Sunday, August 28, 2011

Put my skates on...

So I went to the doctor last week about my knee injury. It was good news all around. He said that he couldn't really detect any obvious tears or significant strain to the ligaments in my knee, X-ray showed no bony injury. Doc said that I should take it easy, continue taking anti-inflammatories, and continue applying ice to the area. He also said that I could start skating again when I felt like I was ready. He told me, a derby girl, to use my best judgement. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Like I have good judgement. I deliberately strap wheels to my feet and skate as fast as I can and intentionally run into other people.
Last week, I just wasn't up to the challenge. The knee was still fairly painful and a bit swollen, so I sat out practice, and just watched Manna beat my teammates into oblivion. I've never been so jealous of someone else's misery. I wanted SO badly to be out there. I need the work, I need the practice. With all the extra practices my teammates are getting in, my skill level has been surpassed by almost everyone in the league. Sad face.
So this week we had a league meeting, which went well, and were scheduled for scrimmage. I brought my gear, and geared up with the hope of being able to play, but the expectation that I'd warm up and probably sit out the scrimmage, most likely working as NSO.
I did a few warm up laps. It felt great to be back on my skates. I skated a bit faster, working crossovers, scissors, and a little weaving. If anything short of a full hit was going to hurt, it would be weaving, since lateral (side to side) motion was always the part that was painful after the injury. Felt pretty good overall, but just wasn't feeling ready to take a hit, especially considering we had a few visiting skaters from our sister league, and those girls hit like a train.
I made a mature and rational decision. I wanted to cry. I did work as NSO, sort of training another girl to keep score. the scrimmage was fun to watch.
I also worked as NSO for the final home teams game of our sister league, Wasatch Roller Derby last night. I was in a position that I don't often do, I worked as wrangler, catching penalties from the refs and making sure that the trackers got them down. This requires a lot of running around, and while a tough position, I feel like I did fairly well. I did make a few errors, but overall feel like I did okay. Our head NSO pulled me and a few other regulars aside and told us he was quite pleased with us overall and that he wanted to keep us as his primary NSO crew, and encouraged us to attend more scrimmages for WRD to get in more practice. A few of us are all interested in progressing to skating ref, but we will all be around for a while I think.
Went to the afterparty, had WAY too much fun. Sang a little Karaoke. Apparently, didn't make a total fool of myself. Showed someone something he didn't need to see, but really wanted to.
Tomorrow I have big plans to go skating in the park to test my endurance. I plan to take it pretty easy, but want to skate as long as I can and try to get some speed up.
We'll see how that goes before I decide whether or not I am up for skills practice with Miss E. Vil again this coming week. I hope so. I learned SO much from her last time, and look forward to another great session.

Friday, August 12, 2011

That moment.

There is a sickening moment when you fall on the track. Not just any fall, but REALLY fall.
Last night was a very rough practice for the Red Rockettes. We had several significant falls. It is always horrible to watch your sisters fall to the ground and be unable to get up. It makes you sick in the pit of your stomach to hear the jam called dead, and see everyone drop to one knee.
When it is YOU that falls, it is a surreal experience.
I fell last night. I don't exactly know what happened for sure. I know I was in the middle of the pack, I had managed to put my ass in Wanton Rebellion's way (for once). I think I may have clipped skates with someone, and went down to take a knee to recover my balance. The next thing I noticed was searing pain that started in my knee, and shot straight down into my ankle. I fell. HARD. I wanted nothing more than to be able to get up, but all I could think of was the pain. I didn't hear the jam called off. All I heard was one of the refs saying my name, asking me if I was okay. I wanted to be okay. I wanted to get up and skate off like there was nothing wrong. There was something wrong. So, I sat out the rest of the scrimmage with an ice pack under my knee pad and watched the rest of the girls play. This morning, I woke up unable to bend my knee more than about 15 degrees. I have been resting and icing, and took a nice hot bath, which seems to have loosened it up. I can bend it now, with some pain, and can bear weight. I am hoping that a day of rest and babying will help, and I won't be out for very long.
We were playing hard last night, it is almost like we all took practice more seriously this time. A couple of other girls fell pretty hard too, most notably Temper Edict, who took not one, but TWO significant falls. The first fall she took, she hit her head and felt a little off. The second fall was the last jam of the evening, from my vantage on the sidelines, I saw the whole thing. Poor Temper! She is amazing.
It was a fun night, even with the injuries. I can't wait to get back on my skates.