fiveonfive | issue 3 | Spring 2009

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK DERBY ASSOCIATION (WFTDA) ISSUE 3, SPRING 2009

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ASSOCI ATION (WFTDA ) THE WOMEN ’S FLAT TRACK DERBY ISSUE 4, SUMMER 2009 THE OFFICIA L MAGAZI NE OF

ASSOCI ATION (WFTDA ) THE WOMEN ’S FLAT TRACK DERBY VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1, SPRING 2009 THE OFFICIA L MAGAZI NE OF

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Each issue is loaded with information to help leagues across the world

improve their game, build their business, and keep up to date with the latest in flat track roller derby!

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION $17.99 for WFTDA league members • $25.99 for non-WFTDA league members ORDER IN BULK FOR YOUR WHOLE LEAGUE!

subscriptions available at

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REVOLUTION WITH A WOMAN’S TOUCH

WFTDA. Real. Strong. Athletic. Revolutionary.

www.wftda.com Photo P hoto cour courtesy tesy of Jules Doyle

fiveonfive contents 4-5 advice

28-31

ask dahmernatrix and she who cannot be named!

WFTDA

6-9 business

Referee behavior – what’s appropriate beyond the whistle blowing and after the jams have ended?

running a league meeting so everyone wins making money with merch

10-15 health and fitness energy drink reviews exercise components how can I protect my knee? nutrition for athletes

38-39 Scraping the Home Team Formula

derby in good time off skates drills stats

24-27 gear picking your plates which wheels are best on which surface?

Adam Hecker/adamhecker.com

16-23 games and coaching

Many leagues are making a gradual shift from the traditional home team structure to a focus on A and B teams – could you benefit from the switch?

40-41 What’s in a Name?

32-33 JFTDA

Given name vs. derby name: which will prevail?

how do I start a junior roller derby league?

34-37 rookie first bout suggestions to help you bring your game

42-45 international derby 46-47 have derby, will travel 48-54 art and media 55 classifieds 60 horoscopes

JayVollmar.com

welcome to the kiddie pool

editor anne shank rocky mountain rollergirls art director assaultin’ pepa rocky mountain rollergirls contributing writers dahmernatrix duke city derby she who cannot be named rocky mountain rollergirls lorna boom rat city rollergirls ida slapter rat city rollergirls

from the editor Welcome to our spring issue of fiveonfive magazine, the official magazine of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)!

frida beater rocky mountain rollergirls

2009 has already shaped up to be a year of growth – the WFTDA welcomed 16

big f’n ref steel city derby demons

new member leagues in 2008, derby continues to grow in the U.S. and on an

dr. j sioux falls roller dollz

international level, and we have added more pages of content! Our spring issue

foxy del fuego tampa bay derby darlins

features a new section for international derby, and we have also beefed up a few

catholic cruel girl rocky mountain rollergirls jason isaacs columbus, ohio nobuo yagai denver, colorado coach pauly phoenix, arizona

other areas with more articles to help you reach your best on and off the track.

With more contributors, more content and a gaining subscription base, we hope to continue our goal of offering practical advice to rollergirls and their leagues.

master bates nashville rollergirls

As such a young sport in its current flat track state, roller derby is always

8-ball minnesota rollergirls

evolving and changing to best meet the needs of skaters. Both features in this

ivanna s. pankin’ san diego derby dolls

issue reflect that – the dilemma of the derby name and the controversy of team

professor murder cincinnati rollergirls betty ford galaxy jet city rollergirls flirtin w disaster tampa bay derby darlins aurora gory alice arizona renegade rollergirls the vindicator grand raggidy roller girls julia rosenwinkel/lucy furr windy city rollers howie swerve rollergirls of central kentucky

construction within leagues. While derby pushes forward and struggles with the sport vs. show, flat vs. banked, female vs. male, and countless other oppositions, our community is still developing ways to reach happy mediums and to be inclusive. Sometimes it’s a mystery how we do it, but roller derby not only continues to push on but becomes larger, stronger and even more of a force to be reckoned with as time marches on.

hurt reynolds derby news network

We hope that you continue to find our articles and content useful, and as always

pappa razzi fabulous sin city rollergirls

we welcome your input and ideas.

luscious smacksome rocky mountain rollergirls cover photo kerry mcclain kerrymcclain.com fiveonfive magazine info@fiveonfivemag.com myspace.com/fiveonfivemag fiveonfivemag.com

Anne Shank #13 Rocky Mountain Rollergirls Denver, CO editor@fiveonfivemag.com

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.

Dr. J

Lorna Boom

Judith R. Peterson, MD is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

She treats numerous athletes and is the team physician for the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz. She is experienced in the treatment of a wide variety of nerve and muscle pain syndromes and has lectured nationally and internationally on musculoskeletal topics and injury rehabilitation.

Lorna Boom joined the Rat City Rollergirls in June of 2004. After serving as a team captain (Derby Liberation Front) for two seasons, she took off her skates to have a baby and focus on family but still hasn’t been able to escape the derby-vortex. Lorna continues to be a Rat City Rollergirl Alumna and serves as the league’s Business Operations Manager.

Additionally, Lorna is a WFTDA Human Resources Representative and the WFTDA Bylaws Committee Chair.

Betty Ford Galaxy Betty Ford Galaxy skated for the Throttle Rockets of the Rat City Rollergirls for four seasons before making the switch to coach and skater for the Camaro Harem of the Jet City Rollergirls. In 2007 she started the Seattle Derby Brats, who are now in their second full season.

8-Ball 8-Ball is in his fourth season of roller derby and is currently a referee for the Minnesota Rollergirls. 8-Ball is a former quad speed skater and has been skating for more then 30 years. When not planning his latest skate setup, 8-Ball is an Environmental Scientist/Project Manager for a national environmental consulting firm.

Aurora Gory Alice On the track, Aurora Gory Alice is a one-woman roller derby massacre.

By the power of Grayskull, she reduces puny derby dreams to roller rubble.

Rugby player turned rollergirl, Aurora has skated with the Hudson Valley Horrors, coached and skated with the Albany All Stars, and now, she is a full-contact, no-rules skatin’ member of the Arizona Renegade Rollergirls. Off the track, Aurora is beers, brawn, brains, and still, a little temperamental. Although she is a certified personal trainer, she scrapped the gym for a professional life inspired by the hardcore nature and uncompromising attitude of the roller derby lifestyle. Aurora owns Lust & Gore Hardwear with her girlfriend and teammate, Lusty Crush. Lust & Gore Hardwear customizes cowboy hats, military caps, and makes original jewelry designs with industrial strength hardware. Retail meets rollergirl.

Heavy metal meets totally hot.

Coach Pauly

Ida Slapter

With over four years of derby coaching and referee experience that includes working with 20+ leagues across the U.S. and Canada, Coach Pauly helped bring AZRD’s Tent City Terrors to a national ranking of #3 in 2006. Coach Pauly has shared his knowledge with countless leagues at a number of training seminars and camps.

Ida Slapter started skating at the height of roller disco and her interest in DIY and the collective process started in the early 80s American hardcore scene. One of Derby Liberation Front’s original members, Ida retired from the Rat City Rollergirls in 2007 after competing for three seasons.

advice

She Who Cannot Be Named Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, Denver, CO

Dahmernatrix Duke City Derby, Albuquerque, NM

DEAR BLOCKER AND JAMMER, “I have been on the same home team for a few years now, but my league is discussing changing up our rosters and moving players every season or so to make the teams fairer. I see the point behind this, but I really don’t want to move! I love my home team, our theme and the skaters we currently have. Since we have an all star and a B team as well, I don’t really think it even matters too much if our home teams are a little uneven since we don’t always bout in them. Am I just being a big baby about it, or do you feel sentimental about your home team as well?”

-HOME TEAM HEARTBROKEN

DEAR HEARTBROKEN, As far as teams are concerned, I’ll play on any team that will have me! But seriously, I know that a lot of girls get attached to their home teams if they’ve been playing on them for a long time or if they aren’t eligible to be on the travel team, and that’s totally understandable – without team pride, you wouldn’t have much of a team! Sometimes, though, we all have to put our personal feelings aside and do what’s best for our league as a whole. But, first things first. If your league hasn’t made a solid decision on this yet, I’m sure there are avenues for you to voice your opinion on the matter before anything is final. But, in case you find yourself on the losing end of the vote and your league does decide to shift players around, try to come up with some ideas about how this might be accomplished without causing a huge upheaval amongst your skaters. I know when my league formed a third team, we asked our skaters: “Who wants to switch teams?” “Who’s willing to switch teams?” and “Who would prefer not to switch teams?” You might be surprised at the answers! Luckily we ended up with a good mix of skill level on the third team and it’s working for the most part. Perhaps a similar plan will work for your league, but just remember that not everyone is going to be 100 percent satisfied with the way it will pan out. Who knows, if you do end up having to switch teams, you might enjoy yourself just as much on the new one!

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DEAR HEARTBROKEN, Of course I feel sentimental about my home team! A lot of my favorite girls in the league are on my home team, and half my wardrobe is in its colors.

That’s a tough situation, though. I was fortunate enough to have been involved with my league since the very beginning, so I got close with a lot of my favorite derby girls before we were split up on opposite teams since we fell in derby love before our teams even existed. I’m not going to pretend I don’t get just as crazy and competitive as everybody else mid-season, but having those preexisting relationships definitely helps me keep perspective.

I mean, yes I love my home team and the girls on it, but at the same time I know that it’s not because of any inherent differences between them and the rest of my leaguemates.

I feel closer to them because during the season they’re who I see most often, get to know best, and sweat and struggle with the most.

Anyway, to answer your question: no I don’t think it’s wrong to love your team, but I also think that if your league decides that it’s best to reshuffle players, you can be just as happy on another team, and you’re better off working with it rather than against it. It might take you a while to find and fill the niche in your own environment, and it might take a little bit to build the same rapport with your new group of girls, but ultimately what benefits the league as a whole also benefits the skaters. Almost nobody likes being on the losing end of a blowout, and challenging games push winning teams more than easy victories do – not to mention are more fun for the paying audience to watch!

I know you’ll miss playing with some of your former teammates, but hopefully you will play with them again in travel games. Besides, when your team plays their team you might find you love playing against them just as much as you loved playing with them!

DEAR TROUBLED, Keeping things cool on the road starts well before you actually hit the highway. Probably the most important thing to take care of in advance is making sure all the logistics of the trip are taken care of: addresses of where the game is, where you are going to be staying, and where the meet-and-greet and/or after party is. MapQuest this info and have a little packet for each vehicle (even if you have a GPS!). Depending on how long the drive is, you may want to plan when and where you want to stop for food and bathroom breaks.

That way you won’t have to deal with 20 people needing a pit stop at different times. As far as accommodations, you (or the person doing the planning) know best how to assign rooms. Yep, I said assign... it makes it way easier. We usually do the snorers in one room, the early-risers in another, and the smokers in yet another, Wayne M. Davis

DEAR BLOCKER AND JAMMER, “My league just put together a travel team this season and we are going to leave town together for the first time soon. We’re driving and cramming into a few hotel rooms for two+ nights, and I’m a little concerned we will end up wringing each other’s necks by the end due to being together 24/7. Do you have any tips on keeping it cool while on the road?”

-TROUBLED TRAVELER

and make sure at least two people from a room have a key. Our team captains map out a general itinerary for game day, as far as when our team meeting is and what time we need to leave for the venue.

Outside of that, we tend to let people go and explore the host city to shop or sight see and whatnot... if your schedule is too rigid, you might end up with a cranky team on your hands. Some folks might want alone time, and that’s OK – whatever they need to do to get into the game. If a bitch-session does break out, just remind the parties involved that you’re all here to have fun and to keep it positive. After the game, win or lose, it will be time to celebrate!

Make sure everyone has a rough idea of when you’re leaving, so you don’t leave anyone behind at the after party!

DEAR TROUBLED, Golly, everyone on my derby team gets along perfectly all the time. We eat ice cream together and braid each other’s hair before we take turns riding magical unicorns in the sky. Your team must be highly dysfunctional if you ever fight ever.

I’m kidding. It’d be insane to put a bunch of aggressive girls together, in close quarters, especially under the stress of interleague games, and expect that there won’t be any friction. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are all under the same stress, and that you feel this way because you all care about the team so much. So if you find yourself getting irritated with one of your girls, or think she is being rude to you, try to take yourself out of the situation and focus on what’s really important: banding together to beat the other girls down!

Win or lose, try to keep sight of how much of an honor it is to be chosen to represent your league, and how special of an opportunity it is to play with girls you usually hate to play against. That blocker that always gives you bone-rattling hits? She’s someone else’s problem tonight.

That jammer you never manage to block? Now you get to see how fun it is to whip her out of the pack.

Ultimately, if it gets too intense it may not be a bad idea to put some headphones on, take a walk by yourself, or get a snack with just a few or your favorite girls. You’re all adults and the team doesn’t have to do everything together. Just make sure you all make it back in time to regroup and kick some ass!

need advice? email advice@fiveonfivemag.com fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 5

business

running a league meeting so everyone wins L O R N A B O O M & I DA S L A P T E R , R AT C I T Y R O L L E R G I R L S

Meetings are an important tool for developing personal contact within your league outside of the physical contact that occurs during training.

Unfortunately, most meetings end up being a waste of time and resources.

If your meetings are poorly attended, drag on for hours and accomplish little to nothing, it might be time to update your meeting guidelines.

Start by getting input from all league members in revising your meeting norms; a committee or individual skater dictating guidelines alone does not create buy-in or encourage participation from others. meeting preparation Advance preparation improves the effectiveness of any meeting. Prior to preparing an agenda, identify meeting objectives by determining the kinds of topics that are appropriate. Topics that are best discussed by a task group or committee are probably not appropriate for an “All-Hands” league meeting.

Use committee meetings to develop ideas and prepare proposals. Use league meetings for discussion and voting. While many committees like to present a status update at league meetings, these kinds of updates are best shared via an online message board or by distribution of prepared handouts. If needed, allocate a block of time for critical updates, reminders and announcements, but keep it to 30 minutes or less.

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In preparing your agenda, be realistic about the amount of time needed for each given topic and include a cushion for topics that may run over their allotted time. Assign a timekeeper to help your group stay on schedule and on task, but be flexible about adjusting the agenda, moving a topic to your message board or tabling it until your next meeting.

Make sure to include time for a break; marathon meetings can result in impatient and unfocused participants more interested in when the meeting ends than the topic at hand. Learn to take a break when a meeting gets emotional; even a few moments can help bring you back to a safe place.

One of the best ways to create equality is to have each team or committee take turns running league meetings. Rotation of all major tasks within the league can help reduce a skater viewing a task as her property. Along with changing who runs the meetings, have a different facilitator at each meeting. A facilitator is your steward and must be impartial.

This person introduces each agenda item, allows proposals to be explained, listens to all opinions, keeps the group constructive and guides good decision making. If a facilitator wants to participate in a discussion, the job of facilitating is turned over to someone else. Have a note taker – this will cut down on disagreements and misunderstandings later on. They should also take note of the overall vibe of the group.

Be willing to adjust your meeting format to fit the agenda. There are several formats that are more conducive to an effective meeting than the typical “classroom” setting that many large groups use. Sit in a circle. Sounds simple, but this creates better eye contact and doesn’t assign anyone in a leadership role. Alternately, divide into task groups of four to eight individuals that represent each team to address multiple topics simultaneously. This encourages active participation by all members, which improves the concept of ownership in relation to ideas and decisions. Task groups typically address a few aspects of a larger project and summarize their ideas to the larger group to identify further steps or action items. collaborative decision making Majority rule is the easiest way to conduct business, but that doesn’t mesh with the For the Skater, By the Skater philosophy. Majority rule assigns a winner and loser, usually creating internal conflict. How many times have you heard “she’s difficult” or “she is creating drama?” With a ruling majority system, you don’t have to listen to different or dissenting opinions.

Collaboration can take longer, but talking things over isn’t a bad thing.

A great way to find out how people are feeling in a league meeting utilizing a consensus voting method is the “Fistto-Five” voting system. A league member

or group presents an idea or proposal and skaters are allowed to ask questions and give suggestions. Open discussion should lead to modifications of the proposal. After everyone has talked about the proposal, it’s presented to the league again with any changes added. Each person then responds with a hand signal.

A fist is major objection called a block. A block should never be used because you don’t like the skater presenting or because you think the idea is stupid. A block is only used if you cannot live with the idea and you are willing to give reasons why.

Fist: I cannot live with this proposal and I will not allow it to pass one finger: I still need to discuss the proposal more / I have suggestions two fingers: I am open to the proposal, but I would like to discuss the proposal more three fingers: I like the proposal and I am willing to pass it four fingers: Good proposal, I will help work on that proposal five fingers: Great proposal, I would like to be a leader or chair The proposal doesn’t move forward until everyone is voting with three fingers or higher. If the league accepts the

proposal it passes. An overall negative response means it doesn’t pass or it gets dropped completely. If the league is mixed, the proposal should be tabled until your next meeting. The item can be reworked to respect all voiced concerns.

This can take more time, but allowing members to have power validates each skater and creates policies that everyone can live with. building trust As with many sports leagues, we frequently focus on trusting each other on the track but forget how important it is to trust each other in the day-to-day challenges of running a business together. League meetings are likely one of the few places that the majority of leagues are together off skates and it is a great place to establish trust. When communication isn’t clear and open it can lead to derby drama. Everyone may have all the right intentions, but without trust even the simplest task can be a huge headache. A league can build and maintain trust by following a few basic rules: • Consider everyone. It’s easy in derby to treat fresh meat, refs, coaches and volunteers as second class citizens.

• Willingness to forgive helps resolve issues that can affect the entire league and shows your openness to increase a league-wide sense of well-being.

• Follow your instincts – we all have a pretty good idea of what is right and wrong in most situations.

• Learn when and how to apologize.

Example: “I’m sorry you feel that way” is not an apology, but a way to place blame on the person that disagrees.

• Keep your integrity, keep your promises and tell the truth. is it worth it?

It can be difficult to change the way your league runs meetings. We all get lazy and creating new practices takes time, but collaboration usually improves your results. A willingness to try alternative structures and methodologies to find what works best for your league can improve your meetings, your business and your relationships. Working with your leaguemates through collaborative meeting processes is well worth the challenge. With greater interaction in meetings, more meaningful decisions can be made quickly, which increases the effectiveness of your meetings and your business.

common sense meeting norms • Be willing to hear opinions that differ from your own.

• Phrase your complaints as constructive criticism to the best of your ability.

• Be respectful of all participants.

