to the officials team, it was a pleasure meeting all of you and working together!

- Furrrocious



Ps: Pictures of the bout that you see here, came from the Berlin Bomshells Facebook - for more great pictures, check them out on their profile.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Berlin will never be the same....

Only a few more days before the big event!! The first German Roller Derby championships!!

And I am lucky enough to be there and to NSO. I am even luckier then most, cause I am all ready in Berlin! I arrived Saturday and have been staying with a friend of mine. Which has been amazing.
I absolutely love this city. It's got culture, great sights, great affordable food, fun little shops, and the best of all: it's got ROLLER DERBY!!

The past days I have not really been busy with Roller Derby, but just enjoying Berlin, and while I was walking on the street I was happily surprised when I saw the poster for this Saturday. Of course I had to take a picture, all tourists take pictures of pretty sights and street views, but not me, I take pictures of posters! HA!
I guess it was time for me to start thinking about derby again, cause only a couple of hours after I spotted the poster, I was sitting in the u-bahn and saw the commercial on the tv screens! I couldn't believe my eyes! Roller derby promo everywhere. Awesome!!



After all these 'signs', my head was back in the game. So yesterday I went to a ticket office to get a couple of tickets for friends who weren't able to get tickets online and for some of my friends in Berlin that have never seen derby before.

Today I met up with Dr. No-No and went with her to the Berlin newbie training.
Unfortunately after waiting for about half an hour there was a case of 'not-having-a-key' and practice and scrimmaging was off.
So me, Dr. No-No and Ms. High-handed went for a drink. Which was great. We talked and talked about Roller Derby. NSO'ing, Reff'ing, playing, all of it!! Practicing hand signals, sharing stories and learning that there are the same issues and pleasures everywhere. It was just a good 'ol Roller Derby time of skates! :)

After this night of Roller Derby talk, I cannot wait for this city to get swamped by Roller Derby girls and guys!! It's gonna be AWESOME!!




Roll DMC - first German Roller Derby Championship - 11/12/10 - Arena Berlin.
Be there!!!



- Furrrocious

Monday, November 29, 2010

Sprechen sie Derby??

The best part of Roller Derby Is of course the bout it self.
Seeing how the Amsterdam Derby Dames haven't played yet, and no other leagues in holland are ready to play a bout, we have to travel if we want to see a live bout. You could say, that this is really annoying. And of course it is in some way, but I happen to love road trips!! And lucky me, cause so does my Derby wife Lola Rock 'n' Rolla.
Earlier this week we decided it would be cool to go to Stuttgart and see the bout between SVRG Rookies and GGGRG.
I contacted the Gent girls, and heard the pre-sale tickets were sold out.... Which of course is great, but not if you don't have tickets yet.
So I contacted Riff Reff, Stuttgart's own Head Ref. Asking him if there were still tickets left and if he might know a cheap place to stay. Luckily there were still some tickets left, to be sold at the door, and he could make sure we could get two. But he also suggested i would NSO. Seeing how I will be NSO'ing in Berlin in a couple of weeks and have no experience in doing that. It would be a good chance to practice. I was so excited, I immediately said yes!
He also arranged for us to crash at one of the SVRG girls, Valerie. Which was just perfect!






After packing up my 'official' gear, we left Saturday morning at 9 for our 5.30 hour drive to Stuttgart.





Now let me tell you there are a lot of good things about driving to Germany with a German driving the car. Lola is first of all used to driving for a long time and actually enjoys it. Also the right hand lane, is not her favorite lane. And her car will go faster then a 120km/h. :)






I also love driving through Germany, because it is so pretty. Mountains, forest, trees. Its so pretty.







Around 2.30 we arrived at Valerie's house. We made a really good time. Only stopping for the necessary bathroom brakes, and not hitting any traffic jams.






At Valerie's house we quickly changed and left again. For Valerie had to be there at 4, and me too for an officials meeting.
We took the subway to the venue which is just outside of stuttgart.

My first 'officials meeting' before a bout was really informative. I got to see how this part of roller derby is organized.
The officials team (Ref's and NSO) is so important. As a part of starting league I think its so important to see how this works too. It's not just the players you need.

At 6 the bout started. The hall was filled with supporters. From both sides! A bus load of people from Belgium showed up, which was very cool, to have so much support on a 'away bout'.
The Ref's and NSO's came in first and we all stood in the middle of the track. After that the girls of both teams skated around and were introduced one by one. I think this was actually the most nerve wrecking. Standing there in the middle in front of all these people! I will probably puke the first time I get on the track to play...







Finally it was time to actually start the bout! All the girls were ready to play.
And I, was ready to NSO! :) Standing next to the track at the corner armed with a whiteboard, a marker and a cloth, I was ready to communicate those penalties to the penalty trackers on the inside.

