WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY MAGAZINE ISSUE 27, SPRING 2015
proud partner of the WFTDA
fiveonfivemag.com
fiveonfive contents 34-37
4-5 advice ask ms d’fiant and suzy hotrod!
WFTDA As WFTDA turns ten, five of our pioneers reminisce about the early days and what it took to get started.
6-9 business social media the making of a roller derby league
10-16
health and fitness skin care product review agility ladders
46-49
18-22 games and coaching
Fast Girl Skates
strategy contested jam order of operations: control thyself
As derbyland’s first brick and mortar store, Fast Girl Skates continues to provide skaters with custom skates and unparalleled support and eduction.
26-31 38-40
junior derby coaching junior derby saved my skate
Gregory Baxley
gear knee gaskets wheel review
54-57 2014 World Cup
42-45 rookie
Team USA comes out on top of the World Cup again, but teams from other countries are gaining ground.
training true beginners to skate juking the hurdles
Dave Wood Photography
54-57 international derby 60-63 art and media
editor miss jane redrum fort wayne derby girls copy editor and content manager vera n. sayne rocky mountain rollergirls art director assaultin’ pepa rocky mountain rollergirls
from the editor Welcome to the 27th issue of fiveonfive!
It is hard to believe that WFTDA turns ten this year. It simultaneously seems like yesterday and a million years ago that I attended my first WFTDAcon in
contributing writers ms d’fiant angel city derby girls
New Orleans (May 2007). From my very first annual meeting, I was hooked
suzy hotrod gotham girls roller derby
of serving on its board of directors for several years (2008-2011), at a time
culta skaro boston derby dames sarge cajun roller girls triple shot misto rocky mountain rollergirls
and knew that WFTDA was going to be a big part of my life. I had the honor when major change was in the air. During my board term, we held weekly conference calls, many of which lasted several hours. We hired our first paid employees (executive director and insurance administrator); drafted and approved the first transgender policy; oversaw two major rule set revisions; became our own insurers; laid the groundwork for WFTDA.tv; revamped the
catholic cruel girl rocky mountain rollergirls
tournament/division structure; and formed the apprentice league program.
sweet mary pain rocky mountain rollergirls
It was exhilarating and exhausting to be a part of such monumental changes,
old xchool north coast roller derby shocker khan rage city rollergirls phantom menace rocky mountain rollergirls ivanna s pankin socal derby shelly shankya ict rollergirls kace o. damondaze steel city roller derby love hurricane south side derby dames
and I am so proud of the work that we did. Working alongside the pioneering women of WFTDA was a privilege that I hold dear to my heart. It truly enriched my life, and I’ll never forget the mentorship I received from a special few who influenced me more than they know: Hydra, Crackerjack, The Ruffian, Siouxsicide Bomb, Loco Chanel, Mercyless, Ivanna S. Pankin, Bloody Mary, Lorna Boom, and of course, Assaultin’ Pepa. My life is richer because of the time I spent working alongside them and many more improving WFTDA and building a better roller derby community. As they say, we’ve come a long way baby. I can’t wait to see what unfolds for WFTDA in the next ten years. For more insight into the evolution of WFTDA, check out the article on pages
gregory baxley
34-37, where you’ll hear from some of the pioneers of women’s flat track
dave wood rocky mountain rollergirls
roller derby.
justin lascelle lebron shames chicago bruise brothers cover photo Masonite Burn Photography fiveonfive magazine info@fiveonfivemag.com facebook.com/fiveonfive fiveonfivemag.com
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the contributing writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of fiveonfive magazine.
Just like the WFTDA, it takes a team of folks to help us pull off each issue. We couldn’t do what we do without your support and input. We want you to be a part of our team, so let us hear from you. Is there a topic you want us to cover? Do you want to become a contributing writer? Email us at content@fiveonfivemag.com. Miss Jane Redrum Fort Wayne Derby Girls Fort Wayne, IN editor@fiveonfivemag.com
contributors
Many thanks to our contributors who come from all over the roller derby community and share their knowledge based on their countless hours of dedication to this sport! Check out additional contributors at fiveonfivemag.com.
Culta Skaro
Chuck Fong
Culta Skaro began skating in 2012 with State College Area Roller Derby in Pennsylvania, where she worked for an international media company and contributed to several of their social media platforms. In the fall of 2014, she moved to the Boston area and began skating with the Boston Derby Dames, and continues to spend more time on Tumblr than a reasonable human being should.
Sarge Sarge (John Culhane, Cajun Roller Girls) is a transplanted Yankee, finally settling in Cajun Country (Houma, LA). He has been actively involved in derby since 2008 either as a fan or ref. Starting as a derby referee at the age of 50 proved the saying, “you are never too old to start something new.” Sarge is semi-retired as a ref, with the thought of return always on his mind. Never say never. He continues to be one of CRG’s biggest fans, always looking forward to that next game.
Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.Esign
Dave Wood Dave Wood aka daveInci wears the “A” for the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls 5280 Fight Club. He is also a roller derby photographer, writer, ref, player (sort of), and organizer of the RollerCon East/West All-Star game. In other words, he’s a roller derby nerd.
Gregory Baxley Gregory Baxley is a photographer, collaborator, and derby-enthusiast living in Seattle. For over four years he has supported the local Northwest derby community in many promotional facets, regularly contributing to roller derby blogs and publications, and leading the Firing Squad, an artistic syndicate who have created an array of derby fashion photography, skate advertising campaigns and other derby-related projects.
Shocker Khan
David Bedard
Shocker Khan began skating roller derby seven years ago after only skating a handful of times as a child. Shocker now skates for the Boom Town Derby Dames, leads beginner-intermediate boot camps and gear workshops, writes the popular gear blog “Shocker Khan’s G Spot,” and owns 2N1 Skate Shoppe.
Suzy Hotrod
Ms D’Fiant
Gotham Girls Roller Derby New York, NY
Angel City Derby Girls Los Angeles, CA
dear blocker and jammer, Any suggestions on how to lead a practice for all skill level skaters (from newbies to vets)?
dear TT, I find most leagues that I’ve taught boot camps for have a wide skill range, from very experienced to skaters who have barely passed minimum skills requirements. When teaching individual skills, I find that newer skaters do just fine in individual skills and so do even more advanced skills if they can take their time and have enough space to practice the skill. I always encourage newer skaters to use the outside of the track so they can go at their own pace. I focus on explaining every element of a skill in the most broken down way. I remind veteran skaters that they will be teaching new skaters to do these skills so they can learn new ways to teach the skill too. You can immediately see when a skater is very new, I take the time to give them a modified version of the drill if I can on the spot. If you are regularly prepping agendas for a wide skills range, it is important to have a second coach with you to specifically work with the newer skaters and give them modified drills as needed so the pace of the training can remain fast and as advanced as possible for the higher end of the group. When doing group blocking drills it’s important that the groups have a mix of all level of players. There can only be one or a few coaches at every practice so it’s important that at practices newer skaters can get localized "mini" coaching from a more experienced league mate in their blocking wall. I would not group new skaters with just new skaters. Also I find all new skaters can’t really do the drill correctly and are more likely to trip up and fall all over the place when clumped together. In a wide variety of skills league or team, it’s crucial to focus on group blocking skills for even coverage on the track. New skaters need to stay smart and positional, and they tend to jump fast or fall for a jammer’s footwork tricks and it opens up holes in walls. So I would focus on strong wall formations for the group. Another good thing to focus on for a diverse skill group is learning where to go and when in the pack once a jammer is out of the pack. Where to go if your jammer is out, if their jammer is out; if your jammer is out and there’s very little lead time to score; if your jammer is out and there’s lots of time to score. Getting a whole team on the same page mentally and then also physically getting them to that place once they know where they’re supposed to be in theory! Also everyone can benefit from practicing their plow and hockey stops no matter how new or old a skater is. The classics never get old.
