Category: Roller Derby

Yesterday nearly all of the SimpleUsability team ran in the Leeds 10K.
We are a mixed group, from those who have run marathons and half-marathons to those who have never run a distance race and done no training.

I ran my first distance race last November, the Abbey Dash 10K in Leeds. I trained for it with Motiv8 and Chris there did a damn good job. I achieved a time of of 50m30s. Since then I have tried to keep up the running and improve my general fitness level. When we signed up for this one I wanted to better that time; the route is almost identical. However, carrying an injury I was just please to finish. My time of 1h12m19s isn’t too bad. Today my left leg feels tight, but that’s not a problem. The team all did well, Judith was the fastest and Mark )who had done no training) was only minutes behind me.

Of course, once you can run, you can also skate! So, with the run as a warm up for the day, I went to Skateful Dead training in the afternoon.

This was the last (normal) session before the European Championships next weekend! (I say normal as we are planning an extra session on Wednesday at Futsal in Cottingley – it’s the same type of floor as we’ll be playing on in Birmingham.)

It was back on skates, but aware that I needed to be a little careful. The team are great, they also took care not to hit too hard – at least before the scrimmage. The session started with a new endurance exercise, which lasted ten minutes. Then we recapped some of the blocking and jamming techniques that we have learnt over the past months.

The scrimmage was fun. It was the first time I’d worn my “bum savers” and I have to say they work really well. I got knocked over quite a few times, but they do a really good job of protecting my, very boney, hips. Special mention to Adam for knocking me off track when I was jamming then running back to test my “cutting track” knowledge. Lawrence for being a cheeky git and asking so politely to be allowed past – I let him through when I should have blocked him. Fool!

Really good session and today my leg is no worse than it was before yesterday :-)

It feels a little odd looking back at my post of 9 June. I had an awesome training session that day. Yet on the Monday following it I found that I’d seriously injured by leg. Since then I have been hobbling. Only today have I bothered to bring my netbook with me – sitting on a train causes a nagging pain right down the back of my leg.

The Injury

From extensive Googling I would describe my injury as grade 2 tearing of my hamstring and calf muscles in my left leg. Combined with this I have damaged my sciatic nerve, also in my left leg. The cause is, undoubtedly, roller derby, though I don’t know what specifically. I did fall small and have another of the team land on top of me, but I can’t imagine how that would injure muscles in the back of my leg.

As a result I have no power in that leg; I’m unable to stride. The outer three toes and that side of my left foot are numb. Sciatic pain, as I’m sure most readers will be aware, causes pain from the hip joint all the way down the leg.

I haven’t been absent from work as a result, though I’m glad I’ve not had to travel. For the first two weeks I wasn’t able to sit on the train as it was too painful. At work I sat half on the chair with my left leg hanging off the chair.

Lessons learned?

You will take longer to recover than you think

This is probably true at all ages, but the timescales for you youngsters will likely be shorter. During the first week after injury I thought I’d be good to go, though not 100% , by the following Sunday. After two weeks I sought medical help. Now, at almost five weeks, I still can’t walk properly. It will drive you insane. Stick with it.

Check/treat for injuries after contact sports

I wasn’t aware I was injured until the day after practice. In future I’ll consider having a cold bath after each practice session. If this helps to reduce injury time then it’s worth doing.

Use the Internet wisely

The frustration at not being able to do anything and the nagging pain resulted in my doing lots of “research”. From that I knew I’d end up having my leg amputated or worse. Much better to…

Seek medical attention

I have rarely/never found a visit to the doctor to be useful. In this instance though it would have resulted in my getting stronger medication sooner. Would that have speeded my recovery? I’d like to think so, and I now have medication to counter the adverse effects of the NSAIDs too. That said, after almost three weeks on the strong stuff I’m still not 100 percent. (See my first point)

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory

I always thought Ibuprofen was a painkiller but apparently it’s more a “nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug” (NSAID). So in the first two weeks I would probably have been wise to take paracetamol as well.

