fiveonfive | issue 44 | Summer 2019

WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY MAGAZINE ISSUE 44, SUMMER 2019

proud partner of the WFTDA

fiveonfivemedia.com fiveonfivemag.com | SUMMER 2019

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contents 4

L ETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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C ONTRIBUTORS

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A SK A BLOCKER, ASK A JAMMER

ask swede hurt and midge mayhem!

B USINESS

The importance of smart fundraising

12 H EALTH AND FITNESS

Yoga for crossovers

16 H EALTH AND FITNESS

Blister care

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FEATURE

MY JOURNEY BACK FROM THE

“NINE MONTH INJURY”

18 D ERBY RECIPES

Lemon poppy protein bites

20 G AMES AND COACHING

Toxic positivity in roller derby

22 G AME DAY

32 R OOKIE OF THE YEAR

24 W FTDA

34 D ERBY WORLD

2 8 J U N I O R D E R B Y

36 F IVEONFIVE FAVORITES

Producer paperwork with quick board Introducing the new stats Championship preview

Juking the hurdles Derby Hong Kong

Our favorite things

42 M Y DERBY STORY

Skating through trauma

44 C ULTURE

#thefannypackishere

46 S POT THE DIFFERENCE

Find 6 differences

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in this issue Welcome to the 44th issue of fiveonfive!

It’s Summer here in the northern hemisphere and that means more trail skating, more outdoor cross-training and more RollerCon-ing.

Do you know what 110 degreed farenheit feels like at midnight on a Wednesday? ‘Cause Rollercon does.

As many leagues are taking a much-needed break, others are ramping up for the post-season. In this issue we look to Midge

co-captains leslie nope iona switchblade photo editor leslie nope foco roller derby art director iona switchblade foco roller derby copy editor sue zaynard contributing writers swede hurt stockholm roller derby midge mayhem wilhelm denver roller derby

“Mayhem” Wilhelm and Swede Hurt for insight into using statistics

ruby snap long island roller rebels

to tell the story of a game and some examples of coaching

amy jo “bitches bruze” moore

excellence in their careers. Agony Christie shares some modern methods for fundraising in a competitive landscape and

artichoke-her foco roller derby

Artichoke-her strengthens our crossovers with a progression

poison apple

of strong yoga poses.

agony christie, emily crouch-ponder pikes peak derby dames

Sinful Sally covers blister care and prevention in our health and fitness section, Ruby Snap keeps us fueled with lemon poppy protein bites (zing-y!), and Poision Apple takes on toxic positivity as it manifests in modern derby.

Do you like free resources? Amy Jo Moore has you covered with a producer’s template for announcing a game geared towards a

sinful sally rockford rage women’s roller derby michael watson rainy city roller derby love hurricane south side derby dames “standby” tommy riggins jrda shaggy ymeri plummer, aka bad #86 angel city derby

more advanced deby fandom, download it at fiveonfivemedia.com.

enpsychopedia

Jump to page 36 to see a few of our favorites then explore the

estrelia diaz – aka diamond drill(h)er

Summer issue to find even more roller derby goodness!

cover photo bill zingraf regularmanphotography.com

iOna Switchblade & Leslie Nope FoCo Roller Derby iona@fiveonfivemedia.com nope@fiveonfivemedia.com

fiveonfive magazine info@fiveonfivemag.com facebook.com/fiveonfive fiveonfivemag.com

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the contributing writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of fiveonfive magazine.

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contributors

Many thanks to our contributors who come from all over the roller derby community and share their knowledge based on their countless hours of dedication to this sport!

Check out additional contributors at fiveonfivemag.com.

Agony Christie, Emily Crouch-Ponder

I completed my Master’s of Library & Information Science in December 2014 and put on my first pair of skates in the spring of 2016. I moved into the fundraising/ development sector in 2018, finding my niche connection people with causes, and now bringing that into roller derby!

“Standby” Tommy Riggins

“Standby” Tommy Riggins is the 2019 JRDA Championships Tournament Head Announcer. He is a former roller derby television producer who announces for five leagues across Florida.

Artichoke-her

Artie has played, refed, and NSOed roller derby since 2012. She is a RYT 200 certified yoga instructor. She has taught yoga everywhere from a studio, a distillery, to a hostel in Panama. For her day job, she works for Google as a YouTube Support Specialist.

Estralia Diaz, Diamond Drill(h)er Diamond Drill(h)er is a freelance writer/ traveller/derby enthusiast, she loves her passport, hates bullying and thinks that Jeans and Joggers is ‘incorrect’.

Tweet her @thejetlaggedtraveller

Amy Jo Moore

Amy Jo Moore (aka Bitches Bruze) began announcing in 2008 when she was scheduled to be the scoreboard operator and the planned announcer couldn’t make it due to traffic. She has announced or produced hundreds of games and has been selected as Tournament Head Announcer for a number of regional and WFTDA Playoff tournaments.

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ASK A BLOCKER ASK A JAMMER

Ask a Blocker Ask a Jammer Swede Hurt

Stockholm Roller Derby Stockholm, Sweden

Midge Mayhem Denver Roller Derby Denver, Colorado

DEAR BLOCKER AND JAMMER

How do your game stats affect your training or idea of your performance, since the stats are going to be public?

BLOCKER

JAMMER

Stats can be superduper helpful to recognize patterns that are positive and negative in your gameplay. But to be honest, my stats usually refelected the way I felt that my game went, and the stats usually just verified how I had felt about my performance. What I usually took out of it was if I had penalties and what they were and how I could improve that.

In my opinion, if you’re using your stats as a gauge for your training only because you know they’re going to be public, you’re training at a deficit. Stats are part of a larger picture of what’s going on in-game, and can be a helpful guide during footage watching by narrowing focus to identify scenarios, positive or negative, and better help evaluate nuances to determine what can be improved. Using stats as a comparison for evaluating pack dynamics and skating skills doesn’t work; they explain the “what”, not the “why” or “how” in the story.

Of course it feels good to have great stats and it does verify that I have had a good game. In the end stats are just numbers, and they don’t only reflect my personal performance, but also how well I played together with the other skaters on the track and the other team.

I really see stats as a tool that a team can use to understand what is done well and what we can do better. I view it as a useful to tool to improve team performance, rather than personal performance.

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need advice? email us at: advice@ fiveonfivemag.com

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Evaluating the whole story will prove to be the most effective method in improving your performance, along with repetitions and practice, which take time. Plus, stats don’t take into account any cool skating skills your team accomplished. How are you supposed to know your spins and jumps were badass?!?!

DEAR BLOCKER AND JAMMER,

Who was your favorite coach and why?

BLOCKER

JAMMER

I really can’t answer this question, since I’ve played derby for so many years and I’ve had so many coaches and I have coached so many people myself. I don’t think I have ever had a favorite coach, but I have had coaches that have inspired me in different ways and coaches that have taught me skills I never thought I would learn, and people that I just learned from by skating with them.

Well, I can’t say I only have one favorite coach as a number of coaches have played such a positive role throughout my roller derby experience, and putting into words the impact they’ve had is difficult. HOWEVER, I will do my best...

I have always appreciated coaches who had the ability to go back to basics and build on from that.

I learn best from physically trying something over and over, rather than listening to long explanations. In short; I have always preferred coaches who talk less and make you skate more.

I’ve always thought Malou (Helsinki) was an excellent coach on all level; her understanding and love of skating always made it fun to coach with her and to be coached by her. OMG and Bonnie Thunders must be mentioned as coaches who had great impact on me, on both my coaching style and my skating performance. They made the team work hard, and made us belive that we could outperform ourselves.

Personally I have always appreciated coaches who make me work hard, give me a thumbs up when I do well, and then push me a little harder.

G Money coached Bay Area when I transferred to Denver for competitive play. During my first few years, MHC played B.A.D. what seemed multiple times a year. After each game, he always gave me a high-five and called out things I did well. Even after Champs my first year, he talked to me at the after party and gave me encouraging words, supporting the growth he’d seen throughout the year, and calling out my potential. Having someone I hardly knew genuinely giving me props was more meaningful then I’m sure he’ll ever know. He’s one of my absolute favorites.

Scott Paul (now with Rose) coached me for about 4 years (?) while I was on MHC. He’s ok. :) . Kidding. I owe a lot of my knowledge of strategy, skating nuances, and what I believe to be the best coaching in the sport to him. While I didn’t always agree or understand some of his ideas or approaches, I learned a lot from him, both in the context of sports and just life.

Tim “Dirté” Burns is a solid human, through and through. He is one of the most supportive, giving, and encouraging people I know. Outside of the few times he forgot to put a jammer out in a game (haha), he’s the best line up coach I’ve ever had, and probably one of the best in the sport. His smart game play and ability to give direct, actionable feedback in the moment leaves difficult shoes to fill.

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BUSINESS

Changing and Updating to Fit the Times

“OH I DON’T WANT to ask people for money. That’s awkward.” Good thing you won’t be doing that in fundraising! Shocking?

Of course it is! This is not only the most incorrect misconception about fundraising but also the most common one. Fundraising isn’t about asking people for money, but building relationships and showing people how they can best support your organization.

It also isn’t a slap-dash, easy way to increase a league’s bank account. A fundraising event will only be as successful as the work

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The importance of smart fundraising

that was put into it. I’ve often seen, experienced, and heard it being treated as a fix-all for money problems, which it isn’t. It needs understanding, time, and effort in order to work. Let’s face it, everyone in roller derby is busy.