The bout itself was exciting. The teams were true opponents, as the scores were pretty close together most of the bout. Half time started and both teams had exactly the same amount of points! And they stayed close for a long time, except for one moment where GGGRG had double the amount of points as SVRG had. But the bout was undecided till the absolute last jam. In which the SVRG Rookies (who had been behind a couple of points before that jam started) scored enough points to win!






For me experiencing the bout as an NSO was a lot different from watching it from the stands. I couldn't scream, cheer or clap or anything like that. Because first of all, you are busy and focussed on your job, and secondly, because NSO's and Ref's have to be impartial. So you can't cheer for a team even if you had the time too.
I would have had the time, there were enough penalties, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't crazy busy with writing every jam.
The most annoying thing about doing the NSO job of outside whiteboard, is that refs are in a hurry, so you don't always understand what they are saying so quickly, and that penalty trackers don't pay attention to you sometimes, which leaves you standing there next to the track bouncing up and down with your whiteboard! Of course it's understandable, because on the inside of the track it's crazy busy. So it's not that they are ignoring you and purpose. But it's also not like you scream to them 'hey look at me'. Cause for those who haven't been to a RD bout, it's one hell of a loud sport!






In the end it was a great bout. And I am so happy I got the chance to experience NSO'ing. And to see the bout a little more from an organizational side of things, instead of being a spectator.

Luckily, a bout isn't a roller derby bout, unless it has an after party! :p And Stuttgart knows how to throw one.
They continued the 80's theme at the after party. And even though I am not that much into 80's music I had a great time. And was dancing and singing along most of the night!







The thing I like the best about the roller derby after party, next to the drinking, singing and dancing, is meeting all these rad roller derby ladies and gents! I have met so many awesome people from Stuttgart, Gent, Antwerp an Rotterdam. And that was just great! Not just talking on facebook or through email, but in real life is just great.

The days after are always kind of a downer, as you have to get back to reality (with a huge hangover of course..). You just wish it could be bout day everyday!
Luckily for me, I have practice tonight. So I'll get my shot of derby!!

- Furrrocious

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Come and get your fresh meat!!


Today was our last fresh meat training till next year March. The new fresh meat will be getting a three month beginner course ending in taking the WFDTA skills test.
We had all been promoting this last fresh meat opportunity and it worked!! We had no less then 13 new girls and two refs. Which is so amazing.

The practice started out with a talk about Roller Derby and explaining about the Amsterdam Derby Dames. Our fresh meat committee did a great job on explaining the in's and out's and answering all sorts of questions.

After the introduction all the girls (and guys!!) got gear from our 'fresh meat supply' and from team skaters. It's all about sharing. :)
Trainers and fresh meat committee sorted everybody out with gear, how to put it on, etc.



And then the most exciting moment for all of us: they started skating around.
As roller skating isn't a big thing in holland, most girls and guys had their last skating days in their childhood. So it was very exciting to be back on skates.
They did great!!
Some were more nervous then others, and some were clearly better at skating then others. But all of them had fun and were super enthusiastic!




It was weird to look at the fresh meat and remembering my first practices on skates. I was scared shitless!! The wobbly legs and knees. Not having a clue about what I should or shouldn't be doing. And now I am almost ready to join the team.
And the funny thing is, when you tell these newbies that I was just like them beginning of this year, they look at you and say "yeah right! I don't believe that! I bet you're just saying that to make me feel better...".
And for those newbies out there that still think that, No we are not just saying that! We all started out not being able to skate (at one point or the other). So don't think you'll never get the hang of it, because you will!!

Seeing all these new girls struggling also gives a boost of confidence knowing how much we have progressed in this passed year. As skaters, but also as a league. Becoming more organized and really growing as a league. It was one of those great nights that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

To all ADD's new girls and guys! I hope you'll stick around and kick ass on the track in a couple of months! We are happy to have you!!


- Furrrocious

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The power of the blog!!

I have been completely amazed by how many people have been reading my blog! From all over the world, and when I say all over I mean it, from Israel, USA, France, Australia, and so many more. Almost 1100 people have read it. And that's just me writing about my journey to become a Roller Derby girl.




Today I was talking on Facebook with Matt the Knife, a head ref from Leeds, who I'll be working with on the German championship next month. And he had even read my blog!!
For people who are used to blogging this might actually be normal. But for me this is just all pretty mind blowing.
I love keeping track of my journey towards playing Roller Derby, but especially because I want to keep track of it for myself. Not because I thought people would like reading it!! Lol!!

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you and thank you all for reading my blog and supporting me!


- Furrrocious

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Living the Derby life!!

It's been a while since my last post. Not that I wasn't working on getting to play derby. But just as all people have every once an awhile, there is just not enough time in a day to do all you want to do. Same with keeping up my blog.