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-TINA TRAINER
dear TT, As with any practice, it’s necessary to keep all skaters engaged. It can be pretty difficult when the skill level is varied in one practice. Here are a few tips to keep everyone moving. First, make sure there are enough trainers on hand and that you plan the practice well in advance. If you have to recruit and train so you have enough hands on deck, do it. If it’s difficult to find volunteers, so try looking outside your normal circle. Alumni and retired skaters might be willing to help if their schedule is not too intense and they don’t have to plan the practice. Also, there are plenty of fitness professionals that could run off-skates endurance sessions. Once you have enough people to run practice, see if you can off set practices a little. Bring in one skill level of skaters earlier and the next level of skaters in later. This, of course, will depend on venue availability. But if possible, it can be a good way to get a little bit of separation. Also, this will allow any experienced trainers to run practice for the newbs and still have time to train at the harder level. Then, think of how to maximize training for the skater levels. Different level skaters can benefit from different types of workout intensity before or after scrimmaging. For example, experienced skaters should probably have an off-skates workout before getting on skates. This will tire them out and challenge them more when they are on skates. Newer skaters will benefit from having their on-skates time first, since they’re still learning the technique behind these skills they probably shouldn’t be experiencing muscle failure or fatigue at the same time. Off-setting the skill time should free up trainers. Here’s an example of how this can work: • first hour – Newbie warm up and skating skills • second hour – Newbie skills/beginner scrimmage, Veterans work-out • third hour – Newbie workout, Veteran skills • Fourth hour – Veteran scrimmage If you bring in a professional trainer for the workouts, it can lighten the load on your trainers. Also, it can be a great exercise to have the newbies watch and analyze when the vets scrimmage. It’s even better if you can bring in alumni, injured or retired skaters to discuss the rules and finer strategy points of the game. It’s also fun to mix it up and have the vets do some skills work with the newbies at times, keeping it fresh and interesting for everyone.
We are a very small league and our talent pool is limited. We have several skaters on our all star team who complain if they don’t get enough playtime for any given game. They believe that everyone should play an equal amount. Do you think that all skaters should play equally or our best skaters should play more? -IVANNA WIN
Holly Clark Photography
dear blocker and jammer,
dear IW, I do not believe that all skaters should play equally. I think that blocking lineups can represent a team as a whole and should have a range of experienced skaters in them, but, yeah, no way in hell should a team play evenly. Now, it is also important that your team is aligned in its goals. If you do not believe in equal play time, it is important to be communicative and make sure the team has an equal understanding that you will be focused on competitive play and basing game play on skill level to produce a win. One challenge is that non leadership skaters always have their own opinions of alternative ways to get the win. I find this can sometimes be an issue of unrealistic self perception. A skater needs to be able to see how they stack up against their own teammates with realistic self perception and be on the same page as the team’s leadership as to where they are on the team. Conversely, it’s important for leadership to not stereotype their skaters. Skaters who have worked hard and have improved their skill level should be rewarded with play time, and everyone deserves a chance to prove their improvement and not be written off or pigeon holed. On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes a skater works really hard but their skills have not notably improved; it’s not easy to get more play time. Every skater’s improvement trajectory is different too. Playing uneven game time means you must, as a leader, give lesser played skaters feedback to help them focus on areas to improve. Then you have to address what happens when that skater works really hard and gets better but still isn’t as good as someone else. It’s not easy being the boss! Be as honest as possible with skaters, and don’t give them fluff; give them truth. It helps to have in-person talks because people spend a lot of time writing emails, and those that read them spend even more time analyzing every word of them and getting upset over typed words. On teams I’ve captained, we’ve pooled feedback together from the captains and bench coaches, and also we’ve tried doing a survey where each skater shares anonymous feedback to their teammates for strength and areas of improvement. There’s a lot of different ways to win games, and I think at the root of it all is good communication and teamwork, coupled with the most skilled skating you can give to your team.
dear IW, This question goes back to the beginning of roller derby, if not to the beginning of team sports all together. The question of whether or not to play your best players more while benching the second string or to play everyone equally. My best suggestion is that there is no single answer and this is something that only your league can decide together. Call one of those dreaded league meetings because this is a time when it’s necessary to get everyone on the same page. Yes, vote it out if you have to. Does your league want to be competitive and win every game possible or do you want to be a recreational program and win the after party? Not that the lines are drawn that clearly, but look at your league mission statement. Is your mission clear? With permission, I’ll share the Angel City Mission Statement. ACDG is a group of dedicated female athletes who have formed a grassroots, democratic, skater-owned and skater-operated Flat Track Roller Derby League in Los Angeles, CA. We are a WFTDA member league that competes on local and international levels. League members empower and inspire each other as highly skilled athletes and dependable women in the community. ACDG always welcomes newcomers and aspires to build one of the strongest, most highly competitive roller derby teams the West Coast has to offer. In 2009, when battling this question, we called this very league meeting and decided right then and there that we wanted a competitive league. This would mean that the best skaters play. The travel team signed a coaching agreement supporting this decision. Non-sanctioned games could be less about winning. Or so we thought! What we found when we created the other teams is they were just as competitive as the travel team. This is not a one-size-fit-all situation, however. Some leagues are in it for fun and community, which is a damned respectable mission to have in roller derby. I’m very tempted to recommend a compromise (where some games are competitive and some aren’t) but honestly, that may not work if your league develops an intense training program. Athletes get pretty serious and will want to use every game as a training opportunity. Be prepared that choosing a definite mission in this sense will result in hurt feelings and possibly the loss of membership. I can almost guarantee it will result in losing a few people. But it’s important to make decisions for the long term. With everyone on the same page working towards the same goal, it will result in happier players and better team morale.
need advice? email advice@fiveonfivemag.com fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
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social media C U LTA S K A R O, B O S T O N D E R B Y D A M E S
Social media has become an everyday experience for millions of people worldwide. For the roller derby community, cultivating a strong social media presence is an easily accessible and affordable way for organizations to reach audiences of all home market sizes, and for creating a digital community for composite all-star teams. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and a host of other platforms exist for no required out-of-pocket costs to users. For leagues with a limited budget for advertising, this provides a community reach that is not otherwise accessible. “We are a not-for-profit with a PayPal wallet for a bank account,” said Lex Go, a Vagine Regime director who is heavily involved in the organization’s social media efforts. “When we do have money to our name, we only want to spend it on supporting rad queer skaters and throwing the greatest parties possible, so we can’t be spending it on more traditional paid advertising.” Facebook does offer paid advertising at varying price ranges for those who want to explore that avenue, which can help extend the reach of team and league pages.Targeted advertising options allow local teams to, say, only advertise to people listed in their areas, or people who show an interest in their city’s other sports teams. To maximize the free benefits of social media, however, accounts need to be able to expand their reach. “We simply can’t afford to pay for sponsored ads, it’s not something we do,” said Delyria, social media coordinator for Vette City Roller Derby in Kentucky. “So I’m constantly reminding my teammates to share and like our posts from our fan page. It gets a bigger audience to view your posts.” Keeping fans engaged and posting sharable content is essential for making social media work. Accounts should be more than places for occasionally dropping information, and should instead give fans an opportunity to interact and feel a connection to a league. Open-ended questions, contests and exclusive news or offers provide reasons for a fan base to keep checking in with and helping to promote a page they support. “I’m a big fan of Facebook-exclusive offers that reward the people who are engaging with you regularly on social media,” Lex said.
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Vagine Regime, for example, offers signups for RollerCon challenge bouts and sweatshirt sales exclusively through their Facebook page. Lex explained that they even gave away a pair of World Cup tickets this year, in part to thank fans for supporting them, and also to keep them checking in. “Our main objective is always to foster (a digital) community where our audience can feel like we’re speaking to them, no matter where they are,” Lex said. “The cool thing about the Vagine Regime is that we’re a very real community that exists primarily in a digital space- that means the way we promote ourselves online is central to the formation of our identity as a group.” Social media also has an edge for teams who have a specific, local community. “Boston traditionally had a very paper-media publicity feel until a few years ago; those paper pieces are still important to us – the Boston Globe did an amazing story on our search for a new practice space –but online media and advertising has become increasingly important in reaching new audiences for our games,” said Artoo, Communications Content Committee Chair for the Boston Derby Dames. “Advertising online has also helped us catch folks who'd never heard of Boston roller derby because we hadn’t ever had the numbers to flyer in their area. It’s a wide, wonderful space.” For smaller leagues who have fewer local resources, having an online presence can create a noticeable difference in who they are able to bring in. “Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a pretty small city, so you’d think word of mouth and advertising would be successful, [but] it’s not.” Delyria said. “I can tell the difference on game day when we’ve undersold an event, talked too much about how the AC is broken, spammed people, or gotten it just right. Advertising for games is a delicate balance. You can’t beg people to come, [but] you hope that your fans are at least reached and informed.”
