WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY MAGAZINE ISSUE 24, SUMMER 2014
proud partner of the WFTDA
fiveonfivemag.com
fiveonfive contents 34-35
4-5 advice
ask ms d’fiant and suzy hotrod!
WFTDA
6-7 business
Lois Slain explores changes to the rankings system and WFTDA’s plans to improve its results, which will be an ongoing project.
getting involved in the community
ankle rehab rocker and balance boards sports bra review
18-23 games and coaching
Jules Doyle
8-14 health and fitness
42-45 navigating RollerCon
coaching and communicating order of operations: going stopless
The mother of RollerCon, Ivanna S. Pankin, provides tips and tricks for making the most of your experience.
26-29 gear plate research water bottles
36-37 junior derby
54-59
aging up
roller derby fashion
38-39 rookie
Since the early days of the roller derby resurgence, fashion has been an important aspect. Check out the fashion trends that have helped shape our culture.
tryouts: conquering nerves and getting ahead
Gregory Baxley
50-53 international derby 54-61 art and media
health and fitness
Springtime Rice Noodle Bowl Catholic Cruel Girl, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls photo by Jean Schwarzwalder
Spicy, sweet and tangy – this noodle bowl is inspired by the plethora of Vietnamese restaurants on South Federal in Denver. Using seasonal ingredients makes this dish economical and filled with beautiful color. Makes approximately 4 servings. It is important to keep all ingredients in separate bowls after you prep them. That way you can decide on your proportions. If making ahead, store in separate containers in the refrigerator. This recipe is really easy and so delicious you will crave it all summer long. Truth. dressing 2 Cups cilantro, minced ½ Cup rice wine vinegar 4 limes, juiced 4 Tablespoons olive oil 2 Tablespoons minced garlic (approx. 6 large cloves) 2 Tablespoons hot chile sauce 2 Tablespoons Honey
In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice. Whisk vigorously with a fork. Add honey and hot chile sauce. Whisk again. Add cilantro and garlic and stir. Set aside.
rice noodle bowl 1 8 oz package thin Asian rice noodles 1 bunch radishes (approximately 6-7 medium size) 3 medium carrots 4 scallions 2 Cups sugar snap peas 2 Cups peanuts 1 bunch fresh spring greens 1. Remove radish greens. Trim off ends. Wash. Cut in half and slice thinly. Set aside in a small bowl. 2. Wash sugar snap peas. Trim ends. Slice into ¼ pieces. Set aside in a small bowl. 3. Peel carrots. Trim ends. Using a box grater, grate on largest setting. Set aside in a small bowl. 4. Wash scallions. Trim ends. Slice paper thin. Set aside in a small bowl. 5. Roughly chop peanuts. Set aside in a small bowl. 6. Wash spring greens. Set aside in a small bowl. 7. Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add rice noodles. Cook for 4-5 minutes. NO LONGER. Drain into a colander and rinse repeatedly with cold water. To assemble the bowls: In a large bowl place desired amount of greens. Add some noodles. Spoon on some radishes, carrots and snap peas. Sprinkle on a little bit of scallions. Top with chopped peanuts. Lightly drizzle dressing over noodle bowl. Ingredients should keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. *Note: If not eating immediately store the noodles, radishes and carrots in separate containers covered with water.