Lots has happened though in Amsterdam Roller Derby world. :) We have been training as an expo team (still expo, cause it's not a full team yet).
I am not on it yet, as I have not passed my WFDTA test. But when I do I will get on it. For now I can join one of the team trainings which is awesome.




I unfortunately haven't been training on Mondays this month. To give rest to my injured ankles. It sucks not training as much and hearing the stories about how great last Mondays practice was, knowing I wanted nothing more then be there too. But sometimes you have to be wise and this is that time for me. Need my body to recuperate before I fuck it up more then I all ready have. Working with my physical therapist has been good though. I am happy to have a male physical therapist that takes Roller Derby serious as a sport.
I am hoping to be able to start training full on again in (mid) December, and I cannot wait!!


The last months I have been very busy as part of the inter league committee with ADD to get in touch with other leagues and joining Dutch and Belgium inter league discussions on working together in the future which is great! I love being on the inter league committee and sharing stories, ideas and questions with other girls around the globe. We all love the sport. And some have been at it longer then others and it's good to not have to figure everything out on your own.



Talking about the league organizational side of things. Today we chose our new board. And I was nominated for president of the board I gladly accepted the nomination and today I was voted new president of the Amsterdam Derby Dames!! It's crazy to think how involved I am in derby now. I never would have believed I would be so busy physical and other wise with this sport. But I am loving every minute of it!!


Next month the first German Roller Derby championship will take place in Berlin. And me and a group of girls from ADD will be there. Not only to support, but four of us will also be NSO'ing. For those not with familiar with the sport NSO means, Non Skating Official, and is a part of the referee team. There are several jobs that need to be done during a bout, like keeping track of all the penalties, keeping score, etc.
So me and three of the other girls will be helping out and working as NSO's during the games.
I just got our shirts, and they look awesome!




It's not the best picture. But more will follow after my trip to Berlin for sure.
I am so excited to go. It will be my first championship ever. And it will be a day filled with Roller Derby, and a night filled with party-ing with derby girls, so if you ask me, it will be a great day!!
I arranged for the Death Row Honeys (Rotterdam) and the Dom City Dolls (Utrecht) to be in the same hostel as the us. So it will be a crazy fun weekend, I am sure. I hope 36rooms hostel is ready for so many derby girls.... :p


In the next months I will try to be better in keeping up my blog. Because there will be lots to write about. We will hopefully have a brand new group of fresh meat going through a three month training period starting this coming week. EROC II is coming up, and we'll hopefully be playing our first bout before spring. And much much more of course, because Derby girls don't sleep!! :)


- Furrrocious





My stepmom made this awesome bag for me. My own Furrrocious merchandise!! :)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

October has had it's ups and downs

It's been a while since I posted a blog. Life can just be so freaking busy sometimes. My days are filled with work and either derby or band practice at night. So yeah the little time I have left at the end of the day I usually use to get some sleep. Crazy I know! :p But now I've got this app to blog on my iPhone. So I'll try to write more when I am in the train, like I am right now.


Hurting...
I left you last time at failing my WFTDA test. Which was a minor setback for sure. But the thing that has been way more frustrating has been my body not functioning in the way it should.
The muscles in my ankles especially are not keeping up with the work I am putting it through. Training three times a week, with no athletic background has been a bit to much for them I guess. I have been seeing a physical therapist and he, luckily, takes roller derby serious as a sport and wants to help me to get my body to where it needs to be to keep up.
Unfortunately, past monday my ankles were hurting so much I had to sit out most of the practice. And let me tell you.....I was not happy, to say the least. It frustrates and angers me. Finally found a sport that I am passionate about, and don't have to force my self to go, cause I love practice, and my body cannot keep up....
But I am working on it. I will cut down to 2 practices a week in November and hopefully I'll be able to go back to full on training at the end of the year.


Learning from the best
So Hunter S. Toss 'Em, the visiting head ref from Seattle was here until this last Tuesday. It was great having him here. Teaching us things, but also motivating us with the stories about roller derby in the states. It was fun Hunter! Thanks again for everything.


Time to Bond
Last Saturday I had to play a gig with my band in Utrecht. And a whole bunch of my team mates came out to support me, also girls from the utrecht team came out. It was great!



It was so cool to have them cheering us on. And it was great having fun outside of the practice space. We definitely need to do that more often, cause it was Awesome!!


Being in a bubble
This past Monday we practiced in a new space, in diemen (a town outside of Amsterdam, but it's almost attached to Amsterdam).
It's a nice big space, and its outside but they put one of the temporary blow up things over it, so it's covered. Looks really cool:



And it doesn't just only look cool, it was cool....literally!! It's was colder inside then it was out.
Everyone was wearing sweaters, scarfs and stuff like while skating. It came off when they were warm though. Unfortunately it was not only cold, but the floor was really sticky. Which made it feel like you where skating through thick porridge....
And with my ankles being screwed up, it basically made me hurt within 5 min. or so. So I sat down and watched most of the practice.
Me and Helen:


But for most of the girls it was a good practice, even with the sticky floor and the cold, they just kept going at it.