Striking the right balance will vary from league to league, and from platform to platform. The key is to try different ways of posting and finding what works best. Teams need to understand their audience to get the most out of social media. For VCRD, Delyria explained that they don’t bother with Twitter because it isn’t popular in their community. In Boston, however, Artoo explained that Twitter has been a positive outlet for game day updates. Lex has tracked analytics for the Vagine Regime’s Facebook page and has learned that most of the organization’s audience is on at 4 p.m. CST, so they plan their biggest announcements around that time frame. Facebook and Tumblr both offer post scheduling that allows users to prepare messages at their convince and pick times and dates for the information to go live. For Twitter, outside platforms, such as HootSuite and TweetDeck, allow tweet scheduling, and can also help users create lists that can sort other accounts for easy retweeting and cross promotions. It helps prevent relevant information from being lost in an active dashboard or newsfeed. Reposting from (trusted) outside sources is a good way to foster mutually beneficial relationships for your league. Retweeting a sponsor’s message, giving them a shout out for their help, or encouraging people to visit their business increases the chances that they will in turn promote your events and messages on their own page. Delyria stated that VCRD also tries to make connections with potential sponsors by mentioning them in social media posts. Sharing related but non-league specific content may also make posts more universal for fans to repost. The Vagine Regime does this often by linking to news stories or entertainment pieces that relate to health, fitness, or the queer community. A fan may reblog or share one of these posts, which leads their followers to see that it originated with the Vagine Regime, and may inspire them to visit and like the page themselves. Fans like to know that they are being appreciated and heard. Questions and comments should be answered when possible, even if comments aren’t particularly positive. Fans that make complaints to social media actually provide leagues with an opportunity to turn negativity into a positive interaction. Responding to a complaint politely and with a simple explanation of why you do that thing they hate can end with a formerly angry patron thanking you for your time and the information
you provided, rather than allowing them to continue complaining to anyone who will listen. The exception to that, of course, is when negativity on your social media accounts is hostile, inflammatory or just plain creepy. Leagues should develop policies that fit their comfort levels for what they won’t allow in their social spaces and should be willing to click the ban button whenever they are made to feel uncomfortable. “[With] responsive social media, people can feel like they are part of this cool thing, rather than an unattached fan,” Lex said. Social media policies should also include crisis management information. Knowing how to respond to an emergency ahead of time will save a lot of undue stress. Think of different situations, such as last minute game day changes or a team emergency, that could affect your league and have a short template on file for posting to social media accounts. Crisis management plans should also include information for how to deal with a problem that may be directly caused by your league. As in non-digital aspects of life, if something goes wrong that you need to apologize for, actually apologize. “We are sorry for such and such action on our part.” Not “Sorry some people took it this way” or “Sorry if you were offended.” Own up to the error and ensure fans that you are taking the problem seriously. Few things can make a bad problem worse than by trying to shift blame or making excuses. It comes across as insincere and does nothing to restore the trust that was damaged. The biggest key to making your content engaging is to have fun with it. Showcase your league’s personality, keep your social media presence positive (that includes not allowing members to air the league’s dirty laundry on their own pages) and keep posts interactive by adding links and images where applicable. Delyria pointed out that while they don’t have as many fans on Instagram, posting photos from their Instagram to their Facebook page actually increases unpaid reach. “We try and be awesome, first and foremost – we want to be an account you like following, not one you need to mute because it’s too chatty or bland,” said Artoo. “That means lots of fun Instagram photos, unique ways of spinning sponsorships and media stories, and energetic live-tweeting.” Fans will be able to tell when you are posting because you think you have to versus when you are actively interested in sharing and engaging with them, so enjoy what you are doing.H
fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
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the making of a roller derby league SARGE, CAJUN ROLLER GIRLS
Napoleon Hill is credited with the expression: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.” The story of how the Cajun Roller Girls (CRG) got their start is a perfect example of how thought was brought into action to achieve a goal. In a way similar to how many businesses get their start, three women with different talents brought CRG from an idea to a fully accredited WFTDA team. At first it takes an entrepreneur, a person with a vivid idea burning in their imagination. In this case that entrepreneur was Tracie Nelton, aka Olive Torture. OT tells the story of how she became interested in roller derby. “In 2008 I started skating as a new and exciting way to burn calories with a friend of mine. One day while searching for skates on the internet, I somehow stumbled upon the sport of roller derby.” With a sort of sense of defiance and just pure will, the idea of forming a roller derby team came about. “It wasn’t easy at first,” says OT, “I wanted to prove to people that no matter how farfetched an idea can sound, anything is possible. I would have to say the first year was the hardest. Besides a hand full of local businesses supporting my idea, there were a few people that stayed by my side. I felt we could take on the world! We each brought a talent to the table that helped CRG’s name become a familiar topic in the community and became very well known.” “To get things started,” she said, “I actively approached everyone I came across and assured them there was some sort of entertainment value to what we were doing for everyone! I personally made fliers and handed them out. I also utilized social networking since it’s usually free.” OT also promoted the sport by skating around town in quads and she had a trademark... She was known as “that girl with the pink hair.” After organizing a group for their first meetings, OT soon found out what being a leader was all about. She said, “One of my biggest challenges was proving to everyone that I was fit for the task at hand. Some skaters did not like the fact that I was only 25 years old. I had to deal with 20-30 women. So naturally, there were issues from the beginning until the end. Another big challenge I stumbled across was when Hurricane Gustav hit (August 2008). I finally had enough skilled recruits
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for a team, then numbers dropped to about 4-5 skaters. I pretty much had to start over in recruiting and teaching. I remember the owner of the rink getting frustrated with me because no one would show up. His exact words were ‘give it up.’ I refused, and thankfully, he allowed me to prove him wrong.” After a while things gradually clicked and CRG started getting solid numbers at boot camps and started attracting new members. OT continued tirelessly asking people to join 0or support the Cajun Roller Girls. As all start ups go, there were endless decisions about how the organization was going to be run. Who would be the coach? How would practices be run? Who would the board members be? How would all of these problems be solved? At this point, CRG was an organization that was in its adolescence. Everybody had good ideas; it is just that not all good ideas can work at once. So at first, some concessions were made and some people stepped up and their ideas were tried. Board members were elected, the first bout called ‘The Fall Brawl’ was set and CRG was on its way. Had it not been for the drive and energy of OT, the entrepreneur, CRG may have never been a reality, it might have just remained a dream. In 2010, CRG was a team in transition. Under the premise that teams must be built under democratic practices and through the election process, Shannon Loupe, aka Swerve, one of the founding members of CRG, was elected president. Also young at the time, Swerve had just started a teaching career in 2009 and in true form, one of her first edicts as president was that everyone would have to raise their hands to ask for the floor at meetings and each person would be acknowledged in turn. Time limits were put on meetings and questions as well, to make things run smoothly. As anyone who has been a president of an organization can tell you, the more people you put in a room, the harder it is to get a consensus on any decision. Whether it is how much we should charge for dues, what our logo going to look like or what color T shirt we are going to order. Swerve says, “I actually got the idea from attending city
Matt Flash
council meetings. We needed a bit more organization at this level. We had to make a lot of decisions and we were now on the move as an apprentice team.” “One of our first goals was to get committees set up. Skaters would volunteer to do jobs at first. We really didn’t have a coach, someone who could be boss yet. The best way I could put it at this stage is that it was like building airplanes while they fly. We had to set up someone who could organize bout dates, someone to head up refs, collect dues; there was a lot to be done. We also had to set up a WFTDA liaison to figure out what we needed to do at the apprentice stage,” said Swerve. Swerve had the perfect personality needed at the time, a mixture of recruiting and organizational skills. “We would still ask anybody who even looked remotely interested in derby to come try out and come to our practices,” she said. “At that time,” she said, “I was never more impressed with derby volunteers. Honestly, I was in it for the glory at the beginning, the thrill of being a roller girl, but I was amazed at the people who participated without expecting anything in return. It highlighted how many good people there are in the community. That really blew my mind.” “Through recruiting,” she added, “we started getting some of our core members. By creating committees, we were able to make things run more efficiently. The beginning was a lot of work for me. I gradually noticed changes in myself and I knew that after two years it was time for our league to grow again. It was time for new ideas. I didn’t have the time to put into any more.” Things seemed to fall in place for CRG. The next person elected president had the benefit of a psychology degree and she did not know at the time how much that knowledge was going to be put to use. Hester Serrano, aka Psycho Beast, was