• Be patient with the process.

• Don’t withhold information; share your knowledge.

• Be informed – it’s your responsibility to know what is going on.

• Don’t be defensive.

• Don’t lobby or argue only to get your way.

• Don’t repeat what has already been said. Honor everyone’s time.

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business

making money with merch League merch is a great way to raise money – fans and other derby girls alike love t-shirts and inexpensive collectables like buttons, stickers and patches. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that providing a decent stock of merchandise can mean a significant amount of money up front, so you want to make sure that what you are purchasing is going to bring in a profit. Here are some basics on keeping your league’s merch lucrative: don’t forget the basics For new leagues or those with little money to spend on merchandise up front, the classics are always a good place to start. Be sure to keep shirts with your league logo in a variety of sizes – black is always a good seller over brighter colors in the long run – and add shirts with the logos of each team if possible. Once you have a good inventory established, it might be fun to add different colored shirts to mix it up; something unique that stands out in a sea of black or white may grab customer’s eyes at first glance.

Other basics that cost little to nothing to stock are stickers,

start small Now that you have a great stack of standard merch for sale, start experimenting with cheaper items that have your league logo on them. If they sell, you will not only make a profit, but all those people using your gear will be advertising for you for free! Consider pens, keychains, temporary tattoos and magnets to add to your store. If you find that you just can’t get rid of them down the line, no problem – use them as crowd giveaways or hand them out at events. You’ll still get the benefit of free advertising with little cost.

drink up Roller derby and alcohol seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. If your league is one of many that serves beer or cocktails at bouts, capitalize on it! Coozies are a great cheap item for fans, as are bottle opener keychains and shot glasses. Shop around – you can find anything from cheaper plastic shot glasses to pricier glass ones, and you may even consider creating a set with each of your team’s logos!

buttons and patches. Your league may consider investing in a button maker and stamping your own

show the sporty side While alcohol usually sells, your league may have a dry venue. It is also a good idea to provide athletically-geared

pins since parts cost

merch to encourage your league’s kick-ass and sporty

mere pennies.

Cheaper items like these can also make great giveaways, and you can guage interest in funkier designs or mottos that may differ from your standard logo without purchasing a bunch of shirts up front.

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image. Water bottles, wristbands and socks are less expensive options while something like a gym bag with your league’s logo may be worth considering.

think about themes Be unique and offer something that customers and other derby girls won’t find anywhere else. Think about your league’s location and the theme surrounding your logo or name. Do you live in a really cold area? Offer fun embroidered hats or scarves. By the ocean? Maybe a beach towel or something outdoorsy like a Frisbee is calling for your logo. Consider those fun team names your league created and play off of those if possible.

not all merch is created equal Fun and unique ideas are exciting, but make sure you keep it in perspective. If you are dying to offer hunter orange lingerie with your league’s name printed across it, you may want to do your research first. Keep the following in mind: • What are your biggest sellers – would it pay to stick to something similar when boosting your inventory?

• Who is your crowd mostly made up of? How can you best appeal to your demographic?

• Can you find the item you are looking for with minimal production costs? Do you have the capability to order a limited run and see how well it does before making a big commitment?

• What works for other leagues, especially those in your area?

One example of a risky item that leagues seem to go for time and time again is the calendar. Some leagues have a ton of success selling theirs, while others are stuck with boxes upon boxes of dated material that they can’t seem to give away. If you are able to pull together wonderful pictures, an awesome layout and cheap printing with time to spare for the

new year, a calendar may work wonders, but be sure to consider that it is a real possibility that you could end up with something costly that isn’t going to be worth pushing in a few months. Time sensitive materials and those with a large upfront cost should be pursued with caution.

Does your league have a great merch item that you are always selling out of? Share your thoughts and pictures with editor@fiveonfivemag.com!

health and fitness

energy drink reviews F R I DA B E AT E R , R O C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S

Energy drinks are all the rage these days.

In a society where no one seems to have enough hours in the day, energy drinks have emerged as a quick way to enable people to push their physical limits with supplemented nutrition.

Whether it is to stay up later or run faster, different energy drinks are marketed for a variety of needs.

Although it is fairly saturated, the energy drink market continues to grow. Sifting through different products can be mind-boggling.

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I have (unscientifically) tested and rated a sample of some of the more popular energy drinks. As a serious athlete, I stuck to sugar free energy drinks in this review. I don’t see any reason to overload my body with sugar and empty calories. While sugar does have some stimulant effects, it can also deplete energy as fast as it is supplied.

Xenergy Flavors: CranRazz, Clear, Mango Guava, Big Apple, Pink Lemonade, Blu Pom

Spike Flavors: Original, Quila Lime, Orange Gold

ginseng, l-carnitine and other energy, focus, vitality and endurance supporters.

Spike scared me a little bit. It contains 300 mg of caffeine. To give you an idea of how much that is, a can of Coke has 25 mg of caffeine, Red Bull contains 80 mg of caffeine, and coffee contains 115 mg. The can has warnings all over it, suggesting to only consume half a can at first. I drank the whole can in about 45 minutes and felt great. It gave me a ton of energy and I never felt the common side effects of too much caffeine. Spike also contains a large amount of B12, which means more prolonged energy. The best part, however, is that there are zero calories and no sugar. I tried the Original and the Quila Lime flavors and I thought the Original was much tastier.

Taste: 4 Energy Boost: 4.5 Quality of Ingredients: 2.5 spikeshooter.com

Xenergy is my favorite sugar free energy drink. It tastes great, has lots of quality ingredients, and offers many flavor choices. Made by supplement giant and sponsor of the UFC, Xyience, Xenergy contains caffeine, l-taurine,

Taste: 4.5 Energy boost: 3 Quality of Ingredients: 4 xyience.com

Go Fast Light With a surprisingly decent taste, Go Fast Light has no sugar and only 30 calories.

Go Fast Light contains several performance enhancing ingredients including Ginko Biloba (brain power), Guarana (natural caffeine), and Milk Thistle Herb (detoxifies the liver).

I downed a can of this before a snowy winter run. I felt energized and alert and did not experience a “crash.�

Taste: 3.5 Energy Boost: 4 Quality of Ingredients: 4 gofastsports.com

most common energy drink ingredients: Niacin: Also known as vitamin B3,

5-Hour Energy Flavors: Orange, Berry, Citrus, Lemon Lime, Extra Strength OK, I’ll share a little secret. The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are propelled by 5-Hour Energy, not the altitude. We drink it religiously before bouts. It all started when I read an article about it on the plane to Madison. I made everyone drink it before we played Madison and we felt like we had endless energy. From that bout – in which we won – we have sworn by 5-Hour Energy. 5-Hour Energy is primarily composed of B vitamins, which are a good source of energy that do not leave you more tired than you were before consuming it.

Taste: 3.5 Energy Boost: 4 Quality of Ingredients: 3.5 5hourenergy.com

Red Bull Sugar Free Red Bull is undoubtedly the most popular energy drink in the United States. Does it live up to the hype? The sugar free version of the popular Red Bull brand has a subtle taste that packs a respectable punch. Red Bull Sugar Free is a mere 10 calories and comes in a small 8.3 oz can so you don’t have to spend a lot of time drinking something

that lacks flavor to get results. I consumed a can of Red Bull sugar free about 30 minutes before a five mile run.

It gave me sustained energy throughout the run, although I did not exactly feel like the Energizer Bunny.

Taste: 3.5 Energy Boost: 3.5 Quality of Ingredients: 2.5 redbull.com

Niacin expands blood vessels and reduces cholesterol. Niacin also aids in detoxification of the liver.

B6: Makes hemoglobin, which is a component of red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissue.

B12: Forms red blood cells and maintains a healthy nervous system.

Taurine: Expands your cells by helping the muscle cell hold more water, increasing cell volume. Taurine

No Fear Sugar Free Wow. This was horrible.

I couldn’t bring myself to take more than two sips of No Fear Sugar Free. I can’t give a fair review of this drink because I did not – and could not – drink it. No Fear Sugar Free does have several desirable ingredients (to mention a few: taurine, carnitine, grape seed extract, ginseng, l-arginine, guarana, B vitamins, and selenium) but none of them are very abundant. The small concentration of several ingredients acts to masquerade this drink as something that it is not. No Fear Sugar Free is a cheap, horrible-tasting drink that I do not recommend.

Taste: 0 Energy Boost: ??

Quality of Ingredients: 2 nofear.com

has been shown to elevate mood, increase energy, and give a positive sense of well-being.

L-Carnitine: Performs many important functions, such as helping metabolize food into energy.

Caffeine: Has been proven to boost lactate threshold during exercise, increase mental alertness, increase and enhance cardiovascular endurance, and stimulate post-workout glycogen rebuilding by 66 percent.

Ginseng: Stimulates and relaxes the nervous system, encourages the secretion of hormones, improves stamina, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels and increases resistance to disease.

Guarana: A naturally occurring stimulant found in South American plants that has been proven to increase energy and alertness.

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 11

health and fitness

exercise components B I G F ’ N R E F, S T E E L C I T Y D E R B Y D E M O N S

So what is exercise? Various experts and pundits will tell you varying things.

Probably the smallest and easiest thing that is classified as exercise today is using a vacuum sweeper around your house. Plug it in move it around for 10 minutes or so and ta-da, exercise complete. Ha ha. I understand the logic behind the principles. Studies have shown that individual, short duration multiple bouts of exercise added together give roughly the same effect as one longer bout of exercise. Doing three 10 minute jogs equals roughly 30 minutes of continuous exercise. Experts also want to include out-of-condition exercise-phobic individuals and older people, so using a sweeper gets classified as exercise.

We know that most people between the ages of 13 and 55 can sweep their house with no elevated heart rate and no real stress on the musculoskeletal system, though, and no increased heart rate and no muscular stress means no results from exercise. Obviously sweeping your apartment will not get you ready for the stresses and requirements of playing derby, but what will? How you choose to exercise reflects your goals. I am going to explain what each of the four main components of exercise are and help you to make an informed decision about where you can go from here.

Before I do that, though, I would just like to say that these components in no way compensate for skill development in your sport. If you can’t skate, don’t get on the track and try to block somebody, no

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matter how strong or cardiovascularly fit you are. Skill training for athletes takes precedence over most non-skill exercise training unless you are trying to correct for muscular imbalance, injury, systemic weaknesses or you cannot perform physically well enough to compete.

If you want to be the best derby skater you can be, the majority of your training time should be spent on skates doing laps, focusing on proper form, speed development, speed endurance, situational awareness, and blocking/hitting.

Transference is a term used to describe the amount of time spent training that contributes toward your sport’s skill set or your goals. 100 percent of training time on skates goes toward improved performance. If you want to be the best derby skater you can be, the majority of your training time should be spent on skates doing laps, focusing on proper form, speed development, speed endurance, situational awareness, and blocking/hitting. Where should any other free training time be spent? It should be on one, some, or all of these four components: resistance training,

cardiovascular training, flexibility training and recovery. These components are the same whether you play derby, lacrosse, body build, run marathons or only want to become more fit than you are today.

Resistance training is generally understood to mean exercise that will cause muscle failure, with good form, between the first repetition and the fifteenth. This does not mean that you cannot do isometric actions – actions where force is applied but no movement at joints occurs or super high repetitions with lighter weight – but the muscular adaptations that occur during these modes of exercise are not a part of resistance training. Resistance training requires stress to be applied – whether from bands, body weight, dumbbells, stacks with cables, sand, another’s individual body weight, or anything else – and muscular failure from that stress.

I’m not saying you have to scream or grunt while exercising, but effort needs to be applied. If you are a novice exerciser or unsure of what you are doing, be careful when lifting weight that causes you to fail in less than five repetitions. The stresses on the joints and muscles when lifting heavy weights are considerable and the risks involved in lifting heavy (< five reps), such as cheating, loss of control, and failure without a spotter are greatly increased.

Hurting yourself is never the goal of training. You want to train with intelligence and a focus on the long term.

You don’t help yourself or your team if you are injured. This is an important aspect of fitness in my opinion.

Dedicated long-term resistance training is nothing but beneficial. It protects the body, reduces recovery time from injury, increases or maintains bone density, actively engages the mind and increases quality of life as we age... what is not to love? In fact, I am so in love with resistance training that if it were a woman I’d propose to it today and be married next Monday.

Cardiovascular training is lifting/moving your bodyweight over hundreds or thousands of repetitions.

Sprints are included in cardio training as well as some limited forms of resistance training. In general you want to be able to elevate your heart rate to between 65-80 percent of its theoretical max (220 minus age times .65 and .8) and keep it there for at least 20 minutes at least three to four times a week.

For a person that is 25, for example, their heart rate should be between 127 and 156 (220 – 25 x .65 = 127 and 220 – 25 x .8 = 156). The activity you choose to get your heart rate up does not matter all that much. You can swim, run/jog, bike, skate, blade, or walk, as well as many others. After you have reached a base of cardiovascular fitness (20-30 minutes three to four times a week between 65-80 percent) as a derby skater, further improvements are not necessary. This says nothing about more personal goals. The amount of cardio training for weight loss or optimal fitness is much higher than it is for derby effectiveness but your body will sacrifice under used lean body tissue at high levels of cardiovascular effort, which can lower your body’s ability to resist hard hits and cushion falls. If you choose to do large amounts of cardio and strictly regulate your training diet, be aware of what you want to

The amount of cardio training for weight loss or optimal fitness is much higher than it is for derby effectiveness but your body will sacrifice under used lean body tissue at high levels of cardiovascular effort, which can lower your body’s ability to resist hard hits and cushion falls. accomplish in derby and how this (training high cardio and lower calorie) may be counterproductive.

Flexibility training is moving the joints and body through full ranges of motion. When muscles are asked to do repetitive repetitions under stress, such as skating repetitively in one direction on the track, they can shorten or the opposite sides of the body may become imbalanced. Skating both directions is important for the body’s balance. The same thing can happen through everyday activities as well. I have worked with clients that, due to years of carrying heavy bags or purses predominately on one side, have one shoulder lower than the other. As a skater, it is important to be aware of how your body feels and performs. There are many different types and forms of stretching. It does not matter what you do as long as you do something. PNF, yoga, static stretching and partner assisted are all acceptable.

The general rules are to hold stretches for at least 20 seconds and don’t bounce.

Philosophy comes into stretching more so than other forms of exercise, so know what you are getting into beforehand.

I am a firm believer that if it works for you, do it. When I take an hour of yoga, I see it as an hour that I am testing my body’s ability to move through ranges of motion and hold my body weight, but I don’t pay as much attention to the energy flow and chakra enablement parts. That does not mean that there is not something to that aspect of yoga, I just tend focus on what I know and understand.

The final component is rest and recovery. If you don’t allow your body to recover from the stresses you put on it, it cannot repair itself or become stronger. You need sleep and to take downtime when needed. Learn to listen to your body and how it is feeling. Low levels of energy, loss of enjoyment in physical activity, higher than normal amounts of colds/illnesses and loss of focus are all signs that your body needs a break. Taking a day or two off every once in a while is a good idea. Don’t forget to also add other physical activities into your routine if at all possible. Playing volleyball, basketball, tennis, Frisbee or anything else you enjoy can keep your body active while giving it a break from the stresses of derby.

Training, over and above what you need to do just to play derby, can be a time consuming endeavor. It is not wasted time, but it is time. Until sports apparel companies or private owners are willing to pay you to train and play, it can be a chore. But devoting minimal time to resistance training, cardio and stretching can pay dividends far and above the time invested.

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 13

health and fitness

how can I protect my knee?

D R . J, S I O U X FA L L S R O L L E R D O L L Z

Ah... derby, women trying to hit each other, wheels, concrete...

Hard to imagine how dangerous the sport really can be. When it comes to your knees, prevention is much better than rehab! Consider putting an exercise program in place that will help your knees and your league.

Knee injuries are very common and can knock a skater out for a least a season.

When I spoke at RollerCon 2008 about knee injuries, the seats were filled with skaters who had suffered at least one knee injury. Since knee injuries in derby are so common and can be so devastating, it is important to talk about equipment, on-skate training, and offskate conditioning that individuals and leagues can look at to help prevent injury. equipment If your skate does not fit well, your foot may be gripping the bottom of your boot to compensate, making it more likely to develop a chronic knee strain. If your kneepad is too thin to be much more than another decorative element in your derby fashion statement, you are increasing the risk of injury to your knee; if the pad is too loose or stretched out, it may not protect your knee when you go

14 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

down. Take a good hard look at your skates and your kneepads – make sure they fit and are not too beat up to be helpful to you. exercise After examining your equipment, take stock of your personal fitness program. Do you regularly exercise? Are you in good athletic condition? If you are not in shape, you are increasing your risk of injury. Cardiovascular exercise should be a regular element of your routine. Many girls do all of their practicing on skates, but whole body conditioning needs to be part of training. Upper body strength matters, as does your balance and coordination. Core strength is critical in derby.

When skating, your knee should not be rigid. Just like in skiing and snowboarding, the more rigid you are, the less likely your knees are able to adjust to impacts and challenges.

Skaters need to be working on drills that teach them to work through the knee, so that balance and coordination are at their best.

Leagues should look at specific exercises that may help the knee sustain the forces in derby. The website ACLprevent.com has exercises skaters can do together outside of skating that may help reduce injury and will help with conditioning. These exercises may need to be somewhat adapted for derby skaters, but they are a reasonable place to begin.

JonRosePhotography.com

The program, which includes stretching and a series of jumping and running drills, takes about 20 minutes and should be completed a few times per week. Because these exercises train your knee in all directions – moving forward, back and side to side – your muscles will learn to act more quickly to help protect your precious knee and its ligaments.

The Sioux Falls Roller Dollz have used this program with a few adaptations and injuries have decreased.

Just as with any training program, skaters need to keep with it to see the benefits. Leagues should check out the program online and talk with a doctor about it and other ways to prevent knee injury.

NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This article is intended as a reference only. The information is not intended to be nor should this information be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you suspect that you have a medical problem or are experiencing any health issues, you are recommended to seek the advice of competent medical care and to consult with your personal physician.

nutrition for athletes F O X Y D E L F U E G O , TA M PA BAY D E R B Y DA R L I N S

We are athletes.

If you train three to five days a week with the purpose of competing in your sport, you are an athlete. You skate hard, work out at a gym, or run in the park. You discuss strategy and make plans of attack. In order to get the most from all the hard work you put in, you need to fuel your engine correctly. Only after you are giving your body what it needs will you see the most return for all your hard efforts.