Dom City Dolls will whip your ass
On Wednesday I trained the Dom
city Dolls in utrecht. And these girls have all just started a couple of months ago and are constantly progressing. Which is awesome to see! We practiced their crossovers with some training tips Hunter gave us the week before. And it's so cool when you see that one girl that couldn't do it, and then working at it and she ends up doing some pretty smooth crossovers at the end of practice. It just makes me feel like a proud mommy in some weird derby way! :p
We have been doing whips and such and a couple of those girls a showing some really blocker potential all ready. It's kind of weird training your future competition! :)


Time to get spooky
Tonight we are having a Halloween party. That Armorkillo's mom (who's lives in Texas) has sponsored for us! She has been sending boxes filled with Halloween decorations, candy and stuff like that. Super cool! So I will take this opportunity to give a big shout out from the amsterdam derby dames to Rosie Brittain!! Thanks 'mom' for making this party happen!!





- Furrrocious

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A minor setback....


The past week the Amsterdam Derby Dames have taken their minimum skills requirement WFTDA test.

We started on Thursday with all the parts of the test except endurance.
Almost everybody was so nervous...it was pretty crazy...
We had our test in the small gym that we have been training in for the past 10 months.
Hunter S. Toss 'em, a ref from the Rat City Rollergirls, came out to help us out, which was awesome!! Thanks again so much Hunter.
So only two girls went into the hall at a time, and their where our 4 trainers and Hunter marking our performances. Two people grading one girl at all times.

We went by Derby name, so I was second in line together with Eliza Do-damage. It was so weird going in to the hall, that we have all gone into soooooo many times, but it was different this time, knowing you have to preform, even the things I was absolutely confident about, where just harder. And it showed... I felt like my overall performance sucked more then normal. At the beginning it was just stops and falls. But as soon as we got to part I was feeling most excited about, hitting and whipping, I got frustrated. This is normally that part of the skills I am pretty good at (at least for a newbie), and it did not go very well... It was weird doing hits and whips with someone I normally don't practice them with. Eliza Do-Damage is quite a bit shorter then me and I have been just practicing this for the past weeks with Lola Rock 'n' Rolla, who is almost the same length as me. So it felt weird, cause you only have that 'one moment' to show what you can do, and no time to get used to a new training partner. Of course in Roller Derby you need to be able to do this with everybody, girls in all shapes and sizes. But with this test, this was the part I felt really confident about, and it didn't go the way I thought it would, which made me so frustrated and mad. Mad at myself for not showing what I could do. All that frustration combined with my body again failing to keep up, was just to much, so I had my first WFTDA test nervous breakdown. And it sucked. I cried and screamed a little and then tried to calm down. Luckily Roller Derby is a team sport, and I have the best team mates a Derby girl could ask for! So I went for a smoke, calmed down and listened to some music, before I had to get back in there for the next part of the test.

During the test we had allot of waiting to do. And in the dressing room where we sat waiting our turns, we shared our nerves, experiences, and without being too gooey, I just cannot imagine how I would have done this without all of you rad ladies!

Me and Armorkillo doing our thing... :p


After our first part of the test, I was really bummed out, to say the least...
We all went for a beer together, and I had a great talk with Dirty Knickers (one of our trainers). Even though I still felt horrible afterwards, I was happy to have someone that has also been through this, and really understands, to talk too.
Up until friday night I was still really bummed out. I was glad to have band practice and put all my frustrations into the bass guitar and just have fun with my with my friends. The next morning though it was the second part of the WFTDA test. The thing I dreaded the most of all...endurance....
I all ready knew it was going to suck. But I was determined to make the best of it.
For those of you who don't know what this part of the test is about, I will explain. You have to make it around the official Roller Derby track 5 times in the first minute, and after that make another 20 rounds in the next 4 minutes. Which for most experienced skaters is not to much of a big deal, but for those starting out it's hard... All of the girls did amazing, even though all lot of them had a hard time too in the last couple of rounds, we all cheered them on and they kept going. It's was great. And then it was my turn.... I made it through the first minute making the 5 rounds. But that first minute was the only part of the test that I did well... My body would work with me, and after only a couple of minutes tears where streaming down my face... the frustration of not being able to do this, and my ankles and back hurting, was just to much. Of course I kept going the best I could while being as upset as I was. It must have been like a freaking movie scene. Me, trying to keep skating, while tears where running down my face.... I must have looked like an idiot...
But yeah I guess I just cannot really deal with the frustrations of not being able to do what I want to do most of all.
After having a couple of my best derby friends calmed me down I got dressed and went outside to smoke a cigarette (yeah I know, after failing my endurance test, I should know better then smoke...). The rest of team came out, and we heard we the trainers where counting all the scores, so we wouldn't have to wait for the results another day.
So except for 5 of us, the rest of the team past. I didn't, which I expected, but of course it still really sucked! The trainers told me I almost passed, so if I will work on a couple of things I will make it next time for sure. So I have got my work cut out for me the next 6 weeks or so. Train harder then ever, and have to get my ankles and hips checked out by a physical therapist, so I can make sure my body can keep up with the training. Cause I will get there, this is just a minor setback on my way to play Roller Derby!