elected president in 2012. CRG was an established apprentice team and was now working on gaining full WFTDA status. She said, “As a league, we had two seasons under our belt but we still had work to straighten out the business side of things. I had a bit of an advantage because I worked for an attorney for three years while I was in college. I knew we were going to need articles of incorporation and bylaws. The desire to skate was definitely there; we were still sort of an unorganized organization. CRG was still sorting out coaching strategies and there was some confusion as to what needed to be done to obtain full WFTDA status as a league. CRG knew what needed to be done; we just weren’t sure how to get it done.” Psycho said, “The first thing you have to say is ‘There is a goal I want to accomplish.’ Then we need to use people to get what the team wants. Basically, how to use people’s personalities to benefit the team as a whole. The biggest thing is to give a committee a goal to be achieved and then let them figure out how to achieve the goal. It takes guidance without being dictatorial... getting them to think of the big picture instead of just worrying about their little part. It comes down to what can we do to help people.” After three years of being the president, Psycho is ready to pass the responsibilities to someone else. She said, “As an organization, I know we will grow more with different leadership. I don’t have anything more to bring to the table. I want to see more done and it will take different ideas to make it work.” In the end, each of these individuals used their own unique talents to move the league forward, proving how different talents were needed at different points of the making of a successful derby team. And the need to grow never ends.H
fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
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REVIVA LABS anti-aging night cream T R I P L E S H O T M I S T O, R O C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S
Glycolic acid, DMAE, parabens, freeradicals, antioxidants, Alpha lipoic acid, omega-3, peptides, hyaluronic acid, Retin-A, DHA... ahhhh! What the heck do all these scientific words and acronyms mean? And how in the world do I know what, and where, and when to use each of them? How much do I use, and for how long, and when will I see the difference? Will it make me breakout? Is it natural? Does it smell good or bad? Is it drying? Will it work? How much does it cost? OK, breathe... seriously... I’m constantly reminding myself that there are far more important things in life than picking effective beauty products, but I continually find myself wasting precious time perusing store aisles filled with a myriad of products promising me the perfect face-lift in a bottle. If only those gripping cliché claims were true-sigh! If there’s one thing I know to be true, it’s that consistent use of a decent facial moisturizer can stave years off a weathered face. Trust me, I’ve cross referenced many an elderly relative with their skin’s apparent age versus their use of daily moisturizer. The results are in and they’re undeniably in favor of moisturizer. Use it, and use it religiously, every day and start young, because there’s nothing like looking 70 years old when you’re really pushing 90! And so here we are, at the real point of my story, a review on
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a moisturizer/skin cream by Reviva Labs. It’s the Reviva Labs Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C Ester, & DMAE Cream (umm, that’s a tongue twister) to be exact. Reviva Labs is not a product line I have used in the past, nor something that caught my eye due to brilliant marketing and labeling. In fact, the whole product line’s labeling is rather nondescript. It is, however, a product line that perks my interest. The more I learn about the company history, mission, and design, the more I find myself becoming an instant fan of their products. Reviva Labs is an all natural, paraben free product line with a conscience. They donate to the Human Society, ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, Marine Mammal Stranding Center, and cancer research just to name a few. Their products are targeted and varied, and perhaps most important, affordable. The company has been around for over four decades and they take extreme pride in their longevity and pioneering all natural culture. They’re a multicontinent brand and an innovator in skin care whose primary form of marketing is straight up word-ofmouth proof. I received Reviva Labs Alpha Lipoic Acid night cream a little over two months ago. The product is known as a powerful antioxidant that’s well tolerated by the skin. Alpha Lipoic Acid is a natural occurring product in our
skin cells. It helps cells with regeneration, texture, anti-aging, and inflammation. In fact, it does all the things stronger more potent creams and prescription retinoid creams do sans any of the irritation or side effects. In effect, it’s my dream cream; my skin has a propensity to be easily irritated and highly prone to breakouts, despite my age. I also worshipped the sun throughout my teens and twenties and have ample fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots to contend with. On paper, this Reviva Labs night cream is the perfect solution to my skin care problems-so here we go... The Reviva Alpha Lipoic Acid cream is surprisingly light, airy, and moisturizing. I was expecting a pasty drying cream and instead my skin feels soft, cool, and refreshed after each and every use. The cream has absolutely zero scent, which I’m surprised to find that I adore. Normally I’m besieged by the allure of sophisticated scent and design, but with Reviva I adore that it’s not trying to pretend to be something it’s not. Reviva isn’t pretentious, fancy, or convincingly sweet smelling, it just is what it is, a plain white cream promising to help your skin fight aging, without aggravation, without parabens, naturally. I’m delighted to say; from as far as I can tell, Reviva Labs delivers as promised. In my two plus months of use, I have yet to break out in a single
blemish, my skin seems to thirst less in the arid mountain climate where I live, my smile lines are slowly softening, my skin feels firmer in a relaxed sort of way, and perhaps best yet, whether real or imagined, my age spots are slightly less pronounced. I think I love this cream and let me tell you, I’ve tried hundreds of creams and spent thousands of dollars on products that I end up absolutely detesting. Reviva Labs Alpha Lipoic Acid Vitamin C Ester & DMAE Cream is
a winner in my book and a product I personally recommend. Moreover, the company has something for every skin care need from skin brighteners, to make-up, day creams and night creams targeted to various skin tendencies, cleansers, supplements, protectants, soaps, and masks. I can’t wait to test more of the Reviva Labs product line. Perhaps best yet, Reviva Labs is intent on consumer education. They send beauty tips and informative
material with all of their products and have further educational tools on their website revivalabs.com. In all my years of beauty product use, I love getting informative tidbits from the Reviva Labs supplemental guide. If you’re a beauty junky like me, scratch that, if you are a human with skin, check out the Reviva Labs product line. At only $23 a jar, I’d wager you’d end up with a similar opinion – refreshed, smooth, and firm!H
Helpful tidbits: • Massaging the face before applying cream stimulates circulation and aids product absorption. • Changing up your product rotation ensures skin doesn’t build immunity to a product and stop responding. • Keep your skin moisturized, even if you think it’s oily. Moisture loss is one of the quickest accelerators of skin aging. • Day creams remain “on top” of the skin and provide a barrier to pollutants while protecting from moisture loss. Night creams are formulated to actually penetrate the surface of the skin and correct skin flaws. Don’t assume that day and night creams are interchangeable.
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Spaghetti Squ C AT H O L I C C R U E L G I R L , PHOTO BY
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ash Thai Salad R O C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S JEAN SCHWARZWALDER
ingredients 4 lbs. spaghetti squash 1 teaspoon coconut oil 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated 1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 Fresno peppers, finely chopped (remove seeds and membrane for less heat) 2 Thai peppers, finely chopped (remove seeds and membrane for less heat) 1 cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped 1 cup bean sprouts ½ teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup cilantro, minced (save a few springs for garnish) Juice of 1 small lime
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and lightly drizzle with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt. Place squash on a baking sheet cut side up and roast for 50-60 minutes or until the squash shreds easily with a fork. Remove squash from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a fork, scrape out “spaghetti” and place in a bowl. In a large saucepan heat the sesame oil over a medium flame. Add garlic, ginger, coriander and peppers. Sauté until aromatic and slightly tender. Add lime juice and salt. Add squash and toss to thoroughly coat. Place in bowls and top with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts and cilantro sprigs.
