tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46338773236141016232012-01-30T05:10:45.900-08:00Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.comBlogger751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-36195760276695091612011-01-29T09:19:00.000-08:002011-01-29T09:19:37.753-08:00

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-42830341110346222012010-12-05T23:17:00.000-08:002011-08-30T15:32:49.678-07:00

I have been chosen as Derby Girl of the Month for December 2010!  I am so honored and touched.  Thank you!You can read the full write-up on the SCDG website.

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-86968559649940888922010-10-12T14:00:00.000-07:002010-10-12T14:01:06.179-07:00

Are you interested in joining a roller derby league?  Read about our adventures from Day One of being Fresh Meat with the Santa Cruz Derby Girls.  Start with the first post and work your way forward by clicking on "Newer Post" following the comments.  Enjoy and good luck!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-49289149863991818162010-09-15T09:54:00.000-07:002010-09-15T09:54:34.858-07:00

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-4341985087082275362010-09-15T09:35:00.000-07:002010-09-15T10:01:34.992-07:00

Remember my post about Fresh Meat Craft?  Well Craft just compiled a list of their favorite meat projects after seeing Lady Gaga's recent meat outfits.  So there are many more meat crafting ideas for your favorite Freshie!  Though I would personally leave the real meat in the fridge, away from my sewing needle!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-69278694961566271062010-07-23T06:01:00.000-07:002010-10-17T08:21:42.321-07:00

Friday Night Scrimmage 7/23 7pm Santa Cruz Civic Santa Cruz vs Santa Cruz: League members don black and white and duke it out with no announcers, no beer, no music, just derby. AND the debut of Dewey Decibel! Yes folks, Tonight is my first time playing derby IN PUBLIC! Maybe that is why I woke up at 3:30 am and could do nothing but wash dishes and pay bills. Yowie!  I've invited a ton of

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-86525927834331153592010-04-17T22:03:00.000-07:002010-04-17T22:07:33.644-07:00

So, I realize that I have not submitted a blog post in over two months.  You see, I've been going through some growing pains with the sport and have decided to spend the rest of the season off of skates.  This was a pretty hard decision to make (I think I cried for the entire week before and the entire week after changing my status), but I needed to regain my perspective and perhaps my sanity.

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-66560620697283594962010-03-19T08:22:00.000-07:002010-03-24T09:44:50.146-07:00

Tickets are going fast!  Get yours now! And go find some punk Geisha-wear to show your team spirit! UPDATE:  Tickets were SOLD OUT on 3/23/10...18 days before the bout!  

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-23111740140381752992010-03-13T07:50:00.000-08:002010-03-13T08:13:27.909-08:00

We're on the Santa Cruz Sentinel Sports page today!

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-82307804430300297862010-03-05T21:54:00.000-08:002010-03-05T21:54:47.624-08:00

We're in there...somewhere!!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-71980538453715767152010-03-03T21:13:00.000-08:002010-10-17T08:22:11.526-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Cinzilla had these scrimmage tanks I ordered ready for me at practice. Seeing my name and number right there in black and white made my throat go "Ulp..." a little. Am I ready to don these babies and scrimmage with the big girls? I've experienced various delays with time off skating--including sprained (not broken!) wrist, and laparoscopic (non-derby related!) ovarian

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-89793375542290884542010-02-16T09:21:00.000-08:002010-02-16T21:13:27.380-08:00

Hooray! Something to do with all the pre-bout energy! We're holding monthly fundraisers-- building a travel fund to get our players to away games. This one is hosted by my very own committee--Spirit! Fresh Meat Franny, one of our dedicated newbies worked out the details with Surf City Billiards and it's on! This gorgeous flyer was produced by one of our newest deckhands--Thanks Cailin! Come on

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-4811591640728203422010-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:002010-02-15T13:50:55.433-08:00

The theme for the night is Red Carpet! www.santacruzderbygirls.org Tickets for SCDG's bouts can be purchased online at: www.santacruztickets.com, by phone at (831) 420-5260, or at the Civic Auditorium's box office, located at 307 Church Street in downtown Santa Cruz.Box Office hours are:Tuesday - Friday: 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.Saturday: 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.The Box Office will open 90 minutes prior