Whether you’re traveling from tournament to tournament as a ref, announcer, or NSO, or juggling work, family, and practices as a skater, the very last thing we ever want to hear is “fundraising.”

For the majority of people, hearing that word brings to mind a slideshow of sad puppies and kitties set to “In the Arms of an Angel” and

AGONY CHRISTIE, EMILY CROUCH-PONDER

seeking donations to the ASPCA, or a person standing on a busy street corner, clad in a bright t-shirt, grasping a clipboard and trying to strike up conversations with harried passerby. However, modern fundraising, especially fundraising in roller derby, looks like neither of these things. Long fundraising campaigns don’t really fit with the constant go-gogo of the typical derby league, but fortunately, there are many available avenues that make fundraising not only

easy and fun for the league, but interesting and gratifying for the supporters and donors.

CALL TO ACTION One of the first and most important building blocks to expanding and strengthening a donor/ fanbase is something called

more people you reach.

Another pivotal use for your Facebook/Twitter accounts is sharing the impact of your already established donor base. Post about the items

solidify a foundation of trust within your community and potential future supporters.

The more you show how your organization connects with, supports, and appreciates

Being transparent about money raised, fundraising efforts and events, and finances is not only a must legally, but will help solidify a foundation of trust within your community and potential future supporters. a “noncommittal call to action (C2A).” These are forms of engagement with passersby, current audiences, fans, etc., that don’t require them to commit either time or money. People who are brand new to the community don’t want to be instantly asked for money, their time, or effort. It isn’t welcoming, and it doesn’t show that your organization values them; it just shows that you value their money. This is why noncommittal engagements are so important.

Encouraging people to follow your league’s social media pages, liking and sharing posts or events, asking them to take a handful of fliers and pass them out or post them on community boards are all examples of noncommittal C2As. These are easy and fast ways of connecting with and engaging casual bout attendees and the first step in building relationships.

However, you can’t leave it there. Being active on social media is imperative or this won’t work. Keep your pages and accounts up to date, share events, games, league news, skater news; the more your organization uses social media, the

donated in a charity drive or the dollars given to help a local nonprofit that you partnered with. Make the efforts of your current base known and thank them often.

Being transparent about money raised, fundraising efforts and events, and finances is not only a must legally, but will help

the city/community that you are located in, the more connections you make within that community. Without these connections, whether or not they are monetary or personal, your fundraising efforts won’t increase but will remain stagnant. Too many times, I’ve heard “We’re essentially a skater-funded

organization” in regards to a league’s fundraising efforts.

LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA Social media fundraising is one of the biggest trends in fundraising, and rightfully so. From grassroots organizations to multilevel international nonprofits, it’s able to reach more people faster, easier, and is much more flexible than other “traditional” fundraising platforms. According to Nonprofit Resource1 the past year there has been a 205% increase in using smartphones and mobile devices for donations and charitable giving. As of 2018, mobile devices accounted for over 57% of internet traffic2. The average person between the ages of 16-24 has an average of 6.6 social media accounts, with 3.9 of

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those actively used on a daily basis, and users between the ages of 25-34 are close behind with an average of 6.2 accounts and 4.2 of those being used daily.3 So why are static, in-person events still the go-to for fundraising in roller derby? Simple, it’s been the status quo for decades. However, times are changing and fundraising should change with it. 84% of Facebook users share and support causes and charities via the platform, as compared with the 55% of millennials who physically attend fundraising events.

Utilizing Facebook’s ‘cause’ feature, creating social media campaigns, and sharing online giving tools via the platform reaches farther and faster than a one-off, in-person event. Now, the in-person events are still extremely important for faceto-face relationship building, but a good fundraising committee should utilize both approaches. The same goes for Twitter and Instagram.

55% of Twitter users and 75% of Instagram users take action (visit a site, donate, make a purchase) after seeing a post or clicking on a link.4 Utilizing these tools in addition to in-person fundraising events will

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not only increase event exposure but also increase transparency. That being said, social media and online donations shouldn’t be cookie cutter. People are more likely to donate if there is a personal touch, an appeal to emotions, or a direct connection made.

league has a super-fan, a face that everyone in the league knows, but there are those quiet supporters who deserve just as much attention as the loud, in-your-face ones.

The number one factor in losing donors is a lack of acknowledgment. Show

A universal truth is that a nonprofit is only as strong as its donor base. This applies to roller derby most of all, a community that relies on its fans and donations for everything from practice space to travel funds to injured skater support. Fundraising is not

Each league has a super-fan, a face that everyone in the league knows, but there are those quiet supporters who deserve just as much attention as the loud, in-your-face ones.

KEEPING THOSE CONNECTIONS The personal connection is something that hasn’t been dealt with well in roller derby fundraising.

When was the last time your league sent out direct, personalized thank yous to the people who attended a fundraising event, donated, or volunteered?

Following up with donors and acknowledging their efforts is just as important as engaging with them in the first place. What about those fans who attend bouts and events regularly, but no one attempts to learn their names? Each

the donors the impact they made. Send out note cards, put a thank-you spread in the next bout program, share a thank-you photo, video, etc., on social media.

It takes around 6-9 months for the average organization to see the full growth and impact of a new fundraising lifecycle strategy. These don’t happen overnight, so patience is key. However, you can lose support quickly.

This is why it’s so vital to equally split focus on bringing in and creating new fans and relationships, but nurturing and strengthening the original ones as well.

a “last resort” and should never be treated as such, but it’s not as scary as you may think. However, it does need time, nurturing, and effort.

NOTES: 1 Mobile Giving Statistics for Nonprofits, https://nonprofitssource. com/online-giving-statistics/ mobile-giving/ 2 ibid 3 Global Web Index Chart of the Day https://blog.globalwebindex.com/ chart-of-the-day/internet-usershave-average-of-5-54-socialmedia-accounts/ 4 Online Giving Statistics for Nonprofits, https://nonprofitssource. com/online-giving-statistics/socialmedia/

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HEALTH AND FITNESS

Yoga for crossovers ARTICHOKE-HER, FOCO ROLLER DERBY

CROSSOVERS ARE A BIG DEAL at the start of derby. Who among us did not feeling like a stumbling giraffe as they attempted to cross one leg over another?

While they are certainly something we perfect over the course of our derby careers, they can always continue to be improved. Whether you are a new recruit

learning how to do crossovers before the 27 in 5 or a vet who wants to improve their balance and speed, this yoga sequence is for you!

RECLINING PIGEON Start on your back in Reclining Pigeon by drawing your right knee into your chest and then crossing your left ankle over the right knee to make a figure four. You can reach behind your right thigh, or even to your shin, if comfortable. Make sure your right foot is flexed to protect your knee.

(We don’t want any more stress on those derby knee injuries!)

Take three deep breaths here. On your last exhale, put your hands behind your head and interlace them, then lift your head up by engaging your core.

Inhale to lower back down. We will do five Pigeon Crunches to wake up the core.

Repeat on the opposite side.

BENEFITS: Reclining Pigeon is a gentle

way to open the hips which gives us greater mobility for crossovers. Adding the core work helps us maintain our balance and a strong derby stance.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY LESIE NOPE

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WARRIOR 2 We’re are all warriors. Why not express it through asana? Take a large stance on your mat, then turn your right toes to the front and your back foot to be perpendicular to your right. You could draw a line from the heel of your right foot to the arch of your left foot.

Right knee should align over right foot. In Warrior 2, take five breaths, focusing on your right hand in front of you.

Channel your inner warrior. Repeat.

BENEFITS: Warrior 2 is a power pose, but also a hip opener

and leg strengthener.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY LESIE NOPE

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CHAIR POSE From a standing position, place your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, drop your butt, and come into what should feel an awful lot like derby stance. Keep your core engaged here and see if you can tuck your pelvis.

Take five breaths here. Then see if you can get lower. Add three more breaths.

Once you’re done, take a break in a forward fold.

BENEFITS: Chair helps build familiarity in your muscle groups by practicing your stance outside of practice.

GARLAND POSE Spread your feet to the outside edges of your mat and turn your toes facing out. Drop your butt to a low squat position. You may feel like you are sitting on a Squatty Potty. Don’t worry too much about it. You are now in Garland Pose. Take five breaths as you settle in, feeling free to shift a little side to side. Once you get comfortable, engage your core and take your arms up as if you are raising Simba over a cliff.

Hold for another three breaths.

BENEFITS: Increased mobility in the hips and the ability to get super-duper low.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY LESIE NOPE

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ONE FOOT BALANCE Shift your weight to your right foot and ground down through all four corners of your foot.

Slightly bend your right knee and practice taking your left foot off the ground. You can play with your balance slightly by wobbling side to side. I like to think of myself as a Weeble. Remember, Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down. See if you can lift that left foot a little higher until your knee is bent. Still balancing on that right leg, slowly move your left leg behind you and then deepen the bend in your right knee, still keeping you left leg elevated. This should look an awful lot like a crossover. Hold for three breaths. Release your left foot and shake it out. Repeat on the other side.

BENEFITS: We are essentially the imprinting the shape of the crossover here while working on balance, core strength, and ankle stability.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY LESIE NOPE

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HEALTH AND FITNESS

Blister care

SINFUL SALLY, ROCKFORD RAGE WOMEN’S ROLLER DERBY (RETIRED)

I HAVE A NEW BLISTER. Its name is Beatrice. I’ve gotten to know Bud, Bruce, Buzz and many others over the past few years. When I was in college, I played volleyball and was an Athletic Training Major (division of sports medicine). My fellow athletic training students dreaded my visits to the athletic training room for daily practice and got sick of looking at my feet during our care and prevention of injuries class.