Nutrition for athletes is a bit different than nutrition for weight loss, but if you are eating correctly for your activity, you will lose fat as you gain muscle and endurance. My focus in this article is performance eating. A few pointers to get you started: • Stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store. The less processed, more perishable food is here. Fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and poultry should be the staples of your diet.

• Quit the “crack” – that’s what soda is.

Even the diet version of your favorite cola is full of chemicals and sodium.

If you’re a hardcore addict, wean yourself off of it to avoid the worst withdrawal symptoms and replace it with lots of water.

• Most women don’t get enough protein in their diet. You need to eat 0.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight; more if you want to gain muscle.

• “Carb loading” is a myth. Your body can only store so much “energy” and that giant plate of pasta isn’t gonna make you skate any faster tomorrow.

Eating a modest amount of carbs, along with protein and fat in the right ratios, will provide a better level of performance. Also, there is a huge difference in “good” carbs and “bad” carbs. Get as much of your carbs as you can from fruits and vegetables.

Try to avoid “white” foods, which are more processed (rice, bread, pasta).

• Not all fats are created equal. Good fats including olive oil and nuts will provide you with the elements needed to repair and rebuild strong muscles.

I take three to four grams of EPA/DHA fish oil per day, depending on how sore I am (Carlson brand, vitaminshoppe.com). Good fats also keep you full longer and encourage the release of happy hormones.

The Zone is my preferred athletic diet. This diet focuses on portion control and ratios of carbs to protein to fat (40-30-30). Without going into too much chemistry, this ratio maintains the balance between your body’s insulin and glucagon levels. For more information, visit zonediet.com.

Another good diet is the Paleo diet.

This diet focuses more on quality of food than quantity, but is also good for athletes. More information can be found at thepaleodiet.com.

Do your research, find out which foods work for you, and be realistic.

We all need a day to eat pizza and drink beer, but limiting that day to once a week is a wise choice. Whatever you decide to do, remember that your diet directly affects your performance, or lack thereof. So be sure to include proper nutrition into your training plan!

Sassy Quinoa Salad Catholic Cruel Girl, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls

Quinoa (pronounced KEY-nwa) is a sassy grain containing the highest protein and most amino acids of any other grain. With a subtle nutty flavor and light texture this grain can be used in pilafs, salads and stuffings. ingredients: 1 cup quinoa dressing: 1 1/2 cups cold water 2 tablespoons freshly 2 cups vegetable broth squeezed lemon juice 1 1 cup edamame /4 cup olive oil 1 1 cup shredded carrots /2 teaspoon salt 1 /2 red pepper, diced Fresh ground pepper 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced 1 /4 cup chopped fresh mint (or more to taste) 1 /2 cup toasted sunflower seeds 1 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil

• Soak the quinoa 1/2 hour in cold water.

• Rinse in water several times through a large fine mesh strainer.

• In a saucepan, sautee quinoa in canola oil (or olive oil) for 2 minutes while stirring.

• Add 2 cups vegetable broth, cover with lid and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low.

Cook for 15 minutes.

• Remove from heat and allow to sit five minutes with lid on.

• Fluff gently with a fork and set aside to cool.

• Steam the carrots for 5 minutes and prepare edamame according to package directions – rinse in cold water.

• Add mint, ginger and cucumber.

• Whisk together dressing ingredients.

• Gently combine veggies, sunflower seeds, quinoa and dressing in a large bowl.

• Cover and chill.

kitchenography.typepad.com

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 15

games and coaching

derby in good time JASON ISAACS

Weaning new skaters into the hard-hitting sport of flat track roller derby requires planning and foresight.

skating. What does it take to become a champion water polo player?

Swimming like Michael Phelps surely doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hurt; in fact, learning to swim should be a prerequisite to learning how to hit a ball.

Focusing on skating skills is all too often lost with growing leagues.

Is your team rounded enough to switch out tails or pivots into the jammer position seamlessly and without reservation that these ladies will be able to play as well offensively as they play defensively, and vice versa?

How effortlessly do the skating movements and stance come to your squad? When bringing in new skaters, their first whim may be to begin scrimmaging and learning to play roller derby through a crash course mentality. This can be detrimental and can serve as a severe deterrent to how far the skater could grow in the sport.

16 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

Ju

les

Do

yle

Every team has a plan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; does yours? Most new roller derby leagues put far too much focus on the derby, and far less focus on the roller. While understandable, this is a surefire way to find yourself a doorstopper of your region if not the butt of many jokes after the game.

Perennial championship squads exhibit one nearly universal trait: these women all possess a keen ability, control, and mastery of roller

Instead, beginning your freshman squad with a textbook understanding of roller skating theory, history, edging, weight placement, efficient striding, posture, and muscle memory building drills are far more important at this formative stage in their roller derby career. With this foundation, a skater can more confidently move into game-play situations. When this is rushed, the consequences are usually reflected both

Begin your freshman squad with a textbook understanding of roller skating theory, history, edging, weight placement, efficient striding, posture, and muscle memory building drills.

in injuries, and, more noticeably, the number of years it takes a team to improve.

Why is the learning curve for former and current USA Roller Sports (USARS) athletes so much shorter than other beginning roller derby players? Roller skating fundamentals.

These skaters are not concerned with how to push their skates to get where they want to go, they are concerned with closing opportunities on the opponent, or floating to the aid of

teammates in record time. These athletes developed leg and ankle strength in their respective sports, whereas the strategy of roller derby becomes nearly the entire challenge for them. Other leagues that prematurely begin scrimmaging and learning through mistakes face a longer road ahead because the mental effort of skating alone without a solid foundation leaves these players disadvantaged.

Instead, plan to bring your skaters into the league with the understanding that they will not begin actively scrimmaging until they complete their skating fundamentals training. I recommend three to six months of focused roller skating with no promise of active roller derby until the rookie squad can prove a solid foundation and confidence on roller skates.

If your league begins scrimmaging your newly minted fresh-lady squad in haste, there are a variety of beginner mistakes that can be hugely exacerbated by the game of roller derby: • Posture – Beginners usually have weak hamstring and quadriceps that support the body as well as aid in the propulsion of striding. To compensate, these skaters begin to straighten their legs and bend their backs as they tire, thus shifting their body weight forward and off of their heels. This shift significantly alters their center of gravity and, with a good jolt from any direction, makes it likely they will fall forward onto their face or hands.

• Cornering – Novice roller skaters are notorious for twisting their shoulders (and hips) in the direction of the track’s oval when skating fast. This shift opens up their right hip and prevents their body from leaning into the curve. It also increases the likelihood that if checked, the skater will rotate completely and fall.

• Kicking back (toe flicking) – Inexperienced skaters will likely reach their right skate in front of their left but not across the plane that extends in front of their left foot when crossing over. This causes a backwards movement of the left foot that is likely to hit another players’s shin, while providing no advantage to the skater.

• Crossing – When enough momentum is built up, new skaters tend to place the brunt of their weight on their right skate while rolling through the corner rather than leaning into the curve. Also, it shows that the skater’s leg strength is not capable of overcoming the gravitational force generated when cornering on an oval. In roller derby, this can cause the skater to be “ridden out,” forcing the skater to slide outward on the track toward the fans instead of being able to hold her line.

Paris was not built in a day; I advise that you do not skip steps in the development of your newer skaters so they and your organization are positioned for success and many years in the winner’s circle.

Jason Isaacs is a former nationally competitive speed skater and former player development coach for the Ohio Rollergirls.

A skater of over 14 years, he is a two-time Ohio state speedskating champion, Great Lakes Regional speedskating champion, and national speedskating semi-finalist representing the Ohio Buckeye and Michigan Wolverine speedskating teams.

In addition to holding the 500 meter regional record, he was a top 15 finisher in the Professional Inline Speedskating circuit in the Junior World Class Men’s class.

DRILL drill: runners vs. trappers

purpose: to learn how to adapt to different scenarios when your jammer is in the box

One team is comprised of runners while the other team is made up of trappers. The runners’ jammer is in the box, so they want to speed up the pack as much as possible without splitting it. The trappers want to grab a member of the runners’ team, trap her, and force the rest of the runners to slow down in order to stay in play. The runners need to be aware of where the pack is to avoid an out of play call.

KerryMcClain.com

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 17

games and coaching

off skates drills N O B U O YA G A I , P E R S O N A L T R A I N E R , D E N V E R , C O

Nobuo Yagai is an AFFA, NASM and NCSF certified personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.

Originally from Japan, his experience as both a certified jiu-jitsu and karate instructor translates perfectly into the agile and full-contact sport of roller derby.

kettle bell swing Objective: Kinetic chain exercise that builds the core muscles, which helps with stability.

Equipment: Kettle bell or hand weight, 10-15 lb.

With your head up and chest forward, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees so that you are squatting while holding the kettle bell in both hands between your legs.

While tightening your abs, swing the kettle bell until it is at eye level and back down again.

Repeat 20 times x three sets.

Be sure to focus on maintaining your posture throughout the exercise. Keep your head up, chest forward and hips low.

roller skater Objective: This exercise is commonly referred to as the “ice skater” but is just as helpful for derby players. It builds the Psoas Major, a muscle located on the inside of the hip.

Equipment: Stepping stool – you may begin this exercise without a step but can build up to a platform that is at knee height.

Start with your left foot on the stepping stool and your right foot on the floor. Your left foot should be in the middle of the stool while your right foot is diagonal from the corner of the stool. Your right elbow should be over your left knee, almost touching it.

Switch feet quickly while twisting your upper body so that your left elbow is now over your right knee. You should feel as though you are mimicking an exaggerated skating motion with your arms and upper body swinging as your feet move back and forth from the stool to the floor.

Repeat for one minute x three sets; work up to three minutes x three sets.

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coach’s corner by coach pauly

know your roll

part 3: the blockers

I guess you could say that all skaters are blockers in one way or another, but ultimately there has to be a name given to the three skaters between the pivot and jammer. Some leagues call them the two, three and four blockers, while other leagues have different names for the positions such as mid blockers, inside and outside blockers, power blockers Jules Doyle

and tail blockers. No matter what you may call them, they are the meat of your

DRILL drill: defensive wall builder purpose: improving strong walls in front and cohesive pack communication

Work in groups of three skaters, each with a specific job: one covering the inside line, one covering the middle to the outside line of the track, and the third acting as the first line of defense against the jammer. Send a jammer through the pack – she should keep skating until she is able to break through or until the three blockers have had an opportunity to work together on their positioning.

The third player should create and maintain a comfort zone between herself and her two teammates to avoid bunching up, while being prepared to sprint up and cover any holes in the wall if the jammer gets by her.

pack sandwich, and without them the true strategy and pack is lost. Everyone in derby knows that the glamour is with the jammer, but in my view the blockers are the makeup to the movie star. Behind every grand slam there are blockers like Beyonsláy, Malice with Chains and Kitt Turbo making holes and causing chaos for the opposition.

There are many strategies and roles to be played by each of these blockers, but the bottom line is knowing which one works best with each lineup you send out to battle. Each blocker carries her own set of tools and when you add these tools with those of her packmates, magic happens. Walls form and reform at will. As each blocker plays each jam they learn each other’s strengths, weaknesses and communication styles. They learn each other’s body language and, before long, they are moving to answer each other’s verbal and nonverbal cues.

Once the blockers have attained this level of communication, strategies like the waterfall become second nature. This allows the pack to attain a platform desirable for their own jammer and become a force to be reckoned with for the opposition. All in all, the pack defines our sport – without the blockers it would be speed skating.

Till next time, see you on the track…

If you have any questions, comments or feedback please email me at derbywhisperer@gmail.com.

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 19

games and coaching

stats M A S T E R BAT E S , N A S H V I L L E R O L L E R G I R L S

Women’s flat track roller derby must not only overcome the stigmas related to female-only sports; it must also overcome the tradition of roller derbies that employed showmanship over sportsmanship to sell tickets. The showmanship of the past hasn’t been abandoned, but it has been relegated to a supporting role rather than a driving force in the modern derby era.

Luckily, with the explosion of flat track derby leagues came the explosion of flat track derby enthusiasts. These fans saw the inherent sportsmanship of flat track roller derby and embraced it for being just that, a sport... with attitude. The self-described stats geeks took that enthusiasm a step further and started putting names and numbers to all the great derby action that kept them coming back for more. Beyond scratching the counting itch that

blocker statistics:

Jammer: number of jams skated in jammer position Pivot: number of jams skated in the pivot position Blocker: number of jams skated in the blocker position not as pivot Percent of track time: percentage of jams skated in any position

Points for: points scored for the skater’s team while skating in the blocker or pivot position Points against: points scored for the opposing team while skating in the blocker or pivot position Offense score per jam: the average number of points earned for the skater’s team in jams that she does not participate in as blocker or pivot subtracted from the average number of points earned for the skater’s team in jams that she participates in as blocker or pivot Defense score per jam: the average number of points earned for the opposing team in jams that the skater does not participate in as blocker or pivot subtracted from the average number of points earned for the opposing team in jams that the skater participates in as blocker or pivot Cumulative per jam: offense score per jam and defense score per j am combined +/- per jam: points for subtracted from points against and averaged over the number of jams that the skater participated in as blocker or pivot

jammer statistics:

penalties:

Lead jam: number of jams skated in jammer position in which the skater earned lead jammer status Lead jam percent: percentage of jams skated in jammer position in which the skater earned the designation of lead jammer Points scored: number of points scored while skating in jammer position Average points per jam: average number of points scored per jam while skating in jammer position +/- ratio to opposi ng jammer: points earned while skating in jammer position subtracted from the points earned by the opposing jammer; the total is then divided by the number of jams skated in the jammer position

Minor: total number of minor penalties credited to the skater Major: total number of major penalties credited to the skater The best way to tell how well a skater performs is to watch her skate. If you can’t make it out to watch every WFTDA-sanctioned bout and video isn’t offered for the bouts you want to see, you can look to the stats to give you a heads up.

The most obvious effects on a bout are those of the jammers.

Let’s face it: points win games. The jammer statistics can tell you how effective a team’s jammers are at scoring. The higher the lead jammer percentage and number of points scored, the more effective a jammer is at what matters most, scoring points. +/- ratio and average points per jam will tell you if a jammer was

most stats geek mathletes possess, these statistics help to legitimize the sport for the fans and put a quantifiable measure to all the cool shit that happens on the track during a game.

So far, the WFTDA has chosen to compile some of the more basic stats for sanctioned bouts. Most of these stats are generated from the objective count of who plays what position during a bout.

These statistics can be broken down into four main categories.

positions played:

22 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

just lucky in a few jams or kept a steady flow of points coming for her team.

The individual period breakouts can help you decipher the overall effect of a jammer and even how she performs with specific blockers, once you get stats from enough jams to compare. One thing to remember when looking at stats is that trends get more accurate as more information is considered, so look at as much info as you can to determine a jammer’s overall impact.

Blocker statistics can be tricky, as blockers don’t score points directly; their effect has to be measured indirectly, leaving room for interpretation. That being said, getting out and watching blockers play will always be the best way to learn who plays well and what each blocker does to effectively help her team.

Of the statistics made available to WFTDA leagues, points for, points against, and +/- per jam give a bird’s-eye view of what blockers are doing on the track. This set of stats doesn’t tell exactly what the blocker is doing to directly add points to the team total. Instead, these stats show what happens on the track while the blocker is skating.

The offense score per jam, defense score per jam, and cumulative per jam give a more dialed-in look at how a blocker performs in a bout. These three numbers can be difficult to evaluate, however, as offense score per jam uses a high positive number to indicate good performance while defense score per jam uses a negative number to indicate good performance, with the cumulative per jam back to a positive number. These types of scores are not effective for comparing a skater’s performance from bout to bout and give better readings with more jam data; so if a skater doesn’t block as much in a bout, her numbers may be

misrepresentative of her overall effect.

Since blockers work as a pack, the pack’s actions will affect individual blocker stats and limit the effects of an individual blocker on her own numbers.

Flat track roller derby statistics are constantly evolving along with the rela tively new sport, and there is much room to expand on the stats currently required by the WFTDA of sanctioned bouts. In addition to the objective stats or the stats that can be calculated by simply tracking who plays where in a bout, stats geeks have made the move toward recording offensive assists and defensive maneuvers following the definitions created by stats pioneers like Jon “Statsi” Dilks from the Philly Rollergirls and Adam “AK-40 oz” Kenyon of the Detroit Derby Girls. Keeping record of things like stall blocks, body whips, or jammer knockdowns give very specific insight in to how well a team functions effectively as a unit. This class of statistic can be daunting to record, as many of the moves they encompass can have subjective definitions and in some cases rely on the judgment of the stat tracker. It can take some time to train folks to recognize when a hit is just a hit and when it is an offensive block. Once you get to a point where you can track offense and defense assists, however, quantifying how a player performs on the track becomes much easier and more thorough.

If subjective maneuvering isn’t your thing, there are other statistics that can be calculated from counting who plays where during a bout. Helpful information like how many shutout jams a skater was in and even slight variations like how many shutouts a jammer was in when she had lead jammer status are just a formula away. Other helpful bits like the number of scoring passes a jammer was

able to make and the average number of points she was able to attain in those passes only require a little more counting at bout time and help paint a more accurate picture of her performance.

The pinnacle of stats tracking in flat track derby is the effect penalties have on scoring. Flat track derby is unique in that the action is rarely stopped during game play. Scoring and penalty enforcement happen on the fly and therefore cause a number of headaches to those trying to keep track of who did what when. Penalty tracking plays a vital role in measuring what effect these punishments have on a team’s effectiveness on the track.

Thus far this effect has really only been observable in real time or on video.

Roller derby stats exist for two reasons: to help legitimize modern derby for the general public and help it gain the acceptance and respect it so richly deserves, and to serve the teams and individuals they represent. Players can look at their performances over any given period of time and see where they are improving and also where they need to focus their efforts to keep getting better.

Furthermore, once you have gathered enough data, you can begin to measure how well a jammer works with certain blockers or which combinations of blockers are most effective in a group.

Following these trends can be of great benefit in building rosters, and with enough proficiency it would even be possible to alter lineups to meet a team’s specific needs during any given bout.

Thanks to the efforts of pioneers like AK-40 oz and Statsi, along with derby nerds all over the world, the stats field is growing and evolving and gives us geeks the opportunity to bask in the reflected glory that is women’s flat track roller derby.

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 23

gear

picking your plates 8 - BA L L , M I N N E S OTA R O L L E R G I R L S

So you think you’re ready to decide what plate you want to mount to your new setup?

Have you considered these things... pivot pin angle? Trucks: plastic vs. aluminum vs. titanium? How hard should your cushions be? Price? Weight? Size? Plates: metal vs. plastic vs. composite? Do you even need to?

