Skate Skate Sliiiiiiide

Once again long time no speak! I've had the wonder that is half term here so have been amusing the small people and that kinda eats my time - but hey thats not what you're here to read about.

So what have I been up to? There's been a road trip, a training session or two, an outdoor skate and some news. Lets start at the top shall we. Road trip! Blood and Thunder boot camp were holding a double header bout to let the ladies show off the skills they'd learned and it seemed like a good opportunity to go watch and learn (and support the ladies I knew!) It was the usual suspects that travel together on Mondays for training. |Much jabbering on the way there, much watching of skaters and seeing how much derby knowledge I was actually retaining and a chance to grab some back issues of B&T mag made for an interesting day. There were a few faces I recognised from Central City Roller Girls, Tiger Bay Brawlers, Bristol Harbor Harlots and Swansea Slayers (probably left a few teams out but I've a memory like a seive!) We also got to see a ref (mentioning no names) playing with his nuts - the ones that hold his wheels on smut monger! lol and I got to finally meet the fabulous Minx Pie and Red N Roll, excited about both as one is organizing the boot camp I'm attending and the other is my Derbalife coach :D If you want to see some footage of the day you can find my YouTube channel - Just look for Emilie Mortem!

This week also saw me getting to go train with Severn Roller Torrent - this time travelling with Chant Hell, Block Booty, Rhayfen and Poll E Blockit. Once again hilarity ensued as we got a little lost and ended up asking in a primary school for directions but we got there! The SRT girls were both welcoming and encouraging, I loved the warm up drills and getting to know some of the other girls. The session was aimed at smashing walls so some practice on plough stops was done (except by me, having switched to the yellow cushions I was still struggling, although it was pointed out that my trucks were still waaaay too loose so that was sorted) and after a bit of practice doing 'can openers' at a slower speed and stepping through blockers we did a bit of scrimmaging. Again I liked the way it was run, non contact then contact, changing with each bib change over. I opted for the non contact scrims as I'm still a little bambi-esque and was quite pleased with how I managed keeping up (albeit not where I should have been but that will come) plus I got some fab feedback and advice from the ladies on my 'team' - I also now know what a back block major feels like when you get floored lol. I left the session feeling very positive :)

After only managing 17.25 laps in 5 at recent sessions (its more than I'd previously done but I still gotta up it!) I decided it was time to start outdoor skating whenever I can, starting yesterday with the wife. She's skated the local bypass route before and scoped out the terrain so I was looking forward to it and in all fairness it was a nice surface to skate on. Then she threw in the 'ooh yeah, there'll be a few uppy/downy hill bits but nothing too scary', ok I thought - what was I thinking?? this was the mentalist that went exploring on her skates! So yeah, the first downy hill bit wasn't too bad (there was a gate at the bottom to stop me lol) and I tried to skate the uphill bit but I couldn't! However it gave me an awesome chance to practice walking on my toe stops - bonus! So we carried on along the straight, putting the world to rights and enjoying the sunshine then came the second downhill bit - just stick a plough on was the advice and believe me I did try! I was continuing to try as I whizzed past Rhayfen still picking up speed and in the end decided the safest option was a knee fall. We now know my automatic fall of choice is a baseball slide, however on tarmac it does kinda smart! Rhayfen couldn't help chuckling and as she pointed out at least she now knows I can execute a good fall in a panic situation. After getting over the shakes and realizing there was more downhill I decided to do the rest of it on my knees until we were off the path. From there, there was only a road and some steps separating us from our destination, but all still on a downhill. I tried walking on my toe stops, lateral skating between the bushes and the kerb and eventually I just went sod it (bearing in mind at the bottom of this road is a roundabout for cars coming off the bypass) and with a semi worried Rhay skating infront of me I managed to plough stop at the bottom. We reached the pub beer garden and assessed the damage over pop and crisps lol

As we were coming back along the main road I decided it may be best to walk so all in all, just over 1 mile skated and about 3 miles walked in total all day - not too shabby :) Has this put me off out door skating? Has it hell!

Last off, the news? As you know I'm following the Derbalife program (and am now a wellness coach with them) and I've lost 2" off my waist since starting :D well chuffed am I! The other bit of news is that I'm going to be taking part in my first intraleague bout against Bridgend Bombshells, admittedly I was a bit 'omg' at first but now I'm really looking forward to it :D

Until next time, derby love

Emilie

xx

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and mend?)

A lot has been going on in my life over the past day or so which has involved some heartache, some screaming and some tears to be shed. It has also seen me developing and penting things up to take out on the track, this may or may not be a good thing but to quote the fab lady who inspired my name "I'm not stupid. I know exactly what's going on, and I'm not fighting it. If I have to go through this, I will glean from it any small benefit I can receive. I will not fight this. Bring it on. Bring on the cure. Bring on the fucking happy. I'm committed."

