oh!

I could also talk about the signficance of my number, 691. (You get to pick your own number.  Previously it could be whatever the hell you wanted, but nowadays with new WFTDA rules [four characters or less, has to be alphanumeric with at least one numerical digit] you don't have as much freedom.  It sucks for one of our players whose number was #XXX. I believe she's going to be #13 this season.)

I knew that I wanted it to have something to do with my son's birthday, which is June 9, 2001.  I didn't want to pick 69 because I'm not the HAW HAW HAW SHE MADE A 69 JOKE HAW HAW HAW type, and 6901 just seemed too long.  So I stripped out all the zeros and went from there.

 

Woot indeed.

let's see

it's a non-exercise day, and practices don't start proper for a few weeks, so....what shall I talk about today?

I could talk about how tasty my Dunkin' Donuts coffee is this AM.

I could talk about how I forgot to write our account number on the check I sent to the postage meter place, and we're down to less than $20 on the meter.   Oops.

I could talk about my new chopped-off hair cut.  I went from below shoulder-length hair to, like, super mega hella short.  It's nice.

I could talk about how I'm contemplating seeing if anyone wants to buy my (yellow, 92a) Chaser wheels and replace them with (black, 88a) Stalker wheels.  (Though I may wait to see how they work on sport court.)

I could talk about how I wish it would stop being so damn cold.

I could talk about how when I did the 20 laps in 5 minutes assessment back in November 2008, my average lap time was 11.95 seconds, and when I did the 25 laps in 5 minutes assessment on Monday, my average lap time was 10.56 seconds.

I could talk about the track that I wore into the basement floor when I was in 3rd and 4th grade from rollerskating on metal wheels, and how it's really kinda strange that after 25+ years, I'm back on skates again.

I could talk about how my elbow pads are held together by strings now and that I need to get new ones but I haven't found a place that sells ONLY elbow pads.

I could talk about how I should probably get a new helmet and how I'll need to have Lainey (one of our skaters who is quite artistic) paint another crown on it.  (I could talk about how the crown makes it very easy for me to spot myself in pictures.)

well, I guess I just did.

another Tuesday, another Death Paces

this time it was mostly arms.  "But Queen!" I hear you say.  "You don't really use your arms in roller derby, right?  I mean, you're supposed to keep 'em in 'cause you can't elbow people and such."  Well, you're right, but you also have to be able to whip people.  (Unless you're [a] insane and/or [b] from Rat City, in which case you do a leg whip.) 

My right arm is a weak little chicken wing.  It's really kinda sad.  Kyle had me do bench presses with dumbells and a few other machines, and it was obvious that my left arm was doing most of the work.

So I'm getting more and more excited for the start of the derby season.  It's been sooooooo long.  When I went for assessments on Monday it was so cool just to see everyone again, hang out, all that good stuff.

to travel team or not to travel team

so I had to let The Powers that Be know last night if I was going to try out for the travel team.  The tryouts will be a "scrimmage against each other" situation, on March 2.

For the first quarter, at least, the travel team will be veteran members only. I looked at the list of returning skaters, and there are 24 skaters who would be eligible. 

The top 20 will be travel team, and the remaining skaters (there are one or two who have specifically said they do not want to be on the travel team) will be divided up into the new home teams, which will be completed by fresh meat.

Therein lies the condundrum.  A home team that is 85% completely new, never-bouted before fresh meat is going to be completely different than (from? I can never remember which to use) what we did last year.  If I'm on a home team, though, I'll be a motherfucking superstar.  I might get to jam, too, which I like doing on occasion. If I'm on a travel team, I get the glory of being on the travel team. 
But I've got a month until the tryout, so we'll see what happens.

-----------------

So I suppose I should sacrifice something to the Hamstring Gods for watching over me last night.  It didn't bother me then and it's not bothering me now.

----------------

Death Paces again tonight.  I am skipping cardio, though, as it's the premiere of Lost and I have to watch it while IMing with my sister.  (Besides, I figure I did enough cardio last night.)

assessments, my name is kicktoria

so that was tonight.  I remembered this afternoon that, hey, there's a written part of the assessment, too! and maybe I should study.  So I did that.

So I get to the rink. I'm assessing with Syn and Candi, who are both jammers.

Everything's going groovy until it comes to the rock star fall.  First time, I don't get up in two seconds.   Okay, no problem.  I want to ace everything, I want to be the Queen.

Second time, I trip and fall.

Fuck.

Now I'm all scattershot and upset and crying and I can't concentrate.  The coach who's assessing me kinda pulls me aside, calms me down.  She tells me out of everyone, I'm her dream skater, because I'm not afraid to try anything.

I nail the rock star next try.

Everything else goes fine, whips and pushes and checks and pace lines.  Jumps, fine (the coach tells me I didn't need to jump *that* high).

So it all comes down to the big one. 25 laps in 5 minutes.  Coach tells me she will yell out my laps as I do them, and at the minute marks, she'll tell me if I need to speed up.  Okay.  Groovy.  We're told the record to beat is 3:57. 

Whistle, and we're off.

My wheels absolutely fucking suck.  I am sliding all over the goddamn place.  After two laps Coach tells me to speed it up a little.  That is not what I needed to hear so early in the trial.  My leg is aching (not the tendonitis, though, thank God for small favors).  I'm skitting around, praying I don't fall.  If I fall, it's game fucking over.  Syn passes me, and then I think she laps me.  Candi and I trade places a few times, but she was out for a large part of last year with back issues.

Skate, skate and more skating.  I hear people say I'm doing fine, Coach tells me I'm at a good pace.  I'm still gasping (remember all that Sprinty McSprintenheimer stuff? IT FAILED ME), and I'm swearing at my stupid wheels.  I lose my crossover rhythm.  I contemplate quitting and retrying this portion with my old wheels, but I don't want to be known as the skater who didn't pass the 25 in 5 on her first try.  My left leg feels like it weighs eleventy billion pounds.

Finally, finally, FINALLY I cross the line on lap 25.  My leg falls off and my heart explodes, and I puke all over the place.*

4:24.

Go me.

And I threw my hat into the travel team tryout ring.  But I think I'll go back to my old wheels for that.
----------------------
*Not really.

eep

so my assessment is tonight.  I'm all eep-y and nervous, even though it's a formality.  I want to crush the 25 laps in 5 minutes - (my goal is to do it in under 4 minutes).

knock on wood, my tendonitis is being quiet this morning.  A few derby girls have recently sung the praises of a local acupuncturist; I am contemplating it.

I'm also waffling on whether or not I want to try out for the travel team.  Of the 29 veterans of the league who are eligible, the top 20 will be chosen.  Am I in that 20? I dunno.

(followup on a previous post: Maverick finished 5th out of 22 at his bowling tournament.  Yay Maverick!)

teh weekendzar

so for eleventy billion reasons that I don't need to go into (read: laziness), I didn't go to the gym on Friday.

Yesterday I did a LAST CHANCE WORKOUT before assessments.  A bunch of us went to this little roller rink that is usually deserted.  I wanted to try out my wheels again and my new toe stops, both of which rule.  As I expected, my hamstring started bugging me (GODDAMMIT) but what can I do at this point? Not much.

So now it's Sunday and I didn't want to go to the gym today either (especially since Maverick was at a friend's house - that right there is prime nappin' time) but I went.  I HOPE THE POWERS THAT BE ARE HAPPY.  But, fortunately, my least favorite machine (the assisted dip/pull up) machine was broken, so I had a legitimate reason not to use it YAY WAHOO.

And now my right knee hurts for some reason.  I CAN'T WIN.

Tomorrow evening is my assessment, we'll see what happens.