Congratulations again to all my team mates that did make the test. And to those that didn't, we will get there next time and we will kick ass when we do!!

- Furrrocious

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

One more day till my first WFTDA skills test...



The past week we have been practicing hard for our upcoming WFTDA test tomorrow.
I think I would put it lightly when I say we are all a bit nervous... It's kind of nice to see that everybody is nervous, not just the less confident skaters, but even those who have nothing to worry about. I guess we all just really want to pass, and start really practicing.
So last week we started practicing hits, and seeing how that was new to me, it was all very exciting. Well it still is!

On Sunday we had an extra training day, unfortunately none of our trainers could be there. Yeah, it's weird but they have private lives to take care of too.... :)
So with the girls that where there we just trained ourselves. And it was good, we were in the big hall, so we had enough space to practice whatever we wanted. We pretty much practiced most of the things people were still insecure about. So of course we also did hits, the shoulder checks to be specific, cause we have only done those a few times. And it was fun! It's so funny to see how some girls are still very careful and don't put to much force behind there hits. Also some of us still turn around and stop if the other one falls down, even saying sorry. Well it was only a week ago that I was saying sorry to Dirty Knickers when she fell after a hit. But I think I got used to it pretty fast, because it's part of the game and we don't mean to hurt the other person, there is simply nothing aggressive about it, at least not in a negative way. Me and Lola Rock 'n' Rolla are really a good match for practice, we hit each other with a nice amount of force while speeding down the track. And it's great to get a forceful hit and take it without falling.

Monday night practice was a little less awesome... After a bout 5 minutes in to the warm up, my ankles were acting up again, and also my legs were so cramped I could hardly move them anymore. And that really sucked! It discouraged me, especially right before the test... It really sucks to notice my body doesn't seem to be able to handle the trainings a day after each other.
The rest of the week I am not training anymore till the test, just want to make sure my body is rested before the test. Also I finally called a physical therapist for my ankles and hips (those are also hurting lately)... It frustrates me when my body is hurting, because I do my very best to get in the best shape I can be in. But I will get it looked at and work my ass off to make it better.

After I rested a tiny bit and got over my frustrations, I joined the rest in the training. We went through some of the basic skills again, and worked on hits. We learned how to do hip checks, and I can now say I like shoulder checks better! Hip checks are cool too, don't get me wrong. But I think they are harder or something, or least need more practice then the shoulder checks.

After practice we talked through the WFTDA skills test. How it will go down, and all that. It's kind of scary that there will be two people just watching and grading you on your performance.
So we are doing everything except for the endurance part of the test tomorrow, and we'll do the endurance on Saturday in the big hall. Cause unfortunately we will be in the small gym tomorrow.

So to end this, the night before the big test. I would like to tell all my league girls that read this, WE CAN DO THIS!!! Let's show our trainers tomorrow that we kick ass!!

And to everybody who has been through this before, I know how we girls in Amsterdam feel, please think of us tomorrow.


- Furrrocious

Friday, October 8, 2010

I like to kick some ASS!!!




So last night we practiced in a new space. It's so nice to finally be in a space big enough to get some speed without being affraid of constantly skating into people or more importantly...walls!!
It's a nice space, the floor is wood and kind of bouncy, which is weird, but it skates just fine.

As we have been doing for the past months, we kept on practicing for our WFTDA test next week (now only 6 days away...). We tried to go through as much of the test as possible, focusing on whips and hits for a while, cause still allot of us, are not yet experienced in it.
And just as I thought.... I AM BORN TO BE A BLOCKER!!! YEAH!! :)
So me and my awesome Derby Wife (want to know what a derby wife is click here) Lola Rock 'n' Rolla paired up to practice hits. And let me tell you, we will kick all the tinny ass girls of the track. We started out skating up and hitting the other while she was standing still. Just to get the hang of it. After a few rounds of that we where slowly skating, and before I knew it we were skating pretty hard and hitting each other even harder. And it was the best feeling ever! I love hitting on the track. In real life I have never seriously hit anybody, I don't like violence at all, and a specially not the anger and hate that comes with it. But hitting on the track is so much different, it's part of the game, and it is so much fun!!
My whips are improving too, giving all your momentum to someone else is really cool. When you see them speeding of after giving them your all in your whip, is just great.