It has also seen me taking stock of other areas where I am going wrong, no point just having the positive mental attitude if your body can't back it up, right? All mouth and no trousers is not the way I intend to play, so I went to investigate Derbalife. Having heard so many good things about it and talking to Krissy Krash and Red N Roll I decided it was for me and under Reds guidance now have a plan. I am also intending to become a Derbalife UK coach as I know I'm not the only one in the same dietary boat.

I received my order this morning and can't wait to get started! Wish me luck!

TTFN

Emilie

xx

Derby fueled weekend

Morning! Lots to catch up on today so here we go! Friday we had an impromptu training session to make up for Monday's cancellation. After a few adjustments I'd made to my skates in the daytime to counter the numb toe thing I'd had going on I was looking forward to testing them out (I'd also discovered that not only had the plastic lacing grommets broken at the top but that they were eating through the boot - noooo!) and as I'd been having some pain in my heel too I'd fitted some memory foam insoles. So on arriving at the hall, I collected the NSO manuals that Amanita Massacre had kindly printed for me ready to get people rolling on that. Skates and pads on, lets see if the adjustments worked.......3 laps and out went the insoles! The only difference they made was to make my feet go dead quicker! Another couple of laps without them and there was a bit of an improvement, no dead toes, feet a little uncomfortable but bearable. Did some warm ups and as I was the only B* member there I went to work on my stops and cross overs so I wouldn't be in the way of the rest of the girls. TBH after an hour I admitted defeat, my heel felt like I'd stomped on a plug so I figured it'd be a good time to get the manuals in order ready for the next day (still keeping the skates on while sat, I figured it might help).

Saturday, new frame of mind, 'party feet' gel cushions and a 4 hour training session! After fun and games getting to the hall (damn you Heineken Cup!) I realized that 1, I'd forgotten to bring my lunch with me (doofus!) and 2, today was going to be interesting as CRoC's Cardiff Roll Crew had their first (albeit closed) bout against Tiger Bay Brawlers B Team. I sat and sorted out the gel cushions into the heels of my skates, keeping fingers crossed, and signed off all the disclaimers that needed doing then kitted up. Noticed an immediate difference with the gel cushions! Happy feet :D Got my warm up laps done and we were split off into our own groups again to work on skills. One footed skating up first, a bit wobbly as my new lacing system is a bit looser, I got just over half the straight done but I'll get back to my usual in a week or so (PMA). From there to t-stops, practicing the 'zombie walk' not sure if it helps me so am going to keep working on it in the house, I'm more annoyed with myself for getting it one week and not the next - work that one out! After that, the B*'s were split in to and put in opposite corners outside the track to work on lateral movements and turns - laterals to the left are much easier! As for turns, I'm slowly getting them too, I've gone from 'eh whaaa' to continually turning on the spot to get the move down, now just to add in some forward momentum!

TBH the time seemed to fly, after we' d eaten and chatted about strengths/weaknesses/team stuff for the bout there was less than an hour left so the B* group took NSO roles while the rest went in for scrims - fun fun fun!

I loved having the 4 hour session, hopefully it'll be a regular thing! As for the afternoon, I was off to watch the Bristol Harbor Harlots home teams play some exhibition derby! But that's for the next blog ;)

Thanks for reading

xx

mix it up, change it about, its all good

Heya, how ya doing? Its been a funny old week here with me playing mother hen and changes afoot with team training, I won't go into it as it'd take up a huge blog post and its all water under the bridge now. Instead I'll treat you to more of my waffling, you'd like that wouldn't you ;)

So, this week saw me finally fiddling about with bits on my skates other than my wheels (I know, shock huh!) On seeking advice I bought some Sure Grip Super cushions in Red (hardest) as I'm not exactly the most svelte of ladies and am still a bit unstable on my skates. Everglides were their usual fantastic selves and I had them the morning after ordering so got to work fitting them that night. My ladybrother Jinx said it would only take me 5 mins and gave me a video to watch so I thought hey no problem! HAH!!! 40 minutes because the back ones on 1 skate didn't want to play ball, I even managed to throw a hissy fit on my skate tool and have a domestic with my OH after simply asking him to put the nut on so it had some grip while I pushed down on the cushions, he reckoned it couldn't be done and gave up, eventually they were on, I won and was looking forward to seeing if they made a difference the next day.

