THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK DERBY ASSOCIATION (WFTDA) ISSUE 10, WINTER 2010
fiveonfivemag.com
www.riedellskates.com www.facebook.com/riedellroller
fiveonfive contents 30-31
4-5 advice
ask dahmernatrix and suzy hotrod!
WFTDA Missed the Big 5? Tournament talk is here!
6-9 business mission statements tips for making a great league website
10-15
health and fitness understanding soft tissue injuries concussion testing derby after 50
40-43
16-23 games and coaching
derby fashion Beyond boutfits – crushing combos for your closet!
24-27 gear which wheels are best comparing mouthguards
34 JRDA two leagues – one vision
Danny “Jay Pegg” Bourne, dannybourne.com
2010 WFTDA championship recap team building
46 75th anniversary of derby
36-39 rookie
Old School and New School meet to celebrate in style.
48-49 international derby 54-56 art and media 57 classifieds 60 horoscopes
A.J. Epstein
fresh meat announcing and audio issues
health and fitness
derby after 50 H OT F L A S H , T I LT E D T H U N D E R R A I L B I R D S
My name is Hot Flash. I am 54 years old and have been skating with Tilted Thunder Rail Birds in Seattle, Washington and am starting a recreational derby league in Seattle called Seattle Roller Derby. Hopefully this will be a good way for people to learn and get some extra track time in addition to the awesome PFM Roller Derby Practice Squad here. I decided that I wanted to play roller derby after I saw a bout and realized that it was my last chance to do a full body contact sport in this lifetime. A lot of people ask me if I feel out of place with all of the younger skaters. Not at all. In fact I feel like I can be an inspiration to them. If I can continue to improve at my age, which I think I am, then they can too. Age can’t be an excuse for anyone when I’m around. The Joe Grasso
mental aspect is everything; this took me quite a while to figure out. I plan on skating as long as I can. I am on a mission to be the oldest skater in modern competitive derby. I admire the old school folks who are out there in their sixties – I hope I can do that too.
rough time in my life and I was just trying to get “something” out
The way I look at it is all I need to do is out last anyone out there!
of it but that something was not very clear to me. Now I am skating
So far so good. For some reason my endurance seems to be
with the Tilted Thunder Rail Birds; Seattle’s banked track league.
increasing, rather than decreasing. I think that in tandem with
The experience is pretty warm and fuzzy in comparison and I realize
working on my basic skills, I’m learning how to use my head,
that I have something to offer as a person, not just being around as
which really was missing before.
someone’s mom. I may not ever be the fastest or the strongest but
Before I started skating I woke up with aches and pains and
I can work toward being my best and I can definitely help the fastest
thought, “Oh, THIS is what it feels like to feel middle aged.” Now
and the strongest on my team be their best. Now I have a purpose
that I’m skating I have new aches and pains from injuries, but the
and that is to live my life fully each day with no regrets. I wan t to
difference is they heal. The old aches and pains have gone away,
inspire others to do things that they never thought they could do
so the benefit of skating far outweighs the risk of injury. When I first
before and I’m here to help others navigate in this cuckoo world.
started to skate I wondered if I was insane each time I fell and got
This is the one shot we have and I very clearly see that it is a very
hurt. I was 48 at the time. Then I started noticing 20-somethings
small window of opportunity to make a difference for each other.
complaining of injuries. A light went off in my head and I realized it
My advice for younger skaters: DON’T SMOKE, work out and
is NOT about getting old, it is about getting hurt. And injuries heal,
exercise. Take care of your body. From age 30-50 I ran about 15-20
so realizing this helped me be able to throw myself into the sport.
miles a week even when I didn’t want to. I ran uphill and ran in the
When I first started skating I was on auto pilot. I was with Rat City
rain. I knew that at that time I was making the decision to have a
Rollergirls and skating with my daughter, Miss Fortune. I realize now
vital life in my older years. And don’t judge other people; remember
that what was missing for me on that league was intention. In
that everyone is trying their best and no one wants to be an asshole.
hindsight what I wanted to do then was something cool with my
Help each other, lend a shoulder and a hand, be a good sport. Let
daughter, and also be involved in a full body contact sport while still
go of the small stuff which sounds like a cliché but it is very true.
possible. Looking back, my main goal was to skate with Miss
Lastly, go easy on yourself. Do your best and give yourself a break
Fortune, so I was never very clear on my “place” in the league. I
if you aren’t on top of your game. Just let it be, accept it and it
wondered if people were just tolerating me because I was her mom,
will pass, whatever it is. This is it. This is all we’ve got so let’s
and I never knew if I fit in, and I wasn’t thriving. It was also a very
make the best of it!