And you know what the best thing was during practice? When we were working on hits and whips, it's so much fun that I paid no attention at all to my tired body. It just didn't even occur to me to sit down or whine about being tired. Cause I just wanted to keep on going! Guess that's one of the reasons I want to play so bad. Because I know I will keep on going, because there is no better feeling in the world than playing. Yeah I know, it's sounds like I am totally obsessed... and you know what, I AM!! :p
Roller derby has giving me strength, confidence, athletics, fun, skills and lots of new great friends!



So a couple of weeks ago a part of our League went to Berlin to watch Berlin vs Essen. One of my team mates, Vegan Vengeance was cool enough to not only film during this awesome road trip. But also edit everything into a little movie! It's really cool.
And you can watch it here.


Well, I have got to go, cause having friends over for a pancake dinner! :)
More later.


-Furrrocious

Monday, October 4, 2010

8 more days till the wftda test....


To most experienced skaters this won't seem like a big deal. But doing my first wftda skills test totally is a big deal for me!
The first 6 months of my training I wasn't confident on my skates, couldn't keep up with my league mates and was just having a hard time getting my body to adjust to working out.
But a couple of months ago I seem to have finally made the 'click' (as Dirty Knickers calls it). Getting more confident on my skates, and getting my muscles into a state where they can handle (most of) the hard work needed to play Derby.

Last Monday me and Vegan Vengeance had a ' private' practice with two of our trainers. Unfortunately there is some kind of flue or something going around, so it was just us 4 at practice.
But it was nice for us. Cause we got allot of personal attention, which I definitely needed, just a week and half before our skills test...
So what we did Monday, was just go through the test, step by step. And we had Dirty Knickers checking our every move and giving us pointers.
The way it looks now, is that will be two things I will probably not get my full marks on. Which will be endurance... and weaving on one leg.
But I think I will do all right on the other skills, so I will hopefully still make it...

Training for this test has really been a personality check for me. I can get so incredibly frustrated when I can not do something... I have literally cried out frustration during practice. I just hope I will do well next week. It's not that I will quit, I simply cannot quit Roller Derby, definitely not before I have played a bout! But after training for 9 months, I just want to get closer to playing, and the idea of not passing, and having to start over practicing for the test, just makes me frustrated...
But we have 8 more days, three more practices, before the big day. So I will have to push myself just that little bit harder to get to where I need to be.

So tomorrow is another day of Roller Derby. We'll be practicing giving and receiving hits. Really looking forward to this. And there is a reason for it, other then I am looking forward to kick some ass! :p
I do not have the super jammer potential, I am not very fast, and it will probably take a while before I am. Which is fine. But it's nice to be good at something. And with my body type, hips and weight, I was born to be a blocker! :)
And I want to learn how to use this body of mine to my advantage. Kicking those skinny girls around the track is really something I am looking forward to. That sounds pretty brutal...haha..well I guess that's the cool thing about Roller Derby, we can be brutal on the track and still be 'nice girls'.


On a different note. I would like to thank all the 460 something people who have checked out my blog! I never thought there would be so many people reading it. And I have had allot of positive comments about it. It's crazy to see that there are people from the States, France, Germany and even Australia checking out this blog! So thanks again.

-Furrrocious

Thursday, September 30, 2010

What goes up must come down....

Another night of training, tonight it was fresh meat training, and there were a bunch of awesome new girls, that did GREAT! Oh and I cannot forget, a great new boy!! We have a new Ref training with us, which is awesome cause we really need refs...

I made my best friend come with me today to fresh meat practice, so she could experience my enthusiasm for herself. She did so good and had fun. She won't be the next derby girl on our league. But hey, guess it's not for all of us, and she'll definitely be a cheerleader when will start playing bouts!

So there are so many good things about a fresh meat practice. First of all, there are new girls which is great, we need to get as many girls to fall in love with this amazing sport as we can. But also going back to the basics is really good, especially with our upcoming skills test. Practicing your falls and stops again, it had been a while. And having someone there really checking what you are doing and giving you pointers makes you focus on how you are doing it, instead of just doing it.
I am very happy to announce I am officially doing a proper T-stop. This makes me very happy! :) It has been one of the hardest to master. In the last months I have finally gotten the hang of it. And that makes me very happy. There is at least that I can do right...