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off skates agility ladders S W E E T M A R Y P A I N, R O C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S
awesome for agility It’s in the name! Agility ladders get those fast twitch muscle fibers working and build the muscle memory for quick response in the middle of a bout. One of the skills that separates a great skater from a good skater is their responsiveness; how fast they can change direction, move backwards, catch themselves in a fall, etc. Responsiveness can be a hard skill to master and the agility ladder is a great place to sharpen
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that skill. There are all types of drills that will test your coordination and allow you to work on your agility weaknesses. There are drills to work on lateral movement, backwards stability, plyometrics and jumping. A quick Internet search will give you more agility ladder drills than you ever wanted to see.
mind body connection A lot of the drills on the ladder require some serious brainpower. A good tip whenever you try a new drill is to start slow, with correct form, and then add speed as your muscle memory takes over. Some of the drills are like fancy dance moves that take some time to make fast and fluid. The ladder drills are a perfect exercise for derby, which requires us to think strategically while exhausted from exerting some serious energy on the track.
gets you sweating I’m prone to sweating, some of my teammates have gotten my sweaty braid whipped into their mouths (super gross, sorry guys), but once you get moving on the ladder it takes only
5-10 minutes to get your heart rate up. The ladder is great for cardio and easily turns into interval training when you do it with your team as you sprint through the ladder and jog to the end of the line.
great for team bonding The ladder is fun. With so many different drills, every one is a new puzzle for you all to solve as a team. Some of your teammates will be pros at the ladder right away and others will take a little longer to figure it out. It can be stressful at first but I’ve found that we all help each other figure out the tricks for each drill. RMRG has two sets of ladders and sometimes we’ll make it a friendly competition where you have to do five push-ups every time someone on your team trips up the ladder. It’s easy to make it fun. This is something that won’t take up an entire practice but can be done in 10-15 minutes. The ladder is a nice way to mix things up and avoid the practice drone.
perfect warmup Fight Club loves the ladders as a warm up. Like I said, it gets you sweaty and it only takes 15 minutes. I love it because it helps calm my nerves and allows us to get some of the cobwebs out before we actually get on the track.
Steve Brown (stevebrownphoto.co.uk)
I am absolutely no fitness guru, but I’ve been into working out pretty much my whole life (except for when I was in college and preferred drinking). Over the years, I’ve tried anything that seemed cool: P90X, Running, Insanity, CrossFit, Yoga, Speed Skating. If I had the time, I would love to try to do all these workout regimens. Unfortunately, since fitness isn’t my full-time job, I don’t have the time (or the energy) to do every type of workout I want to do every day. In the end, I’ve learned that the best thing to do is find what will keep you working out and keep you interested. To me that means mixing it up, accepting that I’ll never stick to any fitness plan perfectly, and making sure that I’m having a good time. This is why I love the agility ladders.
fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
can be done anywhere The ladders fold up nicely and your team can take them everywhere. This also means that you can do it at home. They’re cheap, or you can even build one yourself. If you don’t feel like doing a workout but you still want to get your body moving, 20-30 minutes on the agility ladder will
get the job done. I printed out “The Ultimate Agility Ladder Guide” and tricked myself into an hour-long workout on the ladder because it was just fun to try out a bunch of new drills. I’ve also learned that every little bit counts and while the ladder may not be
something you do every day, it’s something you can easily add to your weekly regimen or something you can go to whenever you feel like mixing it up. Here are some of RMRG’s favorite drills:
IN IN OUT OUT Start by facing the ladder from the side. Step with the inside foot (foot on the long side of the ladder) into the first square followed by the second foot. Step back out with the inside foot to the side of the second square followed by the other foot. Repeat the excercise leading with the other foot.
2 IN LATERAL Start by facing to the side with both feet outside the ladder. Step into the first square with the closest foot, followed by the second foot. Repeat the exercise leading with the other foot.
ZIG ZAG PATTERN
tips: 1. Buy/Build a ladder with the conventional dimensions (18”x18”). I’ve come across shorter ones and they’re a little trickier to maneuver and harder when it comes to the larger explosive movements. 2. Don’t just tape it down. It’s hard to hold yourself accountable when you don’t feel the ladder under your feet. It’s important to me because the track boundaries are so strict in derby it only makes sense that we replicate that in other exercise if possible. 3. Start slow, get the form right, and then add speed. 4. Work on your explosiveness by putting a cone 25’ beyond the end of the ladder and sprint to it after you go through the ladder.H
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strategy contested jam OLD XCHOOL, NORTH COAST ROLLER DERBY
The CUP jam situations are classic middle and end game/jam derby situations that happen during every jam following the jam start strategy. While the Contested jam yields low scores with fast packs and lots of hit it and quit it jammer action, the Uncontested jam displays more defensive/offensive blocking action with offensive jammer work, and the Power jam yields much higher scoring opportunity for the offensive team but less blocker action because of the slow play strategy employed by most teams. The new thirty second penalty times are obviously affecting the power jam more than the contested or uncontested jams with respect to total points scored during a Power jam. The jammers are taking the same amount of game penalties as they always have but spending half the time in the penalty box, which equals less time for the jammers to score. Derby games have been won and lost by a team’s ability or inability to react to Contested jam situations with a united team strategy. With the power jam scores being cut in half, more teams are in close games and the Contested jam is becoming more relevant than ever. When you react to your Contested jam situation, you enter into the end jam strategy. Many games are won and lost by as much as one point or even at the last jam of the game. Teams must learn how to make the most out of every scoring opportunity. Good skaters take you so far, teamwork is the next step. Get the whole team reacting together to every derby (CUP) situation under a common strategy and your team will start to control derby chaos. Even for the roller derby commentator or spectator, the game of derby begins to have predictability and form when using the CUP system. To cover all phases of the CUP strategies and keep them at a reasonable word count, I will cover Uncontested and Power jam strategies recommendations in future articles. The following are some basic Contested jam strategy recommendations. Following the Jam start strategies, the CUP (middle game) reveals itself as both the offensive and defensive side of each and every Jam situation. No matter what the CUP situation,
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each team is offensive or defensive or both at any given time during a jam. Every skater within a team strategy has a place to be and a time to be there. That is the question that a good team strategy will answer: the skater and team when and where for every jam? One of the things you cannot account for but must allow for are the skill sets of your skaters. Skater skills will always complement a team strategy. What does that mean? Each coach hopes to at least understand the potential of their own skaters and set those athletes loose to work within your team strategy. These skaters can ping pong offense to defense and back again several times during a jam, run down a fast pack, take a jammer down one on one, create that hit it and quit it point score, or just perform routine derby enforcement on the floor during a jam. Communication is the ability to articulate the jam situation with team leadership on the floor. A team’s ability to talk to each other without their opponents knowing what they are talking about can be a big advantage for your team strategy. It only takes a few key words to hide just about everything you want to say on the floor. (Next time you watch a football game see if you can hear the quarterback making his calls. He is using a code to tell his teammates what he sees the defensive team doing and what he wants to do about it!) This also allows the coach to talk open strategy during the game to the skaters without the message getting to your opponents. Believe in your team strategy and it will evolve and grow with your team. You can only get better!
C = Contested Jam definition: Both jammers are out of the pack after their initial pass, both jammers are very close together, Hit it and Quit It situation. - Offensive: Your jammer is the leading jammer, not necessarily Lead Jammer. - Defensive: Your opponents have leading jammer, not necessarily Lead Jammer.
Once in your fast pack formation! Send a skater back to set up a Hit it and Quit it.
Jammers are out of the pack on their scoring run. Red sends back help!
Jammers are out of the pack on their scoring run.
–Offensive Contested Jam– Move your team to the front of the pack in a tactical fast pack formation of your choice, I like the 2-2.
Jammers are out of the pack on their scoring run. Red, quick point!
Your opponent expects you to “Hit It and Quit It”. An opportunity to attack the physiology of your opponent. Do the unexpected, keep the jam going. Especially if you have any physical advantage on the floor. This can be the breaking point of a game. You have done the unexpected and your opponent is exhausted from a jam that they thought was going to last about 20 seconds and you drove it out to the full 2 minutes. Even if you only broke even on the score board you sent the message: We have the endurance and we will run! This is also an opportunity to clear your penalty box and get all your skaters back on the floor if you are in penalty box trouble.
–Defensive Contested Jam– Move your team to the front of the pack, save your point and make the opponent’s jammer pass her own blockers before she gets to your point. Force your opponent to call off the jam or compromise their point. This is also a good opportunity to create a defensive fast pack as your opponent’s blockers try to catch you to clean for their jammer. Your team will run and play the No Pack and Out of Play rule to the edge.