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Pumped-Up Twice Baked Potatoes with Soup and Salad Catholic Cruel Girl, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
ingredients: 4 large baking potatoes 1 large or 2 medium celery root; peeled and cubed 1 large or 2 medium leeks; white parts only, finely diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 8 oz tub Crème Fraiche 1 package organic shredded cheddar cheese 2-4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons canola oil 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Wash potatoes and using a fork, poke holes into potatoes. While oven is pre-heating, prepare leeks and garlic (I use a food processor for this). Set aside. Once oven reaches 450 degrees place potatoes on oven racks and set timer for 60 minutes. Fill a large stockpot with water and turn burner on high, add 2 pinches of salt. Cut off ends of celery root and peel with potato peeler, chop into medium-sized wedges. Once water is at a boil add celery root. Boil until soft when a fork is inserted, then drain. Set aside. In a medium saucepan heat canola oil over medium heat. Add leek/garlic mixture and sauté over low heat stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until mixture is soft and somewhat translucent. Set aside. Place pine nuts in an ovenproof dish and bake in oven for a few minutes (until lightly browned), shaking frequently. Keep your eyes on them as they can burn quickly! photo: Jean Schwarzwalder food stylist: Leitha Matz When potatoes are done baking, remove from oven and let cool until they can be handled (about 15 minutes). Once cooled, cut in half and scoop out inside, leaving the skin intact. In a large bowl combine butter, crème fraiche (you don‘t need the entire tub, judge for yourself), potatoes and celery root. Using an electric mixer stir together until thoroughly combined. Add leek/garlic mixture and continue to stir until incorporated to potato/celery root mixture. Stir in as much cheese as you like, saving some for a light sprinkling on top. Scoop out mixture and put back into potato skins. Don’t hold back, pile it on! At this point you can refrigerate for up to two days and reheat or put back in oven until reheated. When finished top with some shredded cheese and pine nuts. Serve with your favorite canned soup (I recommend Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque) and pre-made, mixed greens salad topped with dressing of choice.
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jrda
beyond the skates: two leagues – one vision B E T T Y F O R D G A L A X Y, S E AT T L E D E R B Y B R AT S
Beyond the skates, fishnets, whips, hits and fouls, the next characteristic closely associated with derby is the sisterhood. I have experienced both a real and a misconceived sense of sisterhood through roller derby. For the most part, anywhere you go in your travels there is a league who will probably gladly welcome a fellow sister to a practice, if not to their home; or at the very least, make appropriate recommendations for a lone derby girl in a strange town. But what happens when there is a new league in your own backyard? Or your own league splits? Where is the sisterhood then? I have seen examples where the split leagues may help each other, however minimally, but there are also cities where the bitterness is so deep the leagues become arch rivals and will not even play each other. How is tha t for sisterhood? And in relation to Junior Roller Derby, how is that a good example of what derby is? I, personally, have had two leagues covertly branch off my Seattle Derby Brats and I have often wondered how it might have been different had either just asked for help. I have written articles on how to start your own junior derby and have answered literally a ton of emails about this subject in the past five years. I have always
thought if we could spend more time working together to help new leagues form or split leagues strengthen, that both leagues would benefit more as opposed to the fear of fan and skater loss. It wasn’t until this summer I was offered an opportunity to do just that. Sally Von Trample, one of the founders of Tilted Thunder Rail Birds – Seattle’s up-and-coming banked track lea gue, emailed me that her league was full and it was time to expand with a junior division. And would I, as founder of the Seattle Derby Brats, be willing to meet and talk about that and offer assistance or direction. I have been a long time friend of Sally, a fan of what she had done with her banked track venture and also guest-coached her league several times. I had a good idea of what this league was about, so would I be willing? Of course, I would love to help. I have seen a good example of the Rat City Rollergirls renting practice space to Tilted Thunder while they searched for a warehouse and their track is being built. A few Rat City skaters pop in with Tilted Thunder from time to time to guest coach. I thought I could follow their example, but perhaps take it to the next level.
Joe Schwartz / JoeRollerfan.com
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Joe Schwartz / JoeRollerfan.com
And so help I did. Prior to our first meeting, I emailed Sally well over a hundred pages of documents offering examples on everything from legal issues to consider to dress codes to positive coaching skills. We arranged to meet at a coffee shop and Sally brought along Tomato Tornado, a Tilted Thunder skater on a break from skating who is interested in coaching their junior league. Tomato had no kids and had never been a coach, just like me when I started. I instantly felt a kinship and decided I wanted to do whatever I could to help them. Tomato was invited to all of our junior travel team practices until the end of the season to have her observe, help out and learn. It has been wonderful having her at practice. She caught on and stepped up. I feel confident she will be a very loving and caring yet stern junior coach. I helped them with information and examples on their league structure, policies, procedures, coaching strategy and even drills as there is no reason for them to go in blind when there is a system and model that works and may simply need to be modified for their own vision of a junior league. Through this cooperation, in looking at bigger pictures, best practices and ideal experience, we decid ed to cross train our teams: the SDB travel team, the Galaxy Girls, will skate and train on the
banked track and the Tilted Thunder Rail Peeps will skate and train on the flat track. The Peep season will parallel the Galaxy Girls to maximize opportunity. This allows both leagues a complete derby experience, a broader skill set, more opportunity to bout and compete, and also the experience of positive cooperation in derby with their sisters. The Seattle Derby Brats turned away almost twenty skaters last season who tried out and even though we are adding two more teams next season, I believe there are enough girls in our area to support another junior derby league, and we are thrilled at the idea of having such a rich conglomeration of junior skaters in the Pacific Northwest. There will be cross over: Brats becoming Peeps and one day, maybe Peeps focusing on the flat track as Brats. We will miss the Brats that go, but also we are excited to encourage them Joe Schwartz / JoeRollerfan.com to follow their passion and go where their heart takes them with confidence and without apology because that is derby in its purest form: strength in individualized passion. Both the Seattle Derby Brats and Tilted Thunder Rail Peeps are super excited for our 2011 seasons and to see where this spirit of cooperation, friendship and sisterhood will take us in our fresh, new, combined junior roller derby adventure.
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