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-14943068112688103382010-02-14T11:12:00.000-08:002010-02-14T11:15:15.048-08:00

At my last practice I realized the importance of security.  That is, the security of one's self in one's sports bra.  After a desperate search for the aforementioned athletic garment in the clean clothes pile and a realization that all were buried deep within the dirty pile, I decided not to wear a sports bra.  It wasn't like I thought we were going to be jumping up and down at practice,  which

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-3883128429137869382010-01-23T09:38:00.000-08:002010-01-23T09:39:07.301-08:00

This was posted on Barbarian Librarian's Facebook page and I had to share... Who knew that ninja skills and roller skates could be combined?  Awesome!  Though I can't help but think that they need quieter wheels to stay in true stealth mode.

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-57179824607557482312010-01-07T09:09:00.000-08:002010-01-07T09:11:36.893-08:00

I am under the impression that if we cannot successfully execute a turn-stop, then derby life, as we know it, will abruptly come to an end.  Okay, well maybe we'll still be allowed to practice if we can't do this, but we will be shunned by polite society and we will be banned from team playing.  You could feel the ripples of panic wash over the turn-stop-challenged skaters at practice on Monday

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-8942358288062855862010-01-02T18:39:00.000-08:002010-01-02T18:54:23.825-08:00

I just washed off seven layers of sweat after a very, very long skate along the Coastal Trail from Sand City to Monterey.   Eight of us gathered at the Borders in Sand City this morning to gear up and skate what could have possibly been a twelve-mile roundtrip excursion.  This trail was great; there were exciting downhills, challenging uphills, gorgeous coastal views, and the weather was

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-24655867181540316802009-12-24T15:42:00.000-08:002009-12-24T15:44:29.650-08:00

The Derby Santa delivered our personalized track jackets today!  I'm still a little bit nervous about going official with Scarlett O'Feral, because the derby name registry has not been updated since November 9th, but I went and got my name emblazoned across the chest of my track jackets!  Yikes!  Hopefully it will be official soon.  I skipped putting the number on them, because I just can't

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-13694010784535489562009-12-09T08:04:00.000-08:002009-12-09T08:11:46.518-08:00

I have been a little reluctant to go the whole hog and fully transition into using my derby name, Scarlett O'Feral.  I changed it on our derby internal forum and then I added it to my Facebook profile, but took it off soon after.  I also haven't yet changed over the name on my helmet from FM Rachel.  I guess my reasoning is that I have not yet passed my scrimmage assessment.  I had to work late

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-46775772712145225212009-11-27T13:21:00.000-08:002009-11-27T14:09:17.935-08:00

This is not my wrist.There are a whole lot of bones in the wrist and the scaphoid is being pointed at here. It does not get much blood flow to it and when broken is hard to heal. It can be very difficult to detect a fracture in it, therefore MRI is frequently used.My wrist is feeling...ok-ish. Was hurting a bit the other day, but doesn't generally. I'm not sure how long the sprain will take to

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-42315066707950755002009-11-26T09:14:00.000-08:002009-11-27T05:09:05.866-08:00

So, here I am in Cary, NC visiting my family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  This morning I decided to whip out my skates and skate to where we'll be having Thanksgiving dinner and then back to my mom's house.  Of course, I have no idea where I am going in Cary, and looking at the map now, I realize that I went the completely wrong direction, but that is besides the point.  Anyway, so out I skated

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-54785523160691026052009-11-20T07:11:00.000-08:002009-11-20T10:04:49.075-08:00

or   Hope your doctor appointment goes well today!  Let us know the outcome and how much longer before you can skate again...   Sending you lots of hugs and kisses!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-5571633786833690142009-11-19T07:36:00.000-08:002009-11-19T07:42:53.742-08:00