My feet were horrible. At one point, during volleyball season, I had deep “holes” in both balls of my feet from blisters that had ripped open.

It was awful and awesome at the same time.

Eight years later, I have come to terms with having “Frankenstein” feet. Just 3.5 years of derby have

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taken a serious toll on my once beautiful and well manicured footsies, and the aforementioned “friends” I have made have taught me more than I ever wish to know about blisters. I’ve been through an endless amount of padding, blister care supplies, and athletic tape.

I have bunions, bunionettes, calluses, and of course, the dreaded blister. I’ve tried everything to help prevent them and to heal them quickly once they appear.

You could say I’m somewhat of an expert, so I thought I would share with all of you. about blisters Blisters are simply caused by friction, which ends up separating layers of skin from one another and can fill with fluid. Blisters typically form anywhere

there is extra friction, added moisture, or “hot spots.”

Moist/warm conditions are perfect for blister harvesting, and anyone who skates derby knows that we could make millions in the blister making business.

Blood blisters are more bothersome and irritating.

They appear when all layers of skin are irritated and affect the deep tissue, causing blood vessels to rupture.

In my case, my past few “friends” have all been blood blisters. They aren’t pleasant, take longer to heal, and are just plain irritating.

BLISTER PREVENTION So what’s a girl to do when prone to blisters?

Keep your feet clean, dry and well kempt—Easier said than done, but it really does

wonders. Dry feet will cause less irritation to the skin than moist feet. Change your socks frequently. Sounds like a chore, but if you keep your feet dry, you have less of a chance to create a spot that will have excess friction.

When we do offskates training at practice, I bring a change of socks to put on before we start skating, and recently, I have started changing my socks at half time of bouts. I’ve discovered that my hot spots don’t develop until close to halftime, simply because my feet are hot and sweaty.

With changing socks midway, there is less of a chance that another nasty blister will form.

Minimize friction—Baby power, skin lube, deodorant or Vaseline lightly rubbed on

one of your hotspots before putting socks on will reduce friction. Other friction fighters that work well include (believe it or not) duct tape, Blist-O-Ban (SamMedical. com/blistoban) and Engo blister prevention pads (GoEngo.com) and items like Silipo Skate Bite Protector sleeves (Silipos.com) or Clear Clouds sleeves (SkatingSafe. com/ClearClouds) have special gel pads to protect hot spots.

Wear the appropriate socks—The right socks can make or break you.

We all want the newest, most badass socks from our favorite derby apparel website, but many of these socks are made from materials that increase the chance of forming blisters. A study out of the University of MissouriColumbia showed that 100% cotton socks are the worst for holding moisture and causing blisters. In fact, the study further found that nylon socks help prevent blisters the best. Any runner, marathoner or triathlete will tell you not to wear cotton socks. A blended sock of nylon, wool or polyester will wick away sweat and keep your tootsies dry.

My new fave socks are made by SmartWool (not trying to sell the socks, it’s just what has worked for me). I’ve owned these socks for a few years for hiking but just started wearing them for derby within the last six months and have seen great results. If you still want to wear your fun, new knee highs, cut off the foot at the ankle of the sock and make

them into “leg warmers,” leaving the foot part open for whatever socks suit your feet best. You can still look cute, but have blisterless feet.

Wear properly sized footwear—If your skate boots are too big, your feet will move more inside of them and cause more friction and hotspots. Make sure, when purchasing your next set of skates, they fit properly.

Also, lacing your skate boots properly (based on your own unique foot issues) can be a big help. You can find some great lacing techniques online at IAN’s Shoe Lace website fieggen.com/ shoelace.

BLISTER TREATMENT So you have already developed the “Blister from Hell” OR “Beatrice”; what should you do NOW? There are so many products out there to help with blister treatment. What works and what doesn’t can really depend on the person, their skin, their blister (size and type) and your skate boot. I’ve tried it all and below are some of my favorite items that have worked well for me: • 2nd skin burn pads Spenco.com My number one choice.

These come in rectangular, square and circle pieces and can be found at some drug stores. They can be cut to size to fit your blister.

They are a bit pricey, but they really cushion a hot spot or existing blister.

• Mole skin DrScholls.com A contender for best item to use. Both work great if used

correctly. Make sure to cut a hole in the mole skin or padding just slightly larger than your blister. The blister will sit inside of the padding and be protected from the inside of your skate boot.

• Blister Band-Aids/Advanced Healing Band-Aids BandAid.com These work great on minor blisters, but not well with your more involved blood blister. These dressings have a breathable center that will fill with air and cushion your blister as it heals. They are waterproof and meant to stay on the area for several days. Be careful with these though, as you don’t want to have to peel them off before the healing process is completed. If you do, you can end up ripping the blister and making blister treatment more complicated.

SHOULD I LANCE THE SUCKER? My personal/professional opinion = NO. It can lead to infection, ripped blisters and

more problems; however there are some of you who will do it anyway. *Read as: “I’m not condoning this, however if you do here’s what to do” (you can find it on the internet anyway).

• Clean the area thoroughly.

• Sterilize a needle and allow it to cool.

• Create a SMALL pinprick, as you don’t want to create an open space for infection or cause any tearing of the top layers of skin.

• Drain the fluid by pressing on the blister with a sterile gauze pad.

• Dress the newly deflated blister with antibiotic ointment and cover with a Band-Aid or other sterile dressing.

Remember that the above is only a last resort. I’ve been a Certified Athletic Trainer for eight years and I’ve lanced a blister only once or twice when really needed.

Take care of your hooves, happy blister free skating.

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DERBY RECIPES

Lemon poppy protein bites RUBY SNAP

LONG ISLAND ROLLER REBELS

Derby season is in full swing, and I am always looking for ways to add protein to my derby routine. The recipe includes simple ingredients and is more budget friendly than purchasing protein bars. The bright citrus flavors and poppy seeds remind me of the classic flavors in lemon poppy seed muffins.

Lemon Poppy Protein Bites No-bake, vegetarian, can be made without gluten Yields approx. 30 1-oz bites INGREDIENTS: 1 cup old fashioned oats 6 scoops vanilla protein powder (vegetarian) 2 tablespoons coconut sugar 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons) 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed is best 6 tablespoons water PREP: 1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. The consistency should be similar to cookie dough.

2. Scoop the mixture out into one-tablespoon balls, using a spoon or small scoop. Bites may be easier to scoop if mixture is chilled for 15 minutes.

3. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Shelf life is about 4 days.

NOTES: Whey-based protein powders will not set up, use a vegetarian protein powder. I am partial to Olly brand.

Gluten free oats can be substituted if needed You may need to add more liquid depending on the type of oats and protein powder you use.

The sweetener can easily be substituted with sugar, honey, or even maple syrup but adjust the dry ingredients to accommodate the change. I use Madhava coconut sugar.

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These protein bites are no-bake and don’t take much time in the kitchen.

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COACHING

Toxic positivity in roller derby

POISON APPLE

Those asked to wear the star for their team receive a huge honor. After all, they’re in charge of scoring points. They can make or break a bout. The pressure is so immense that sometimes their opponents aren’t their worst enemy; it’s their teammates and themselves.

THERE ARE MANY skaters, and other derby personnel, out there who struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Derby is supposed to be a safe place for everyone. It’s a place to feel safe and accepted when the world can be so vile. So what happens when one’s negative feelings about themselves or a situation are invalidated in the name of “good vibes only”?

An interesting oxymoron has started to enter the mainstream as of late: Toxic

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Positivity. Stewart Dunn, a writer for Medium.com, defines toxic positivity as “... the push for a mental state in which we only experience and show ‘positive’ emotions.”1 So other than making a great derby name, what does this have to do with our beloved sport? The answer is a complicated one that deals with sports psychology, mental health, and the unique personalities that make up every league.

Let’s go back to the jammer. Let’s imagine, if you

will, that she has a particularly awful jam. The offense didn’t work, she couldn’t break the seams, she couldn’t make the connection with her pivot, all the while her opposing jammer is racking up points.

It was two minutes of pure derby hell. While skating back to the bench, a teammate yells “Great job!” As sweet as her teammate’s intentions are, that positivity can almost feel insulting. As Sarah Schuster writes in an article for The Mighty, “The hard-to-face truth is, supporting people

isn’t about being ‘positive.’

In fact, when you force positivity down someone’s throat, it can actually have the opposite effect.”2 For athletes who tend to be hard on themselves, this seemingly positive attention can make everything that much worse. Some players may want reassurance and an encouraging word, and that’s great. Other players may need something else, and that’s great too. What’s not great is demanding one strategy over another. If a player

doesn’t enjoy random words of happiness when they feel it isn’t warranted, don’t force it. Don’t accuse them of being negative or ruining the mood on the bench. Just ask them what they need, preferably before the bout.

Toxic positivity can spread into all areas and aspects of derby. It is not exclusive to jammers by any means. It applies to teammates who bring up a concern and are told to “keep it positive!” It applies to blockers who beat themselves up and are reminded “We do this because it’s fun!” It applies to players who feel underutilized and constantly hear “Just be patient!”