The jury will forever be out on certain aspects of plates. What is the best, what is the lightest? What is the strongest?

We will forgo the subjective debates on what engineering designs are better than others, and simply discuss the plate options for a select number manufacturers, hit on their high and low points. This by no means is an all-inclusive synopsis detailing the specifics of all plate options, merely just consider it Quad-Plate 101. Pencils ready??

Let’s start out with the proven plates: old-skool. Most of the plates in this list have been in production from one manufacturer or another for years, while other plates on this list have ceased production for some time. These are considered such a rare gem, that I recommend giving them a rightful place in your selection process. Let’s begin: Snyder Black-Diamond. One of only two plastic plates that I can actually recommend. They haven’t been in production for a long time, but you do see them occasionally. For a plastic plate they are fairly indestructible and have minimal flex.

Retail $50-100 (used). Rated: Above Average.

Laser Skate Company, Laser Hard-nose and Laser Nycon.

This company was recently sold and their plates are still in production today. Lasers were “the plate” to own if you were a quad speed skater in the 1980s. The plate is very sturdy and does not flex easily (unlike many other plastic plates), but the trucks have had manufacturing issues in the past. If you come across an older set, understand that with time (10-20 years) the trucks tend to get brittle and snap but don’t let this scare you away from the Laser plate... replacement trucks are easy to find and the plate is an excellent choice for under 200 dollars.

Retail $100-190. Rated: Above Average.

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Labeda Pro-Line. Pro-Lines appear to be the twin of the now popular Reactor plates from Riedell, but that is the case in looks only. Similar to the high end plates currently in production, these are a dream to skate. They are made from forged aluminum and are incredibly strong and durable.

Retail $200-300 (used). Rated: High End. Ultimate I (magnesium SST) II, III, IV, V and Dominator.

Any of the magnesium Ultimates are a wonderful choice.

What you will notice quickly when you skate an Ultimate is their extreme light weight. Being made from magnesium, they need to be kept away from moisture due to the corrosion factor.

Retail $100-250. Rated: High End. Now let us move onto the more current production manufacturers. Since we are in the discussion of more higher end options for quad setups, there are really only two manufacturers currently producing plates that can be lumped into this category: Roll Line and Riedell.

Concerning Riedell, there is one plate that I can recommend for derby: Powerdyne Reactor. If you are looking for a high end plate that is brand new and reasonably affordable, the Reactor is your best option.

Made from 7000 series extruded alloy aluminum, these plates are lightweight, strong and offer good response. The only issue I have heard with the Reactor plate is their lackluster cushion options – there are only two available at this time.

Retail $225-250. Rated: High End. Roll Line has a long list of products that will tease your tastes and severely tickle your pocketbook. Yep, you guessed it: Roll Line plates are not cheap. Furthermore, parts are equally expensive when you consider replacement cushions will run you between 20-40 dollars a set. If that didn’t scare you away, allow me to continue to discuss the fleet of Roll Line plate possibilities.

First, when you skate a Roll Line plate you will notice that they are different than most anything you have skated before.

Their response is very quick, almost as if it gives you a push each time you cross over. Also, adjustments on the Roll Line are a dream. One tool, “click-action” adjustments allow you to make slight modifications to your truck’s action while skating.

The only negative side to the Roll Line plates is their weight (with the exceptions of the Energy Titanium and Matrix). I have seen modifications made to the Driver to reduce weight, but I’d only recommend that to our readers who are brave and have a CNC Machinist in the family.

Variant M. The only slightly affordable Roll Line option, made from 2024 Avional aluminum. This plate does NOT have a chrome finish or click-action adjustments. This is an entry-level Roll Line option, but make no mistake, this is not an entry level plate.

Retail $180-240. Rated: High End. Driver/Mariner. Same as the Variant but with a chrome/polished finish and click-action adjustments.

Retail $250-300. Rated: High End. Navigator. Slightly lighter than the Driver.

Retail $400-450. Rated: High End (+).

Energy (Steel and Titanium). Made from 7075 Ergal Aluminum with titanium axels and pivots, these plate options are Roll Line’s answer to weight concerns. With this solution comes another problem: their price.

Retail $500-800. Rated: High End (++).

Matrix. The Matrix by Roll Line is not for the weak of heart.

If you have serious spare coin lying around, you cannot best the Roll Line Matrix. Even lighter than the Energy Titanium.

Retail $800-1100. Rated: High End (+++).

The possibilities are endless with Roll Line products, even if the cash in your pocket is not. These are only a few of the

Roll Line options available, so if your in the market for one, make sure you do your research. This is a plate that, under most circumstances, will never need replacing, unless you want to upgrade. It maybe easier to justify a high end purchase with Roll Line when you consider it is an investment. Several of the Roll Line Plates offer an exchange program. With this program, some Roll Line plates may be exchanged for different sizes.

Check with skatesus.com for complete details and restrictions on this program.

So, now you have your plate selected, but what size do you want? Most skaters have never considered that they have a critical decision to make with their plate choices. Yes, quad plates have sizes just as your boots do. So how do you choose a size?

First, understand this: Each plate manufacturer has their own personal recommendations on what size plate you need.

These recommendations are based on the fact that most quad plate companies, until recently, have only geared their plate mounting/sizing for either speed or artistic skate setups. For stability, they have always leaned toward having as much plate under your body as possible. While this is great for stability, it stinks for mobility.

There is a new (or not so new) thought process on plate sizes, called a short plate setup that I first learned from a Skatelog.com guru, DocSk8. Doc started setting up skaters with short plate setups several years ago and it went from a fad to a critical consideration.

This setup was intended to maximize the skater’s ability to be mobile in the pack but did not affect the speed that a skater was able to achieve. The only downside to a short plate is a minimal change in stability. This is easily overcome with a few hours in the boot as your body learns slight modifications to your center of balance.

So as you can see, there are many different options for quad plates. The ones discussed here were limited to more higher end options, but please don’t let this discourage you if they seem out of your price range. The prices given are estimates only. There are bargains out there to be had. Skatelog.com and Ebay are consistent sources of used plates at steep discounts.

8-Ball can be reached at ericsmibs@yahoo.com for gear questions.

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 25

gear

which wheels are best on which surface?

I VA N N A S . PA N K I N ’ , S A N D I E G O D E R B Y D O L L S

Go to any online forum and someone will have a definitive answer. But the truth is that choosing wheels has more in common with choosing your flavor of ice cream than it does with a set right or wrong answer. You like chocolate? I’m fond of pistachio, but think vanilla tastes best on cakes. In other words, what might be perfect for one skater may be the absolute worst wheels in the world for you – today. But next week they might work great on another surface. Never trust anyone who tells you that everyone should use the same exact wheels (or any other gear)! Choosing the right wheel involves a lot of factors, including (in no particular order): • Surface you’ll use it on (the type, location, dirtiness, humidity, etc) • What you’re accustomed to and what wheels your favorite

totally flawed. Durometer is not a reliable way to figure out how grippy wheels are. In the first place, the durometer listing that is painted on most wheel models is a moving target the manufacturers aim for, not the actual tested durometer of the particular wheel you’re looking at. In the second place, wheels are made of different urethane formulas that react differently to outside factors, especially friction. Check out the Sin City Skates blog for more info on durometer: http://tinyurl.com/2brjl8.

There is a good way to combat how confusing this stuff gets: try them out! The best thing a league can do is to institute “wheel sharing.” Encourage skaters to test old wheels (preferably with a crap set of bearings you don’t want anymore) so other skaters can try them. I would encourage everyone to try

skater wears (we are all predisposed to love what our heroes are skating on!)

• Your level of experience • Your height and weight • Your skating “style,” especially your stride and stance • The position you play now • Your training / bouting goals • YOUR TASTE A lot of those choices can be summed up as: just how grippy do you want your wheels to be? Grippy wheels tend to be considered slower – though I would argue that a slower unimpeded lap speed does not necessarily mean a slower trip through the pack. Firm wheels are also often referred to as faster, but again, that’s unimpeded lap speed. You can also achieve grippiness with your stride, so as a training tool, I use the slipperiest wheels I can stand. But for the sake of deciding, I can say definitively that grippy wheels are softer and create more friction (which equals grip but can also mean more work), while firmer wheels roll longer with less friction (and less grip, requiring a lower and more balanced stride). All wheels fall somewhere into that soft vs. hard, grippy vs. slippery, “slow” vs. “fast” continuum.

To make things slightly more complicated, the method most skaters use to determine relative “grippiness” of wheels is

out as many wheels as they can, including your wife’s old bald ones and the crap your boyfriend used on his skateboards in the 80s. The best side result of trying out lots of wheels is that you lose your dependency on wheels in general; grip becomes more something you achieve from your stride and less linked to the perfect set of wheels for the specific conditions of the moment.

B ut, let’s pretend you’re on an island with a roller derby track (let’s call it Derby Island and make it tropical... sigh).

This awesome island offers you the opportunity to play derby, but no one speaks your language and their wheels are totally unidentifiable. You are on your own and there are a lot of choices! Don’t fret. There are some relatively tried and usually true wheel-to-surface combos that are a great place to start when you’re discovering what will work best for you.

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sport court What we call “sport court” is usually blue composite tile hockey flooring and comes in lots of varieties, some far more grippy than others, but most of them fairly grippy when clean. But they aren’t usually clean, and with that layer of sport court schmutz (don’t think about what it is!) the surface is usually slowish/grippy but slippery on top. For most skaters, this is where you want a medium firm to grippy wheel: • Radar Flat Outs (any color)

• Firm Radar Tuners (green, pink, orange) • Firm Sure Grip Fugitives (green, pink) • Atom Lowboys and Trackers • Hyper Witch Doctors (blue) • Soft formula aluminum hub wheels like: • Speedrays (blue, red) • Powers (red, pink) • Hyper Cannibals (blue)

ones regularly, so they should really get in the habit of rotating to extend their life), including: • Sure Grip Fugitives, blue or black, even grippier with orange Fugitive Pushers • Atom G-Rods • Radar Tuners (black, blue, red) – slightly less grippy • Omegas (if you like narrow wheels) – slightly less grippy

wooden rink floor When was the last time it got a coat of urethane? You can tell because if it was recently, it is probably super duper grippy;

DO NOT waste your money on expensive wheels! If you’re a badass, use the cheapest, hardest indoor wheels you can find. If you want more traction, use the lowest profile (62mm), widest outdoor wheels possible. Taller wheels in the super soft outdoor formulas feel wobbly on tight track cuts and turns, in my experience (though they are awesome for actual rolling-down-the-sidewalk skating). The good news is that

if not so recent, it can be ridiculously slippery. Your best bet in this case is to ask skaters on your team what they recommend and then weigh that info against what you know about the factors we discussed at the outset. If they have a phenomenally low stride and you’re a beginner, you probably want something grippier than what they like. If she’s a 5’2” <100 lb and you’re 6’ 180lb, you probably want something firmer than she needs, etc. concrete (painted or rough) If the concrete is smooth and was painted recently, you might be lucky enough to use really inexpensive wheels! If its rough concrete, you should use cheap wheels. Try out firm to really firm wheels, especially the firmest of the nylon hub wheels.

Generally speaking, I don’t recommend poly BD (soft), or high end nylon and aluminum hub wheels on concrete because even the smoothest concrete eats them. It just gets too expensive.

They may perform well on the concrete, though, so if you’re rich, go nuts! For an intermediate (not wealthy) skater with a decently low stride, I would start with the cheapest ones and move into grippier (often more expensive) wheels if it was warranted: • Stock wheels from R3s, Boxers and other cheap skates • Radar Caymans, Demons and Flat Outs / Flat Outrageous (FO are the grippiest) • Sure Grip Twisters and Zooms • Radar Demons • Atom Queen B and Tracker concrete (slippery) Is it unpainted, polished, slippery concrete you’re on? Well, sorry – that gets expensive. If you can paint it, it will make a difference, as will regular mopping with a cleaner-degreaser like Traction. But if you can’t do that, most skaters will want the grippiest wheels they can get (and will usually need new

asphalt, tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts

manufacturers are racing to create hybrid wheels – bouncy, softish outdoor urethane formulas in the wide, low profile classic indoor shape – to serve the growing population of skaters scrimmaging and practicing on asphalt, basketball courts or just about any flat surface. This summer should see far more options in this area. In the meantime, try: • Atom Centuris (1st generation hybrid) • Sure Grip Aerobics or 62mm Motion • Radar Zen or Energy all-around good bets Good all-around wheels for most common surfaces are, in my experience, not too expensive and work passably on any normal bouting surface. For me, that’s the medium-to-grippy combos like: • Radar Flat Outs & Tuners • Sure Grip Fugitives • Atom G-Rods (more grippy) and D-Rods (similar to Fugis) For more experienced skaters with a better stride: • Atom Tantrums • Hyper Witch Doctors • Soft alum hubbed wheels For skaters eager to try firmer wheels: • Firm aluminum hub wheels • Atom Lowboys and Strokers (even firmer) In closing, I want to assure you, dear reader, that no wheel manufacturers paid to get any of these endorsements or ever has any input into what I recommend ever. The information above is 100% my opinion, based on my own and my teammates experiences. Thanks for reading! fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 27

wftda

Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) membership 2008 was a year of amazing growth for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association as the organization welcomed 16 new member leagues, continued to build its support services to rookie leagues and hosted another action-packed tournament season.

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To allow the continuation of that growth and to better serve the needs of current and future members, the WFTDA temporarily stopped accepting new applications for membership on February 15, 2009. New membership applications will be accepted again starting July 1, 2009.

This move will allow the WFTDA to strengthen its business structure and prepare the organization for its growing leadership role in the sport of flat track roller derby. This period will help the WFTDA achieve the long-term goals of its member leagues and the thousands of women who have made this sport what it is today.

“We are excited our membership has voted to grow the scope of our organization to ensure that the WFTDA stays at the forefront of women’s flat track roller derby,” said newly elected WFTDA Treasurer Loco Chanel.

“In order to manage some internal restructuring, we will be closing membership for a few months. This will ensure that no new leagues get lost in the shuffle during this transition and allow the leadership to inventory the resources that we have and develop them as we take our next step forward.”

For more information on WFTDA membership, visit wftda.com/membership-information or e-mail membership@wftda.com.

wftda

referee behavior P R O F E S S O R M U R D E R , C I N C I N N AT I R O L L E R G I R L S

Referees are always referees, even off the track. On occasion, the actions and words of those of us who don the stripes fail to recognize that. The following points help convey appropriate behavior for referees when “off the clock.”

We are, of course, fans of the game, and have lots of colleagues, friends, and even those we may not be so friendly with in this sport. We’re also volunteers who got into this sport because of our friends, spouses, and love of the game. As a volunteer, we want to have fun, of course. But as referees, we have a vital responsibility to maintain and uphold certain standards, both on and off the track. Outside of bouts, scrimmages, and practice, we should always strive to serve as proper ambassadors for roller derby, and help maintain the respect for and integrity of the sport. This includes the following: DON’T BE CRITICAL OF OTHER REFS Referees may make mistakes, overlook a call, or incorrectly award (or fail to award) points. This is going to happen as a result of refs training at various levels. Also, so much action happens during the typical two minute jam that, at some point, something will inevitably be missed by some or all referees.

The structure of the typical derby bout makes catching every illegal action nearly impossible.

As a referee, though, the golden rule applies. Don’t speak ill of other referees’ performances, and rest easy assuming they won’t do the same of you. More important than saving referee egos, however, is the integrity of the game.

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Publicly questioning or disagreeing with a referee’s call does more harm to derby than it does the referee. This sport is at a stage where it is growing a fanbase that is dedicated, sophisticated, and informed. They need to believe in the sport as a legitimate competition that is legitimately and consistently judged by officials.

As a referee, you are always representing roller derby on some level.

Simply put, don’t cloud the minds of fans, skaters, and other refs with doubt about the quality of officiating.

DO BE CRITICAL OF OTHER REFS But let’s be honest; mistakes happen in every sport. The recent NFL controversy over referee Ed Hochuli’s bad call proves that (he ruled a fumble as an incomplete pass, allowing Denver to keep possession and ultimately win the game over San Diego). So, as referees, we do need to help each other identify and understand where we stand to improve in our skills and understanding.

Referees in the WFTDA have different levels of rules knowledge, skating ability, experience, and certification. The only way they’ll improve as referees is to have other people watch, evaluate, and critique their performances. If you find yourself watching derby as a fan, keep an eye on other refs. See how they perform. Take notes if you want to.

The goal is to inform other referees of areas where they need to improve.

Was their application of the rules inconsistent? Is their skating on the outside a bit sluggish? Were they not paying attention or communicating with

other referees and nonskating officials?

They absolutely need to know what they can do to improve.

The crucial element of criticism is to be informative and generally positive.

“You suck,” or a list of things they did incorrectly simply won’t do anything to help someone improve. Providing them with examples of best practices, reminding them of proper techniques, and encouraging them to strive to improve are the techniques that are necessary.

Positivity and tact are crucial when providing feedback or criticism. Stress what they did do correctly, give pointers on how to improve what they need to, and most of all, wait for the right moment and do it in private. The proper time and place can make accepting criticism easier, and they may respect or thank you for their help. We all stand to improve in many ways, and should welcome criticism. But it needs to be done tactfully and framed in a way that doesn’t berate or insult the referee.

IDENTIFY A MENTOR (AND BE SOMEONE ELSE’S MENTOR) We all need someone to guide us informally. Even if we rely on various WFTDA committees for guidance, it’s also important to have someone to talk with. A good mentor is a good listener, someone who offers constructive advice and feedback, and can empathize with difficult situations. Being a WFTDA referee is not always easy; it can be infuriatingly difficult at times. A good mentor helps guide us through these seemingly inevitable and insurmountable

difficulties, and come out stronger and better prepared to handle the tasks we’ve chosen to do. They are the wise sages among referees.

So pay it forward. Be willing to help a referee move up. Whether it’s assisting in something as simple as identifying who the lead jammer is, or as complex as the most agonizing drama, all referees need mentors. As you grow as a referee, you should be able to help and encourage others to grow with you.

ASK THE RIGHT PEOPLE (DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL) This might be best summed as “know your experts.” As a referee, identify who the referees and skaters in positions of power or influence (within the WFTDA) are. Talk with those who have participated in tournaments at the regional and national level. Talk to certified referees. Talk to members of referee and rules committees.