Okay, so I'm getting married next October and have been perusing all of these wedding sites.  My favorite is the Offbeat Bride and a recent post featured a roller skating wedding!  This is definitely for hardcore derby enthusiasts and I cannot imagine my groom or some of my guests attempting to skate around the Palladium!  Plus this wedding took place locally in San Ramon!  Read all about it here

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-79600358527169177062009-11-18T20:22:00.000-08:002009-11-19T17:25:10.792-08:00

I am so excited by how many crafters there are on our team.  We have sewers, bakers, jewelry makers, paper crafters, sign artists, and so many more!  With our new batch of Fresh Meaties, I'm sure we'll discover that we have recruited a whole bunch of crafty women. This blog post features a few craft items that feature meat.  Why not use these ideas to throw a Fresh Meat Support Group party?  Or

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-46829998430377090022009-11-17T22:48:00.000-08:002009-11-17T23:12:16.021-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words so I'll just say this: Be careful how you fall, deja-vu is a bitch, and I find out Friday if I'm gonna be getting a cast on my wrist.My grandpa wrote "Super Bracelet" on the one pictured here and my mom drew a cute l'il skate with "Breakable Skater" underneath. Wah! 30 years later and here I am again! I've never felt so hungry to skate! Pigeon tells me that

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-77889414560171301982009-11-13T19:31:00.001-08:002009-11-13T19:33:56.869-08:00

Send an email to media@santacruzderbygirls.org to register!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-6102433227988410392009-11-09T08:36:00.001-08:002009-11-09T08:37:25.130-08:00

Derby girls? Bowling? Turkey? Wow! 1st Annual SCDG Turkey Bowl, November 25th. Open to the public.  Email media@santacruzderbygirls.org for details and registration information. Register your team today!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-77645441950317152432009-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:002009-11-09T08:40:29.832-08:00

Yesterday I finally got back on skates after what seemed like an never-ending hiatus due to an extremely persistent cold. I skated the levee with FM Jennipher and FM Alayna, telling them to not worry about leaving me behind because I imagined my stamina would be next-to non existent after such a long period of not skating. Getting back on skates was absolutely heavenly. It seemed like my entire

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-83293850647548218132009-11-04T10:21:00.001-08:002009-11-04T10:24:55.760-08:00

I Love my new Bag! Rachel rocked my birthday! Thank you!!!

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-37559259269938073042009-11-01T19:10:00.000-08:002009-11-01T19:38:53.224-08:00

I went and walked around downtown Santa Cruz last night for about an hour to check out all of the costumes and whatnot.  I was expecting to see a lot of roller girl costumes, but only came across two: I think that these gals actually qualify for the roller disco look rather than the derby girl look and I expected them to break out into song at any moment:

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-10427329014495576712009-10-19T08:41:00.000-07:002009-10-19T08:42:49.453-07:00

So at yesterday's Fresh Meat gathering, Pigeon had a list of our chosen names and Jackie O-Smashes was on the reject pile!  Why? Apparently, when Pigeon searches for it, the name gets a high similarity rating because of this result:  Jaque O'Smashus.  When I search for it, Jackie comes back with a medium similarity result to other names.  So confusing! I referenced Brian's master punning list

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-21423968444102603182009-10-18T13:35:00.001-07:002009-10-18T13:38:43.204-07:00

If you're thinking about trying out, read this:Roller Derby: How to Get Started by SVRG's Retox Fox

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-39666930451847951842009-10-14T07:34:00.000-07:002009-10-14T09:35:27.959-07:00

I think that last night was the first time we worked on really hitting people at Fresh Meat practice. Due to the inclement weather (remnants of Typhoon Melor), only eight or nine of us showed up for our hour-long practice.  We started with some pace line and pack drills and then we moved on to some mini-scrimmaging.  Each team was down a pivot, so we each only had three blockers and one jammer.