Everyone can feel the effects of Toxic Positivity, so what

can we do about it? Licensed marriage and family therapist Whitney Hawkins Goodman recently posted a chart on her Instagram account (@ sitwithwhit) with some helpful suggestions. She reminds people to try validation and

it’s okay to struggle.” Maybe instead of “just be happy,” try “I know it can be hard to be positive right now, but we’re all behind you no matter how you feel.” These are all just suggestions and ideas, and there are plenty more that

respectively. This is not only a great ice breaker activity for new players, but it’s fantastic way to learn about each other and get ideas about what will keep people in their “green zone.” You may even get ideas for what helps you too.

For athletes who tend to be hard on themselves, this seemingly positive attention can make everything that much worse. hope instead of those toxic one-liners. For example, instead of “good vibes only,” remind players that all vibes are welcome. Instead of “great job” after a not-so-great jam, try “This is hard, and

haven’t been thought of yet.

Obviously, the most effective thing would be to ask your teammates what they need, and of course, to respect their requests. My team leadership asked everyone what their “red zones” and “green zones” are. In other words, what makes each athlete upset and what keeps them calm,

However, as good teammates, it is absolutely crucial to respect what people need. If that means staying away from certain positive phrases, then do it. If that means validating not-so-positive feelings, do it. This is just another way of making the bench, and derby as a whole, a safer and more inclusive space.

CITATIONS 1 https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/theterror-of-toxic-positivity-95abb8d08f9 2 https://themighty.com/2019/02/toxic-positivity-support

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GAME DAY

Producer paperwork with quick board

Make your calls as smart as your crowd

AMY JO MOORE

PHOTO COURTESY AMY JO MOORE

AS LEAGUES MATURE, so do their audiences. When I first started announcing in 2008, it wasn’t uncommon for announcers to fill time and space with jokes and commentary on outfits. As our sport has grown and our fans continue to return to our games, they’re looking

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to know about what’s going on in a game. I highly recommend staffing games with two announcers so one can keep track of stats that help to inform the audience on the game. One of the best ways to do this is to keep a producer’s worksheet and draw facts from it so the fans can watch the game and hear about the fascinating stats and milestones from the announcers.

I’ve been producing WFTDA games for many years now, including two Championship games. While many of the best producers have made up worksheets to help organize their tracking of games, I’ve historically used graph paper, which allows me

both organization and freeform as needed.

In this “Basic Empty Tracking Sheet” document, I’ve tried to put into a table what I do on graph paper.

When I set up my graph paper, I pick a column near the middle of the paper and write “jam” at the top then put lines down either side of those columns so my tracking looks a lot like this: Across the top of the page I put the teams and their colors on the same side as they’re listed on the scoreboard. I write the period at the top/middle of the page.

I’ll use multiple sheets if I have to. Often these notes are used in writeups and in morning briefings to prepare for upcoming games - so keeping track of these details really helps at those times.

As a jam is about to start, I write the jam number in the middle column. Like a lineup tracker or scorekeeper, I do NOT pre-fill the jam numbers in because there are some events that get their

own lines like time outs and star passes.

As the teams line up, I put the jammer numbers in the jammer column.

When a jammer gets lead, I write an L near their number. Sometimes I’ll put it to the outside and sometimes I’ll put it in the notes box. I nearly always CIRCLE the L. But if you want to keep track of lost leads, you might want to always write them outside then only circle them when lead is lost.

When jammers complete a scoring pass, I write the score they received to the right side of the notes box.

It’s a great way to track scoring passes and not just jam scores. While this example was done in Word, in real life, if it looks like there will be multiple scoring passes, I start the jam scores more toward the middle of the box. But if there’s only one scoring pass, then I put it all the way over to the right. One thing we’ve been doing since last year at

Color: Red

Team Name: Quad

Jammer

8008

GRAPHIC COURTESY AMY JO MOORE

123 18 ¯

X X

L 42 8008

Period: 1 Jam

Jammer

NP

0

4

2

1337

2

2

6

3 4

4

4

NP

1

B

Province

Color: Black Jam Total

Game Total

5,5,2

12

12

L

82

3

3

15

L

57

5,5,4

14

29

L

4,2

6

35

4,4,0

8

43

33

0

0

0

1

1

7

4,5,4

13

20

5

SP 33

4,4,2

10

30

6

1337

4

4

34

7

82

0

0

43

4

4

38

8

57

0

0

43

4,5,1

10

48

9

33

5,5,5,5

20

63

TTO 18:43 L 123 L 42 L 8008

Team Name: Twin

Game Total

4

L 123 42

County

Jam Total

F

OTO 14:10 - Black 321 Expelled for egregious High Block 10

WFTDA playoff and champ games is tracking multiple scoring pass jams. Unlike my example, at the highest level of play, it’s remarkable if they’re frequent. Often, they’re turning points in the game and something announcers can reference back to - either in explaining why a jammer/pivot is a high scorer or talking about the damage done in a penalty.

Sometimes I’ll mark these multiple scoring passes by circling them so they’re easier to count, but having MORE than one number in that space also makes them easy to count.

At the end of a jam, I total the jam score and add it to the running score. In real life, I might make some kind of notation like a curly brace } along the side of the black team’s running score where they were at 43 for 3 jams.

Or maybe, while a team is scoreless for a couple jams, draw a line at the top of the first jam with that score then a line down from that like a T so that your announcers can quickly see how many jams

were scoreless. This information is something I also will put on my quick whiteboard if it’s a thing that’s trending in this game.

When a jammer gets a penalty, I write the penalty code near the left side of the notes box and put a square or “box” around it.

This makes counting jammer penalties quick and easy and also helps keep track of trends in kinds of penalties a particular team’s jammers are getting. Again, these are things that can be turning points in a game or can help announcers tell a story of a particular jammer if penalties are the thing.

Besides starting a new line to attribute scores and penalties to a pivot-jammer after a cover pass, I also like to use a whole new line without a jam number when the clock is stopped. The clock will stop for Official Time Outs - and I will write OTO, the time on the clock, and why the clock stopped.

I have a couple examples here, but other examples would be for injury (and

noting who was injured), Team Time Outs (which team), and Official Reviews (and noting who asked for it, what for, and if it was granted). Referencing times of timeouts, especially ones which clearly have an impact on the game in reflection later, enriches the announcers’ calls.

If there are big events from blockers, I try to squeeze them into my notes boxes as well. Usually there’s space I can steal from neighboring jams.

I supplement my stats sheet with a Quick Board.

Here’s my Quick Board from 2017 Champs.

I use one color pen for the first period, write those tallies in a corner for the second period, then use a different color for the second period. Last year, I consistently tracked: • Lead jam designations • Jammer penalties (note I also put letters here) • Cover/Star passes • Multiple scoring pass jams The bottom gets used for a stat that’s relevant in a game.

In this game, the teams were dominating lead for a few jams in a row then switching in the second period. I can tell that because my game specific stat was “First lead in ____ jams” at the bottom. We can also see there were 3 lead changes. I don’t remember what happened in jam 8 of the first period, but I’m guessing it’s the first time London took the lead in the game.

You can also see at the top I put the first period scores for each team. This really helps me set up stats like “Score this second period is 80 for Montréal and 60 for London.

What a change Montréal made after half-time.” That’s a madeup stat - but you can see how remembering the half-time score can be helpful. Even without having the exact stats on the game we can see that Montréal really stopped London from having big scoring jams in the second period (4 in the second period compared to 9 in the first) while keeping the same number of big jams themselves. I think that’s how it went. In real time we can contemplate the story of this as to whether it was because Montréal or London changed to make that stat happen.

Announcers who are invited to attend postseason WFTDA tournaments need to be familiar with this kind of stats tracking and using the information seamlessly in their calls.

Using this kind of tracking at home events will get the attention of your fans. I know I always get a lot of compliments when I’m a guest announcer at a venue whose announcer doesn’t typically do this. It’s easy to up your announcing game, start taking good notes now!

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PHOTO COURTESY WFTDA

WFTDA

Introducing the new stats MICHAEL WATSON, RAINY CITY ROLLER DERBY OVER THE PAST YEAR, I’ve been working with WFTDA on something incredibly close to my heart, and I’d like to share about how we got to where we are today.

I’m head coach of Rainy City Roller Derby, a creative director, designer and a web developer, and since I first became involved in the sport I have been obsessed with game statistics, records, rankings and the history of the sport of roller derby. I know how powerful great sports stats can be at creating a bigger narrative to the game, and ultimately how stats can empower

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and envigour fans to watch more games, to be more involved in the storylines of their favourite teams, and to help explain the sport to new attendees.

Roller Derby is a sport grown in the internet era, exploding around the world thanks to the sharing of content and ideas, and yet has fallen behind in terms of its technology being able provide instant information and detailed analysis to its dedicated audience.

I had a vision to create a new, powerful stats resource that is primarily for fan engagement, a place where

With great thanks to Michael Watson of Rainy City Roller Derby, the WFTDA has been working to build a new and dynamic system to host rankings and game data. Here is his report of the endeavours he’s undertaken with WFTDA. We are excited to use this new site for the 2019 Postseason and look forward to having you join us for some of our Live Rankings Weekends.

sports stats • Build in a way that’s expandable and adaptable for the future • Build a universal API alongside the system to allow for community developers to create using our data So with a long term strategy and a clear initial goal in place, the long road through to getting the new website from a dream to a reality began. I’ll be diving into some of the challenges I’ve faced along the way, some of the features that we have, how WFTDA sanctioning and rankings works behind the scenes, and what we’ve had to change to make this a reality.