The WFTDA is not a monarchy, but it does have groups and committees to help disseminate rules specifications, clarifications, and to encourage use of best practices. Rely on formal means of inquiry, like the WFTDA rules subsite (rules.wftda.com), but also be aware of the limitations of more informal means (e.g., Internet groups external to the WFTDA).

Other referees may have valid and useful opinions. That said, striving toward uniformity and consistency is helped by asking those who are part of the formal process. As referees in the WFTDA, we defer to the WFTDA. Those are the people who need to be asked first. And almost certainly last.

PUSH, BUT DON’T PUSH HARD Again, the WFTDA is a limited democratic organization. There are many opinions about the state of the

game. The input that we have collectively in the game is a virtually unprecedented and amazing opportunity.

We are all active participants in shaping the sport.

So regarding opinions about the game, some may think (for instance) that referees should lose derby names and adopt a stringent uniform guideline, while others may think any game without a “penalty wheel,” for an outdated example, is positively droll.

When voicing your opinion, respect the diversity, and respect the voting majority. Have your say, but be conscientious of the opinions of others.

If the game changes in a way that you like, that’s great! If it doesn’t, however, don’t pout or complain. Have respect for other's opinions and formal decisions made regarding the game.

This means that, without fail, the game will adopt some things you personally like, and also some things you may not be too fond of. But, like disparaging your fellow referees, complaining about it undercuts the integrity of the organization, and shows selfishness by disrespecting the views of the majority who voted on the policies and rules.

KNOW WHOSE GAME IT IS (AND STAY THERE) Referees are the friends, spouses, and are related to skaters in ways that may be unique to this sport. However, flat track roller derby is first, last, and everything in between, the skaters’ game. Don’t ever forget that.

Referees who proclaim their love and admiration for teams and skaters, or that they have a “crush” on a skater not only jeopardize the hard work that goes into proving derby as a legitimate hard-hitting sport, but also potentially

violate the very sort of safe space for women that derby provides. If you’re making skaters uncomfortable, you shouldn’t be in the game at all.

WHEN IN DOUBT, BE QUIET IN PUBLIC This is the most important lesson for being a referee when off the track.

Be publicly involved; the networking of derby is a phenomenal thing to be a part of. But, as a ref, you need to be very mindful of what you say publicly.

This includes all of the previous points: keep your fandom to yourself, keep your dislikes to yourself, keep your crushes and opinions to yourself.

As referees, we are all fans of the sport. How can you not love derby and be a part of it? But being a fan involves responsibility. Just like critiques of other referees, we need to recognize how to curtail our enthusiasm. Cheering for “your” team may be fine (just don’t wear your stripes when doing it!). Let people know that you appreciate their style, their performance, their skill at the sport. Refer back to the idea of maintaining the integrity of the game, though, and don’t publicly flaunt it.

As a WFTDA referee, you are always a WFTDA referee. This doesn’t mean that you are not allowed to have opinions, or favorites, or even people you may not like very much. But that’s for you to know and to share with the right people when appropriate. Your responsibilities as a referee extend beyond the boundaries of bouts, scrimmages, and practices.

At all times, remember: show respect for the game, show respect for every skater, show respect for every fan, know your role in the organization, and be a positive endorsement for the WFTDA.

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jftda

how do I start a junior roller derby league?!?

B E T T Y F O R D G A L A X Y, J E T C I T Y R O L L E R G I R L S

Roller derby has exploded into the new millennium from one league to hundreds with hundreds more just starting. It has circled the globe and been televised. The newest faction to the roller derby scene is junior derby. I am about to answer the million-dollar question – Cliff Notes style.

First and foremost, make sure you have the time to commit to this undertaking and the right reasons for doing so – it has to be a venture of the heart. You must strive to always put the kid’s needs first – always.

I recommend reading the book “Positive Coaching – Building Character and Self-Esteem Through Sports” by Jim Thompson.

This book has given me so much insight on the complicated decisions a coach has to make on a daily basis. It can be a delicate balance of being strong and stern with them as well as being caring and nurturing. It is very important that you take the time learning how to coach and treat kids; it takes an incredible amount of time and energy to start and maintain a junior derby league, however if the passion and resources are in place the reward is tremendous.

Junior derby provides a place for the girls to build their self-esteem and character, I believe more so than any other sport. Many women who join a roller derby league are strong, independent and motivated, but often the type who didn’t fit into conventional sports, and the junior rollergirl often shares these traits.

There is no “one right way” to start a junior derby league.

There are about 15 current active junior leagues running in the U.S. at this time and we have all sort of forged our own way and created similar paths to the same goal. I will tell you my experience with the Seattle Derby Brats and try to elaborate on how some of my fellow leagues run.

The number one rule of junior roller derby is to have fun.

Generally, kids play sports not to win or make friends, not to be a star or be on a team, but to have fun. The main reason kids give when they quit a sport is that it stopped being fun.

Gather your group of interested parents and adult skaters who want to help. Start with a mission statement. I started with one early on and it has evolved over time, but when I started by

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myself it gave me direction and let the parents who were thinking of letting their kids join know what the sport was about.

Decide early on if you want to be a nonprofit or not. Explore the options of being an extension of an adult league or if your league will be a separate entity with support of one or more adult leagues. Often this is referred to as your “big sister” league. Then set up a board of directors right away and get to work on committees.

Below is a laundry list of things you will need to consider: RECRUIT SKATERS – Get them signed up even if you don’t have a rink or a start date yet. Let the parents know you are forming and get all their information to notify them as soon as you have practice space. Promote at the local rinks to garner interest, advertise at local adult bouts – give a flier to every girl you see there. Once your league has started, organize derby demos and half times at adult bouts to gain more interest.

COMMUNICATE – Create a MySpace, and use this as a tool to link you to the adult leagues and derby fans in your area. Start a Yahoo! Group – use this to communicate with your parents and kids. You can put up schedules, instructions, notifications, and whatever else you need to communicate. DO NOT post practice time or skater info on public forums or MySpace.

CREATE A DATABASE – Assign a secretary to create a database of all the skater’s information, including parent names, parent phone numbers and emails, home addresses, parent cell phone numbers, skater birth dates, skater cell phone numbers, allergies or disabilities, and emergency contacts. It is also helpful to keep track of necessary documents and required gear, for example: Do they have all their gear? Do they have insurance? Did the parents sign a waiver? Did they sign a photo/press release? Did the child sign the skater agreement?

Make sure you ask each parent if there is any reason their kid

should not be in posted photos for safety reasons. Google Docs is a great way to keep a private database and roster where all the parents have access to it privately through an online invitation.

SCHEDULE PRACTICE TIME – Find a rink willing to let you train there; if you are lucky enough to live in a warm climate you can use an outdoor hockey rink for pretty cheap. Check your local parks – often you can skate in gyms or youth centers if there is no rink available. Rink time can be hard to snag if you have one or more local adult leagues, but you may be able to work with them to establish your own practice time.

GET INSURED – The type of insurance (USARS or WFTDA insurance, for example) is not as important as making sure your league is insured. Many rinks require USARS or something of the sort for all skating classes, instructional or derby.

SIGN WAIVERS – Make sure you have a waiver for parents to sign that protects you from liability in the case of injury, death and loss or destruction of property. Waivers are different from state to state Steven L. Price (Skippy Steve) and even from county to county in some cases, so contact a local lawyer and check out the laws within your community.

CREATE A SKATER AGREEMENT – Write up a skater agreement and have the kids sign it at the beginning of each season.

For example, Seattle’s starts out with “the number one rule is to have fun” and goes into detail about respect, listening and trying hard.

CREATE A PARENT AGREEMENT – Have parents sign up to pledge their support and help for the junior league. Without parent support, a junior league will have a hard time surviving.

The agreement lets the parents know upfront what is expected of them, and also outlines appropriate behavior at events and practices, including appropriate support and encouragement of their skater.

ESTABLISH DUES – Set up a dues schedule ahead of time.

Your league may need to set up fundraising events as well to completely cover rink time. You may also consider creating a scholarship program for skaters whose parents cannot afford to pay dues, in which the parents will be expected to help out with extra junior league work.

ORGANIZE FUNDRAISERS – You will probably need the funds for rink time, uniforms, gear (whistles, cones, timers, etc.) and travel expenses. Search your local derby community for volunteer refs and coaches. There are a ton of great ways to fundraise – common ideas include holding a skate-a-thon, organizing spaghetti or pancake feeds, and selling junior league merchandise.

DESIGN A LOGO – There are often many people willing to do free artwork for new nonprofits. Offer bout tickets and a t-shirt in exchange for their help. Make sure your logo is clear and easy to read, and that it looks good at any size. Keep in mind that clear lines and one or two colors will make printing on shirts and buttons cheaper and better looking.

FORM COMMITTEES – Set up committees right away – it may take a while to get an official board set up but you will want to get to work on making your league run.

Establish a head coach, head ref, merchandise committee, treasurer, event planner, and secretary. You will need to learn how to delegate or you will burn yourself out!

COVER BUSINESS DETAILS – Go online to your state website to get a business license, which you will need to create a bank account. The bank account should be in the business name before you take in any money. You should add about three to four parents (probably board members) to the account.

Work with a lawyer to set up the 501C3. It can take a while and is really confusing, but be patient. You may be able to find a parent, grandparent or friend of the family who is a lawyer and can help you out for free. Check your local laws and find a lawyer you can trust.

For more information on how to start or run a junior league check out the JFTDA Yahoo! Group. There are many examples of forms, waivers and drills there and it is a great way to meet other leagues, ask questions and get plugged in. You can also visit jftda.com for information.

That is it in a nutshell. Running a junior league takes a lot time, but it is so worthwhile. When you watch those girls gear up to skate it will just melt your heart and you will know it is time well spent.

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rookie

welcome to the kiddie pool F L I RT I N W D I S A S T E R , TA M PA BAY D E R B Y DA R L I N S

However they refer to you – recruits, fresh meat, newbies – you are being initiated into the mad world of roller derby.

A good number of you are in your 30s, stumbling into a weird ethos of outrageous outfits, extreme socializing, and rough games. Wheels are strapped to your feet while daunting people knock you around as if “tackling dummy” was checked off on your high school aptitude test. The words “what am I doing here?!” cycle through your brain. On top of all this, you need to learn to maneuver the politics and bureaucracy of this counter culture. I’m not sure if this little commentary can make you a better skater but I will try to cushion the psychological blows that come from off the track. Following are some tips to make your downward spiral more enjoyable.

DO NOT take it all so personally!

I think this is the most important thing to remember so I brought it up first. I’ll probably throw it in again as a reminder because I know it’s difficult to make use of in your daily dealings, especially with hard-headed derby girls.

DO be social.

Even if you aren’t a drinker, go to the bar/club/restaurant and have a soda. Some shells are hard to crack! Mingling in a social setting gives your leaguemates a chance to get to know you when they are relaxed (and let’s face it, more accepting of new things). You’re a cool chick so give them an opportunity to see that. Side note: This can be a double-edged sword. Make sure you are showing the REAL you and not your liquid courage!

Survival of the fittest.

Roller derby off the track can be as tough as on. If you can’t run with the big dogs get out of the way. This goes for not only the physical aspect but also an emotional one. If you are following point one, then this won’t be such an issue.

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survival training for fresh meat

And since I brought it up again... DO NOT take it all so personally! This mantra has served me nicely in my personal as well as my derby exploits. Use it in good health!

People and the glass houses they live in.

We can make derby not only easier on ourselves but also easier on others if we think before we “inadvertently” cause problems.

I always say, “I live in my own glass house and I’m keeping my stones in my front yard.”

You just joined the circus, be a clown!

I don’t mean this literally, but be creative with your persona and show it off. It’s more fun for the fans and for yourself if you give them something colorful to watch. Plus you become a crowd draw at derby functions. This is also a good way to become endearing to the rest of the league.

The squeaked wheel gets greased (mafia style).

No one wants to be around someone who is bitching all the time – STOP because you are bringing everyone else down.

Try to have a positive attitude about your performance while learning the extra activities that every league mandates. Derby takes a lot of time, effort and money. Hopefully someone told you that from day one; if not, see “Survival of the fittest.”

Have patience!

Before getting mad or making a scene, wait to see how a situation may pan out. If you want to be more involved, if you want to play a different position, if you would like something big to happen, just give your league a chance. That doesn’t mean sit back and watch, but remember: the cream rises to the top and the stuff left on the bottom gets ground down the disposal.

Buy a butt pad!

I worked this one in as a favor to a friend. She was so eager to play derby that when she fell and severely injured her tailbone causing her to not skate for a month, she started to question her reason for life. I don’t think I’m qualified to cross the line from advice provider to suicide counselor so I am encouraging coccyx protection for all.

It’s just a game.

When all is said and done, it’s just something you do with your free time. After work is finished, your family is fed, and life is taken care of, you have this little escape that lets you be whatever you want. Don’t let derby become another stress. Unless it causes you to hit harder, then channel that energy on the track and kill some beotches!

Good luck!

Disclaimer: I am blunt but I will also try to add in some laughs. We all know the ups and downs of putting a plethora of strong willed women (with a few men sprinkled on for flavor) in a room to bang into each other while acting as moving targets. If my story can help one good intentioned but misinterpreted newbie survive in derby then my work here is done. All of this is said from personal experience and with lots of love… derby love! So enjoy but as point one says... “DO NOT take it all so personally!”

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rookie

first bout suggestions to help you bring your game A U R O R A G O RY A L I C E , A R I Z O N A R E N E G A D E R O L L E R G I R L S

The first real roller derby bout I skated in was a wake up call for both me and my league. With the exception of one skater, no one on the team had ever played in a game. In this away game against a more experienced league, it is with great displeasure and slight rage that I tell you we got slaughtered.

The good news is, what I took away from it made me a better skater and a better coach, and ultimately, that sizable defeat also made us a better league. When you have direction in the form of lessons learned, that motivation can lead to success in the quest to transform yourself or your league into a wellgreased, visibly skilled, highly entertaining roller derby powerhouse. Here are a few of my lessons learned from that bout to help you out: WELCOME THE FIRST BOUT. No matter how nervous you are, look forward to it – this game will get you moving in the proper direction to become a skating standout. On the track, you will learn strengths, and more importantly, areas in need of improvement. You will not just learn about individual skills, but how you might more effectively work with your teammates.

EMBRACE YOUR DERBY PERSONA. Don’t let nervousness or competitiveness snuff out the fun that should come with allowing yourself to be larger than life. One of the beautiful things about derby is the emphasis it places on personality.

If you are already a crazy cat, a big character, a show stealer, or a no-hold-barred attitude problem, derby encourages you to be yourself. If in real life you are shy, introverted, or well mannered, derby allows you to be someone totally different.

Remember, there’s no sorry in derby – that’s a beautiful thing.

I didn’t embrace Aurora Gory Alice my first bout. Instead I got frustrated and tired. In my mind, it may as well have been any other sport. That sucks. Derby isn’t any other sport. There are many reasons why this is true, but one of the biggest reasons

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is the attitude of the skaters. Now, before I skate out for warm-ups I imagine what I would say if interviewed about derby: When I skate out onto the track, I want the other team to curse their luck. I want them to spend every second of every jam I skate wishing that jam was over. And, when it finally is over, I want them to know, from tits to toes, that Aurora Gory Alice handed them their asses.

KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS. Roller derby is one of the few team sports where you are playing offense and defense at the exact same time. If both jammers are arriving at the pack together and you are a blocker, you have to make a choice: intentionally stop the other team’s jammer, or help your own. Don’t let the opportunity to make an offensive or defensive difference pass by while you try to figure out what to do. If you are super maneuverable but not the strongest hitter, maybe your default action is to booty block the opposing jammer. If you are a strong hitter but not super maneuverable, you can travel a deliberate course and clear a path for your jammer. Whatever you decide, if you go into the bout knowing what you will do when a high pressure, split-second decision has to be made and that the action you take will be something you are good at, you are going to be a valuable asset on the track.

BE FIT. Your derby skills might kick ass, but if your fitness blows, you will never get to demonstrate them fully. During

your first bout, the pack will likely move faster than you are accustomed to. If the teams are really evenly matched (or even terribly mismatched) the jams will probably be long. Between nervousness and the adrenaline-driven hits coming at you from all angles, you will fall and recover more than you are used to. Train for these factors. Work hard at practice.

Arrive early, stay late, and do fitness on off-days too. Mix fast skating and rapid succession derby skills (weaving, hitting, falling and recovering, whipping) for roller derby specific intervals (two minutes on, 30 seconds off). Encourage a fast pack during drills and scrimmage.

Suggest that some of the jams during a scrimmage be two minutes. If you train at least as intensely as you will play, you

will be able to display the skills you’ve developed, and you will be less likely to find yourself wishing a bout was over.

PRACTICE STRATEGIES AND ADVANCED SKILLS. You should be beyond just skating and hitting when you roll onto the track for your first bout.

Make sure you have discussed and practiced some strategies with your team before the first whistle blows.

Strategies include matching up with an opposing player, working in pairs, forming walls, pushing your teammates into opposing skaters, boxing in, and holding the inside line. Talk with other skaters on your team about doing these things. Make a conscious decision during scrimmage to utilize one or more

of your team’s strategies. In your mind, as you are waiting for the whistle, think, “I will ask someone to form a wall with me this jam.” Putting strategies to work in a scrimmage situation will make you more comfortable utilizing them in a bout.

These are my suggestions at the most basic level, but embraced or not, they won’t eliminate all coulda-wouldashouldas. No matter what you do, some level of frustration is to be expected your first time out. Hopefully, however, my experiences will limit your debut woes and maximize your post-bout celebrating.

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feature

scraping the “home team” formula T H E V I N D I C ATO R , G R A N D R A G G I DY R O L L E R G I R L S

When the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls formed in spring 2005, it seemed natural to divide the skaters into two teams. At the time, roller derby was a fledgling sport with a dozen or so leagues in the Midwest and few opponents for the novice skaters to realistically compete against. The thought of playing opposing cities was secondary to larger issues, such as, “How in the hell do we run a roller derby league?”

Initially, the league divided into two teams; the Blue Collar Broads and the Roustabout Rollers. Team rosters were created for a three-bout exhibition season and were based on such reasoning as “Who lives close to one another?” and “Who goes to the same bars after practice?” Predictably, this did not lead to two teams with equal skill levels.

As more skaters joined the league, a third team, the Everyday Rebelles, was added. It was obvious from the get-go that the Broads were the strongest team. They dominated on the track, and remained undefeated until early 2008 when the GRRG dismantled its home teams in a move that strengthened the league and united a group of divided skaters.