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-77368324472858956412009-10-13T16:24:00.000-07:002009-10-14T09:07:53.538-07:00

Okay, so apparently they want us to hand in our names as soon as possible -- even if we have not passed our assessments!  Due to the lag time associated with name submissions, it looks like they are trying to streamline the process so as to avoid future delays. That being said, I guess it is time for the unveiling of the name I will be submitting.  All the credit for this one goes to Brian, my

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-49387276712578754362009-10-08T09:37:00.000-07:002009-10-08T13:29:23.127-07:00

There are scrimmage assessments tonight. [crickets chirping] Don't worry...not for me!!  Silly people!  I may be crazy, but I'm not that crazy!  There are about six Fresh Meaties who will be going through the scrimmage assessment tonight and they'll do great.  They've proven that they are strong skaters and they always seem to work really well together when they are in a pack. As for me, well,

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-13661008774916338362009-10-05T08:25:00.000-07:002009-10-05T08:53:14.579-07:00

On Friday night we went out to the Whip It premiere in Santa Cruz...here's what we thought: FM Rachel: I went into Whip It expecting to totally identify with Ellen Page's character, Bliss, a bit of Fresh Meat with TXRD's Hurl Scouts. I wanted her to struggle more and to be really bad at skating (like me) and then to triumph, but after a three minute training montage she just seemed to start

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-29687587910441275692009-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:002009-10-04T13:30:03.331-07:00

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-30698360805025560782009-09-29T23:14:00.000-07:002009-09-30T09:01:13.943-07:00

Do you suppose I could get that Aussie mom to serve me up some Ovaltine to help me with skating backwards?  I sincerely believe that the harder I try to go in reverse, the tougher it gets -- just like the ad says. Going forward on skates has been tough enough.  Had I not been getting my skates tweaked at Monday's practice when Raven made us show off a skating talent, I would have just skated

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-9848217344782120602009-09-29T11:24:00.000-07:002009-09-29T11:28:24.232-07:00

Drew Barrymore directs "Whip It."For a survey of derby on film over the decades seeMildred Fierce's latest "Skate Like a Girl"

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-11150496611250394452009-09-29T06:50:00.000-07:002009-09-29T17:58:43.196-07:00

It happened. My ass smack down on the ground. Last night's practice, led expertly by Raven Von Kaos, was everything a good practice should be. It challenged our endurance with a pyramid sprint drill and suicide drills. It built our skills with 20 laps (in each direction) skating as a pack. It bolstered our confidence--Raven had us one by one, take the track and show the group something we're

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-73438780887333580362009-09-26T13:11:00.000-07:002009-09-26T13:20:13.029-07:00

I'll be attending this out of town bout, wearing green and supporting our Silicon Valley sisters as they battle Orange County. In an interesting parallel, Rachel's attending SCDG Boardwalk Bombshells vs San Diego Derby Dolls in San Diego tonight. We'll be sure to post the details!

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-72828400667264621402009-09-24T16:25:00.000-07:002009-09-24T16:27:59.402-07:00

Media mention in the metro!The "finest and funkiest in local alternative sports leagues"

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-32675753335062263662009-09-22T22:04:00.000-07:002009-09-22T22:30:01.020-07:00

I have No Love for my little blue mouth-monster. I'm not sure, but I think tonight's incident with my mouth guard was the grossest yet. No, I didn't drop it in the toilet... though I do think about it, I hate it so. I was skating along, minding my business, chewing on my mouth guard as I was trying to perform any number of challenging drills tonight at Fresh Meat practice (more on the chewing

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-71590637639787734512009-09-21T16:16:00.000-07:002009-09-21T18:06:19.518-07:00

It is so obvious that I suffer from the same dilemma that the girl in the above commercial also suffers from:  skating has taken over our lives!  That last line in the commercial sums it all up:  "When you've got something better to do than cook!"  Every week it seems that my grocery shopping and dinner preparation chores get sidelined because I am doing something derby-related.  Last night, we

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-62017403798114711342009-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:002009-09-20T12:45:24.503-07:00

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-29073590455127866272009-09-19T22:08:00.000-07:002009-09-19T22:29:28.920-07:00

I keep getting asked about tattoos.  If I have any, when I'm getting them, etc.  I have to end this line of questioning here and now.  Though I have managed to get my toe just inside the derby door, my body is unadorned, uninked, and artless, and it shall remain so.  It's not that I have anything against tattoos.  I'm just trying to think about my future.  I mean, what if someday I happen to be