THE REWORKING OF PROCESSES Designing a cool, accessible website that allows people

to view leagues, results and rankings data is one thing, but as so often is the case with large digital transformation projects like this, the biggest obstacle revolves around incompatible internal processes and messy data.

The first few months of the project involved a deep analysis of how WFTDA carry out their sanctioning processes, results processes and rankings processes.

I’m constantly in awe of all the amazing volunteers involved in our sport, and the sheer amount of conversations and late night Skype calls with different volunteers, hearing how they approve sanctioning, how they submit games, verify results and confirm monthly rankings is staggering. It became apparent that in

order to achieve our goal of creating a system that allows instant results and rankings to be displayed, we would have to rework several internal processes.

A new goal emerged from the project, not only to make a great final product for the public, but to create a system that drastically reduces volunteer time too, and make the management of leagues, games, results and rankings a smoother process all round. Reduced admin time is a great benefit in its own right, but also paves the way to be able to manage more instant results and changes in rankings in the future.

THE WFTDA ADMIN PORTAL The decision was made to create a new central admin portal for WFTDA to allow the

PHOTO COURTESY WFTDA

visitors can: • View Live Rankings • See the impact of game results on rankings, instantly • See historical records of all sanctioned games since the first sanctioned game, back in 2005 • See upcoming games and tournaments with ease • View cool, sharable team stats On top of this, I also knew there was another whole dimension to sports stats — player data. WFTDA is not short of player data information. The amazing Stats Books team has been archiving this information for years, and the data is intact but inaccessible. At present, simple information that would be wonderful to better fan engagement is simply missing from our world. Information such as: • Best jammer of the year • Clean overview information from each game, highlighting best performers • Most prolific player of the season • Penalty stats per season per league I knew that player data would become a bigger undertaking than games and results, so we set out on a plan together to bring games and rankings data to the community first, in a new, universal stats system that is ready to be expanded upon in the future. A system that will one day house all key statistics for our amazing sport, all in one place.

Before work began, we made sure we had some key philosophical goals in place for the project: • Aim towards one central place for all WFTDA

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PHOTO COURTESY WFTDA

various committee groups handling game submissions, sanctioning approvals, results submissions and approvals, rankings and league information to manage their data in one place. The majority of work over the past year has involved developing this bespoke system to minimise admin time for the

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volunteers and to create a robust, expandable system that’s ready to deal with all the oddities we have in our sport- unique ranking algorithms that might change, strength factor challenges, league merges, tournaments, game points.

Publishing rankings is now relatively automatic, with calculations happening

on the fly, and a simple push of the button will release these to the public. This is a big step up from the older system which would still rely on a lot of manual effort and Google Sheets.

Since the beginning of the season, the rankings team have been using this new system in tandem with the old rankings calculator.

We’ve been working together to add useful features, iron out issues, and get the system to a point where it’s ready to be relied on.

MIGRATING DATA Bringing through old league information and results was always going to be a challenge, and writing a procedural system that can

import all sanctioned games since the beginning of time was a great challenge. We’ve worked really hard together to uncover all leagues games, unpick conflicting or missing data from the past, restore leagues that have been removed, and aim towards a single source of truth that tells the whole story of the history of our sport.

Now that the data has been brought through and polished up, we have access to some really cool sports information that was difficult to uncover before, such as: • Which league has played which league the most • League’s best ever results • League’s closest games • League’s highest ever rank

By December 2018 we had a reliable system for migrating the old game and rankings data and a new, single source of truth that we could rely on.

It felt like a major step in the creation of the new system.

THE RANKINGS CONUNDRUM A large question we had to answer was: how do we introduce live rankings to the community, but still keep the concept of monthly rankings intact? Monthly rankings are used for weights calculations, and so to simply change to live rankings overnight would cause too much of a sudden change.

We also knew old data had to be preserved as it was displayed to the public- we can’t go about changing history, and that data is precious. So we devised a method where can

run both- a new system for the rankings team to easily publish monthly rankings when they are ready, while also giving live rankings to the public alongside, in beta.

This way, league weights will continue to be updated monthly, for the sake of calculating game points, but the power of live rankings as a fan engagement tool, to see immediate impact of results on rankings, can be launched right away.

In order to really get the most out of live rankings in the future, we need to have a consistent method for WFTDA to be verifying and submitting results as quickly and reliably as possible. We long for the day in the future where our systems are so tight, every single sanctioned game ends up published on the site at the official final whistle. For the time being, we’ll be running some trials on this.

We’re setting up some special showcase Live Rankings Weekends. You can find out all about these on the WFTDA social media accounts and at stats.

WFTDA.com. We’re setting up internal processes ready for instant submission of results, so that fans will immediately see changes to rankings and see information show up on site. We’ll be using these tournaments as a learning period, to see how submitting results instantly works, what kind of obstacles it throws up, and how we can manage this universally in the future.

THE NEW WFTDA RANKINGS WEBSITE The public site has been

designed to show off stats in the most user friendly, pleasant way. I’ve put a big focus on useful, bitesize information rather than intense, deep dive tables, and as such have created a system that’s light and breezy, telling cool, useful stories to beginners to the sport, as well as providing some deeper information for those that want it.

I have been designing for mobile phones predominantly, as I know what it’s like during a tournament or game. I can see people looking up information on their phones, and I want WFTDA to be a key resource to discover the impact of games, to see the history of the competitors, and bigger storyline of the game at hand. I want people to easily see: • Have these teams played each other before?

• What’s their record against each other?

• Who’s the highest rank?

• How is their form?

• What are their latest results like?

• Who do they have coming up?

These questions really help paint a better picture of the game and the bigger storylines, and to have quick, easy access to this will be huge for fandom. Eventually to be able to look up who the strongest jammers are, or who their best blockers are, will be even more powerful.

Another really important question that comes up during sanctioned games is the ageold “but what score do they NEED?” question. Rankings are important, and often in roller derby we have stronger teams playing weaker ones,

each with their own goals of expected scores to achieve their rankings goals. This can be confusing to fans, especially if they’re left in the dark, so I’ve created a simple forecast tool that allows fans to understand what score their team will need to maintain ranking position, and to better comprehend “good” or “bad” outcomes.

Some of these stats are great assets for leagues to integrate within their own websites, and we’re looking at creating a series of widgets that’ll allow anyone to tap into this data and bring their websites to life, in the near future.

THE FUTURE As I’ve discussed, player data is a big long-term goal for me and for WFTDA. The biggest challenge will be the analysis and interpretation of thousands of statsbooks and then working towards a grander goal of creating a system that can ingest jamby-jam data, interact with scoreboards, and provide even more instant and granular data for the fans.

Another important feature for the future will be to create a better, improved tournament system that allows for the rollout of tournaments with their own websites, news, brackets, prediction competitions and live rankings all in one place, feeding directly into our core games system.

Building a universal system, with an API alongside, allows us to develop with freedom, knowing that we’re ready to be responsive and dynamic to any opportunities that come our way.

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Los Anarchists Junior Derby: Foreground: Lil RegulateHer #79 Trix-Z #23, Lil Devil Rosie #1024, Cherry Kiss #4 Background: Trainer Just Matt, Coach Master Smasher

Championship preview

PHOTO BY GOT SERIF?/RUBEN ACOSTA

JUNIOR DERBY

“STANDBY” TOMMY RIGGINS, JRDA

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nothing is “final” until the Sunday matchups play out.

With this in mind, if you’re looking for predictions, forget it! Junior derby develops, evolves, and yes, turns over, rapidly and out

of necessity: by rule, any skater turning 18 years of age must depart at the end of the competitive season.

Also, junior derby often has games contested weeks apart with different outcomes.

This happened in parallel in the Female Division, where victories were traded over the last year between the Duval All-Stars (#2 seed from Jacksonville) and Los Anarchists (#3 seed from Los

Santa Cruz Derby Groms, Gromshells

PHOTO BY ERIC LYONS PHOTOGRAPHY

TWENTY OF THE MOST “bold, confident, united” roller derby teams around will soon travel to Loveland, Colorado, to compete for the 2019 Junior Roller Derby Association Championships, July 26 through July 28.

Athletes at the 2019 JRDA Championships will once again participate in a full 10-team, 17-game bracket in their respective division. It is a single-elimination structure for those continuing to rally for first place, but also allows competitive play to continue for all teams, until all ten possible places are decided.

With both Open and Female division titles to be contested, this totals 34 games on two tracks, over a three-day weekend, to enjoy. And for fans and their favorite teams,

JRDA is the future of roller derby. It is the present.

The First National Bank Exhibition Building in Loveland, also host to the 2017 tournament, is part of the Larimer County-owned Ranch Events Complex, about 20 minutes south of Fort Collins, and an hour north of Denver.

Both the FoCo Spartans (#7 Female seed from Fort Collins) and Rocky Mountain Rollerpunks’ Might Club (#10 Female seed from Denver) will compete this year.

For the third year, WFTDA. tv will produce the JRDA Championships live streams.

Viewers can #Talk2JRDA on social media all Championships weekend, and follow the JRDA for score and bracket updates throughout.

Following is the 2019 JRDA Championships seeding as of press time.

FEMALE DIVISION #1. Santa Cruz Derby Groms (Santa Cruz, California) The Gromshells are the defending 2018 Female Division Champions, competing in their fifth Championships.

