Bring the Blood and Pain: Be a Derby Girl!

Miss December!

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.

Start from the beginning...

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!

SCDG Boot Camp

More Meat Craft

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!

Santa Cruz Civic, Here I come!

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 people, friends, family, co-workers, my library director, my city manager, Jose Luis Orozco, and even random strangers-- now I wonder if that was a good idea. My thinking is that having a crowd (loud!) rootin' for me will give me the added oomph to really kick ass. Let down my fans? Never! How will I face my teenage nephews if I totally bonk?

I'm taking this afternoon off work (to go take a nap, I hope!) to prepare and this mornining on the reference desk I plan to over and over visualize myself getting past walls, accelerating like crazy on my skates and blocking, blocking blocking.

Since Wednesday's practice I've been replaying Glitter HitHer yelling "Balls to the Wall! Balls to the Wall!" as she rounded the turns on our track at the warehouse. Balls to the Wall indeed. Please, derby gods, let me unleash my inner-amazon tonight!

So much to think about... what kind of face decoration shall be my trademark?  (I'm thinking a "READ" tattoo leftover from the Summer Reading Program), when will I get to play with my new team? (Seabright Sirens, along with Barbarian Librarian). And most pressing on my mind: Will I eat shit and look like a jive-ass turkey tonight?

This derby journey has been incredible. I want to thank Scarlett for making it all happen by simply saying to me "I want to do that" when we attended our first bout just over a year ago. Doing derby makes everything else in life so much easier. My world has opened up since I braved try-outs last year. I'm so lucky to be involved with such powerful women, dedicated coaches and off-skates bad-asses (I'm talking about you, Secret!) and amazingly awesome, gritty Groms (our junior derby girls). I hope to make you all proud of me tonight!

So if you're in Santa Cruz, come on down and watch for Dewey Decibel, hopefully skatin' like a mofo!

Where Is She Now?

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.

About two weeks before our scheduled scrimmage assessment I decided to stop skating.  I felt like I was so close to the finish line and it still feels like I gave up too early, but I was (am) still unable to do that turn stop and my entire eligibility to assess and to someday tryout for a team seemed to hinge upon that one skill.  I know that I had two weeks to practice, practice, practice, but I had just lost my drive and my enthusiasm.  I felt angry and frustrated and I would dread going to practice; my attendance significantly dropped off and I didn't even want to go watch practice.  I used to cry a lot after practice, but when I started to cry consistently before and during practice, I thought I probably needed a chance to regroup.

I didn't quit the league entirely.  I had considered doing so, but I think that I do have some value in an off-skates capacity.  I am on two league committees and I'd like to think that I am pretty good at what is asked of me there.  So I'm just taking some time off and focusing my energies elsewhere..maybe I'll do more sewing, because I am definitely good at that and could use an ego boost.  I'm going to give my knees a rest (they've been hurting a lot walking down inclines) and when I feel a little better, maybe I'll consider getting back on the wheels.

In the meantime, I'd like to congratulate all of the gals who did their scrimmage assessment on Wednesday.  I'm very proud of you all and it was a pleasure skating with you.  Your FM cohort was made up of a really sweet bunch of girls and I wish you luck with your derby future.  For those that didn't take the assessments, that's okay too...You'll do it when you're ready and you'll be great!  

And a BIG congratulations to Dewey Decibel!  Yay!!!  I'm very proud of you for all of your hard work and thank you so much for your encouragement and support.

Thank you for reading!

Get Tix Now! -- SOLD OUT!

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!  

The Season Begins!

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

League Photo 2010

We're in there...somewhere!!