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-7724330590292737542009-09-18T07:38:00.000-07:002009-09-18T16:45:16.673-07:00

I've played my share of smelly sports.  I remember soccer cleats that never quite dried out after game upon game in torrential downpours.  Or what about the four years I spent drenched in scum from the Erie Barge Canal?  We definitely must have had some kind of funk emanating from us, which was probably why no one other than crew team members sat together after morning rows.  But these derby

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-19137157148393313732009-09-16T09:25:00.000-07:002009-09-20T15:26:29.992-07:00

One of the great things about joining a derby league is all the cool women you meet. You find yourselves working on committees together, shopping for 'Boutfits', cheering for each other through each grueling practice. Sweet, right? Well now imagine this: this girl may take major falls and sustain serious injury because of something you did. Yes, that's right. Derby is a place where you wind up

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-30829425672407557992009-09-15T09:39:00.000-07:002009-09-15T17:51:19.814-07:00

One thing that we worked on last night was positional blocking -- skating in front of an opposing skater to impede her movements.  My group was made up of me, Pixie Painful, and FM Kat.  I had to skate in front of the opposing skater and I needed to get my butt right in her way to slow her down, but still needed to be able to move my feet quickly enough to continue to block if she tried to get

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-34948396607186322752009-09-13T00:52:00.000-07:002009-09-13T10:53:26.734-07:00

I'm finally beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, I'm going to successfully get through this Fresh Meat period.  In August, when we first started, I really struggled at almost every practice.  It felt like the only thing I could do was a plow stop.  Everything else seemed to cause me great anguish.  I would go home and cry after almost every Monday night practice.  I'd feel okay about the

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-15346154280214456012009-09-11T21:39:00.000-07:002009-09-11T22:05:07.913-07:00

Fresh Meat Girls just love to be helpful!Went and demonstrated my go-to-it-iveness at practice on Monday night by timing scrimmages with the stop-watch function on FM Nathalie's Iphone (or was it a blackberry?) and somehow that must have prompted Head Ref Bronco to ask me to time the actual jams of the SCDG vs Tuscon game tomorrow night!! Yikes! Practiced with my very own newly purchased

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-61316080623522628652009-09-10T17:52:00.000-07:002009-09-10T22:18:33.265-07:00

Millie Fierce included the following video with her recent blog post at Skate Like a Girl.  It is a video on the basics of flat track derby brought to us by the Hammer City Roller Girls of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  This is something I really should have watched prior to my first bout.  I remember settling into my seat and watching the first jam, then the second and the third, all the while my

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-5917604551996619692009-09-09T07:37:00.001-07:002009-09-09T09:03:49.409-07:00

Sooner or later it happens to the best of us... Call them what you will, Boo-boos, Owies, Rink Rashes--what have you. Injuries are part and parcel of the derby life. (For this and other lovely injury photos see: Rat City Rollergirls Hall of Pain.) SCDG Injury Status Check:FM Rachel: plum-sized booty bruise (and btw, honey, thanks for showing me, it's adorable!)FM Nikki: shoulder pain galore last

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-10409144517681093002009-09-08T07:32:00.000-07:002009-09-09T13:53:53.629-07:00

I'm having a bit of trouble sitting on my right butt cheek this morning.  Last night, I was paired with Hell Louise (Weezie, for short), FM Jacklyn and FM September for a drill on using your body to wiggle between two blockers to make a hole for your jammer to go through.  Weezie was awesome!  She didn't rush us into doing this at a pace beyond our comfort level and she gave constant, encouraging

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-20452435683132738282009-09-03T22:13:00.000-07:002009-09-04T06:45:08.564-07:00

Get your tickets here.And it is superhero-themed!