Conclusion: One of the biggest obstacles I run into while teaching the CUP strategy is change. Skaters ask: why change our style of play? I get this a lot. Skaters build up a false confidence and are afraid to try new things. Even after you work on the strategies and put all the bells and whistles in place, you, the coach, will have to make your team run the strategy. That’s how strong the fear of change is! Skating skills aside, when you answer each CUP question as a skater and as a team, you begin to remove the chaos from the game of roller derby for all levels of skaters and team abilities. The CUP is one way of getting everybody on the same page (one common language). Bring your whole program under one roller derby strategy, (A, B, C, Fresh Meat and junior skaters). The strategies I have offered you in this article work best for most basic derby situations and will work for most of you. Things do change as the rules, caliber of skaters and team skills get better, you must start somewhere. Roller derby is a Marathon (Game) made up of a lot of races (Jams). Win each race (Jam) one at a time and you win the Marathon (game)! (For the general overall details on the CUP strategy please reference the fiveonfive magazine 2014 winter issue.) Next issue I will continue the middle and end jam strategy with the Uncontested jam strategy recommendations. In the meantime, lots of derby love to ya and keep the shiny side up! H
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order of operations: skater, control thyself S H O C K E R K H A N, R A G E C I T Y R O L L E R G I R L S
Half of roller derby is skating, the other half is stopping. Think about it, when you aren’t accelerating or coasting, you are slowing down or stopping. From the beginning of our skating careers, we evolve from performing shaky T-Stops and turn around toe stops, to being able to plow stop on a dime and quickly jump-turn onto toe stops. Often coaches and skaters focus on performing stops quickly, which is great, but that shouldn’t be the only focus. This article will explain general skills needed to perform perfect stops, discuss the importance of controlled slides, and outline applicable drills coaches can use during practice.
whilst skating slowly, push yourself by performing the skill in challenging situations, such as skating at faster speeds, utilizing different areas of the track, or when skating in close proximity of other skaters. To perfectly perform a skill, you may be directed to include actions that seem frivolous or unnecessary when you are skating by yourself at slow speeds. However, the reasoning often becomes apparent when you have to perform that same skill whilst sprinting around the track in a pack full of skaters. Take transitions/turn-around-toestops (TATS)... skaters will show me their Skaters should never disco turn and ask why they should perform the more difficult transition taught in my take their eyes off the track after being camps... when I ask them to transition whilst sprinting, they either fly out of control or have hit out of bounds, to slow themselves down before stopping. Or, skaters give me numerous excuses as which means to why they don’t need to be able to turn transitioning to in either direction, until I explain one of the right when hit the reasons behind turning both directions: inside and to the left skaters should never take their eyes off the track after being hit out of bounds, which when hit outside. means transitioning to the right when hit inside and to the left when hit outside.
perfect stops Whether performing simple T-Stops or graduating onto more advanced skills like Power Slides, skaters should take the time to break down each skill to fully understand what tasks are required to complete the skill, as well as which body parts will be involved. To get a better understanding of a new skill, skaters can use the following methods: • Observe advanced skaters performing the skill in slow motion, then at full speed. • Go through the motions necessary to perform the skill while stationary (if the skill is especially difficult, an off-skates run through prior to this step can be helpful). • After performing the skill at a standstill a few times, muscle memory should start to kick in, making it easier to perform the skill. At this point, try performing the skill whilst skating forward slowly. • Once you feel comfortable performing the skill while turning both left and right or when using either leg/foot
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slide-to-stop While skaters usually focus on performing skills quickly, stops are uniquely suited to be utilized in another way... Sliding! If you are not familiar with slides or sliding to a stop, picture yourself as a blocker, chest-to-chest with the opposing jammer, and you want to maintain control over her as you slide backwards across the track on your toe stops. If you come to a complete stop, she not only has a better chance of getting around you, but you could be setting yourself up for an illegal block.
Mark Bloom
nocklebeast
That’s just one situation where having control over your toe stops could be beneficial. In order to be ready for these situations, you need to practice toe stop control. Here is how I introduce new skaters to this often overlooked skill. how to teach S2S Set Up: Using cones, designate three lines on the track, at least ten feet apart between turns two and three. If there are more than about 10-15 skaters or if you want skaters to be able to practice twice as much, set up the other side of the track the same way. This drill works well for plow and TATS, but can be used for many other skills. Announce to skaters which stops/skills they will be performing and for how many laps before demonstrating what you want them to do at each line. Have skaters line up so they can get some speed before hitting the first line (if running two lines, have the skaters start on either side of the track). Drill in Action: The first line is where skaters get into position. If they are going to be performing plow stops, the first line is where they get into a wide stance, sit down, etc. but they don’t slow or stop. If they are going to be doing
TATS, the first line is where they transition to skating backwards, but they don’t put their toe stops down to slow/stop. Skaters begin to slow down at the second line, but not stop. For plow stops, this is where the ass clenching begins and wheels start to slide. If practicing TATS, this is where skaters lightly put their toe stops on the track. This may be difficult for some skaters to do, especially if they have their toe stops screwed in further than what I recommend (back wheels two fingers high when toe stop and front wheels are touching track) or if the skaters have been trained to put all their weight on their toe stops as soon as they perform this stop. These skaters can try to overcome their sliding issues by only putting one toe stop down at a time, switching which stop each time it’s their turn, until they are able to slide with both stops down without stopping before the last line. At the last line, skaters dig in and come to a full stop. When performing this drill, skaters will need to physically change their body positioning in order to bring themselves to a full stop at the last line. Skaters should not just happen to glide to a stop at the last line. For plow stops, this means fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
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skaters use their wheels to dig into the track and tighten their leg muscles to stop. For TATS, skaters bend their knees and shift their weight to quickly come to a full stop. After the skater stops at the last line, they then return to the back of the line (or join the next one, if there is more than one). drill: controlling octopus To practice toe stop control in a more realistic scenario, I like to use the following drill: Set-Up: Have skaters form two lines around the jammer line, one on the inside of the track and the other on the outside. Stagger the lines so one is 5-10 feet ahead of the other... skaters in the line starting ahead will be “dummies.” Halfway through the drill, swap the starting points for the lines so if the inside line started forward, the outside line moves forward and the inside line backs up. Drill in Action: On the whistle, the first skater in each line starts skating. Whoever began in the forward position skates on the track at a medium pace while the other skater catches
DRILL
drill courtesy of allderbydrills.com
drill: jericho
Depending on the number of skaters, break into groups of 6-8. Three blockers form a wall with the innermost blocker riding the inside line. Initially, blockers should be about 8 inches (ca. 20 cm) apart. The remaining skaters line up behind the wall. Once a pack pace is set, the first jammer tries to break through the wall. The first few attempts, while the blockers are farther apart, are used to help the jammer gain confidence and get used to getting low, turning the shoulders, and stepping through. Jammers MAY NOT pass on the outside, but rather MUST go through two blockers. Blockers, DO NOT throw hits or blocks. Just maintain the line. Once through, the jammer immediately sprints around the track to the back of the line. The next jammer begins as soon as the first is through the wall. As jammers gain confidence and skill, blockers should close the gap between them so that the jammer must get through a smaller space. Rotate Blockers and Jammers as needed so that everyone gets a chance.
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Michael Killingbeck of Napa, CA
purpose: For jammers (and blockers) to practice breaking through walls; to boost self-confidence
up, performs a transition toward the other skater, then pauses with their chest against the other skater’s chest. This is similar to the “Creepy Octopus,” however, instead of pushing off the other skater to complete a full circle, the skaters end up face to face. Once the skaters are in position, the backward facing skater controls the pair by sliding on their toe stops, guiding them back and forth across the track without stopping. After the pair has traversed the track a few times, they are considered to be out of play and join the end of the line, switching which line they go to each time. This drill works on many useful skills and can be easily added onto, for instance, having skaters create a bridge while the last blocker tries to hold back the jammer for as long as possible. I hope this gives you some ideas you can use at practice sometime soon. If you have any questions or would like to share your own experience with similar topics, feel free to shoot me an email at 2N1SkateShoppe@gmail.com.H
knee gaskets P H A N T O M M E N A C E , R O C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S
So... what is a knee gasket, and what is its purpose? Knee gaskets are an optional added layer of knee protection that many roller derby players favor. They slip on over the leg, under a knee pad. In addition to adding a layer of compression, knee gaskets have a donut shaped pad that covers a skater’s kneecap, turning a nasty fall from a dive into potential injury to a leap onto a pillowy cloud of joy. Every skater knows that kneepads eventually break down and stretch out. While knee gaskets are not a replacement for a new set of knee pads, they do add a layer of cushion to a well-loved and broken in set of kneepads. Also, even a well-fitted kneepad can slide off from the impact of a serious fall. Because gaskets are made of a snug form-fitting stretchy neoprene-like material, they will not slide off on impact. Gaskets designed for skating include Velcro that secures kneepads over them. Gaskets prevent kneepad slippage as well. Since wearing gaskets, I’ve never had a kneepad slide off. An added bonus – gaskets are sweat-absorbent and more easily washed than kneepads. They’ll soak up most of a skater’s sweat, lengthening the duration between kneepad washings, which adds life to expensive kneepads. Investing in a good set of gaskets is an investment in both the health of your knees and the life of your kneepads. Oh – and they really do make falling less painful. I’m not saying I want to land hard on my knees if I’m wearing gaskets, but it usually doesn’t hurt anymore.