#2. Jacksonville Junior Roller Derby (Jacksonville, Florida) The Duval All-Stars will compete in their fourth Championships. This is their second consecutive appearance in the Female Division, with a previous team best of third place in 2014 in the Open Division. #3. Los Anarchists Junior Derby (Los Angeles, California) This is Los Anarchists’ second Championships. They finished third place last year. #4. Seattle Derby Brats (Seattle, Washington) The Galaxy Girls are threetime JRDA Female Division Champions (2015-2017).

They finished second place last year. This is their fifth Championships. #5. Rose City Rollers Juniors (Portland, Oregon) This will be the Rosebuds’ second Championships, after finishing sixth place last year. #6. Pile O’Bones Junior Derby (Regina, Saskatchewan) The Miss Demeanors, in their first Championships appear-

ance, will be the second team from Canada to compete at JRDA Championships, all-time.

#7. FoCo Junior Roller Derby (Fort Collins, Colorado) This is the Spartans’ fourth Championships, and their second appearance in the Female Division. Their team best was second place in 2017 in the Open Division. #8. Kalamazoo Killer Beez Junior Roller Derby (Kalamazoo, Michigan): The Beez will skate at their first Championships in 2019.

#9. Queen City Junior Roller Girls (Buffalo, New York) Queen City also makes its Championships debut this year. #10. Rocky Mountain Rollerpunks (Denver, Colorado) The Might Club competes in its third Championships, after most recently finishing ninth place in 2017.

OPEN DIVISION #1. Diamond City Minors (Bakersfield, California) DCM will defend its second consecutive Open Division

PHOTO BY RAY RODIL

Angeles), as well as in the Open Division between Philly (#2 seed) and Tampa (#3 seed), at March Badness and Spring Break Swarm.

This on-track volatility naturally extends to tournament seeding, as the 2019 event will involve five teams making their JRDA Championships debut; and only 60% of the teams returning from 2018. However, both 2018 Champions (Gromshells of Santa Cruz and Diamond City Minors of Bakersfield) are returning as their respective #1 seed this year.

Now is the time to watch, if you have never witnessed championship-level junior derby, or haven’t followed the JRDA in a few years. This is especially true for any adult skaters in proximity to a junior league, or in a college town. Many former JRDA athletes, especially at this skill level and with multiple years of experience playing the same game as the adults, immediately make their mark with nearby adult programs. No longer do those “in the know” say that

Duval All Stars

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PHOTO COURTESY DIAMOND CITY MISFITS

Diamond City Misfits v. Philly title (2017-2018). This is the team’s fifth Championships appearance. #2. Philly Roller Derby Juniors (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) This is Philly’s third Championships. They finished sixth place last year. #3. Tampa Bay Junior Derby (Tampa, Florida) Tampa is one of only three teams who will have competed at all six JRDA Championships. They finished seventh place last year, and sixth place the two years prior.

their fifth Championships appearance.

#6. Mob City Junior Roller Derby (Everett, Washington) The Mob City Misfits finished third place last year. They have appeared at all prior JRDA Championships.

#7. Capital City Derby (Columbia, South Carolina) Cap City will skate in their first Championships. #8. Raleigh Junior Rollers (Raleigh, North Carolina) The Raleigh Junior Rollers All-Stars will also compete in their first Championships.

#9. Cherry Bomb Brawlers (Spokane, Washington): This will be the Brawlers’ second Championships—their first appearance since 2015.

#10. Sioux Falls Junior Roller Derby (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) The SoDak Attack makes its JRDA Championships debut this year.

#4. The Attack Pack (St. Petersburg, Florida) TAP has also appeared at all JRDA Championships. They finished fourth place last year, with a team best second place in 2015. #5. Des Moines Derby Brats (Des Moines, Iowa) The DMDB All Stars finished second place last year, and are 2014 and 2016 Open Division Champions. This is

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Tampa Bay Junior Derby

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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Juking the hurdles leaping into a successful derby career LOVE HURRICANE, SOUTH SIDE DERBY DAMES

Many of us were likely unaware of the significance of February 4, for women involved in athletics.

That day marked National Girls and Women in Sports Day. As someone who never considered herself an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, I can now recognize myself as an athlete and celebrate this day in February with pride thanks to roller derby.

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AS WITH MANY, my journey into derby was disjointed and wrought with, what I perceived to be, hurdles.

As a rookie to any sport, there are many hurdles to jump in order to find yourself fully-vested, conditioned and committed. Lisa Beinetti (Wreck Star), has been skating for three years and is living proof that, “The commitment to yourself has to be there or else it would be too easy to quit.” She is witness to this truth as both a trainer and a skater—seeing first-hand the struggles new skaters face, and she

sympathizes with those skaters finding it a struggle to stay on their path.

So, before you lace up for the first time, or if you have already made the commitment to a team, if you become mindful of the hurdles you will face both as a rookie and as a seasoned skater, you will be better prepared to juke over and around them.

THE TRIUMVIRATE In derby, as in life, you are constantly presented with challenges. As a skater, challenges present themselves

STRATEGIES FOR MENTAL STRENGTH: • Focus only on what is within your control • When anxiety prevents you from trying new things, step out of your comfort zone to continue to challenge yourself • Practice behaving like the person you’d like to become (practice like you play) • Always think about what to improve upon and visualize how to accomplish it

mainly in three forms.

• Physical – Whether or not you know how to skate when you come into derby, it’s likely that the rudimentary skills will not come easy.

Beinetti exemplifies this point stating, “Until you have tried to juke, push or otherwise muscle your way through an impenetrable wall, you will never understand how completely and utterly exhausting two minutes can be.“ The fact that we ask ourselves to push our body in a way it hasn’t been challenged before is enough to discourage rookies from

continuing to skate. There is no one way to overcome this hurdle, but simply putting the time and effort into conditioning yourself and researching appropriate cross-training will give you a leg-up.

• Mental – Oftentimes we have destructive conversations with ourselves leading to the conclusion that we “just can’t do it.”

Maybe you’re telling yourself that a drill is too hard or you’re struggling with a relationship with another skater. What is going on in our heads can cripple us to the point of not being able to perform. To combat this, the American Psychological Association recommends, “…mental strategies, such as visualization, self-talk and relaxation techniques, can help athletes overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential.”

Another cloud that can loom over your mental health in derby is the

fact that, unfortunately, injuries are common. This can influence a rookie’s mentality creating an apprehension to execute hitting and other drills that present higher-level physical challenges. Proper physical conditioning and cross training can help prevent most injuries along with having an experienced coaching staff.

• Situational – Life happens and work/family life does not always coincide well with derby pursuits. There will be times when you can’t commit to the level you want.

The key is to give yourself permission to back off when you need to. Productive communication with people in your life that influence your decision making along with being able to communicate with the league can go a long way to preventing problems from arising.

GO AHEAD AND JUMP It’s impossible to avoid

hurdles, but what will make all the difference is your motivation to overcome them. Married or single, working in or out of the home, it is the motivation we find in ourselves that prompts us to action.

A study titled Sports in the Lives of Working Women demonstrated that working women who participate in athletics assert that the more they exercise, in turn, the more motivated they become. Sports and fitness activities influence how women care for themselves, see themselves and how they approach their work and personal life.

Derby, for many, is difficult and being a rookie to the sport can push you to your limits. In the end, the benefits you glean –a community of supportive women, increased physical and mental health and elevating yourself to the level of athlete make juking and jumping the hurdles easier.

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Derby Hong Kong ESTRELIA DIAZ – AKA DIAMOND DRILL(H)ER YOURS TRULY COMES TO Hong Kong frequently (2-3 times per annum) but each time the country looks a bit different, and not just in a metaphorical sense... HK is literally a country rising up out of the ocean as they re-claim land out of the sea.

As I fang along in the taxi, hoping that I have given them the correct translation of the address for the only bricks

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and mortar roller derby store in South East Asia, I couldn’t think of a greater segue to the analogy for the entity that is Hong Kong Roller Derby (HKRD). They are here, they are queer and they are re-claiming space in a land where exercise outside seems to be relegated to a more esoteric group.

And the world of Quad skating is listening.

Even while I was there for the visit, a quad skate company from Australia was having a skate bowl meeting with members of the HKRD. Skate companies, derby and quad-skate famous people have liaised with the team, and offers of training and support have come. World Skate (formerly FIRS) has offered support, networking and extended

offers of training- even sponsorship. Funnily enough (and surprisingly) the least communicative has been WFTDA, who have only provided perfunctory replies when the new league reached out to them.

Despite this radio silence from an association whose mission statement is about a collective voice from leagues around the world, this has not stopped the momentum from growing, not unlike the sweat patches in my armpits.

I find the store nestled between a poodle café and a

PHOTO COURTESY OF MADAME QUAD

DERBY WORLD

French restaurant; as soon as I walk in I know I am in a special place, not just an oasis from the 87% humidity and 40°C temperatures. I know that I have stumbled into an extraordinary space, one that is pushing boundaries and questioning cultural norms, all by doing something that they love and doing it to the best of their ability.

“We get organized, we ask no favours,” says Snooky (Karl Luna to the Derby world, President of HKRD and co-founder of Madame Quad).

Karl’s philosophy on recruitment is very sage, saying that “Rollerskating is a hobby, I used to think that hobbies of any kind were weird - that was until I found one I liked. Then it becomes an ingrained part of your life, if you allow people the chance to try this (quad skating) you can see when it becomes part of them and engagement is never a problem after that.”