Recovery

Every day I wake up and hope that I’m “better”. Well, I’m recovering, but I think it will be probably another month or two before I’m back to normal. In the mean time I’m part of the SimpleUsability team running/walking/hobbling in the Leeds 10k – help raise money for the Leeds Children’s Hospital by sponsoring us. Then next weekend I’m skating with The Skateful Dead in the Men’s European Roller Derby Championship down in Birmingham!

No rest for the wicked it seems :-)

Continuing sciatic pain in my left leg woke me at 4.30 this morning. Painkillers and lying across the bed with my knees on the floor afforded me a few more hours of sleep.

By 7.30 I was awake again and sure that I wouldn’t be able to train today. I turned to Google for a solution. The NHS site suggested painkillers and exercise. Okay, so training would be a treatment then!

I set off for Whitcliffe early. The Banditas, who train before us, had Feral Fairy visiting to guest coach. I’d asked if I could go and watch. For those that don’t know, Feral plays for Team England and is one of the top 20 skaters in the UK.

Adam, one of our jammers, was there, and others from our team who referee for the Banditas. It turned out that Feral was doing group work and she said that if we wanted we could join in! What! A lightening quick change and we were there…

Feral’s session focussed on one-on-one blocking, working in pairs at first and adding complexities bit at a time. This progressed to putting these techniques into practice. Unfortunately Vikki fell early on in the session and landed very heavily on her coccyx. She was sent to hospital but is home now – wishing you a speedy recovery Vikki!

I guess the training session lasted about two hours. Anyway, it was time for the Banditas to scrimmage. As guests I suggested to Adam that we sit out, but we were invited to play! Hell Yeah! The scrimmage was great! I got to jam and managed to get lead jammer one time, though a “back block” put me in the box. Feral joined in – so technically I’ve played on track with a top 20 player!

Before I knew it the scrim was over. I’d been skating for three hours when all I’d been expecting to do was to watch. A massive thank you to the Banditas for being so welcoming!

The hour from 2pm is for new skaters to practice minimum skills. There were only a few of us there. I was going to practice some of my weaker skills. But hey, Jeanette ‘Sue Perman’ was helping a few of the Banditas work on skills. I joined in and worked with them. Stepping and cross-overs were the order of the day. That was the fourth hour.

Then it was time for the Skateful Dead practice. The focus today was agility and jammer skills. This included walking on toe stops – something I’m really bad at – indeed I fell straight away and landed on my wrist. My left wrist, as always :-/ But a few minutes of silent cursing and I was back with it. A whole series of drills, working in threes, then more and by the end we had one jammer trying to get through a wall of eight blockers!

During six hours of skating I’d eaten flapjack and drunk about 3 litres of water/isotonic mix. I had cramp in my feet and legs. I don’t think I could have skated any longer, but I felt awesome!

Well done Gillie for a brilliant session today – best so far!

 

Sunday was our first proper practice session since the bout.

We train just after the Banditas though this month there will be a newbie session between the sessions. This will allow new skaters to work on minimum skills. I attended this week. I think it’s important to practice skills over and over, so they become second nature. There was a mix of Banditas and Dead. The session was led by Jeanette (Sue Perman) from the Banditas. We covered stops, falls and cross-overs.

A few of the Banditas stayed on for the Skateful Dead session. This week we kicked off with a warm up. Gillie had us power through a mix of sprints, press-ups, sit-ups and planks. I loved it! Since training for a 10k run last November I have been keen to keep a reasonable level of fitness. It paid off! The only thing I struggled with was the press ups; I have “IT arms”.

The rest of the session was, unsurprisingly, contact stuff. I sat out, as did Brian – both of us injured. The focus this week was jammer assists. The team practised giving and receiving whips and a couple of plays. These were then put into practice with a scrimmage.

When playing it can be difficult to observe what is going on around you. You’re concentrating on the game, the opposition and listening out for referee calls. It was interesting to observe from the middle of the track. There were techniques used that I hadn’t seen before, especially when a team had blockers in the box.