Grand Raggidy’s decision to scrap home teams – innerleague teams that compete against one another for hometown audiences – and convert to a two team (WFTDA-ranked/nonranked) format is becoming familiar to more and more leagues around the country. Fort Wayne and Cincinnati are among the leagues to have done away with their home teams in the past year and Ohio Roller Girls (who essentially had six teams at one point) have pared down to two for their 2009 season.

“There were several reasons why we proposed such a change, but primarily, burnout was building... Additionally, we were not seeing the adage of ‘home season pays for the travel season’ working in our case, so we wanted to focus our energies in one direction,” said Alli Catraz, VP of marketing for OHRG. As the flat track roller derby movement strengthens, it’s experiencing an interesting paradox. While the sport is gaining more momentum, leagues that have been around for several years are discovering that skater retention is a problem. The turnover rate in our physically demanding and time-consuming sport is high and maintaining full rosters of multiple home teams is a problem, particularly for leagues from smaller cities,

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like Grand Rapids. And let’s not forget about the inherent derby drama that ensues when one team continually whoops the crap out of the other.

“We either needed to drop a home team or switch to another model,” said Jackie Daniels, league chair and travel team captain for Grand Raggidy for two seasons. “With a small league, the idea of always being able to practice together and work toward the same goals instead of against each other seemed a much more positive solution.”

Though many of the GRRG skaters expressed sadness at losing their “teams,” the result has been overwhelmingly positive for the league. The spirit of camaraderie has never been higher and the skill level has improved across the board.

Fans that disappeared after seeing the same matches time and again have returned to the stands.

Many leagues that started with the intention of maintaining home teams are finding it to be a greater challenge than anticipated; not enough skaters, too much drama, fans that are rightfully bored with seeing the same match ups, etc. But how do you know if it’s time to ditch the home teams and move to a new format? Here’s some advice/insights/observations from leagues that have made the split and lived to tell about it: the numbers game Do you have enough skaters to maintain viable, evenly matched teams for a full season and beyond? How is your skater retention? Many leagues start with strong numbers and taper off as skaters incur injuries, or simply decide that derby is not for them. Understanding the long-term limitations for home teams can help you decide how to best focus your energy.

“The biggest challenge, by far, is numbers,” said Hannah Barbaric, #85 for the Cincinnati Roller Girls. “We don’t have nearly enough skaters or staff (refs, stats, and other volunteers) and so the limited people we do have end up doing all the work and we all do too much.” climbing the ranks Would eliminating home teams benefit your WFTDA standing?

The Cincinnati Roller Girls originally started with four home teams, dropped to two and eventually scrapped their two home teams at the end of their 2007 home season. They now operate

with an “A” (all-star aka Black Sheep) and “B” (feeder aka Silent Lambs) format. The switch was partially because of numbers, but it also allowed them to refocus their energy on climbing the WFTDA ranks.

“We felt that there was a lack of cohesion due to the travel team not working with each other often enough and that moving to this model would hopefully alleviate (that),” Hannah Barbaric said. “We’ve accomplished a lot this season: we made it into the Eastern Regional tournament, we’ve gelled as a team, we’ve set WFTDA records, and gained invaluable experience by playing 17 WFTDA sanctioned bouts in one year.” cutting costs Will this save your league money, or cost more in the long run?

“We’ve eliminated team merch, which was not as big of a seller and was expensive to keep inventories,” Jackie Daniels said. “That’s been a big savings. Our expenses have gone up slightly as we’re compensating other teams to be here, or trying to help with travel costs for skaters to play away. However, bout attendance has gone up as fans are always seeing a new game or new team they won’t be able to catch again.”

“It’s extremely expensive to do what we did,” said Hannah Barbaric. “Between traveling and paying to host visiting leagues, we are struggling financially. We’ve also had a good deal of burnout because we have been going nonstop since January ‘08.” no more drama!

If your league is being torn apart by the division of teams, maybe it’s time to tear apart the interleague system.

“Our fans now always cheer for our city,” Jackie Daniels said.

“The drama has been cut down tremendously, there’s much more positive teamwork off the track in terms of strategy discussions and committee involvement.”

Dismantling teams can be a difficult decision, fraught with emotion and sentiment. It’s painful to let go of team bonds, and scary to imagine how your fans will react to the change in league and game structure. Consult with a league of similar size that has gone through the process and use that information to help determine what is best for your league in the long run. The goal for any league is to create a sustainable organization that will continue to grow and succeed long after you hang up your skates.

feature

what’s in a name?

J U L I A R O S E N W I N K E L / L U C Y F U R R , W I N DY C I T Y R O L L E R S

Four years into playing a rapidly expanding and evolving sport I am still explaining the difference between roller derby of the 1970s and the WFTDA. People are often surprised to hear nothing is fixed; sometimes I think they are disappointed, but always they are intrigued.

However, one fake element of derby remains strong: the names. Supported by their creative profiles, derby monikers can be hilarious, thought provoking, bonding and just plain wicked.

They have become a rite of passage for new skaters, a label of pride that concludes their efforts to become and registers them nationally as having arrived. They are unique to our reinvention of the sport but intrinsically they lure imaginations toward the fake and in that way they have replaced the clothes line and the elbows and have come to represent, along with their accompanying tag lines, the entertainment aspect of roller derby. This past summer I took on the back burning thought of what it would mean to skate under my real name. The end result begins with a bit of history.

Four years ago Val Capone of WCR handed me a flier boasting the dawn of a new sport in Chicago, roller derby, and eagerly gushed that I’d be a perfect addition. I had just stepped off stage after a burlesque performance and to this day wonder if it was my flawlessly seemed fishnets or my limitless comfort with showing my bum to 100 strangers that caught her attention. Needless to say, both came in handy.

Curious about the information touted by the flimsy blue flier, I attended the small meet and greet style information session advertised. I wanted to learn how to skate, to murder the ghost of my eleven-year-old self, shamed for lack of ability at every Christian music night at Funway roller rink. Maybe I hadn’t been blessed with natural ability, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try again. I agreed to fill out a skater form and caught myself surprised at a line designated for desired derby name/number.

Someone more in the know explained, “It’s a moniker, a fun name that will give you personality on the track.” I left it blank.

If I was going to be called by any name other than my own, I wanted more than funny or clever, I wanted a name I loved.

Raised on the fire and brimstone of the Pentecostal religion, I have always known that Lucifer was the original badass.

When, over an ice cold Lone Star, Anita Bier dubbed me Lucy

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Furr, I could only sit back, take a long slow swallow of my beer and appreciate the strange ironic poetry that my new derby name brought. The decision to drop my derby moniker and skate under my real name, however, has been an enormously important process for me that reflects my journey through the world of roller derby beginning as entertainment sport, morphing through seasons of aesthetic and athletic change arriving right back where I began, as Julia Rosenwinkel.

It was no subtlety that roller derby’s reinvention had as much to do with showmanship as it did with actual competition. And in the beginning, being Lucy Furr suited the show. My inner actress excelled at fake fights, fashion legware was as critical (if not more!) as skate wheels and whether or not to have a makeup artist before games was an issue my team actually voted on.

Our hearts were always set to win, our bodies readily sacrificed for victory, but we were vigilant about “entertaining” our audience with over-the-top attitudes and caricatures. The separation between real and fake remained obvious to us but conveying that to our fans was secondary. I may have ended my derby career that season, invigorated by the experience but wholly satisfied with my moderate beginner skating skills and year of extroverted showmanship if not for one last set of games; the 2006 national tournament in Tucson, AZ. In one weekend I would mentally transform from entertainment participant to vocal advocate of roller derby as pure sport.

And it all started with the most embarrassing experience of my roller derby life.

As part of the WCR All-Star team that entered fully unprepared for national level game play, my tournament experience ended day one with what felt more like a public flogging than competition. My face befriended the crevices of sky blue sport court while our opponents stretched the boundaries of sportsmanlike point differentials without seeming to break a sweat. I was brutalized and fascinated. Finally, roller derby had tapped the heart of my inner sports fan.

Blessed with the agonizing opportunity of early elimination, I spent the next two days searching for fragments of pride and taking notes on the teams whose games shattered ours.

I learned two important things: one, there is a strong correlation between fundamental systems of defense and winning teams;

and two, skaters take themselves more seriously on the national track, in play and in physical presentation, and I liked it.

By the time I returned to Chicago, derby was no small romance, it was a full-fledged relationship in need of a complete overhaul. Skirts were passé and athletic leggings were the new staple, fake fights became vintage anecdote, boot camp was in and camp was out. Instead of a woman playing a game, I came to view myself as an athlete with a sport ready to be taken seriously. For the next three seasons I can proudly say Chicago dedicated its efforts to intense and focused physical training and completely shed its connection to imitation sport, with one exception: fake names still endure. Even though I considered names to be the primary faux factor in modern derby, it would take three more seasons before I relinquished mine.

I thought about it often. The questions “is it real?” “do you throw elbows?” and sordid variations of “where do you rehearse?” led me to exhaustion. Curiosity hinged on disbelief no matter what I said and there came the day when I had to admit that playing for real with a fake persona was sending a mixed message. Once that realization set in I felt, for the first time, separate from my Lucy Furr identity and my gut knew I was waiting for a sign.

The exact moment I knew Lucy Furr must be retired came soon after I watched Ryan Dempster run the outfield track for his warm-up at Wrigley Field early last summer. His position had changed from closer to starting pitcher during the off-season and under the gun for contract renewal, it was no secret that this guy had returned ready to fight 12 rounds. Shortly after I put my jaw back in place, I watched the beloved pitcher take the mound and my entire focus followed the name on his back. Immediately, I realized I wanted my name, my REAL name, on the back of my hard work.

There are some downsides. People ask you what your name means.

You have to deploy your life savings in order to purchase new shirts, jackets and uniforms, and for approximately two months in practice there’s indecipherable ref stammering involved when you’re called on penalties, not to mention your own name sounds so awkward people might as well be saying it backwards. It’s hard to get used to a new name after four years, even if it’s one you’ve been living with for 33. And for the record, I’ve found the name Julia far too charming for derby while Lucy is much more inclined to the staccato dictations of a teammate in need. Just try screaming each name to bleeping move her bleeping ass and you’ll hear what I mean. Sigh.

Once my decision became metallic silver letters on my black uniform there was a boost of pride that made me wonder why I hadn’t done this already. Rosenwinkel is a waaay cooler name than Furr. Who doesn’t love Rosenwinkel? Rosenwinkel’s intimidating. And while I know not everyone boasts such a formidable surname, I highly recommend trying yours on when you’re ready.

derby names There are many reasons to skate under your real name – personal pride, legitimization of roller derby in the public eye, and the shift farther from show and closer to sport all rank up there. The majority of skaters are sticking to their derby personas, at least for the time being, and here are some of their reasons: It separates the “derby” me from the “real” me As much as the “fill-in-the-blank by day, derby girl by night” perspective annoys the derby community, some skaters enjoy the anonymity of playing under a name different than their own. Every skater has their own reason for joining derby, but an escape from everyday life is a big one for many, regardless of individual competitiveness or dedication to the sport.

It’s a derby tradition In the short amount of time that flat track derby has existed in its current state, traditions such as the derby wife, fishnet stockings and fake names have carved a firm place for themselves within the community. While times change quickly, the rite of passage brought on by acquiring a derby name is still celebrated by leagues across the nation and the rest of the world.

I just like it!

You didn’t get to pick your real name, but you did pick your derby name.

Where else can you decide exactly what you want other people to call you without getting weird looks from those around you?

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international

australia travelogue H OW I E S W E R V E , R O L L E R G I R L S O F C E N T R A L K E N T U C K Y Last July and August I visited five roller derby leagues in Australia,

sometime in late 2006. A month or two later, interested skaters in

as part of a part-work-mostly-vacation trip – and no, they don’t skate

Melbourne began organizing the Victorian Roller Derby League (VRDL).

clockwise around the rink! Australian Derby is just like American

Five months after that, in mid-2007, Adelaide (ADRD) was up and

Derby: a mix of camaraderie, drama, competition, drinking, great

rolling, founded by Barrelhouse Bessy and her friends. Bessy is an

outfits, and hard hits. I found everyone to be extremely kind

Austin, Texas transplant who had been friends with Smarty Pants

and generous, and committed to the growth of their own

of the original Texas banked track league. At the time of my trip,

and their fellow leagues.

these were the only three leagues that had held bouts. The Sydney

One of the things we all know about roller derby is that, as a new league, the farther you are from more established leagues, the slower

league (SRDL) was starting to train by October 2007 (but has been continually hamstrung by a lack of affordable venues) and the

your development. Imagine, then, the situation in Australia, where, with

Northern Brisbane Rollers (NBR) had split off from SSRG by late 2007.

the exception of Pirate City Rollers in Auckland, New Zealand, the

Currently manifesting at least a web presence are Geelong, Canberra,

nearest established league is a 13 hour plane flight away! Although

Perth, Byron Bay, and the wonderfully-named Ballarat Roller Skating

YouTube and MySpace and other web resources are helpful, there will

Progress Society. Although some of these leagues are facing problems

never be any substitute for the league from the nearest big city coming

finding a venue, all of them are skating or can be expected to be

down and coaching you, encouraging you, and occasionally kicking

skating within the year.

your ass. Add to this the fact that Australia is very sparsely populated,

Australian leagues generally follow WFTDA rules. But since

at least by American standards. Australia is the size of the continental

Australian leagues cannot be members of WFTDA, each of the three

United States, but has about 1/15th the population (21 million). Most

oldest leagues have taken leadership roles at varying times. In

people live in just five major cities along the southeastern coast

mid-2007 an organization was set up by a SSRG skater called the

and far west. Australian roller derby leagues will always have

Australian Roller Derby Association (ARDA). By various accounts, this

more trouble finding nearby challengers than American leagues do.

was either an attempt to simulate a WFTDA-like organizational

But what Australia does have going for it is that it is the only other nation in the world to have its children grow up in a culture including

structure, or was a less-ambitious attempt to create a national forum for discussion. Whatever the intent, it generated some interleague

rollerskating. Indeed, it is home to some of the greatest world

controversy before it was closed down in mid-2008. Adelaide has

champion quad speed skaters, and the Bont skate company. Most

made some innovations in game play and in the practicalities of

cities still have a rink or two or three standing. And thus, derby skaters

refereeing, and it is widely thought that this reflects a somewhat

come from the same talent pool as in the States – former rink rats,

different culture of derby. However, with the isolation of the leagues

former speed skaters and the skate-curious. Over the past two years

and the exaggeration inherent around retelling events like Skate of

leagues have become established in three of the five major cities:

Origin (see below), this probably amounts to little difference in reality.

Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Two slightly younger leagues are

Since – much to my regret – I did not visit ADRD, I can’t say!

establishing in Sydney and (a second one in) Brisbane. And things are

But as in the United States, formal differences between leagues

mushrooming from there... that familiar background chatter of “I heard

tend to disappear as time goes on and interleague bouting becomes

a league is getting organized in ______” is now spoken, especially

more common. VRDL, for their part, has focused on building a

around Melbourne where the Victorian Roller Derby League appears

hinterland of associated leagues. Their geographically-encompassing

to be actively promoting the development of derby in midsized

name (ambitiously including the entire state of Victoria, rather than just

cities like Ballarat and Geelong.

It’s really not my place to talk about the origins of derby’s

the city of Melbourne) is significant. Some wags (OK, perhaps just me) have connected this with the traditional Melbournian view of Australia

transplanting to Australia – that really should be done by the

in which Melbourne is the cultural capital and representative outpost

originators themselves: Evil Doll (the originator of Australian derby, now

of European empire. Be that as it may, but it just seems the smart

a coach for Gold Coast Roller Derby), Barrelhouse Bessy, and others.

thing to do: Victoria is the most densely populated area of Australia,

But since no history has been written, I’ll just give the sketch outlines,

and by planting these seeds VRDL assures themselves of vigorous

as narrated and confirmed by several senior skaters and various clues

nearby competition within a few years. Melbourne, by the way, is home

on the web. I invite correction! It appears that Brisbane’s Sun State

to the best cup of coffee in Australia without a doubt. And that’s saying

Roller Girls (SSRG) was the first league, organized by Evil Doll

something... good lord American coffee sucks in comparison!

42 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

sue@kineticphotography.com.au

Starbucks just closed 65 of their 80 Australian locations for the simple

Tasmania: My search for roller derby in Australia did not begin

reason that Australians can’t be fooled into drinking bad coffee.

promisingly. I landed in Hobart for a weeklong conference at the

The coordinating function of WFTDA Yahoo! Groups in the U.S. has

University, armed only with the telephone number of a person who

been performed in part by the web forum “Roller Derby in Australia,”

had once showed up with a small group to skate with Berzerker,

which I recommend to anyone wanting to find out more. But of course

a VRDL (and ex-Charm City) skater from Tasmania. No response.

there are tons of Aussies on the WFTDA Yahoo! Groups themselves.

Ah well, they apparently have a decent rink in Hobart, and their time

Although several American skaters have visited and coached

will come. In the meantime, the name “Tasmanian Roller Devils”

Australian leagues in the past few years, without a doubt the most

isn’t going anywhere.

influential visit was made by the banked track Texas skater Smarty

Canberra: My work then took me to Australia’s capital city, which is

Pants in November 2007. A friend of Barrelhouse Bessy’s, she visited

often knocked by Australians as being a somewhat boring and highly-

the Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane leagues, and her guidance is

planned city full of lawyers and politicians and lacking entertainment.

still being deployed, debated, and modified.