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-50456831023795087382009-09-03T08:20:00.000-07:002009-09-03T09:23:55.248-07:00

I went to the dentist yesterday for my routine six month cleaning and I brought along my mouthguard so that the dentist could check it.  The hygienist was really nice and even offered to clean it for me.  When the dentist came in, he put the mouthguard in to make sure that it was properly fitted. He said that I had done a really good job during the boil and bite process and he usually doesn't see

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-60258980313948923342009-09-02T15:25:00.000-07:002009-09-02T15:44:39.996-07:00

Move the hell over,  I've got patrons to serve! I've been getting a lot of support from my co-workers about my new obsession and many of them sent me this CNN story that was in the headlines recently. Embedded video from CNN Video Stereotype-smashin' derby librarian, "MegaBeth," a reference librarian in Akron Ohio, is 53 year old player for the Rubber City Roller Girls. This article is

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-90753280754147291552009-09-01T08:20:00.000-07:002009-09-30T08:42:18.774-07:00

I felt a billion times better at practice last night.  There was NO crying and I felt generally more positive about the drills and exercises that we did.  I admit that there was some trepidation about thirty minutes before I left for practice and I did find myself on the potty trying to figure out if my stomach felt funny because of digestive issues or nerves.  (Nerves.)  But I think the major

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-38649205932851198452009-08-30T23:19:00.000-07:002009-08-31T07:42:52.732-07:00

There is still a pea-sized lump above my left eyebrow from the injury I sustained at my very first practice about four weeks ago.  I still find it hard to believe that tomorrow will be my fifth week of practice.  I have really tried to concentrate on working on my crossovers since Tuesday's practice.  In fact, I was concentrating so hard during Wednesday's Open Skate that I took a nose dive to

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-77728227152233039442009-08-27T15:40:00.001-07:002009-08-27T15:44:14.547-07:00

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-71823085106035104822009-08-25T23:37:00.001-07:002009-08-28T13:10:52.997-07:00

I got home after practice tonight and just soaked my aching feet in a warm epsom salt bath while watching an episode of BSG 4.5. When I did that fitness bootcamp a few months back, the instructor kept telling us to soak our bods in epsom salt to rid them of toxins. I think I'm actually going to have to try full tub immersion one of these nights. Okay, so tonight was better. After the warm-up,

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-82482829996264546122009-08-25T18:48:00.001-07:002009-08-25T23:56:45.566-07:00

I have ten minutes before I have to leave for Fresh Meat practice. I am dreading it, of course, because last night was another fiasco of a practice. I could not even hold in the tears until the end of practice. I started leaking probably less than 45 minutes into practice due to my absolute inability to do a turn stop and due to multiple crashings to the ground while trying to execute said

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-22117054124754298792009-08-23T00:36:00.001-07:002009-08-23T00:38:31.687-07:00

Daisy picked up these meaty socks in Portland, OR.

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-8063945804296868802009-08-20T07:07:00.000-07:002009-09-10T17:59:20.238-07:00

If I get good enough and pass all necessary skills tests, I want to attend next year's RollerCon in Las Vegas, NV. Here is a promo video for RollerCon 2009, which ended in early August. P.S. This video accompanied Mildred Fierce's article in Good Times.

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-52449291953451247202009-08-19T07:52:00.000-07:002009-08-19T09:07:52.666-07:00

Last night a group of FM'ers met for Tuesday night practice in the parking lot of PetSmart in order to skate the levee along the San Lorenzo River. (Limited panoramic view is here.) I spent a good portion of the hour before practice dreading this skate. I figured it would be another hardcore, kick my ass skate, but instead of on wood it would be on concrete. Oh joy! Plus, this is not a

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-28297101274491430092009-08-18T07:41:00.000-07:002009-08-24T11:29:00.630-07:00

At about 9:00 p.m. on Sunday I started to get butterflies about Monday night's practice at the Palladium. Those butterflies lasted throughout the flight home on Monday and right up through the first twenty minutes of practice. With my history of crying after each of the previous two Monday night practices, I just did not want to go through that again.At the twenty minute mark, we had a group

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-40884880866782248872009-08-15T07:47:00.000-07:002009-08-16T18:05:31.576-07:00