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games and coaching
order of operations: going stopless SHOCKER KHAN, RAGE CITY ROLLERGIRLS
How many of you have lost a toe stop when playing in a jam? Did you continue to skate or did you fall over and over again? Did you continue to block or jam like nothing was wrong or did you crawl off the track and call for a wrench? I remember once watching a jammer stop skating in order to replace a toe stop that fell out instead of waiting until the jam was over, and I firmly believe this was because that specific jammer had not practiced without toe stops enough to be able to mentally flip a switch to finish the jam without that toe stop. learning to love When learning how to skate, many skaters despise their toe stops. Skaters end up tripping over them or hit them on the ground while crossing over, which can be disconcerting. When skaters (usually freshies) complain to me that their toe stops are too low due to these issues, I am 99.9% certain the skater is not crossing over correctly or has issues with their stride. If a skater is pushing straight out instead of back, they will have a hard time hitting their toe stop on the track. Once skaters have learned how to skate with low toe stops, they often end up loving them. Running on them becomes super easy and turn-around-toe-stops become second nature. toe stop junkies Just like wheels, bearings, and laces, toe stops are tools that help us skate. However, unlike wheels and bearings (and to a lesser extent – laces), toe stops are not required to be able to skate proficiently. Yes, toe stops make certain skills easier to accomplish, but a skater can sprint, stop, turn, and jump without toe stops. Many skaters began skating without using their toe stops but became reliant on them after prolonged use. Think about it... many roller derby skills don’t use toe stops (plow stops, duck walk, transitions, hockey stops), yet skaters react like junkies desperate for their fix when a toe stop happens to pop out during a jam.
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six stop process Just like any other addiction, the first step to overcoming it is admitting you have a problem. Fortunately for Toe Stop Addicts, there are only 6 steps (stops) to our recovery: 1) Admit you have a Toe Stop Addiction 2) Seek help from a higher power (coach/trainer/YouTube) 3) Practice 4) Practice 5) Practice 6) Put steps in place to ensure you continue to occasionally practice without toe stops. As with any issue, admitting there is a problem is the first step. Without admitting it to yourself and/or others, humans tend to ignore the issue and will find workarounds because, in many cases, that’s easier than actually addressing and working on ways to correct the problem. Step 2 is much easier than the first step, especially if you have any former hockey players/coaches on your league. Hockey skates don’t have “toe picks” like figure skates do; therefore, Hockey skaters skate without toe stops/picks much easier than having huge pieces of urethane a few centimeters off the ground in front of them. If you don’t have someone locally to act as your “sponsor,” YouTube and other online resources may be able to help you out. Practice is step 3, 4, and 5 because I believe you should practice without toe stops at least three times a season/year in order to remain proficient and be able to have that switch in your head to go from skating with, to skating without toe stops.
Jules Doyle
sample stopless practice Since many skaters rarely (if not ever) intentionally practice without their toe stops, it’s up to the coaches to plan stopless practices into their agenda. Here is a sample stopless practice routine to use, modify, or build upon: warm up • Have skaters line up at one end of the room, side by side. On the whistle, skaters head towards the opposite end of the space while performing one of the following skills. Depending on the length of your practice space, either have skaters change skills on each pass or after returning to the starting point: • Knee Touches • Double Knee Slides (one knee at a time!) • Jammer Starts (duck walk/running on toe stops/heel-toe) drills (all performed on the track) • Skaters spread out on the track. On a single whistle, skaters come to a complete stop (plow stop or hockey stop, depending on their skill level). On a double whistle, skaters sprint to return to pack speed. • Still spread out on the track, skaters perform a plow stop on the whistle, then grapevine right and left before returning to skate at pack speed. • Once skaters are comfortable performing this drill, have them partner up. One partner will be the jammer, who performs the same footwork as the previous drill, but now
they will have a blocker in front of them (their partner serves as opposing blocker) and will use the grapevines as a form of juking to get around the blocker. • Creepy Octopus (see Issue 22 for more detailed explanation of this drill) • Skater performs a transition around partner in the direction of the partner, chest wraps around the partner’s shoulder as if suction cupping themselves to the skater, then transitions the rest of the way to face forward in front of the skater just passed. The skater performing this move should be pushing off their partner with their shoulder to help them turn back to face forward and can end up hitting their partner in the chest with their shoulder as they turn (a bit more advanced move, just focus on turning first). A couple of pointers from a coach’s perspective... • Everyone is going to fall at least once, including you (if you are on-skates), so it’s nice to remind them of that beforehand so they don’t get too upset. • Keep drills fairly easy when having skaters go stopless for the first time, even if they are intermediate/ advanced skaters, until they feel comfortable (or at least stop falling every few minutes). • If you get resistance from skaters, point out that toe stops can fall out, break apart, or pop off the stem during a jam and the skater needs to be able to quickly adapt and remain on the track or else they would be letting down their team.
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