While it’s true that Canberra is the only sizable Australian city without

Before I get on to the travelogue, I just have to mention Skate of

beaches (being inland), it has broad and friendly oak-lined streets

Origin, the first and only interleague bout in Australia. The name refers

and an affable civic-mindedness that seems downright Minnesotan.

to the annual “State of Origin” rugby league match, which pits

Garrison Keillor would be at home here. And soon, so will roller derby.

professional players born in Queensland against those born in New

I met Bullseye Betty – an accomplished artist and a curator at the

South Wales. The roller derby version in February 2008 pitted two of

National Museum of Art – over coffee, there being no place to skate

the most established teams in Australia against each other, and two

yet. Betty has organized a small group of interested skaters, and had

teams that some saw as standing at different points on some of the

a few skating sessions, but has secured no reliable venue as of yet.

issues that run through modern derby. This first interleague bout was

It seems that Canberra used to be quite the skater’s paradise, home

held in Adelaide (as an historical aside, I will note that Adelaide is the

to many rinks until the late 1980s when they were all demolished or

capital of the state of South Australia, which was the first democratic

converted. One has become a meeting house for some flavor of

government in the world to grant women the right to vote, in 1894 –

intensely religious people... Betty harbors fantasies of invading it with

26 years before the U.S. Coincidence?). Both the lead-up, with the two

a roller derby team and reclaiming it. She told me later that the

leagues attempting to come together on rule interpretation, and the

number of members had ballooned to 25, and that she had gotten

outcome, a breathtakingly narrow 86-83 VRDL victory with the

a place to skate for the month of September only. So they’ll be holding

inevitable ref controversies, guaranteed an event that kept everyone

intense practices soon, but in the meantime Betty and a few others

talking months later. As with American derby, there will always be ref

are occasionally making the three hour drive to Sydney on Saturdays

controversies and heaps of argy-bargy (aggressive vocal posturing).

to skate with SRDL. Sydney, for their part, is quite interested in

But it has also, I say as an observer, fostered a healthy rivalry between

supporting Canberra’s development so they will have a local league

the two leagues, with many skaters from other leagues joining in the

to bout.

fun, taking one side or the other. This could have the effect of dividing

Melbourne: Melbourne is the home of my former leaguemate

the country in a way that kind of mirrors the East-West rivalry in

Berzerker, a devastating Charm City blocker whose return to her native

America. Opinions differ on whether this is good for Australian derby

land is still mourned by Baltimoreans. Our plans to skate together were

or not. On one view, nothing could be better for the future of Australian

complicated by the lamp post that a road crew decided to put through

roller derby than the generation of a heated regional rivalry. As a ref

her front window as she was driving home from the airport with her

pointed out to me, to engage the fans, roller derby needs to stoke the

man, Theron. They’re both OK, but were too tied up with car issues, so

three traditional interstate rivalries in Australia: Queensland vs.

I went to an open skate with four or five veteran skaters and a bunch

New South Wales; New South Wales vs. Victoria; and Victoria vs.

of fresh meat. As with any roller derby experience in a large city, this

South Australia. On the other hand, in a country with three bouting

required an hour on public transport followed by a 15 minute ride

leagues, perhaps rivalries can wait?

from Lady Malice, the newly-installed freshmeat liaison. Malice lives

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 43

international in a group house with four or five other skaters – I lost count while

of them thought it was pretty cool. For my part, I was savoring one of

imagining the pad aroma problems they must have after practices.

the few moments of coolness that refs ever experience: helping a new

While skating on the painted concrete floor of the Caribbean Rollerama,

league get a feel for the structure of skating in actual jams. Those

I mostly chatted with head referee Harry Spot’er and transplanted yank

golden moments before they learn to start cursing you on their way to

Hidden Magenta about Skate of Origin and Melbourne’s startup. For all

the box... they pass so quickly. Although the skating overall was about

the controversy, the bout drew close to a thousand spectators to a very

what can be expected from a league of their age, I have to mention the

inconvenient location, which has to bode well. And Melbourne’s

crafty jamming of Two-Ton Teyla, a lofty yank with a dog that strongly

intraleague bouts since then have been very well attended by WFTDA

resembles the luck dragon in “The Neverending Story,” and the skillful

standards. Harry is an energetic guy who may well be Australia’s first

blocking of club co-founder Hot Lips Cruelihan. After practice we all

boy derby player. He’s also that thing that every league must have: the

went out to a local pub that sponsors the team, and I tried to convince

one referee who has devoted his life to Total Derby Geekdom; counting

Lee – an affable former speed skater who is doing some light coaching –

the days to RollerCon and worrying about ref recruitment. If you’re not

to become a referee. SRDL lacks a single dedicated and knowledgeable

annoying the players with your encyclopedic knowledge of the rules,

ref, and this may come to tell on them soon: they have set the ambitious

you’re not doing your job. The next night, I met up with Lady Malice

goal of holding their first bout in November. Later still, we went out for

and Betty Bamalam in a hip district of Melbourne with plenty of bars

kebabs, the universal late-night food of urban Australians. The next day

and good food – in Australia it’s either meat pies or Cambodian eggplant

a few skaters met on top of a parking ramp to do some more drills,

curry; they’re missing the whole middle range of crappy Applebee’s

and I left a good deal of my left knee on the Sydney pavement. I would

and TGIF-style suburban food troughs. Bamalam is one of the leaders

have loved to stay longer and skate more scrimmages, but the Vatican’s

in VRDL, well-connected to WFTDA discussions and clearly an organizing

World Youth Day began July 15th in Sydney and the Pope was coming

force to be reckoned with. She told me the whole history of VRDL’s

to town, along with about a million, um, youth. I ran into mobs of them,

origins, and if it hadn’t been for that third or fourth Cascade I almost

standing on street corners and singing hallelujah for hours on end,

certainly would have remembered it. Sorry Bamalam!

Several of the VRDL skaters mentioned the difficulty of getting good

camping in city parks and finding Jesus in the gumtrees (or was it a koala?) while avoiding the teams of health workers handing out free

skate equipment – shipping charges from Sin City Skates to Australia

condoms. SRDL was planning a weekend party with the uplifting

can run into the low billions. Later on, we caught up with Berserker and

message “I Hate World Youth Day.” I fled the incoming pontiff.

Theron at a bar. Berserker related that she had been planning to start

At this point my trip detoured to the deep north for a few weeks.

something up in Melbourne when she arrived in August 2007, but found

I used to li ve in Cairns, in tropical north Queensland, a garish metropolis

things well underway and happily joined in once she got her feet on the

full of tourists and neon and rainforest-clad mountains. In visiting my old

ground. Skate of Origin was her first bout with Melbourne – audience

stomping grounds, I discovered that while there is no derby yet, there is

observers told me that, as an experienced WFTDA skater, she was laying

a magnificent skate floor available. So put on your skates and go troppo!

down blocks that most people hadn’t seen yet in Australia, causing some

Brisbane: The capital of Queensland, and a sprawling sunny city within

consternation amongst both refs and opposing skaters. Hey, she caused

reach of some of the most gorgeous beaches on the planet. So

a little consternation amongst the Terrors, Mods and Dolls in Baltimore too.

sprawling, in fact, that one of the central issues leading the Northern

Sydney: Australia’s largest city, and full of aspiring skaters with no place

Brisbane Rollers to split from the Sun State Rollergirls in early 2008 was

to skate. I took the bus to the University of Sydney where the SRDL had

that the practice location was too far away in the south metro. But like

arranged for two hours of time on the floor of a school gymnasium.

any league split, from large cities to small, the issues were a mix of

A recent flush of fresh meat had

logistics, organizational philosophies, and personality. I had a fantastic

allowed them to start an eight

time with both leagues, and definitely feel that both will profit from

week intensive basics course

having solid nearby competition. I had some back and forth with folks

which would culminate in

there concerning whether Brisbane is demographically big enough for

WFTDA skills certification. Not

two leagues, but I suspect that with 1.85 million people – and growing

a bad venue, and a nice wooden

like crazy – both NBR and SSRG will find their audiences. In particular,

floor, but one end of the space

it is clear that both teams have excellent and dedicated head refs. I had

was taken up with fresh meat

been in touch with the SSRG ref Chugalug for some time, and he had

training, and so a distinctly

kindly planned a Friday night outing with some of the skaters – he is

downsized track was laid out in the remain ing space. After a few drills, we had a kind of scrimmage –

known to many on the ref Yahoo! Group as a moderator, but he’s also a great hand with a pitcher of lager and a story. We all got decently

it may have been only the second or third time the skaters had worked

pissed (drunk) at Gilhooley’s in the central city, and I’d like to report

with a ref who was yelling penalties and blowing a whistle, and some

that Toohey’s gives you a hell of a hangover.

44 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

My trip ended

“most of our best skaters are away at RollerCon.” Be that as it may,

with a whirlwind

this is a fast league with a bunch of friendly people and good skaters.

of derby on

And an awesome logo! Their season opener was September 13th.

Bullseye Betty from Canberra and her husband were there too – the

the last day, as I skated with both

third time I had run into her in Australia (we also skated together in

leagues. NBR’s

Sydney). They w ere doing what Men At Work might refer to as “traveling

head ref, a big and very friendly mustachioed guy named The Black

in a fried-out combie” (a small custom van), on a vacation up to a music

Knight, picked me up at around 11 and we had a cup of tea as his wife,

festival in Brisbane. The combie had “Big Man Tools” painted in large

skater Connie Fracas, got ready. A local newspaper was coming to shoot

letters on the side. As they pulled away, her hilarious husband leaned

photographs, and everyone was coming in makeup and uniforms. NBR

out in his cowboy hat and intoned like an Australian Johnny Cash:

has a very decent place to practice, a kind of miniature roller hockey

Hell yeah, the best tools in the land

surface, but it cannot hold spectators or serve beer. This will do for the

Don’t trust nothin’ but a Big Man The next day, I got on a plane and flew home. I love Australia. I love

moment, as they are dedicated to preparing thoroughly, and do not want to rush into their first bout before they are ready. Perhaps it was the

roller derby. Experiencing them together was a surreal but thoroughly

sunny Sunday (or the tea), but I really appreciated the positive,

awesome time. Thanks to all my derby sisters and brothers down under!

organized, and no-nonsense vibe of the league both during skating and in the league meeting I was invited to afterwards. I think of derby

UPDATES:

leagues as positioned somewhere in a triangular space where the

Six months is an eternity in roller derby! Since my return to the States,

corners are sport, community and attitude. All three are crucial, but

eleven new leagues (including one male derby league) have formed

I tend to gravitate towards leagues that prioritize the community aspect.

and have at least a presence on the internet. This brings the total up

Everyone was, as we used to say in Minnesota, “sooper nice.” Although

to twenty-one leagues! The new leagues include:

the practice didn’t quite attract enough skaters for a full scrimmage,

•

they are growing quickly and have some skaters who will clearly be

• C-town

dangerous jammers in Road Runner and Lil’ Ripper. We did end up with

• Hobart

eight skaters, and could therefore do a jammer-and-three scrimmage.

• Gold

Brisbane City Rollers, Brisbane QLD Souljas Roller Derby, Castlemaine VIC

Roller Derby, Hobart TAS

Coast Roller Derby, Gold Coast QLD

Before my pads had dried I was off to SSRG practice, in the far

• Melbourne

southern suburbs. Another decent practice space, a painted concrete

• Melbourne

Roller Derby League, Melbourne VIC

floor in a kind of warehouse-y skate center. It was by far the least-

• Newcastle

Roller Derby, Newcastle NSW

slippery concrete floor I had ever skated on, although Chug attributed

• South

this to the buildup of dirt. This was something of a salvation for them,

• Van

as their previous practice space had been closed down and they had

• Western

been homeless for nearly three months. SSRG has quite a few more

• Wollongong

skaters than NBR, and even though seven were at RollerCon, and others

Men’s Roller Derby, Melbourne VIC

Sea Roller Derby, Melbourne VIC

Diemen Rollers, Launceston TAS Sydney Rollers, Penrith/Blue Mountains NSW & Illawarra Roller Derby, Wollongong NSW

While there have been no more interleague bouts, six leagues

were drinking at a local music festival, there was still a turnout of

are now bouting and there have been many intraleague bouts since

around 12 skaters. Practice was very organized: SSRG practices (or at

August: VRDL (four bouts); Sun State Roller Girls (three bouts); Syndey

least this one) are run by Skidmark, an experienced male blade skater

RDL (two bouts); the Northern Brisbane Rollers and Geelong RDL (one

who serves as a coach. Two new drills were introduced that night and

each). Adelaide has bouted intraleague as well and is planning three

in a very short time most of the skaters were doing them with ease.

interleague bouts before the end of 2009. VRDL held a mixed bout with

Annabelle Lecter is a jammer to be reckoned with, and a bunch of other

skaters from Geelong participating on both teams, and is hoping for two

skaters made good impressions as well, but everyone protested that

interleague bouts soon.

Pronunciation guide, so that when you go there you won’t seem like such a bloody seppo: Australia: Uh-STRAIL-yuh Melbourne: MEL-bun Brisbane: BRIS-bun (or just “Brissie”) Geelong: juh-LONG Canberra: CAN-bruh

Cairns: Cans (hold your nose tightly and say the word nasally – then continue holding your nose and say “gidday cobber, strewth I’m buggered!” for the full far North Queensland experience)

Foster’s: this word is not used in Australia

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 45

have derby, will travel

east coast derby extravaganza H U RT R E Y N O L D S , D E R B Y N E W S N E T WO R K . C O M

about the event 2009 marks the third year for the East Coast Derby Extravaganza, hosted by the Philly Roller Girls. The largest roller derby event of the year, “ECE” (or “ECDX”, you decide) will again feature twenty (!) sanctioned bouts between WFTDA travel teams, as well as an assortment of “challenge bouts” between pickup teams assembled around various themes for the event.

Official information is available on the Philly Roller Girls website at phillyrollergirls.com/ece. Another great source of less-official information is the event’s Yahoo! Group, located at sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecextrava ganza/. You’ll want to change delivery settings to “Daily Digest” immediately after you’ve joined. You’re welcome. about the venue The Philly Roller Girls’ home is the Sportsplex, located waaaaay out in Feasterville-Trevose, northeast of Philadelphia proper. If you’re driving from Philadelphia, take US 1 north to the delightfully named Street Road, which you’ll then take west until Bustleton Pike.

Head north, and take a left at the Y a few blocks up to stay on Bustleton.

There is no getting around the fact that you are going to miss the next turn, which is a right on Loretta. Seriously, just accept that you’re going to be lost and frustrated for a few minutes before you finally figure out where you should’ve turned. From Loretta, turn onto O’Reilly, and you’re there.

What it lacks in convenient location, it makes up for in a derby-tastic facility and fantastically supportive staff. Three

46 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

separate rinks surfaced with sport court, multiple dressing rooms, bleachers, on-site food, and plenty of parking make the Sportsplex a reasonably comfortable and convenient venue for both skaters and spectators.

Sportsplex is a cash-only venue. There is an ATM on site, but there’s only so much cash that little machine can possibly dispense in a weekend, so plan accordingly. There’s also outstanding internet access, but depending on your cell carrier, phone reception can be very, very poor inside the Sportsplex’s sheetmetal confines. where to stay After two years at the Radisson, the event has moved its official hotel to the Holiday Inn Select on Street Road, a little bit closer to both the venue and the nearest commuter rail station. The Holiday Inn Select seems much more derbyenthusiastic than the Radisson has become, which suggests that perhaps we should be nice to the new place.

If you’re looking for a bargain, you’ll find a wide variety of other lodging options clustered around US 1 and Street Road, some of which may be served by the event shuttle. Check the ECE website as the event approaches to see which locations will have shuttle service. getting around The greater Philadelphia area boasts a fairly robust commuter rail system, SEPTA. Attendees flying in can take the SEPTA R1 line into the city, then take the R3 northeast to Trevose Station, which is about a mile from the venue and three-

quarters of a mile from the Holiday Inn Select.

As in previous years, the event will likely operate a van shuttle between key locations including the venue, the event hotel, and SEPTA’s Trevose Station. The shuttle will probably cost a nominal fee, so have a handful of singles ready if you plan to use it.

In past years, the shuttle has *not* operated on Friday, so bear that in mind if you’re flying in and planning to take SEPTA from the airport out to the hotel. The new event hotel is in theoretical walking distance from Trevose Station, if you can figure out a place to cross Street Road – and if the weather cooperates. Not recommended.

If you’re thinking about getting around by taxi... fuggedaboutit. While you may possibly see a cab at some point during your time in Feasterville, there is no way you’re going to actually hail it, nor is it realistic to expect a called cab to arrive within a time frame that is still valuable to you.

If you’re flying in, renting a car is a good option. You should be able to get a car for under $150 for the whole weekend, and possibly quite a bit less – at press time, Hotwire.com had deals in the $17-21/day range! what to bring As you put your packing list together, keep “plague prevention” foremost in your mind. Every derby event taking place at a location with permanently installed modular flooring seems to result in a massive wave of illness amongst participants. The following steps provide

your only hope to avoid the lingering, annoying three-week head congestive ailment that events like this want you to remember them by: • Bring or procure your own bottled water.

Label it clearly. Don’t share.

• Don’t forget electrolytes! Your body cannot make use of water without an adequate stock of salts, which you will be sweating out. Sports drinks are available at the venue.

• Load up on vitamins, zinc supplements, anything that you’ve found will reinforce your immune system.

• The restrooms – well, you’re on your own there. Maybe wave a dead chicken over the seat. Godspeed.

• Wash your hands, like your momma told you. Now do it again.

The weather will probably cooperate, so dress for summer conditions, but do bring layers in case it sprinkles. If you’re skating, bring wheels appropriate for aged sport court. You’re going to meet people from all over the derby world, so bring stuff to trade! You can diversify your wardrobe a great deal by bringing a small stock of your own league’s shirts, buttons, stickers and other schwag. what to eat Between the venue’s snack bar and the vendors the event will contract in, you’ll find a reasonable variety of food on-site.

If you have specific dietary needs, though, you’ll want to keep in mind that Philadelphia is the Land of Meat

and Cheese. The host league will make an effort to make vegetarian and vegan food available, but their best intentions may be foiled by their vendors’ unfamiliarity with the procedural requirements of vegan cooking.

If you’re not finding what you need, and you have a vehicle at your disposal, you’ll find both a Trader Joe’s and a Whole Foods about five miles west of the venue.

The best route is probably to take the Pennsylvania Turnpike west, then head south on York Road, but you’ll want to consult Google Maps for more specific guidance. what to drink Beer will be available on-site at very reasonable prices. You’re on your own for other libations, which will not be officially allowed at the venue. In Pennsylvania, you’ll need to find a state liquor store if you want to purchase hard alcohol outside of a bar. The nearest one is a bit south on Bustleton Pike.

The host league is arranging for multiple after parties each night, some in downtown Philadelphia and others near the venue and hotels. Event shuttle service will be available between the venue, the after party locations and the hotels. In past years, many participants have elected to just stick with the hotel bar, and toward that end, the Holiday Inn Select will keep its bar open late through the weekend.

what to watch Host league Philly Roller Girls, currently holding down the #3 spot in the DNN Power Rankings, can be expected to play against a highly competitive opponent in the headline bout at the end of each day.

Schedule has not been set at press time, but cross your fingers for a rematch with #2 Windy City Rollers as the main event.

Other top-flight participating WFTDA leagues include Carolina, Rat City, Kansas City, Mad Rollin’ Dolls, Boston, Charm City and Detroit, any of whom may look to this event as an opportunity to make the kind of statement that Gotham made last year. A full list of participating leagues can be found at the event website.

Other sights to watch for (bingo cards available upon request): • Event veterans parking opposite the building, rather than right next to it.