Avoiding contact was undoubtedly the right thing to do. My back was uncomfortable by the end of the session. I’m hoping to be back on it by next week!

The weather on Saturday was glorious. The kind of day would you usually find me skating in People’s Park. But I was resting and so decided to go and watch Leeds Roller Dolls play Hot Wheel Roller Derby at North Bridge Leisure Centre.

I’ve seen both teams play before, but never against each other. Both are from Leeds and so I suppose there must be a little rivalry between them. I took along my camera and tried to capture some of the action. Photography in most sports halls is a little difficult. They are generally quite dark, the lighting is often not true white. In addition, most sports separate the players from the spectators. The result is that you need a long lens. A long lens and the desire to keep motion blur to a minimum calls for a high shutter speed. I’ve found that I use my 85mm f/1.8 almost wide open, with ISO pushed to 1250, giving a shutter speed of about 1/200th of a second. But anyway, enough of my other hobby!

The game was fast moving and fun to watch. There was some good jammer on jammer action, something that doesn’t seem to happen so often. I sat in the front row (though not in the suicide seats) with Andy ‘Slam C-Nesbit’. He was commentating on many details that I would have missed. I don’t really have much more to say. Leeds took an early lead and by half time they led 76 to 23. During the second half Hot Wheel seemed to struggle and the bout ended Leeds Roller Dolls 254 to Hot Wheel Roller Dolls 103.

For Hot Wheel, Best Blocker went to Clar Mar Superstar, Best Jammer was Peggy Leethal and MVP was Zinetang. For the Roller Dolls, Best Blocker was Livid Doll,  Best Jammer was R.I.Punzel and MVP was Skatewell Tart.

After the awards Hot Wheels gave each of the LRD team a party bag. Another example of the friendly spirit that exists in the roller derby community. I love it! The bonus end to the day for me was a few drinks and a bite to eat with Lydia, Adam and Andy. We talking derby a bit too :-)

This morning as I eased myself out of bed I wondered if I could manage without ibuprofen. After about half an hour I gave in and took one.

Following injury during the bout on Sunday I find my mind in turmoil. Do I want to carry on an activity that, in just two months, has led to three injuries, two of which has left me taking painkillers for days. I’ve skated on in-lines for around nine years without such injury.

The injuries come from the contact aspect of the sport. As with any sport there are rules. The rules include details of target impact zones between players. There are penalties for players who contravene the rules.

During a scrimmage an opponent fell in front of me. I rested my hand on his back to avoid falling on top of him. I got sent to the box for “back blocking”. It was an easy penalty to call. In the melee that is the pack it’s not easy to avoid striking outside of those contact zones and it’s not easy to see and penalise such strikes. The stated primary concern of referees is safety, yet 5 days after a bout I’m writing about an injury sustained during play.

I also wonder if there is a difference between the way that females and males play. (Yes, very much a generalisation.) I have heard fellow players saying that in a mixed scrimmage the men would have to play differently. Perhaps the male game is more about causing impact trauma on the opposition than the ability to block and jam with style?

In the bout I was playing as a blocker. I’m not built like a blocker. At the Midweek Masterclass on Wednesday I got to practice with Andy “Slam C Nesbitt”. He’s a legend and willing to take the time to help anyone who asks. I practised trying to steer him off track. This is what blockers do, but I found that a combination of lack of skill on my part and weight on his made this impossible.

So what about jamming. Well, I’d need to improve my skating. Speed I can do, but stopping and turning on a dime would need to be improved. But then you still have big blokes trying to knock you down.

Protection then? We wear pads to prevent injuries from falls. Maybe I should consider further protective clothing? Some players wear padded shorts and shin guards. Padded shoulder and torso protection is likely available; something to investigate.

Evening

I wrote the first part of this blog on the way to work this morning. During the day I have at last started to feel better. I’ve already excused myself from contact drills/scrimmage on Sunday so I don’t have that to worry about. Brian’s post to our Facebook group made a difference. A chat with Andy over a pint this evening has also helped. I feel good again! :-)

If you’re a skinny (like me) and need inspiration watch this:

http://youtu.be/rXMJvA8VhC0

(Thank you Sue Perman for sharing this. Watch closely, Slam is blocking later in the video)

Yesterday saw The Skateful Dead play their debut bout.