Despite the lack of support from one of the major

associations in quad skating, there is a round-robin bout that is organized every 3-6 months. This has developed organically between teams from “Pan Asia,” these teams from: Shanghai, Beijing, South Korea, Japan, Bangkok, The UAE, and most recently, Bali in Indonesia.

Schedules are booked, flights organized, accommodation sorted, with nothing more technical than a mother of a messaging thread.

Recently leagues from Europe have been snuffling about the trouble getting visas to come to US for a game - “Try and having a Hong Kong passport and trying to play a game in Japan (where all the venues are military landspace)– not going to happen.” Karl laughs as if it is the most quotidian of occurrences.

Despite these trials and tribulations, these people are just getting sh*t done, they are blazing a quad-shaped mark in a country that frowns on sports where there is a high potential of pain and

injury … Karl does try and play it all down suggesting that it is not all altruistic - creating this movement, opening this store in Hong Kong is going to give me longevity in my skating career - “I want to be able to quad skate until I am 91.“ Perhaps, dear readers, this is the point of it all.

Madame Quad is located in Causeway bay, on Hong Kong Island.

HKRD have open sessions every Monday. Reach out if you’re ever in the region.

Instagram: @HKRollerderby @MadameQuadhk Find me on twitter: @thejetlagtraveller

HKRD in a nutshell: FOUNDED: They have been on the scene since 2013

Training space: the Government has given them space at Victoria Park, but it is open air, which makes training precarious during Typhoon season

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: see previous response to training space

MEMBERSHIP: 30 active MADAME QUAD: first bricks and mortar Quad Skate shop in South East Asia

INTERESTING FACTS: rollerskates are sometimes

not allowed in skateparks due to a strict adherence to semantics in signage: HKRD are wearing down the authorities one drop in at a time.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SWYDDOG MARCHNATA A CHYFATHREBU

FIVEONFIVE FAVORITES

Our favorite things IONA SWITCHBLADE, FIVEONFIVE

FANGIRLS? PROBABLY, but as avid derby-movie-watchers we are so excited for the upcoming documentary of Cardiff’s Tiger Bay Brawlers, Hell on Wheels.

The documentary is branded as “Giving ‘blood, sweat and tears’ a whole new meaning.”

To which we say: “Yes, please, to all of that!”

Hell On Wheels documents the lives of Wales’ first roller derby team; the Tiger Bay Brawlers. The film follows the Brawlers as they compete at their first major European Tournament, the biggest moment of their sporting lives, and tells the stories of the individuals who have created the team.

Directed by Toby Cameron, the film explores what has made roller derby the fastest growing sport in Europe and unpacks views on this cultural phenomenon, as well as exploring it as

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providing a safe place for women of all shapes, sizes and gender identities, expressing themselves while creating a community spirit that can’t be found in their daily lives.

Laura Kemp of the Tiger Bay Brawlers describes the documentary process and confides that, “When we started this journey we didn’t know what to expect other than we wanted to share our experience of roller derby with the wider community. To have our friendships, our highs and lows and the hard work as amateur athletes that we put into our sport captured in such a beautiful and moving documentary means more than words can say. We know roller derby can change the world, now everyone else will be able to see that too.”

Viewers can catch the documentary Monday, August 5, at 22.35 on BBC One Wales

RAISE YOUR STINKY WRIST GUARD if you are obsessed with getting better at derby!

Author and training genius Emily Stonecipher (AKA Prime) describes her new book, Train Your Brain to Shut Up, as part educational content and part journal entry.

“A few years ago, I realized that a lot of athletes were struggling most in the mental aspect of their games:

lack of confidence, negative thoughts intruding at the worst moments, imposter syndrome, and generally feeling like they just couldn’t do the things they wanted physically because their brain was holding them back.”

The result of this insight?

“A tool that athletes could use to learn about what made their brain tick, then USE that information to train their brain to be more productive.”

Stonecipher explains, “The educational content helps athletes pinpoint how their brain works and what specific struggles they have.

The journal entries and prompts are where athletes can practice strengthening their mental game.“ We can’t wait to get our grubby mitts on this new training tool. Copies of the book are now available to purchase on amazon or visit: www.ironoctopusfitness.com.

COVER ART COURTESY OF EMILY STONECIPHER

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FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY!

!$ Derby Without Borders is a project that aims to spread the sport of roller derby worldwide by removing barriers and making it more accessible.

VOLUNTEER DONATE TRANSPORT BUY SOME MERCH

Learn how you can help by visiting us at: | SUMMER 2019 D E R BY W I T H O U T B O R D E R S .O Rfiveonfivemag.com G

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“Nine Month

Injury”

SHAGGY YMERI PLUMMER, AKA BAD #86,

ANGEL CITY DERBY

I’VE NEVER LIKED THE ROLLER DERBY TROPE “by day, by night” because it perpetuates the stereotype that women should compartmentalize facets of our identities in order to appeal to society’s standards of womanhood. So when I got pregnant, I thought to myself,

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“Whatever, nature! I’ll be back to myself in no time and keep doing it all!” Strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business. #Beyoncé Going into my tenth season at Angel City and currently skating with a top ten WFTDA D1 team, it’s undeniable that becoming a

mother hasn’t gotten in the way of my goals; it’s made me hungrier than ever to achieve them. But that’s not to say that it’s been easy. In fact, quitting often seemed like the best option. But my journey through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond has led me to a new place of

self-acceptance and success in ways I never thought could happen.

Before I got pregnant in 2016 (why yes, it was at Rollercon), I felt like I was at the height of my derby career.

I was a solid skater on our B team and a committed volunteer in league leadership

PHOTO COURTESY SHAGGY YMERI PLUMMER

My Journey Back from the

PHOTO COURTESY SHAGGY YMERI PLUMMER

the next few months while embracing the birth of this “new” Shaggy. I felt absolutely insane and experienced an unimaginable level of sleep deprivation. If the experience of being a new mom was captured in a cocktail, it’d be called Sleepless Bliss with a Twist of Doom. When my doctor cleared me to exercise again at 6 weeks post-partum, I immediately took to the backyard to attempt a low-intensity HIIT workout (yes, I now see the irony and absurdity of that attempt). I couldn’t do a sit-up. I, a skater who trained three times a week with a notoriously fit league, who was affectionately referenced by fellow leagues with the phrase “no carbs, no mercy,” could not do one single sit-up. I felt mortified and defeated.

At four months postpartum, I was cleared for contact, and I attended my first practice the very next day.

PHOTO COURTESY SHAGGY YMERI PLUMMER

as a member of steering, fundraising, training, WFTDA reps, you name it. While pregnant, I was on hiatus from derby while watching from the sidelines. I distinctly remember getting bigger and bigger, toddling on my skates that barely fit my swollen feet after gaining more than 45 pounds, and thinking to myself, “Wow! Derby looks so hard to do! I’ll never be able to do that again.” Many tearfilled hormonal evenings were spent watching live feeds while my husband assured me, “You can do it again. You will do it.” I thought he was full of shit, but appreciated the vote of confidence.

I was lucky enough to have a healthy pregnancy, and after 27 hours of induced labor, a no-shame epidural, and a minor scare during the birth, my son was born perfectly healthy, alert, and happy. I struggled with postpartum depression over

I was starting at the beginning again. I sobbed as I said goodbye to my little one who I’d been so attached to for so long, but I was excited to do something for me for the first

time in over a year. I rolled around, warmed up, hockey stopped and legitimately thought my insides were going to fall out. And the pain.

Oh, the pain. Hips, pelvis, joints, knees… Not to mention the extreme guilt I felt for leaving my exclusively breastfed infant at home.

In addition to the physical obstacles I was facing, I often found myself held back by the restrictive bureaucracy of league policies and a culture that made it increasingly difficult to juggle being a good mother and being a good teammate.

No matter what I wanted to believe, I couldn’t be the skater I was before. I began to grieve the loss of who I was and who I wanted to be at Angel City. The leadership positions, the three-tofive-hour practices, the fundraisers, the team bonding sessions—I just couldn’t do it anymore, and that was a hard pill to swallow.

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PHOTO COURTESY SHAGGY YMERI PLUMMER

a committed relationship with my breast pump. Waking up every few hours throughout the night to keep the supply up, pumping while gearing up for games, breasts out in pregame huddles and again at halftime, storing my milk in our ice pack freezer at the warehouse… I don’t miss those days, but at the same time, I do. It was, however, difficult. I found myself in the minority—often working twice as hard to achieve marginally less in a system that’s not conducive to people who have lives that make derby difficult. I was among the privileged (and still am in most ways), often not understanding of skaters who couldn’t travel to tournaments, or were too tired to make it to practice, or had real boundaries to playing to their potential.

I think our league, and the derby community as a whole, has work to do to make our sport more accessible to skaters who are forgotten when they in fact have so much to offer in high-level play.

The thing I was most scared of ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me: learning that I wasn’t trying to get back to who I was. I never did get back to the skater I was before I had my son.

Being a mom brought out my strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerability—and thus, my courage. I’ve accepted that I’m a new person completely, and that freedom continues to open up new doors that weren’t even there before, and that validation and hope continues to drive me.

PHOTO BY DOLLY ROSSI PHOTOGRAPHY

Growing up with a tough single mom in a culture that undervalues but overworks women, I was taught to never use the word “can’t,” that women should be able to do it all and never complain about it. But as a new mom, I had to learn to look at an obstacle or situation and be realistic with my boundaries and limitations. I sometimes had to admit to myself, “I just can’t today.” I was faced with the reality of my new body and the little human who depended on it.