• The Statisfier juggling more than two clipboards.

• The local constabulary *cough*protectionracket*cough* walking around and glaring at people, but not really doing anything.

• Derby uniforms that might not be considered appropriate outside southeast Pennsylvania.

• The DNN crew staring at laptop screens when they should be staring at outstanding derby action.

• Skaters noting that the only thing stinkier than a derby girls’ elbow pads is a roller hockey locker room. The oversensitive may wish to bring smelling salts.

• Bane-Ana. Need I say more?

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 47

art and media

is your league ready for its closeup?

H U RT R E Y N O L D S , D E R B Y N E W S N E T WO R K . C O M As the modern roller derby movement continues its steady burn into the mainstream consciousness, it’s more and more likely that your league will be discovered by potential fans (and skaters!) who learn about you indirectly due to major media exposure.

With a forthcoming derby video game release and a derby-based motion picture directed by Drew Barrymore and staring Ellen Page, even bigger waves of attention may wash upon your shores before you know it. Is your league ready to make the most of this increased exposure?

This multipart feature will help make sure you can answer, “Yes!” PART 1: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR LEAGUE’S WEBSITE Your website is far and away your most important tool for communicating with the public.

FOUNDATION AND ASSEMBLY When building or overhauling your website, stay focused on the needs of the site’s visitors first and foremost. What brought them there?

What information are they most interested in? What do you most want them to learn?

SETTING UP SHOP Where will your website live, and how will it be built and maintained?

Your website can’t help you if you aren’t able to keep it up to date.

• hosting – Don’t host the site with “your buddy who can get you free hosting on his server.” This inevitably leads to access and maintainability problems. A full-featured hosting account with GoDaddy or Yahoo costs under $10 per month, and that’s well worth the saved headaches.

• construction and maintenance – You may be blessed with a talented web design professional – today. Tomorrow, your luck may change. Have your site built on a content management system, like Joomla or Wordpress, or with the sitebuilder software your hosting company offers, so that anyone with basic internet skills can make changes to its content down the road.

WEB ADDRESS Your web address or URL is how people will return to your site. Have you picked a good one? Remember, if you need to change your web address to fix one of these problems, you can always set up the old URL as a forward to the new one.

• relevant – Incorporates your league name to a greater or lesser degree (also – is your league name at least locally meaningful?).

• memorable – Likely to be recalled upon one hearing or reading.

• phonetic – When spoken, the listener should be able to discern the correct spelling. If the speaker must spell out the address to avoid error, it’s probably not a good address.

• concise – Short enough to print on everything – even the tiniest buttons, stickers, and schedule magnets, as well as posters, t-shirts, and other merch.

BELLS AND WHISTLES • flash – Avoid Flash, Silverlight, and similar multimedia technologies.

They’re spiffy, but they require tools and expertise to make changes to, leaving you hostage to a web professional. They’re also a hinderance to search engines like Google indexing your site effectively.

• video – Embedded video is less problematic, because your site 48 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

structure won’t likely depend on it. However, keep in mind that over 1/3 of web browsing happens at work. If your home page features a clip with a loud audio track, some of your website visitors are getting busted surfing on the job because of it!

COMPONENTS To be really effective, your website must include these elements, either on the home page or within one click: SUMMARY INFO One quick paragraph on (or very clickable from) your homepage, orienting them to you.

• location – What city and state are you located in? Don’t assume your site visitor knows!

• context – What you’re all about: “One of over 300 DIY leagues worldwide reinventing the old spectacle of roller derby as a modern, competitive sport.”

NEXT UPCOMING BOUT No matter why someone visits your website, the number one piece of information you want them to go away with is their next opportunity to see you play!

• participating teams – If it’s interleague, give not just the name of your opponent, but the city they hail from.

• location – Venue name, address, contact phone number, and ideally a map link.

• date and time – include door time and bout time.

• ticket purchase information – link to online purchase site, locations for in-person purchase.

• bout calendar – list all every upcoming bout for which a date is set, whether or not the teams have been set.

PAST BOUTS This is easily the most neglected area of most roller derby websites.

• for the love of god, list your scores! This is the first, best, and most effective way to communicate to your website visitors that roller derby is a sport. Some of your fans live and die by this kind of information.

• bonus points for – Season win/loss records, bout MVPs where applicable, points/penalties stats, as much as you have readily available. Give people the resources necessary to become nutty sports fans.

CONTACT INFORMATION Make sure the people you’re most interested in communicating with have a way to reach you.

• media inquiries – at least a contact email address, even better if you can offer a phone contact. If you’ve created press releases, make them downloadable as well.

• prospective sponsors – can be the difference between the venue you want and the rink you’re stuck with. Make sure they know you’re looking for them.

• prospective skaters – provide at least an email address, if not more detailed information about when and how tryouts take place.

• prospective support staff – make clear that your biggest fans are welcome to become more involved by helping as part of the league.

Make sure to pick up fiveonfive Issue 4 for Part 2: Getting the most out of internet social networking.

Check out Whiskey7â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s featured derby art â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hand picked from across the derby community!

October 2008 Forest City Derby Girls artist: James Riehl designer: Janet McGlynn dreamscar.ca September 2006 Derby City Rollergirls artist: Jeral Tidwell humantree.com

February 2008 The Utica Rollergirls, Utica NY Naptown Roller Girls artist: 1,000 Hurts/Miss Martin artist: Jason Pitman (Pitt Stane) staceymartin.com original illustration: Dan Thompson jasonpitman.com danfromindianapolis.blogspot.com

art and media

cory oberndorfer: derby artist

RUBY RED FEATURING ANITA RIOT

MAXIMUM THRUST

DIPPINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DERBY

50 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

ME VS. MY PEEPS

G Fine Art Gallery

NOVELTY

Roller derby brings a number of images to mind – the blood, sweat and tears of hardcore athleticism; the faces of strong female skaters; and even at times the risqué outfits or crazy appearances of skaters, fans and volunteers tied to the sport.

Cory Oberndorfer’s series of artwork based on roller derby – including those works featured at his latest Washington, D.C. exhibition entitled Flavor of the Month – takes a whole new look at the unique sport beyond the standard sweaty pads, spinning wheels and fishnets commonly associated with the flat track.

After skater and friend Battle Bunny invited him to one of the Salt City Derby Girls’ practices a few years ago, Cory became fascinated with roller derby; “I knew that the sport would be rich subject matter for my next paintings. Since that time, my research has made me a huge derby fan and inspired a large body of work,” he says. Cory combines striking images of skaters with the sugary sweetness of popular candies, displaying “sweets, pop culture and badass women” in bright colors upon canvases and in billboard-sized murals.

Cory had four solo exhibitions in 2008 and continues to share his work in person with derby and art fans alike.

His incredible large works are hand painted and his prints are released in small editions. The Flavor of the Month exhibition featured a mural on the gallery wall as well as paintings, incorporating the space’s area into his larger-than-life representations.

While his works feature skaters from across the country and he loves watching tournaments and events with numerous leagues, the Charm City Rollergirls are his favorite as a fan.

“I’ve watched the huge growth they’ve made in the past three seasons. And anyone who has seen Joy Collision play knows she is equally incredible as both jammer and blocker.”

The Flavor of the Month exhibition ran at the Gallery at Flashpoint from January 9th-February 13th in Washington, D.C., where Cory currently resides. He hopes to continue sharing his works with skaters and fans across the nation with future shows. You can check out more of his work and keep an eye out for his upcoming events at coryoberndorfer.com.

NOVELTY

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 51

art and media

derby photography 201 PA PA R A Z Z I , FA B U L O U S S I N C I T Y R O L L E R G I R L S

Welcome to part two of our derby photography series.

Last time we covered some basic camera settings and how they interact with each other for action photography. This time we’re jumping into using flash and covering some the best locations to shoot from around the track.

FLASH YOUR FRIENDS At some point you’ll have to decide if you want to use flash or just shoot with the ambient lighting at your venue. If you shoot in daylight conditions at an outdoor venue, then congratulations – just set your camera according to our last article and rock out. For the rest of us that shoot inside dimly lit venues, here’s some insight. Shooting derby under ambient light conditions can be both a blessing and a curse. If your venue has decent lighting and light colored floors, you can get some nicely lit

Radiant Photography

shots. The light colored floor will act like a secondary fill light by bouncing light into the shadows on the skater’s faces. If your venue has a dark colored floor, you’ll get little to no fill light, and should probably consider using a flash. Additionally, if you shoot under ambient light, keep in mind you’ll need a higher ISO setting to capture the action.

Also consider the color temperature of the light sources your venue has. Without getting into the science of it all, a light source’s color temperature is a measurement of how cool or warm the light is on the Kelvin scale, using natural daylight as a standard. Relative to daylight, household tungsten bulbs and

A high shutter speed, like 1/160 @ f/11, can darken your background.

52 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

Slowing just the shutter speed, here at 1/30 @ f/11, allows more ambient light in the background and adds motion to the image.

concert can lights are usually “warmer,” showing up yellowish on daylight-balanced film. Fluorescent lights and mercury vapor lamps in gyms can be “cool” and show up green or bluish on film. If you prefer to use film instead of digital, you’ll definitely need to figure out what lighting your venue uses and buy the appropriate film and filters to counter any color shifts. If you’re using a digital camera, don’t sweat figuring out what lighting your venue uses. Instead, read your camera manual to learn how to white-balance your camera to get accurate colors in your images. You can white-balance numerous ways including using some specialty items. You can buy a filter called an Expodisc that temporarily screws onto your lens, you can balance off a traditional 18% gray card, or you can even balance off a fan’s white or black t-shirt. Your camera probably has preset white-balances for tungsten, fluorescent, and other popular light sources, so try that route before investing more money in gadgets.

Using flash in your derby photography can provide some significant benefits. Flash fills in shadows, freezes action, and provides the opportunity to use higher f-stops for more depth of field. More depth of field leads to a higher success rate capturing in-focus images. The basic interaction between flash and proper exposures is this: your shutter speed controls the ambient light brightness hitting the film, and your f-stop controls your flash brightness hitting the film.

For example, once you get a proper exposure using your flash (say 1/125 @ f/8), you can adjust your shutter speed to achieve different effects. Using a high shutter speed, like 1/160 @ f/8, will make the flash your primary light source and reduce the amount of ambient light illuminating your subject and background. That’s great for black backgrounds and focusing attention on the skater. Using a lower shutter speed, like 1/30 @ f/8, will do a couple creative things. First, it allows more ambient light in during the exposure, allowing more venue details and fans to show up in the background. It also means that while you’re tracking your skater, you’ll get some motion blur wherever the flash doesn’t freeze the action.

You can also adjust the f-stop to control the strength of the flash brightness in your image. If your flash is overexposing your subject you can raise the f-stop number (from f/8 to f/11),

you can pre-focus on the turn and try to catch the skaters as they come through your focus zone. Once again, you might end up tangling with a skater in this spot on occasion.

Inside the track is the third, and my favorite, spot to shoot.

You’ll need to be on your best behavior and communicate with your refs and others inside the track. Stake out a spot you can all agree on and don’t move. Your refs need to know where

effectively letting in half as much overall light. Remember the reciprocal relationship we discussed last time, however.

If you’re happy with your background exposure, remember to move your shutter speed down accordingly, to let in an equivalent amount of background light as your original exposure. Regardless of venue lighting, if you use flash, make sure you keep your camera white-balance on daylight or flash setting to get accurate colors.

you are so they don’t bump into you. The biggest downside to shooting from the inside of the track is you end up with numerous frames of blurry ref jerseys as they pass in front of your lens. With practice you get to know how your refs track their jammers and time your shots accordingly.

Radiant Photography

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Where you can shoot from around the track will vary by venue layout, referee and league cooperation, and your own comfort level. There seems to be three common locations I see photographers using, each having their own pros and cons.

First, and probably most common, is the end of the straightaways. You can get some nice facial expressions as jammers fight through the pack coming toward you. Be advised that the action moves toward you quickly and a fast autofocus lens is extremely useful to keep things sharp. If your league doesn’t have refs skating the outside of the track, you get the benefit of an unobstructed view as well. However, you might also end up with a batch of surly rollergirls in your lap.

The second spot worth checking out is the end of each turn.

Shooting back into each turn can provide some great action shots as skaters wipe out into the crowd (and the photographers still sitting at the end of the straight-aways).

Girls get forced off the track or go into the turn too fast all the time, giving you decent action opportunities. If you’re using a manual focus camera, this spot can be a challenge too, but

The benefits of shooting from inside the track are worth your efforts. If you pick the right spot inside the turns you can pretty much set your focus and forget it. The skaters will be the same distance all the way around the corner, and this allows you to focus on catching close-up action and facial expressions.

Speaking of facial expressions, many jammers will look through the turn where they want to go. If you’re on the inside of the track, you can capture great face shots as the skater looks right past you.

Other locations can lead to some good shots, but are dependant on your venue. If there is a second level, high bleachers, or a catwalk above the track, try shooting down on the action. Make sure you discuss desired angles with venue owners so you don’t jeopardize any insurance policies or potentially risk your league’s relationship with the venue.

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 53

classifieds Want to get rid of that old gear? Need to get the word out about something to the derby community? Searching high and low for something you just can’t find?

Submit your classified text (up to 50 words) FOR FREE to classifieds@fiveonfivemag.com to include in our next issue!

WANTED Help us help you find what you need!

FOR SALE Submit details to get those gently used but no longer being abused skates out of your hair!

Worn five times. Riedell 595 boots men’s size 7 custom 3/4” heel.

White SureGrip Probe plates, plates have been custom mounted to perfection! Asking $275 plus shipping for plates & boots, for $55 more I can include a pair of lightly used (green) Atom Omega Wheels.

Contact bonniethunders@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

CHECK THIS OUT! If you play derby and want to get the word out about something awesome, send your text our way (it’s free!).

Mama Does Derby is your place to shop for inexpensive, unique, authentic roller derby gear made by a derby girl! Buttons, jewelry, shirts, and more – check out MamaDoesDerby.com and on MySpace at myspace.com/mamadoesderby. Looking for merch for your league?

I do custom orders too! Great prices and fast turn around!

Deviant Derby is your one stop shop for all your derby needs. We offer REAL SIZES for REAL WOMEN. We believe that all roller derby skaters, referees and fans deserve to sport badass derby fashions no matter how voluptuous and beautifully curvy you may or may not be. Our unique Skate Covers are handmade and we will customize league/team packages.

For socks, necklaces, toe caps and much, much more, check us out DeviantDerby.com.

Kitten Camero produces and distributes custom merchandise for derby leagues and teams, including the recent wallets for Rose City and the Northwest Knockdown. Check out it out at KittenCamaro.etsy.com.

Looking for help with drills, strategy, or other skating advice?

Coach Pauly has over four years of derby coaching and referee experience that includes working with 20+ leagues across the U.S. and Canada, including the #3 ranked 2006 AZRD. You supply a flight and room & board and Pauly will come to you! derbywhisperer@gmail.com.

YOUR AD HERE! fiveonfive magazine’s classified ads are cheap and even cheaper for derby owned businesses! for more information, email advertising@fiveonfivemag.com

fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2009 | 55

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SKATER DIRECT . &ORTUNA 0L s 4UCSON !: 4OLL &REE 3+!4%2 VISA OR MC ACCEPTED

58 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com 1. Skater on left is missing name on helmet. 2. #47 is missing number on sleeve.

3. Jammer is missing WFTDA patch on shirt. 4. Start line is missing.

5. Star is missing on left skater’s sock. 6. M80 is missing toe stop.

7. Background bar is missing from wall.

ben “flash” chodroff

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

horoscopes P R OV I D E D B Y Y O U R D E R B Y P S Y C H I C , L U S C I O U S S M A C K S O M E

PISCES

VIRGO

February 20-March 20

August 23-September 22

Step down and let others dictate the direction of game play. Your time is coming, sooner rather than later. Let your team’s strategy guide you. Trust your captains.

Push yourself and attempt to do something on the track that you previously thought you were incapable of. You will surprise yourself (and your teammates)!

A quick and steady pace can make all the difference.

Don’t lose your head and say something you don’t mean while you are on the track. Your endurance is key.

Stay composed and focused and you will accomplish more than you thought possible!

ARIES March 21-April 19

Think in terms of teamwork and new possibilities. If that suggestion doesn’t work for you, focus on your goals. You carry an unusual, planetary punch, even if you have been feeling out of sync. Things are about to come together in the pack for you.

TA U R U S April 20-May 20

Staying on top of your responsibilities and understanding your position fully could be more demanding than you anticipated. Tap into your sense of strength and energy. You will be delighted with the results, and so will your team!

GEMINI May 21-June 20

Reach out to your teammates and those players that have been around for a while. You may feel overwhelmed by everything, but you still have to learn, evaluate and practice, practice, practice! Others demonstrate a stubborn, non-cooperative attitude. Be understanding rather than judgmental. Focus on your own level of play!

LIBRA September 23-October 23

Your sense of direction comes out if you allow your spontaneity to overcome your urge to think too much.

Allow yourself the freedom to let your body respond.

All the training you have endured shines through. Your instincts will prevail. Seize the moment!

SCORPIO October 24-November 22

Family, home and friendships often demand more attention than you are willing to give. Still, you may not have a choice. But when you are on the track don’t let this become a distraction. Live in the moment and skate like you mean it! Your team is counting on you.

Clarity in the pack leads to a higher level of game play.

S A G I T TA R I U S November 23-December 21

Think strategically. How you visualize the game, your position, and your path through the pack will translate on the track. See the possibilities and don’t hesitate to make your move! Don’t force the situation, just understand and trust in what you already know.

CAPRICORN CANCER

December 22-January 19

You could be more understanding and direct with your teammates. The question remains: Why haven’t you been? Be direct with those you trust and value, and the sentiment will be returned. This will only improve your performance on the track.

Take in your teammates’ opinions concerning the way you have been playing the game. You still need direction and practice. Absorbing those opinions may be difficult, but it’s time to listen. Don’t be defensive.

You will become a better player for it. Your team will respond and you will all benefit.

LEO

AQUARIUS

July 23-August 22

January 20-February 19

Your team has a lot to share with you. On the receiving end you could feel under siege, but that is not their intent. Raising your level of play is the goal here. Their information is valuable and should be considered with high regard. Listen!

If you want to approach the game differently, find a teammate to brainstorm with. Agility and performance run high with you and your sign. Have a solid, confident player around to ground you.

Others can see in you what you thought was missing.

June 21-July 22

60 | Spring 2009 | fiveonfivemag.com

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