Wow. Just wow.

I have been informed of some less than savory happenings within SCDG. Apparently, some of the prominent members have been basically fired with no reason given as to why. The people who have been informed that they will not be returning for the 2011 season were good athletes, well loved by their teams with no disciplinary issues whatsoever. There are several women on the league which are less well liked, less talented skaters and have been actively ejected from games for insubordination and/or fighting. This is unacceptable. The ladies who will not be returning are strong and intelligent women who have been known to disagree with the president of the league.
I have decided not to go back for the second tryout with this league, and fear that they will be losing their WFTDA status very soon. I have decided to join the recreational league in our area for now, and will possibly consider the other nearby WFTDA leagues later on. Maybe Wasatch Roller Derby.
What a long strange trip it's been.

Angsty moment over.

So my last post was pretty pitiful. Not very derby at all. I am over it. Now I just need to get it together and rock out the next tryout. I have a second chance in two or three weeks and I have been strongly encouraged by several of my bestest derby friends to try again. I am working on the two skills that were most difficult for me, weaving and stopping. I went out yesterday and skated with some of the girls that did make the league, and we worked on weaving. By the time we called it a day, I was weaving nicely. Now just to make sure that the tryout judges see that change. I still don't know exactly what the problem was with my stopping, since I was able to stop every time I tried, so I am just working on making my stopping quicker.
New attitude, new tryout. I got this.

Now I'm depressed.

I just found out exactly HOW bad I suck. Apparently 33 girls passed SCDG tryouts. This is an astounding number. More so when you're one of the FIVE that didn't make it. WOW. That is a huge blow to a woman's ego.
I've never wanted to be part of anything more than I want to be part of this league and apparently I suck more than at least two of the girls who couldn't even turn a corner.
Hard work is not enough.
I suck.

First tryouts = fail.

So I heard back from Miss Mafiosa today. I didn't score high enough on my tryout to make the league. Apparently a lot of girls didn't score high enough. I was told that I was very close, and that there would be a second round of tryouts in two to three weeks. I was strongly encouraged to try again, as Mafiosa felt I'd likely make the second cut. She wants me to work on weaves and stops, which were my weakest scores, and if I can bring those scores up, I should be golden. She told me that I aced the interview, and while I didn't *quite* get my 25 in 5, I was close enough that they felt I could get there quickly. I was given to understand that the judges of the skills I didn't do well on were notoriously strict judges, since they have been skating for years.
So, I'm a bit discouraged.

So tryouts were today....

and I didn't suck. I feel very confident that I fall in the middle range of those who tried out today. I will either be the top of the bottom, or more likely, the bottom of the top.
My ever loving husband has been very patient with me, and is definitely the best derby husband a derby girl could want. He is very tolerant of my obsession and encourages me (ie bullies me when I wimp out) when I need it. Love you babe!
I feel pretty good about my endurance, I didn't *quite* get 25 in 5. By my count it was 24 3/4 in 5. I asked FM captain, she said that while I didn't quite make it, I was very close and many of the other ladies trying out didn't get it either. I don't feel too bad about that since I was concentrating more on form than speed. We did weaving through cones, which I absolutely sucked at on the first pass, but rocked out the second try. One-legged skating was decent as it was for a lot less distance than I thought I would need to do, and I was able to stop when I tried to do so. I wasn't even considering the fact that there would be an interview. There were five people doing the interviews two of which were refs that I have been working closely with during my stint as NSO. We were asked not to interview with someone that we were well aquainted with, so I skipped them. I was able to interview with one of the ladies I have met before, but hadn't gotten to know well, Trixen Kixer. She was kind and honest, but I still felt like I was doing a job interview. I feel I represented myself well.
All in all, I feel like I did just fine, didn't make an ass of myself, and may actually make the league. I know that I did my best, the rest is up to the captains.
Now comes the wait. This might just be the worst part. Eeeep. Hopefully, the next post will be the one announcing that I made the league. SCDG here I come!

Skating under the influence....