What's a wanna-be derby girl to do when she's out of town and has to miss practice and the joys it brings?? -- Ok, based on the description of Rachel's last Monday night practice, maybe missing wasn't such a bad thing-- Anyhow, only one day into the trip, Daisy felt the need for speed. That derby bug gets its disease into you and you find that roller rinks can beckon to you, with a flashing neon

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-52762750106680671382009-08-14T13:49:00.000-07:002009-08-28T10:43:35.916-07:00

I brought my skates and pads to my sister's place in Orlando, FL. I figured that I would just roll around the parking lot outside, but luckily there is a tennis court right next door. So I switched the blue wheels that came with my skates for my hot pink Radar Pure outdoor wheels. I was a little bit nervous about switching wheels without proper instruction, but I used the anatomy of a skate

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-21288186232222111982009-08-10T23:00:00.000-07:002009-08-28T22:30:44.414-07:00

I think that for every one ounce of sweat that pours off of me during Monday night practices, I cry one ounce of tears. Yup. My sweat to tears ratio is now 1:1. I think the worst part of Monday nights is that I am agonizingly SLOW. I have never been the fastest person, but I have also never been the slowest. I have always managed to stay somewhere in the middle of the pack, but on roller

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-45599842314431757962009-08-10T14:28:00.001-07:002009-08-10T14:44:16.816-07:00

I posted my last bout advertisement today during lunch. I ran around town yesterday doing errands and managed to get rid of some then. I am so bad at this sort of thing. I'm just a tad too shy to be good at it and I always hate being a bother. I ended up getting rid of one at a coffee shop, one at a local crafts store, and another at a music store. The guy at the music store insisted that

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-30612253473651082752009-08-07T23:09:00.000-07:002009-08-29T13:06:08.074-07:00

Functioning anti-perspirant deodorant: So a few months ago I decided to commit to buying as many products as possible that are not tested on animals and that included deodorant. I found a roll-on product in the natural section of the drug store and that seemed to work okay for about 15 hours and then I would start to smell like fetid maple syrup. Plus it seems that these natural deodorants do

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-89072747094971922992009-08-05T22:06:00.000-07:002009-08-28T12:43:06.101-07:00

Today while I was 'on desk' my co-worker spoke to me and I made the huge mistake of turning my head toward her-- slowly about 30 degrees to the right. Aaaaaaaaa! My neck/shoulder/right arm juncture is killing me from all that whoopin' it up at practice with FM Alayna doin' the derby do-si-do: one partner whips the other from behind her to directly in front, then the other returns the favor...

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-42636888527617105802009-08-05T06:39:00.001-07:002010-09-21T10:20:32.832-07:00

Last night, carrying my new Riedell Vandal 265's in a vintage plaid bag that I bought for a buck at a yard sale last weekend, I hit the Palladium with the other girls for our first official Fresh Meat only practice. Our head coach, Charlie Red Stick, gave my new skates a mysterious adjustment and out I went. We started with 15 laps in a pace line, which means we are all in one line following a

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-5167879482090363522009-08-05T06:39:00.000-07:002009-08-06T06:12:26.827-07:00

I was stoked to get my Bumperboy and Bumperpup Fist Bump t-shirt in the mail right before practice # 2 and wore it proudly to the rink. When Charlie (our coach) announced that we would be doing our first "bump" drills I beamed!! I was in (drag queen/girl) Heaven, my outfit matched the drill!! The 'bumps' were the babiest little hits to your partner on the hip (think 'doin' the bump' to the

FM Daisyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398606984889802662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4633877323614101623.post-67234089073281728082009-08-04T07:15:00.001-07:002010-10-12T13:57:52.793-07:00

I feel like what was once a lovely, fatty slab of well-marbled Kobe beef, has now been chopped up, put through the grinder, and turned into cheap ground chuck. And this was only after one night of practice as Fresh Meat with the Santa Cruz Derby Girls (SCDG). Has my mind been addled by the HGH-fed beef that I've been subsisting on for my near entire existence? I mean, seriously, what was I

Rachel Eloisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206111166372883994noreply@blogger.com4