Over the next year, I worked my way up the ranks at Angel City, on my terms and to the best of my abilities.

I was always exhausted, but I had a newfound strength and endurance that was almost inexplicable. I also found myself celebrating the weight I had put on because it helped me block skaters I used to have trouble with.

When my son turned one, I decided to go back and finish cosmetology school, continue to run my casting company, take on another part-time job, and set a goal to make the Travel Team. I depended heavily (I still do) on the support of my partner, and I was (still am) running on very little sleep to get it all done. The communal support of other derby moms is also worth noting as the encouragement that comes from those who’ve been where I am is priceless.

Being a Travel Team skater is a huge commitment in and of itself. The time, energy, physicality, and financial obligations made my life exceptionally more complicated, rewarding, and, oftentimes, ridiculous. As a breastfeeding mom, I was in

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MY DERBY STORY

*TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ASD AND PTSD*

Skating through trauma ENPSYCHOPEDIA

*Authors Note-The prevalence of PTSD and trauma related mental health issues vary from country to country. Being a citizen of the United States, that is where I pulled my statistics from for this article.

I encourage you to research the risk of PTSD in your region and the resources available for those in need.

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I FIRST DISCOVERED roller derby while an undergraduate.

The T.A. for of my professors played and talked about it often. I was fascinated, but being a full-time student, spouse and mother left little room for extra-curricular activities. I promised myself that once I graduated, I would see what roller derby was all about. Fast forward four years. I had moved across country, was two months away from finishing my graduate degree, and my oldest was just shy of becoming a teenager. I saw a flyer for the local roller derby team and thought, “This is it. I’m ready to do this.” My first experience wasn’t stellar.

The team invited me to a skate-with-Girl Scouts event and abandoned me alone there, the skaters having left the event early and didn’t

communicate this to me.

Upon hearing this, one skater reached out and encouraged me to come back. So I did and found I was instantly hooked. I loved everything about roller derby. The challenge of learning new skills. The unique personas of the skaters’ alter-egos. Being surrounded by women who had drive and determination.

I couldn’t get through freshmeat fast enough. I was in love with the sport.

Then July of two thousand fifteen came and my life would never be the same. My then husband was suffering from an undisclosed mental health breakdown. In hindsight, I can see all of the warning signs, but at the time I was oblivious to the extent of his spiral downward. He would go on to poison and assault me, and then engage

in other behaviors that would ultimately get him a twentyyear prison sentence. My world was shattered. I went from a stay at home mom to a poor, single mother of three children. I became severely depressed. I had nightmares and stopped eating. Most of my time was spent crying in bed. When I did go to practice, I would skate with tears rolling down my face. For anyone to see me smile was a rare event. I tried to keep my head down. I froze when my coach would use an aggressive tone or mannerisms. Panic attacks became a regular part of my life. I wasn’t someone many people wanted to be around and some of my teammates expressed that sentiment.

But four women in derby never gave up on me. My teammate, the one who had encouraged me to initially

*SOURCES https://www.sidran.org/ resources/for-survivors-andloved-ones/post-traumaticstress-disorder-fact-sheet/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/ diseases-conditions/posttraumatic-stress-disorder/ expert-answers/posttraumatic-stress/faq20057756

give roller derby a second try, was there when my husband was arrested and sat with me on my kitchen floor as I fell apart. Another talked me out of suicide on more than one occasion. They drove to my house and demanded I go to practice. They comforted me as I cried on the bench. They invited me to get-togethers and holidays and cared not if I spent the whole time

sitting alone in the corner.

They embraced me as I was and encouraged me to move forward. I changed teams twice before I finally found one that welcomed me with the same love. Through therapy I learned that many of the symptoms I was having were caused by post traumatic stress disorder and that I was not alone in my struggle. In the United States, approximately 8% of all adults will develop PTSD with that number even higher for women.

Acute stress disorder (ASD) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after an individual has experienced a traumatic event including, but not limited to military combat, accidents, various types of assault and abuse or other acts of violence. Symptoms can develop immediately or days, weeks and months later.

Using my own experiences and suggestions by Mayo Clinic, here are a few ways you can help your teammates who may be experiencing ASD or PTSD symptoms.

• First, know that the details of their trauma is personal.

Please never expect someone to share their traumatic experiences with you. Though talking can be very helpful to recovery, not everyone is in a place where they can or want to openly discuss it.

• If your teammate looks melancholy or sad, please don’t say, “Are you okay?”

I found there was no faster way for me to lose my composure than to

hear these words. Choose another phrase like, “I’m here if you need someone” or “Would you like to talk or skate it out?” This gives the league mate the control. Those with ASD or PTSD had their control taken from them and regaining control over aspects of their life is important for recovery.

• Even if they are standoffish, include them.

Pick them as a partner for drills. Invite them to events and parties even if they have declined in the past.

Encourage them to participate in committees and event planning. Talk to them about something you have in common, like roller derby!

• Triggers come out of no where. A face or a sound may trigger a flashback or anxiety attack. Be compassionate and allow the league mate a safe space to process their emotions. Sometimes that means leaving practice early. Sometimes that means sitting on the bench for several jams during a game. Please don’t shame your league mate for taking the steps to ground themselves and bring their consciousness back to the present.

• If talk of suicide occurs, please speak up.

Encourage your league mate to call a suicide or veterans help hot-line or speak to a mental health professional or their primary care physician.

• Compassion! Even if you

don’t understand what your league mate is going through, kindness and compassion go a long way in helping those experiencing ASD and PTSD know that what they are experiencing is valid.

Healing from PTSD is a long and difficult process and roller derby can be a fantastic outlet to empower and assist those suffering with their recovery.

Help your league flourish and your league mates feel safe by creating an inclusive environment. POC and LGBT+ individuals often have other complex circumstances that impact their recovery.

Everyone experiences symptoms differently and assistance that works for one person may not work for another. Nevertheless, understanding, compassion and thoughtfulness are invaluable to all.

It has been three years since my trauma. I have made leaps and bounds in my healing, but I still get triggered, especially by loud noises and people. Ironic, I know, since roller derby has been such an integral part of my recovery. Part of my treatment is working through those intense emotions with deep breathing, reciting affirmations, and trusting others to help support and ground me. I still have a ways to go, but each time I talk myself out of that negative head-space, I am hopeful. I practice self-love because while I am not responsible for my trauma, I am responsible for my healing.

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CULTURE

#thefannypackishere ESTRELIA DIAZ

DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR and visit the melting pot of cultures that is Hong Kong.

Chances are, you’ll be somewhere different to where you have ever been before.

Make your way to Hong Kong Island. When you get there- ask for Karl.* You will curse the heat, you will berate yourself for packing that third set of wheels, and you will wonder HTF people could possibly street skate here- but people can and they do.

You will see humans doing just that. You’ll take a deep breath and a swig of water and all will be all right with the world.

Just ensure sure you avoid the MTRs between 1730 and 1900 unless you have a kink for grandmothers digging their sharp umbrellas into your rib cage, while someone plays candy crush at full volume into your left ear (if you do have this kink, Admiralty Station is the hot tip!).

Today we have delve in the fanny pack of the Doyenne of Derby in Hong Kong- Snooky- President of HKRD. Tiger balm plasters We are always trying something new and these are the best way

*BONUS POINTS if you can work out Karl (Luna‘s) derby name.

to relax muscles when you have some downtime.

Polar Frost It’s for when you eat concrete attempting something – it is like an ice pack in a tube.

Stickers Madame Quad and HKRD Bonus points if you get the seat on the Star Ferry that has our mark. We have fans sending us where these stickers have travelled across the world. – I personally know for a fact there is one on the Golden Gate Bridge! (as well as one on the Tower of London-DD) Lighter For lighting things.

Chewing gum For hiding the smell of the things that I lit up.

Skate adjusting tool For hiding my chewing gum- just kidding that’s in Singapore.

Ear Pods These are to zone out the traffic of peak hour and the odd security guards yelling at us when we are in the ‘skateboard’ park.

Baby wipes You cannot go anywhere in summer without these- They are perfect for dry-cleaning after skating anywhere in 39°C/102°F 88% humidity They almost make your respectable enough when you are stuck in a 5 minute downpour, and of course you can use them to clean up the suede on your skates after the skatepark because- priorities. They also come in handy if you are going to grab some street food on the run.

Keys to the shop Members of the league use the Madame Quad shop as a place to hang out and relax and impulse purchase all things quad skating. It has also been known to act as an emergency Airbnb when someone has missed the last ferry to one of Hong Kong’s outer islands (there are over 200 of them).

Balloon that says “Don’t give sh!t” These were a remnant from our Roll out to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Notepad Where all the great ideas live.

Where is your fanny pack from: We are actually testing out some designs from young local Hong Kong artists.

What’s in your fanny pack?

Tag us on instagram @fiveonfivemag #fannypackishere #fannypackflatlay

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@THEJETLAGGEDTRAVELLER

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1. Score swapped, 2.Time remaining on scoreboard changed, 3. White Blocker’s arm number, 4. Missing “These Gams Kill Fascists” Tattoo from Purple Pivot’s legs, 5.

Missing logos from Purple Jammer’s kneepads, 6. Logo missing from White Jammer’s kneepads

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

THERE ARE SIX DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PHOTOS – FIND ‘EM!

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