This Practice is Dumb: Diffusing the Negativity.

“This practice is dumb.”

We’ve all heard it in one form or another. We’re at practice listening to the trainer explain the drill, and someone says that it’s dumb or they have already perfected the concept.

This can be frustrating for us freshies. We need to learn to let go of the negative comments in practices. Even for veteran skaters, comments like these don’t leave room for improvement.

I’ve noticed that skaters tend to say a drill is dumb for one of two reasons: the skater does not know how to execute the skill, or the skater feels that they are above the skill. In either case, I would (respectfully) like to say the skater is wrong.

In the first case, the skater is trying to deny that they have not learned a skill. I’ve personally felt that I hate certain drills because I can’t execute the skills. Trying to stay positive about the practice is hard, but not impossible. Make sure you aren’t the negativity in the air; it can seem off-putting to coaches and other skaters. You don’t actually believe that the skill is stupid; you believe that you are stupid for not being able to do it. Realizing that there’s a reason to practice, and that it’s okay to still be learning, will really help you be able to push through. Otherwise, this mindset can be debilitating.

If it’s the latter, however, it might be harder to change mind sets. Veteran skaters don’t often want to be told to practice a skill over and over that they feel they’ve mastered. My suggestion, if you are that veteran skater, is to challenge yourself. If you’re sick of snow plows, try to do them faster or vary the size of your plow. By changing up your skillset you add to your toolbox and become an even fiercer skater.

The key to overcoming this issue is to try to push through the feeling and acknowledge WHY you think the drill is dumb. Take a moment to reset your thinking. How are my actions and words being perceived? How does this affect MY skating? Am I a better skater for acting this way? How does this affect my teammates or new skaters?

You take away as much from practice as you put into it. Be the positive force in the air. I have a habit of diffusing my teammates’ issues of “I can’t do this!!!” sentiment by telling them “Yet.” It doesn’t mean you never will, or that you should give up because you’re not perfect. You have potential. Tap into it, keep skating, and level up.

Happy Skating!

Bitter Sweets <3

 

 Practice, practice, practice. Listen, Learn, Do.

Zebra Cakes and Other Nuances

“That was a bad call.”

You can not go to a scrimmage or a bout without hearing those words come out of someone’s mouth.

Today I would like to talk about why I feel every derby skater should ref at least once. Just once. (More would be better.) On the soap box today. /cough

Refs are not punching bags. They work really hard to learn rules, learn to skate, breathe with a whistle in their mouth without making noise (DO NOT SNEEZE). They get very little recognition, yet are on their feet the most during the bout.

I know at times people feel the refs are biased. “Why aren’t they giving penalties to the other team?” “Why are they picking on me?” I promise you that this is not the case. Refs can only call what they see.

Even with the freshest of eyes the refs are looking at 20 skates, 20 hands, 20 forearms, and 20 elbows (assuming full pack). This doesn’t even cover things like shoulders into face, railroading, out of bounds, out of play, the list goes on. The refs are not looking at you. They are looking with soft eyes for illegal maneuvers. I don’t look at certain people because they are notorious for elbowing others. I look at the elbow and see who it’s attached to—it might be you…again.

To fully understand what a ref sees, or doesn’t see, you should really check it out for yourself. You’re not looking for your favorite skaters; you’re not watching your favorite team. You’re looking at 10 different skaters all doing their own thing, and trying to make sure everything is executed in a proper manner. I’m sorry I did not see Skater A touch Opposing Skater B—my eyes were at the back of the pack (several feet away) for that millisecond.

Penalties happen in a split second. I’m not saying that you can get away with penalties, or that you should try to get away with them. I’m also not justifying a blatant no call for an elbow to the face. I just want there to be some understanding. I’m not picking on you or your team. I’m not blatantly shrugging off penalties by certain players. I only call what I see (No, I’m not blind).

It's not fun to feel like this after a scrimmage/bout:

(Photo from weebls-stuff Kenya Believe It video. Totally hilarious.)

As Trixie Horror once said, if you’re upset about a penalty that you don’t think you should have gotten, just remember all those other times you SHOULD have gotten a penalty and didn’t.

 

If you have some suggestions about how to make it better, that’s awesome! I would implore you to make sure you’ve thought about them rationally—not in a penalty-induced rage. Think about the logistics of reffing, and how hard it actually is. If you think you can do lots to better the ref crew, strap on your skates and put those stripes on!

Until such time though, I strongly urge you to try it just once to see what it’s like. Or even if you’re not on the ref crew—watch a scrimmage as if you were a ref. It’s not about picking on certain players or favoring teams, it’s about reffing a fluid and consistent bout from start to finish.

Put on zee stripes. Enjoy the zebra jokes. Appreciate the zeebs. Come at the game with a different perspective. Hell…it might even make you a better skater.

Stripey-Stripes and Happy Skating!

Bitter Sweets <3

 Looking all official and stuff. I point at people sometimes.