And so to Saturday training, as I said there were a few changes about to be put in place, I was a little nervous about what was going to happen to be totally honest but it was a really positive session. We were told exactly how training was going to work from now on and what was expected of us both on skates and fitness wise and I went off with my group to work on stuff I need for min skills. T-stops I am still struggling with but then that's just because I need to practice them, so turns were thrown in too! Why learn one skill when you can learn two lol. Again its going to take practice but I feel I've got the basics to get cracking on it! Little bits of awesome remember :) We all came together then to practice working on our sweeps and crossovers and this is where I got cross with myself, after the entire team practiced pushing then sweeping we were set off in our own little groups to see how people were picking it up. Ok I still get the occasional wobble when going quicker than I'm used to but its all good. What I was annoyed with myself about was not taking the opportunity to go around my team mate, it was there but my brain kept saying 'in a minute' then before I knew it we were done, grrrrr silly girl, stop thinking start doing! Anyways I'm not going to dwell on the negative, I did well with other things in that session and although last nights practice was called off at the last minute thanks to not being told about the hall being set up for exams, I'm going to be practicing all I can at home!

As for the cushions, tbh I didn't notice a difference which was disappointing - actually no, I got worse at my plow stops! I had to tighten the back truck up slightly to fix that but there's not much room for manoeuvre with the trucks as they are :s Am also looking at how my skates are laced up because for the first time since I was out of the Reidells I got totally numb feet!! Apart from that, all is good - am talking with the gym this week on mixing up my training programme and looking at my nutrition once I've got something that's playing on my mind a bit sorted but I'm getting there slowly :)

For now, much derby love

Emilie

xxx

Egg-citing!

We'd had a bit of time off due to Easter so it was good to be back on my wheels today. I'd not been slacking though, promise! I have been going to the gym and doing my She'za exercises (she's trying to kill me, I'm sure of it!) and sorting NSO stuffs so I can get my geek fix lol.

I had a complete tard moment this morning and not only forgot my water bottles but also my shiny new Prodent Tech mouth guard - stupidity at its finest eh! Luckily I still had my old mouth guard in my case, phew! So, skates on, pads on (maybe should have brought the bigger helmet to go over the braids but c'est la vie) and off to warm up and stretch. A few stopping drills to start off with an I scoot into the middle to have a quick recap on t-stops. I did hear Jen call out I was to be brave today and not sit things out so I quickly got back onto the track. We started out with a weaving through the pace line drill, fairly slow as we were a proper mixed ability group today. I was glad it was slowish as I'd not run this drill before so was a bit nervous going into it. I watched some of the other girls get down the line as quickly as they could, its all about lateral movement and I know I can do that so with a bit of PMA I was off. I got through it ok and learned that my left lateral is stronger than going to the right and that I need to work on controlling my speed, other than that I was pleased for a first go. To mix it up a bit it was then decided we'd have a double pace line and run the same thing again but going through in twos with your partner - slightly more tricky but again I think I got the hang of it :) A quick water break and discussion on whats happening with the actual A & B teams (members etc) and we were told we'd be focusing more on plays and things we need to learn a bit more which is all good. We'd been wondering what was happening with the teams as its all been a bit hush hush while people were being watched and plans were being made but it was all announced this morning and it seems there were a few surprises, again all good. I am very happy to have been marked up as a B* (B team but not ready for bouting yet as has a few things to work on first), this has given me something to push and work harder for.

Anyways I digress, so drills. Upon having 'cascading/waterfalling' explained to us there were a couple of blank looks, myself included. So 'the vets' (as I'm going to refer to them from now on, they're not exactly veteran skaters but they're a damn sight better than most of us so its sticking) put it into action and asked us to split into groups of 4 to have a go. As we were down on numbers we had 2 groups of 4 and 2 of 3. It was a heck of a lot easier than it sounded, ker-ching, another mini achievement. From there we went on to mini scrim split into team red and blue. We got to practice the different positions with it being explained to us what each position should be doing and why - uber helpful!! It was nice to get more involved with the mini scrims too instead of hanging back, I still need to work on my cardio fitness, I know that and its not going to come overnight but I was keeping up as best I could and doing the best job I could, which included me remembering to whack on the plow stop to avoid back blocking :D

All in all a very positive session, I've got to figure out why my foot went totally dead on me (first time its happened in the GT-50s), maybe the knee pads were too tight, who knows? Also going to look at maybe getting some smaller but nicely padded knee pads, recommendations welcome!

TTFN and thanks for reading

xx

They who get where they are.....

had to begin where they were - fab sentiment eh? Spotted it on a tatt and thought it was a perfect way to start my blog. As my Ladybrother Jinx'em G reminds us "do what you always do then you'll get what you've always got!" - I could have done with this reminder yesterday. I was having a bad one, I'd managed to convince myself that since retiring from the burlesque scene that I was a big fat nothing and along with that came the self loathing that sees me not moving from the couch. After getting a few things off my chest my other half reminded me that although my self confidence was low at the moment I should be proud of what I've achieved, "you're a derby girl and I've seen you putting your all into it, because thats what you do - when you love something you don't go at it half heartedly you really go for it!" Admittedly I've got a few things to sort out with the doctors etc but with that comment he'd really lifted my spirits. Everyone's entitled to an off day right and I guess yesterday was mine :) Randomly took the Refs hand signal test and WTFDA rukes tests online too, 79/100 and 87/100 respectively which I was rather pleased with, things are sinking in!