The event was a double header hosted by Halifax Bruising Banditas at North Bridge Leisure Centre. The first bout was Banditas versus Hulls Angels Roller Dames.

I have seen the Banditas scrimmage, I have met some of them, I have even practised with some of them. It was great to see them play. They have both amazing jammers and amazing blockers. Faye Tality did some textbook chest blocking – something that The Dead had been practising just last week – very effective. At half time it was time to get changed into our skate gear. There was lots of banter in the changing rooms – Captain Malice is a funny guy!

The change from spectator to participant felt very odd. As a spectator you blend into the crowd. But rolling out into the hall as part of a team everyone can see you. You suddenly have an identity. It’s amazing! (and a bit scary)

We team sat and watched the end of the second half. I was sat next to Adam, our youngest(?) and newest member. We were both very quiet. I checked with him; we were both very nervous.

The bout ended, the Banditas winning comfortably by 249 to 111. It was our turn…

It’s worth giving you some idea of who The Skateful Dead are and who we were up against. For The Dead this was a true début bout. The team was formed, I believe, around November 2012. None of us regulars had skated in a bout before this one. We had a few guest skaters, Captain Malice and Sir Kit, from MRD who had bouted before.

Zom.B.Cru are the B team of The Inhuman League. I saw them play against Panam Squad – they play hard. No doubt the B team train with their A team brethren. I expected this to be a tough bout!

The bench was managed by Mandy and Gillie. Orderly rotation of players moving from the bench, to the line-up chairs before skating out. It worked really well, ensuring that we had the right players on track. (I felt rather like B1 battle droid :-)

The third jam and I was on. The whistle blew, the jammer struck. I don’t recall who it was, but he hit me hard and low in the back. I didn’t fall, but it hurt like hell. The jam was over in no time and I returned to the bench. I had two jams to sort myself out. I put the thought of retirement out of my head, there was no way I was going to quit this.

I focused on play. Our jammers were scoring points! Not just one’s and two’s, but lots of points! They were awesome! I had no idea of the score, but it felt close. We certainly weren’t making it easy for the Zombies. Then, all of a sudden it was half time. There was a jam running, I was sat behind Ash and he took off his jammer party. “Half time” he said. What the hell! Where had the time gone?!

The score at half time was Skateful 109 to Zombies 122. I was no longer nervous. Those that needed took a “comfort break”. We skated around a little and even chatted to a few of the Zom.B.Cru. Then swapped corners and we were off again.

There was one jam where, for a short period, I was the only Skateful player on track. We had a jammer and two blockers in the box. A third blocker got a penalty and went off to skate through. So there I was, slightly clueless, stood in front of the four wall of Zombies with their jammer whizzing around. He came through their wall and I blocked him, I knocked him down and out. I also fell, oh well, so he was up and on his way in no time. He came through a second time – I missed him. Damn! That was my moment of fame :-)

The second half was relentless. The jams were short and sharp, both teams grabbing a few points then calling it off. Zom.b.cru kept pushing out Omar Gherd, their hard-hitting jammer and he kept on scoring! Before I knew it the second half was over and that was it. Final score was Skateful 199 to Zombies 284. Omar Gherd earned MVP and best Jammer for Zom.B.Cru, Bri-O-Warfare best blocker. For Skateful it was Scooby Zoom who earned best jammer, Peter Park’ed Her was MVP and Ray Fury best blocker.

Hat tip to Zom.B.Cru for providing cake in the changing room :-) I’m sure I speak for the whole of The Skateful Dead team in saying that we really enjoyed playing against you.

So many people to thank, apologies for any I miss! First, Gillie for training us (not an easy task!) and running around organising us and our kit. Tony and Mandy for sponsoring the kit and Mandy for looking after us on the bench. The rest of the team for being awesome, especially our jammers – 199 points is absolutely amazing. Bandita’s for hosting us, inviting us to drills and practising with us. Phil, Carly and Sally for their help and refereeing our (often dodgy) scrimmages :-)

So yesterday a few of us guys from The Skateful Dead and a few of those gals from Halifax Bruising Banditas had an open practice session at Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre.