Of cold medications.
I am about to lay down a big old whine fest. I love y'all, so I figured I'd warn you.
I got sick over the weekend with a fairly nasty little virus which kept me flat down for three days. I went back to work on Monday, miserable, and worked until I was too exhausted to continue then came home. Tuesday, same. Today I felt a little better, and worked as long as I could. ( I cannot have overtime and have to work an extra 1/2 shift this week) Tonight was another "Skate with a Derby Girl" night at the rink, and I almost didn't go. I felt pretty tired and knew I wouldn't be up for much. After discussing with my husband, bless his heart, I decided to just go and see what I could do, and what I needed to work on for tryouts next week (squee!). I sucked. A lot. I took down a kid on a scooter after nearly doing a lovely full split, almost taking down the FM captain with me. (Sorry Mafiosa!) My heart was racing after just one lap. I skated for about 15 minutes and let Ms Mafiosa know I was leaving, and why. She told me that she understood, wanted me to get better and knew that I was serious about tryouts. Almost all the ladies of the league were in attendance, and it was nice to see them all helping so many potentials. All I can do is hope that what I have learned so far is enough. I trust myself more than I have in months, and I have to trust that I CAN do what I need to to make the league. I don't have a lot of practice time before then. I feel better about at least trying to skate, even though I sucked hard tonight. Derby is about dedication, and I am dedicated. I have a fantastic support network, including some great skaters and the best husband andy girl could ask for. My kids want to be derby girls. I'm tired. I'm going to bed now, so I can get better and not suck.

Never point and laugh when a derby girl falls down.

Seriously.
Last night was the second in a series of "skate with a derby girl/fresh meat help sessions" and of course, I went. I got some help with my posture, and some tips on where to start crossovers for optimal power rounding the turns. I worked on balance and endurance. I can skate forever at 75%, but haven't been able to go full bore due to the fact that I practice at a crowded rink and prefer not to break anyone's children. I have just over two weeks. Can you say anticip............ation?
On to the "don't point and laugh" part. I was skating with Miss Mafiosa, the FM captain, and we were just talking and she was giving pointers on confidence and going over what I need to know. She encountered a vet from another league who is hoping to join SCDG and they had been half-heartedly trying to do a trick together. They attempted again. right where there is a high point in the track. They fell. I laughed. A lot. then I fell too. I managed to land on the rubber coated chain link fence which blocks the lap track from the bouncy houses in the middle. I skinned my inner arm on the fence and my elbow pad actually got caught on the fence. Can you say OW? I knew you could.
I now have four winner bruises, which are four different colors and swollen. I can't wait to see what it looks like tomorrow, as it is 10 times worse today. Maybe I will put up a picture.
On the positive side, I got a lot of compliments from other girls trying out that had come to the last "skate with a derby girl" night. THe last one, in case you didn't know was in August, roughly two weeks after I got my skates. I have worked HARD to improve and I feel so much more confident now.
Now to convince Mafiosa and Contessa that I should be a member of SCDG.
Think positive for me beloved friends. I need all the positive energy y'all can muster!

Time flies!

Wow! Another two weeks flew by without a post (whine fest) from yours truly. I guess I have sort of hit cruise control. I missed one week of skating due to a particularly heinous back injury. I pinched a nervein my back, which still twinges at times. Once I could bend over and TIE my skates I was back at it. Oddly enough, Skating seemed to help decrease the pain instead of magnifying it as I expected.
This made me joyful. =)
I just moments ago filled out the official form to pre-register for SCDG tryouts. I am REALLY going to do this! Excitement and dread are warring for my attention right now. Am I good enough? Am I fast enough? Can I actually hang with these ladies? Or am I just making a fool of myself even trying out? I have been improving in leaps and bounds every time I skate, and I believe that, if given the chance, I will be a hell of a derby girl. I think that once I am skating more often than once weekly (which is all I can really afford right now since I have to skate in a rink and that costs money) I will improve even faster. I still have some confidence issues when I first put on the skates. I still have a few balance issues and need to build strength in my legs and abs. I think that regular skating will help me with these issues.
I have settled on a derby name, at least for now, until I run it by a few of the derby girls, or change my mind, or freak out.... I will not be disclosing this name until it is submitted to twoevils. Call it superstition. I know it isn't on the list and there are ZERO similarities, which greatly improves my chances of keeping this name.
I think that covers the bases.