So today was back to a fresh start, I wasn't expecting that fresh start to mean 2 hours at the gym instead of 1 but hey ho its all good. I took the opportunity to ask the staff to show me how to use the weights equipment and which would benefit me the most. I've now got a nice little routine to do next time I'm there (which will be a couple of days as my boys are home again). While I was there I clocked up 3.5 miles on the exercise bike and a nice 2 mile hill walk on the treadmill (as well as my 2 mile round trip to the gym and back!) A had a few giggles too, why is it I can relate everything back to The Simpsons?? Seriously, Everybody Dance Now came on and all I could think of was the steel mill

mix that up with Prodigy, South Park and other treats that I've randomly got and I must have looked like a goon! I also discovered its fun to practice crossover footwork on the treadmill lol. The wonderful She'za Pa'yne has also given me a routine to do so I've got no excuses now!

Anyways thats enough waffling from me now, I have a chicken casserole to cook!

TTFN

xx

starts and stops

Hope you've all been having a lovely Easter (however you celebrate it) and enjoying the fab weather here in Wales. For a change I'm not too far behind but may forget a few bits due to a fab BBQ courtesy of my derby wife and her hubster.

So Saturday comes around again and despite having a bit of an 'iffy' tum the night before I know there's 3 sessions with no skating coming up so I'm determined I'm going. After an interesting bus ride into the city with Rhayfen we meet up with Jinx and RG to complete the journey to Eastern Leisure. Track went down, kit went on and warm ups ensued. As Rhayfen was taking the training session today we knew we'd be in for some fun and games (or evilness, depending on her mood) however we were shorter numbers this session as (I assume) people were making the most of the sun/holidays. One of the games she decided to start with was 'surprise' - basically everyone skated as a pack with the 2 jammers behind and when the whistle was blown the pack would single knee drop and stay there. The jammers then had to get through (fast feet) race each other back around the track and back through the pack, first through was winner. Fab fun and I didn't fall on my turn jamming - ok so I caught a wheel with my shin but I'm a klutz lol. After that she went on to do some pack games so I seized the opportunity to practice skating one footed and crossovers which are coming on rather nicely now.

Once we'd all re hydrated ourselves (it gets warm in that hall anyway so add heat and you're melting!) Rhay asked if there was anything we'd like to practise - silence....however when she then posed the question "so if I were to say right we're doing min skills now, you'd all pass?" ideas soon flowed. We separated off into groups depending on what we wanted to have a go at, I figured it's time to conquer those T Stops. Unfortunately Rhay couldn't demonstrate as she'd still got her outdoor wheels on and was sticking to the floor however she described more than adequately what we were aiming to achieve and set us all off one or two at a time so she or Drew could advise. First attempt saw me totally fluff it, undeterred I went straight in for a second try. Actually being able to get my foot behind me was a big achievement let alone planting it on the floor, but this time I managed to drag 2 wheels out of the 4 for a short distance. Drew advised me to bend at the knee more before starting the stop so off I went again, still dragging the two wheels but it was a start and as Rhay said it was a step up from what I was doing before :D Secretly I was soooo happy, it sounds kinda sad but it's defeated me for absolutely ages and now its starting to click!

More hydration and more games, this time 'Sausage'!! Basically whole hall tag with Rhay as 'it', you get tagged you lay down and become a sausage, you only become free when 2 other skaters lay either side of you to become your bun - hilarious to say the least!! It was pointed out that it was a fab communication exercise too as we had to shout out for buns! lmao!! A few other games later and a bit more practice on the T Stops and I actually managed to land a couple with all 4 wheels down - result!! Cool down, stretch and we were out!

Now on the way out of the centre the eagle eyed wifey notices an MP, "shall we go and hassle him?" my reply, "hell yeah" and so myself, Rhay, RG And Grazed all explain about how popular roller sports are becoming and how there is nowhere adequate for us in the Cardiff area, 10 Min's later and we're told someone will 'get back to you' - we shall see!

I won't bore you with the rest of my bank holiday weekend, as fun as it was for me, it probably wont be as interesting for you. I will however finish with the fact that I hit the gym again today and with the walking to and from clocked up 9 miles, not too shabby :)

Til next time and leaving you a very warm and happy roller girl in training

xx