Where've I been?

Where've I been?  I been playing roller derby, that's where I been!

It happened such a while ago that by the time I had time to write about it, it wasn't really news any more.  But I finished my Intermediate stage, did my Rookie Bouts (games where you play with other people of a similar level to you, rather than A-teams) and am now counted as an Advanced Skater!

I've even been told (to my mild excitement/horror) that I'll be playing an A-team game soon.  I knew it was coming, but now it's actually happening!  And of course now that I'm playing games, photos get taken of me doing cool stuff!

So here's a record of me, looking like a boss, playing my games.  

Skater 789 - Michellium Falcon taking to the track!




The First Bout: 'I Wheelie Love You' Team Black

Getting ready to Jam, with a smile on my face!

And I'm through!  Run like the wind!

Looking at my bench for instructions

Shouldering my way through the pack.  You can see where the other jammer is trapped at the back.
My team did great defence.

We do it for the photos :P

I was on the jammer rotation for these 2 games, and was really please with my endurance.  One of our jammers had to stop after the first game, leaving 3 of us to keep going, but we trucked on all the way to the end.

Something I've learned about roller derby.  You don't have to be the best or the fastest or the toughest, you just have to be pig-headed enough to hold on 5 seconds longer than the other guy.

We won the day!  I don't remember the score but it was a great first bout.

The Second Bout: 'America, Block Yeah!'

Unlike my first bout, I mostly blocked in this one, which made a nice contrast actually.

Me, crushing the life out of some poor Jammer

Utilising my butt to stop her getting past

Team 'I Shove Lucy'

The score from our first game.  That is a very respectable points differential, if I say so myself!

Having a go at Jamming

Not making it easy for me!

One of my few jams.  My team-mate clears the inside track for me, and I peg it!

 

In the Penalty Box, but still cheering!

My Newbie Coach watches on, hopefully with some pride!

I also volunteered to be Team Captain for this game, since I'd reffed enough to know how official reviews worked.  Now, I'm not saying that having me as captain makes us win, but those two things have happened together every time so far! :P

The Third Bout:  RDL Rookie Scrim

With my fellow Dollies.  This bout was my third, and their first!  

I captained this one too, but only because my friends made me!  Actually I don't mind it as much as some other rookies, just because of all the reffing I've done, so I have some idea of what a captain's jobs are during a game (mainly going to the middle for official reviews, and taking the hit for other people's penalties!)

I did have more experience than the others in our team that day, and people kept asking me what to do.  The advice I gave was that there's no point trying to be clever - we don't know each other well enough to pull off a lot of orchestrated moves - just Keep Talking and Keep Reforming.  It worked out really well.  

We won the game, and most of it was because of good defense.  When we got split up (which always happens) we got back together faster than the other team, and we kept up a better chatter so we could keep track of each other.  Even if you're stuck at the back, you can still be useful by telling your team mates where the jammer's going.

On the bench, waiting to go

I have no idea what wall this was supposed to be.  We were in a hurry at the time.  The jammer is right behind my butt.

I did a little jamming, but not a lot in this game.

Aaaaand, I'm in the box.  Bad jammer!

I remember this jam.  The Jammer is the black girl in the orange helmet next to me.  She's removed her Star and is trying to pass it to the Pivot (231) who hasn't realised yet.  I'm trying to come up and get between them so she can't complete the pass.  I did this, my team cam back to help me, and the jam ran for 2 minutes.

We're holding back the orange-helmeted Jammer, working together to keep her slow and tire her out.
She was exhausted by the end of the jam, but since this is roller derby we started encouraging her to Keep Going and Not Give Up! even while we were blocking her.  And she didn't!  We all clapped her on the back afterwards,

Go Team!