Volleyball Knee Pads 0/5 Stars When I began skating, and first approached the question of whether to gasket or not, a coach suggested wearing a pair of volleyball kneepads under my regular knee pads, as a way to try the idea out without overinvesting. The $15 I spent would have been better invested in a tutu. Volleyball knee pads may be similar in shape to a gasket, but that’s about it. They are so bulky it is tough to get kneepads over them. In my case, the bulkiness led to added pressure that cut off my leg circulation and led to toe numbness. The material quality was poor so they didn’t last, and they were not sweat absorbent. Also, unlike a real gasket, these actually made my kneepads more likely to slide off. Don’t do it. $15-$25 Triple 8 2/5 Stars I’m not a fan of these gaskets, and won’t be investing in another pair. They are lightweight, and I suppose that may be appealing for skaters worried about being too hot... but these didn’t seem cooler than other gaskets to me. Unlike other gaskets, they have finger hooks to assist in pulling them on, which seems like a great idea, but the gaskets quickly stretched out rendering them unnecessary, and the hooks quickly tore away from the gasket leaving useless flaps of fabric in their place. Unfortunately, the lightweight material is not at all durable, and these gaskets barely survived one washing. They were falling apart and completely shot after a few short months. If you need something immediately and Triple 8 gaskets are your only option, get them. Otherwise, save your pennies. $25-$35
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Smith Scabs 4/5 Stars Though at first glance they may appear similar, the Smith Scabs gaskets are a world apart from the Triple 8 gaskets. Pinch the material they are made from or bend the gaskets and it is clear the Smith Scabs are thicker and made from a much more durable material. The donut over the kneecap is also firmer, while still soft, making it last longer and provide more support. The stitching is a higher quality, and the top and bottom edges have a more secure seam. Scabs gaskets appeal to derby clientele in that they come in a variety of fun colors, including my personal favorite, chartreuse. Like a fine pair of lacy underpants, your opponent might not see them, but you’ll know they’re sexy. Worth the investment at: $25-$30
One Tri 4.5/5 Stars I love these gaskets. Like the Scabs gaskets, they are built from a durable neoprene fabric with sturdy seams and stitching. Somehow, the material seems more flexible than that of the Scabs gaskets, shortening the break-in time. I wore these for months, in the heat of the summer, and have washed them numerous times; but they show very little wear and tear. Most notably, they have not stretched out and are still as snug as the first time I put them on. One Tri gaskets come in prints, including cherries, stars, or shades of polka dots. They are the tiniest bit longer than the Scabs gaskets, which results in a hint of polka dot peeking out from under your kneepads. So if you want a high quality gasket that also serves as a discreet fashion statement, One Tri gaskets are the choice for you. $30
Bauerfeind ???/ 5 Stars I haven’t personally had the pleasure of trying out the Bauerfeind “gaskets.” These are not designed for skating, but instead for rehabilitation and support and are recommended for professional athletes. They are made of a durable breathable fabric and are nearly indestructible. While you can purchase these online (at over $100 each) you can also get them through a medical provider. A teammate of mine has had a pair for over four years and though she skates hard in them, they are like new. Since Bauerfeind are not designed for roller derby, they will not have Velcro to keep your kneepads secure. Still – if you have knee troubles and the money to do so, definitely look into investing in Bauerfeind supports. $60-$200 each knee.
While knee injuries will always occur in a collision sport like roller derby, knee gaskets are a great investment for the comfort and health of skater’s knees. Derby girls are as unique as snowflakes and will favor a vast array of gear combinations, but for my knees, I rock Smith Scabs Elite Knee Pads with the One Tri knee gaskets.H fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
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wheels I V A N N A S P A N K I N, S O C A L D E R B Y
Wheel reviews are a tricky beast. I haven’t reviewed wheels for fiveonfive in a while because my home tracks are primarily cement. Most wheels perform fine on our grippy tracks, but very few are durable enough to last long without coning. In past reviews (on different tracks), I’ve typically worn the wheels for quite a while, getting to know them, so to speak. But this time we did a power review! I enlisted the help of Trish the Dish, who wears almost the same size skates as me, and we did the unthinkable. We compared these wheels in a head to head challenge, armed with ten pairs of skates, more than a dozen extra sets of wheels, and power tools to switch out wheels fast. Rather than trying them on our grippy tracks where everything feels fine, we brought them all to a Derby Dolls Open Skate session so that we could try them out on a comparatively slippery
urethane-coated wooden floor. It was exhaustive (and exhausting), but also very interesting, because we really got to compare how different wheels performed immediately on the same floor and then compare notes between us. We each tried all the wheels for takeoff and lap speed, slip, jumps and stopping power and we played a bunch of blocker/jammer to finalize our reviews. The results were pretty surprising to us! Every wheel review I have ever done includes the caveat that the labeled durometer is not a reliable way to predict the performance of wheels. That said, I was still shocked at the sometimes enormous differences in the performance of different brand wheels of the same or similar durometer when they were tested head to head. I make note of those, especially. So without further ado:
RollerBones Turbo (black 97), Day of the Dead (92), prototype 10 Years of RollerCon Anniversary Wheel (92) RollerBones are my go-to wheels, so the 97 Turbos were already on my favorite skates when we arrived. I have been wearing the 97 Turbos on most tracks lately, and they’re usually just as grippy and durable as the thicker-urethane DODs. I typically keep 92 DODs in my bag for away games, in case the floor is slippery. I have never met a floor that I thought was too slippery for the 92 DODs, even when my opponents were wearing hybrids, and the bonus is that the DODs are a much easier plow than hybrids. The Turbo wheels are super durable and perform top notch in every category on our cement floor. The 97 Turbos were a little slippery on the turns on the wood floor, but fantastic for speed and screechy fast plows. I have been getting custom cut-down DODs from Bones for years, so the next wheels I tested were the soonto-be-released 10 Years of RollerCon wheels in 92. I’m the founder of RollerCon, so I think you know what’s coming here; I wouldn’t put RollerCon on anything but my very favorite wheel out there. If you got a set of the very first run at RollerCon last year, you are a lucky dog. They’re still tweaking the hub before going into mass production, but if you like low profile wheels, I highly recommend these. They’re 59mm and will probably be available in wide and narrow widths, possibly in a few durometer flavors. The 92 RollerCons I tested on the wood floor did great in all the tests, including the fast plow and the fast juke at high speed around a slippery corner (around a foe that knows my moves really well; Dish didn’t catch me). Most wheels do well in one of those categories, but it is rare to find a model that does well in both.