We had two of our trainers kicking us around the track today. But there is one I really need to address here, and that is Dirty Knickers..... Well that's her skate name anyways...
Cause I think we should call her Sergeant Sick Fuck!! :p
First and foremost, because she was sick and still training us. And second, because she is one of those people that will ask you if you're tired and when you say yes, she'll make you work another 15 or so minutes, doing some 'light' pack skating.... No seriously, Knickers you deserve a trainer name that does you justice. Cause you do push us hard, and that is exactly what we need too. You know I like the way you train! Just being a whiny bitch. :p
Just for all those people who don't know me to well, I actually like our trainers. Michelle, Mayatollah, Cherry Poppins and Dirty Knickers are all great trainers. And I cannot wait till the time were we can be teammates too!

So tonight was not one of my best practices. I guess at some point training three nights a week (next to stupid necessities like work..) will get to you. And it got to me tonight. I did not have the energy I normally have and my ankles were playing up again, which sucks, because that hasn't happened for a while now. I was over thinking my moves, which doens't make things easier and I was falling down.
Just in general things didn't go easy today. Which makes me frustrated in allot of ways and makes me feel weak... But I know that the road to play is full of ups and downs. I can have practices were everything just goes so well and then days like today...
Those 'up' days can make you cocky and think you can do it all, and then days like these just make you more realistic and remember that the road to being a Roller Derby Girl is long and hard, but with enough practice I will get there!! AND I WILL!!! Just wait and see....


-Furrrocious

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Roller Derby virus is taking over Holland...

A little over a year ago, a bunch of rad ladies in Amsterdam started a Roller Derby League. Starting out to learn how to Roller Skate...Now one year later there are no less then FIVE leagues in the Netherlands!! And this is really something. None of us is playing bouts yet, but they are all training very hard, so next year we can hopefully organize our first Dutch Roller Derby Championship! Wouldn't that be a blast?!

So let me introduce them to you:

Of course I will start with the Amsterdam Derby Dames

You can find us online at:
Website Facebook Hyves Myspace



East Side Rock 'n Rollers (Enschede)


You can find these ladies online at:
Facebook
Website



Rock City Rollers (Eindhoven)

You can find these ladies online at:
Hyves



Dom City Dolls (Utrecht)


You can find these ladies online at:
Facebook



And then our latest Dutch edition to Roller Derby Holland:
Rotterdam Death row Honeys (Rotterdam and The Hague)


They do not have their own logo yet, but you've got to cut them some slack, they started a week ago! :)

You can find these brand new Derby Ladies (or should I say Honeys..) online at:
Facebook



I think it is amazing how fast the Roller Derby Virus is spreading around in the Netherlands.
And there will be more and more girls getting infected in the coming months, years, until there is Roller Derby everywhere!! :)

So on Wednesday nights I train with the Dom City Dolls. I have been living in Utrecht for the past 8 years, but when I was looking for Roller Derby in the Netherlands, it was just the Amsterdam Derby Dames that started. So I joined them. And after all these months of training with them, I couldn't leave if I wanted to. (Just for my league mates, I don't want to!!)
But when I heard there where girls starting up in Utrecht, I saw an opportunity to train more and to meet more Derby girls. When I first met these girls this summer, they were still getting the hang on being on skates. Seeing how I had been training with the ADD for over a half year, I was all of a sudden an expert!! You should have seen me, it was crazy, always being one of the worst at ADD and then being the best at DCD. It was just funny to me!
So I started helping out with their trainings. And it has been so much fun. Teaching them to fall and stop and basic skills like that.

Now a couple of months into their training, it's not just me anymore helping out, but also two other ADD team mates. And they are making great progress.
Today we practiced whips. It was so much fun, training the basic skills of whipping, just makes you want to play more. Seeing their tired but satisfied faces at the end of practice just makes my day.

And this is the really cool thing about Roller Derby, this is a DIY sport. We have to set everything up, train ourselves, organize ourselves, promote ourselves, etc, etc. There aren't any leagues or anything you can just join. Not like soccer or hockey.
I guess this is also what makes Roller Derby girls so uniquely connected...

Well before I get to philosophical, I'll go and hit the shower...cause you know, Roller Derby girls smell.......GOOD!!! :)


-Furrrocious

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Sergeant PMS at your service...


"If you do not skate in derby stance you will drop down and do push ups!!"





Before we were even stretching the sweat was running down my back (head and all those other places on your body you didn't know you could sweat from...). This was going to be one of those practices....


While we were stretching our trainer Mayatolla explained she was having 'that time of the month' so she might be kind of harsh...
Didn't believe that at first cause she made my day when she said we weren't doing the endurance laps like normal. Seeing how I think endurance laps are equal to hell I was the happiest skater ever.
So instead of doing that we did an relay, which was awesome!! Running, speeding up, falling, sit ups, speeding up again, jumping, we did it all and had great fun doing it! At the end my legs were shaking but I had so much fun trying to beat the other team, that I really didn't care.
After a couple more exercises in which we were pushed to the limit, I knew Mayatolla wasn't kidding about her being 'a bit harsh'....
She was doing it army style, then it came to me. Mayatolla should be her skater name and when she is the trainer her name should be Sergeant PMS!!