(Photo by Kate Wood Raclin)

Drama Llama

I thought a lot about how I wanted to start this particular blog. I wrote a bunch of stuff and erased it. It all felt too stuffy. Here’s the deal: you joined a league, there’s a lot of people, a lot of personalities—there’s going to be drama.

Some people are drama queens; we know this. But then there’s the worst kind of drama. Drama within your own posse. Even worse—unintentional drama within your own posse (Yes, posse. I know it’s no longer 1996, thank you).

Unintentional drama creates the worst rifts. If it was drama for the sake of drama it can almost be brushed off. “OMG _____ is such a drama queen. WHATEVER.” Moving on. But, you can’t do that with unintentional drama. Someone said or did something over there that offended someone else without meaning to. *Insert drama

Nobody really knows how to deal with this drama. It stays on the down low until it explodes into a fiery wave of doom. Everyone is on the defensive side, and someone else is always to blame.

THIS ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING.

Everyone suffers as a consequence. Headstrong players appear stubborn and mean. Quiet players seem inconsolable. The drama continues to spin.

Recognize different personalities. Some people are sensitive, quiet, and reserved. Others are loquacious, opinionated, and have strong personalities. None of these traits are negative qualities; they just butt heads sometimes (making people buttheads---see what I did there?).

By being a bit more sensitive toward other people, you’ll pick up on emotions and tension quicker than someone with the “What the F ever” attitude. Nip the problem quickly before it creates a gap between a larger group of skaters, which could cause even bigger problems for the longevity and reputation of your league. Plus, no one wants their team to be associated with unnecessary drama.

Be a tad sensitive.

Understand that someone else will perceive situations differently than you.

Know that your actions and words have consequences.

Don’t be the drama llama.

Work quickly to shut down the drama before it creates larger issues.

Resolve the issue. Apologize for any misunderstandings—even if your words were misconstrued. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean for X to sound like Y.” (Damn those Ys!!!)

Most of all: appreciate your teammates, your leaguemates, your coaches, your NSOs, your refs. Without them there would be no derby. They all work so the derbies can happen. That means YOU get to play. So shut down the drama, turn left, work hard.

Happy Skating!

Bitter Sweets <3

 Much like this wheel bruise, the Drama Llama leaves its mark.

You'll forget the pain until it *subtly* reminds you occasionally.

How long will it last this time?

(Photo by me. Ouchies, my thigh.)

So, You Popped Your Bout Cherry...

Post-First Bout Evaluation

OMG! You finished your first bout! You can’t believe it! Wasn’t it half-time before you knew it? Then all of a sudden it was over. Your very first bout EVER. How do you feel?

If you’re like me, you play on a rookie or “B” team. I almost feel lucky in this regard. I get more play time, and I don’t feel like I have to compete with vets that have played for years for a spot on the roster.

However, some of you are awesome enough to have amazing skills and take that A team slot that’s open! Rock Star! I hope you got a lot of awesome game time in!

Now that it’s over though, you definitely will be thinking about it. A lot.

Directly after the bout advice:

Don’t think too hard about what happened. Your mind is completely overloaded right now. You’re running off of pure adrenaline and instinct. Your emotions will be high, even if they don’t show on your face. Beating yourself up about mistakes you made, calls the refs made, your coach not putting you in, etc. will not help you get the most out of your bout day.

Don’t ruin this for yourself!

Take that derby high that you had during the game and reflect upon that. How spectacular was it to play in an actual jam? Score those points? Make that blocking wall?

How many people have DREAMED to be in your skates at that point, but are too afraid to do it? You rock! You’re really an official derby skater now! ATHLETE!

You had your derby kin rooting for you, skating with you, skating against you. You’re on their level! You are! Let it sink in a moment. *breathe* You did this! ANNNNNDD…You’re going to do it again!

So, take a moment. Be happy, enjoy what just happened, even if your team lost. Even if they lost by a sh*t ton (totally a measurable quantity). Even if you got penalties, made mistakes, sat on the bench forever waiting to be put in. Don’t dwell on that crap now. ‘Cause right now, it doesn’t matter. What matters most right now is your accomplishment. Achievement unlocked. First bout under your belt.

GO CELEBRATE! My first bout ended with semi-blizzard conditions and poop-tastic roads. I wanted to go home.  Someone reminded me—this is your first bout. There are many like it, but this one is yours (anyone see what I did there?). Anyways, it really is something to be proud of. Go to the after party and keep that derby high going for a little while longer, reflect on all the ifs, ands, or buts tomorrow. In bed. With pizza. Because you’re body isn’t going to want to do anything else unless it involved a bubble bath. So, party your little heart out tonight. You definitely deserve it after ALL your hard work!

                 

Congratulations and Happy Skating!!!

Bitter Sweets <3

 Bout Day Warm-Up! Part of my rookie team Gang Green.

Have fun, wear tutus, and hit some b*tches!

(Photo by Kate Wood Raclin)