Only 9 of us there, but I really enjoyed it. We started off warming up – of course – then I got chatting to Mark about sprint starts on toe-stops. It feels horrible, as though I’m going to take a step and fall flat on my face. Mark adjusted by toe stops and toe guards and I tried some more. Over the evening I talked to Tony O about it. I was impressed by his determination practicing them over and over. By the end of the evening I had improved a little, though I still launch off one foot then immediately land on wheels and start rolling.

I also spent some time on transitions. On a forward to backward transition I scissor my left foot forward, pivot my right foot clockwise on toe wheels, pivot my left foot clockwise on back wheels and then (traveling backwards) reverse the scissor so that I lead with my right foot. Because this is what I always do I can do it at speed and it feels comfortable. So I worked on rotating anti-clockwise for the transition. I’ve been working on this for a while and it was definitely better. I strongly believe that for physical things it is impossible to learn movements instantly. They need to be performed repeatedly so that you can remember how they feel.

The other skill I worked on was plough stops. Again I’m pleased to report that I can detect an improvement. I’m getting lower and digging my skate in and actually coming to a stop. I still have a way to go – t-stop with left foot trailing continues to be my standard way of slowing down/stopping – though single knee falls are quite good fun too :-)

I had a good chat with Helen “Ava Noir”. We comparing notes on side skating. Mark gave me help with one-on-one blocking. Emma shared an “improve your derby stance/leg strength” drill. Chris shared tips on lateral blocking. Towards the end of the session we decided we’d all go for 27 in 5. Emma managed 28. I lost count.

We finished with clockwise crossovers as a bit of a cool down. And that was our last practice before our debut bout on Sunday, Thanks to all for your help and again to Tony for the taxi service.

So yesterday was the last Skateful Dead practice before our debut bout. Our captain had banned us from scrimmaging with other teams this week – he didn’t want us getting injured.

The Halifax Bruising Banditas had their practice just before us. A few of them stayed back to our session. This is great as they have so much more experience than us.

We started, in groups of three, with “chest blocking”. This was new to me. When the jammer engages, the blockers, one rotates and pushes shoulder to shoulder. With legs scissored the blocker then uses a toe stop to slow the jammer down. It’s important not to completely stop the blocker as this results in a penalty against the blocker. (Also keep in mind that a canny jammer will try to trick the blocker into stopping.)

We then developed this further. Once the blocker and jammer were engaged in the chest block, the second blocker runs round to support the first. This sounds simple, but care must be taken to keep an eye on the jammer. I was practising with Captain Malice and Claire, with Claire jamming. She was being kind I’m sure as occasionally she’d just skip past me. I have so much to learn! Next we tried this with walls. I found that my arm kept getting trapped. We didn’t do this for long before it was time to scrimmage!

This was to be a “non-contact” scrimmage. Well, gentle contact. Well, we’re not terribly good at “gentle” to be honest :-)

The first half went quite well. I jammed and didn’t get a penalty! A quick break to feedback on how we felt we were doing; it was felt that walling was better than in previous weeks. A vote on drills or more scrimmage. Scrimmage won out – it usually does!

Just into the second half Adam, one of our new players, fell and landed heavily. He was jamming at the time and it seems that he just tangled his skates and fell. He didn’t get up. We cleared the floor and waited. A first aider was called, then after a bit paramedics arrived and then he was stretchered off! We carried on with some drills, but I felt that our hearts weren’t really in it. No one likes to see others get hurt. During the quiet period, whilst we were waiting for the ambulance, Mark showed me how to steer a jammer off track. Very useful thank you!

The initial prognosis was that Adam had fractured his hip! By evening though he was back on Facebook and said that it was deep muscle spasms. He needs to rest it well and will be wearing padded shorts in future. Phew!