We did some pack skating exercises, which are always so much fun! There is so much you need to think of while skating in a pack. Who is around you, what's going on, if one of your teammates is behind get her back in the pack, whipping and if someone falls you need to make sure you don't fall too. I love it! When we do exercises like these I just feel closer and closer to the game, to playing actual roller derby!!

All around it was a great practice. I might bitch and moan but I secretly love it when we are pushed to the limit. Just feels good when the next day you can feel you've trained the night before. But don't tell the sergeant that! ;)



I would also like to make a special shout out to our guest last night from the Arch Rival Roller Girls, Mindy van Rietschote!! Was great having you at practice. And I really love your skates... ;)



- Furrrocious

Friday, September 24, 2010

Practice makes perrrfect...

So last nights practice whipped me right into this blog. I got so enthusiastic again (every time I think I cannot get any more enthusiastic...), I just really want to play roller derby!
As I explained in my first blog, we are a brand new league, haven't played any bouts yet and are still training.

When I came and joined this amazing group of women, I was able to stand on skates.... and that was about it! I had no kind of skills, no confidence on skates, and definetly lacked endurance and strength....yeah I know, nice place to start if you wanna play roller derby...

In the beginning, I had to take breaks during practice, because my body just couldn't take all the hard work. With in a couple of months I had a back injury, because I lacked the upper body strength to keep up with skating in derby stance.
I had lots and lots of moments where I just broke down and cried out all my frustrations. It sucked not being able to keep up!! But instead of quiting, like I did with things like going to the gym, I kept going! This was partly because of the will power and dream of playing derby. But it was also because for the first time in my life I experienced the power of team sports.
The girls in our league are just awesome!! Being pushed and supported, is what keeps me going during those practices that suck.

One night I came home, and told my roommate, that if I wanted to do this, I really needed to step it up... cause I wasn't going to get there if I just attended one practice a week.
So I did. I started training more, and the past few months I have been training 3 times a week. And it works! :)
I feel confident on my skates, my skills are better, I don't have to take breaks during practice and the strength in my body amazes me every day!! :D

So I am getting there, slowly but surely, with the help and support of my team!!

Last nights practice was another one of those 'nights of firsts'.
I little while ago I was finally able to do one single push up. I know this sounds like nothing to most, but let me tell you. When you weigh around 220 lbs and have not done a whole lot of working out, my body was just not ready to push all this weight of the ground!
So last night, for the first time ever, I was able to do 20!! With my girls cheering me on for the last two, I made it! And I felt good! If we all had a bunch of awesome derby girls cheering us on when you are trying to work out at home, we would all do so much better!!

But back to the story... So feeling good making those push ups, we started endurance....or as I like to call it: HELL!! We need to be able to leap the official sized track 25 times in 5 min. I am not the only one who hasn't been able to do this yet. But I am definitely one of the worst...
Well it didn't go very well, I couldn't find the right pace to skate in and my form was just crap. But I did it, and didn't make enough rounds, but did improve myself. I did more laps then last time, even though this time sucked. So I felt good about myself anyways! :)

Then we had to do some weaving exercises....something I can do, with 8 wheels on the track... Seeing my teammates weave between those cones on one leg for months, I was getting very frustrated with this part of the skills...
But, another first happened!! :) For the first time I was able to do it!! On one leg and without crashing into any cones.
I think the whole neighborhood was able to hear my screams of excitement! :D

It was a good night all around. Another great night of firsts!

So yeah, just a couple more weeks before we are taking our WFTDA test. Which is, for those who don't know, a minimum skills test. (Check it out here)
I am excited about it, I want to make it and start scrimmaging! But I am not sure I will make it. We'll see though, and if I don't make it this time, I will just have to push myself harder and harder until I do get there! Cause I am on my way to play!!


- Furrrocious

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Why o why I am starting this Blog...


Ever since I started training for Roller Derby I have been excited and enthusiastic. Constantly bothering everybody around me with my talk about this amazing sport called Roller Derby.

But now I have reached a level of enthusiasm for the game, that I thought it might be nice to give people the option of actually hearing about it! Or in this case, reading about it.

I have started training with the Amsterdam Derby Dames (first RD league in the Netherlands, there are 5 now! YEAH!) in January of this year. Starting out training just once a week. Not really being able to skate and not doing any kind of sport for a long time. It took me a while to get to where I am today. And still not where I want to be. Cause I want to PLAY!!!

In this Blog I will keep track of my thoughts, experiences and progress.

- Furrrocious