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Hot Wheel Roller Derby – ©Laurie Cooper-Murray
Juice Wheels Monster (Green 95) and NRG (red 93) from the Spiked series, Cosmo (red 93) from the Martini series, Latte (clear black 90) from the Java series. The Juice Wheels are a relatively new brand that’s being manufactured out of AEND in LA, home of urethane master chemist superstar Neil Piper, who made some of our favorite wheels from Sure Grip and Atom, among others. So we had very high expectations – and we weren’t at all disappointed! The company provides recommendations and lots of interesting info about their patented hub and banding technology. While none of their recommendations include “perfect on a grippy cement floor,” one of our former teammates raved about these for weeks on every floor, so we gave them a shot on our cement track first. I found the 95 Monster performed well in most situations on our grippy cement floor, especially rebound, which gave me great spring when jamming. Trish and I agreed that the Monster was just a hair too grippy on our rough cement for easy plow stopping when blocking, however, though not impossible. It was super durable, though, and didn’t cone even after weeks of use. I wasn’t too surprised that the 95 Monster was a bit too slippery for me on the Dollhouse floor – I haven’t met the wheel that does well in both places yet. I had to really dig to plow stop, and even when I did it had almost no screech. They did have decent grip on acceleration and good spring for juking in the scrum, but not enough grab for fast laterals on the slippery floor when I was already sprinting. I would expect these to perform really well on a decent Sport Court, however, and I look forward to trying them at RollerCon. The 93 NRG, on the other hand, got an A+ from both of us on the slippery floor. We loved the spring and rebound, especially for acceleration, jukes at speed and apex jumps. The soft lip made the wheels feel extra responsive, and we could stop super fast, as well. To our surprise, the NRG felt much grippier than the 93 Cosmo, but the NRG is from the Spiked series, which features “banded edge technology” for grip, while the Cosmo, from the Martini series is advertised as “dual durometer full power,” so maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised. The Cosmo performed very similarly to the Monster on the slippery Dollhouse floor. It had good spring, but not enough grab from the hard lip and hub, in my opinion. The Java Latte, on the other hand, was amazing. It looks like a hybrid wheel because it’s this really great dark, almost black clear color. But it gave the most satisfying scream when plowing, and it performed like a BEAST in every category on the slippery floor. I like hard wheels, so I was surprised at how much I really loved the Java. It had superior grab, was very responsive, and did not for one second feel like a 90 to me. It was grippy at all the right times, but gave excellent fast plow. Highly recommended for slippery floors!H
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Atom Wheels Juke (Green 95a Alloy hubcap), Boom (hollow core FIRM black), Boom (alloy hubcap X-Firm gray), DNA (black, no durometer info). All the Atom wheels we tried were both low profile (59mm) and narrow (38mm). Both Juke and Boom models come in a LOT of colors, hardness and sizes. We were excited to give these head to head comparisons because we’ve always been curious about the alloy hubcaps. After testing, however, we agreed that the hubcap did not significantly change the performance of these wheels; it’s the equivalent of fancy (standard sized) rims for your car. They just look super fly. That said, what was surprising to us was that the Jukes (at 95) were harder than the X-Firm Booms! In fact, both Boom models we tried (Firm and X-Firm) were among the grippiest wheels we tried out of all the different brands and wheels. So if you’re looking for superior grip, Boom might be a great place to start. The Boom Firm felt comparable to a 92 in other brands, while the X-Firm was grippier even than the 93 Juice wheels. The Firm black Boom was also super hot looking. The Boom wheel has a small but functional lip, and I think that helps it perform great around the turns. This wheel has a lot of rebound to help with acceleration, as well. If you like hard wheels, I would steer you toward the Juke. But if you love good grip or you skate on a slippery floor, the Boom wheel is great. The DNA was also black (with a pink hub) and performed outstanding on the wood floor. In fact, the DNA was one of our favorite grippy wheels at the Dollhouse. It had a wicked loud plow screech and stopped on a dime, and had the best combo of speed and grip for juking on the slippery floor, as well. We argued over who would get to test it outdoors for durability. Testing is still in progress!
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Jules Doyle
Radar Presto (gray/purple 97) At 97 durometer, the narrow, lipless Presto is obviously not ideal for a super slippery floor, but these have been Trish’s favorite wheels on our cement track for months so we added them to our list, as well. They’re outstanding on our grippy track and deliver fast, loud plows and great grip and control. They are also super durable; after more than six months of skating, they still haven’t coned. For obvious reasons, the 97 didn’t perform quite as well in the slippery Dollhouse, though I feel certain that the 91s or 93s would have been amazing, and the special edition Vagine Regime 94s were about as close to perfect as you can get on the Skate Court at RollerCon. Even though they were too firm for the fast wood floor, they still had outstanding screech when plowing, and they were awesome on the (slightly grippier) banked track.
GRN MNSTR Morph (88/93) OH MY GOD, THESE WHEELS ARE BEAUTIFUL. These are, without question, the prettiest wheels ever – assuming that you like loud neon colors, of course. I DO. The purple hub ones make me wish I skated on a slippery floor every day – they’re that beautiful. Fortunately, we tried a white/off white prototype, otherwise I probably would have been unable to skate at all for staring at my feet with giant hearts shooting out of my eyes! The 88 (lip) 93 (body) prototype had great speed and fantastic grip when you dig, especially on the turns and for lateral juking. They were fantastic for jumping and had really good acceleration, as well. However, they slid out on plow stops on the slippery Dollhouse floor, and had zero screech – but we tried the firmest combo, so I bet the incredibly beautiful other choices of durometer would be fantastic. I might have dreams about how pretty these are tonight. Did I mention most beautiful wheels ever?
For more information on wheel durometer and other performance features, please check out this 2009 article. I prefer harder wheels now, but the science is still accurate! sincityskates.com/images/downloads/sincity_wheels_grippiness_and_durometer.pdfH
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derbylife.com der e bylife.com m
ten years of the WFTDA:
skaters reflect on the organization’s roots S H E L LY S H A N K YA , I C T R O L L E R G I R L S
It has been a decade since a handful of women came together to turn their developing niche sport into a worldwide phenomenon. In 2005, 20 flat track roller derby leagues were represented at the historic first meeting in Chicago of what was then called the United Leagues Coalition, with the goal of developing the guiding principles and aspirations of the organization. Following that meeting, the ULC voted to change its name to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) to reflect the organization’s goals. Through the WFTDA, league representatives went to work developing the first standard rules for flat track roller derby, and developing a national competitive structure, leading to the first WFTDA championship in 2006. Over the last 10 years the WFTDA has developed into a truly international organization, with more than 300 member leagues on six continents. In honor of the anniversary, we interviewed several of the women who were there in the beginning: Rocket Mean was a founder of the Rose City Rollers in 2004 and is now the league’s executive director. She was a founding member of the WFTDA and also served as the WFTDA’s sponsorship director.
Hydra was a founding member of the Texas Rollergirls in 2003, after starting with BGGW in 2001. She retired in 2006, although remains active with Texas Rec-n-Rollerderby. Hydra was the first WFTDA president and is the namesake of WFTDA’s Championship trophy, the Hydra.
Derringer was a founding member of the Texas Rollergirls in 2003, one of the original Texecutioners and one of the coordinators of the Chicago meeting. She retired from skating in 2008 after moving to New Mexico for work.
Ivanna S. Pankin founded Arizona Roller Derby in 2003 and skated with Sin City Rollergirls and San Diego Derby Dolls before founding SoCal Roller Derby. In addition to being a longtime leader with the WFTDA, Ivanna founded Rollercon and co-owns a skate shop, Sin City Skates. George Medina
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Ginger Snap skated with Gotham Girls Roller Derby from 2004 to 2014 and served in a number of league leadership roles, including President. She was a longtime WFTDA representative for Gotham and a leader on the marketing and PR committee. Tom Igoe
What was roller derby like back in the early years of WFTDA with the smaller number of leagues?
When WFTDA first began, how did you foresee its future?
HYDRA: It was a close-knit group of like-minded women who shared a common vision for the future of roller derby in the U.S.
ROCKET MEAN: Our vision was a for-the-skater-by-theskater approach to forming a national governing body along the lines of the NBA or NFL. We wanted to standardize rules, create tournament structure, and bring up upcoming leagues.
IVANNA: This question made me laugh so hard. We’re still in the early days, in my opinion. Derby in 2005 was very different. For one thing, we all knew each other – every league had at least one person that knew their counterpart in every one of the other leagues operating. You could draw a picture of how it spread, and maybe someday I will, showing how the derby bug passed between college friends and DIY rock n’ roll girls, and infected different cities like a virus. Interleague was a fantasy, not the common reality it is today. Most leagues had multiple teams and focused on their home seasons because there just weren’t enough teams close to each other to do anything else. We played the first interleague games in 2004, just before the WFTDA got started, and now that I think about it, playing with each team’s “home rules” was a big impetus for making WFTDA. Most leagues, though, even in 2005, just played one or two interleague games a year and it was a BIG DEAL for everyone involved. My team was the first to play a season of interleague only (also in 2005!), so we were almost everyone’s “first” that year, and we always stayed with players from the other teams. I have to admit, I do miss the camaraderie of the early days. I hope that players still feel the way I did the first five years – I honestly felt like I was part of something so big, so meaningful, and that was changing my life and the life of everyone I knew for the better. I know derby still feels that way for people (and maybe I’m not so starry-eyed about it because I’m used to it now), but the skaters that just roll in for the game and roll out after the hand-slap really don’t know what they’re missing.
DERRINGER: Those who were at the Chicago gathering will remember it felt like a hot, sweaty Union members’ meeting in the dank basement of a mediocre hotel. We were jammed in that “conference room” (I use the term loosely) far beyond the legal capacity of the fire code, during two very long days that, in retrospect, must have been what the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787 felt like. Most of the league representatives had arrived with common vision and goals, but not all. For example, we had to fight hard (against some opposition) to establish “Flat Track” as the only version of the sport the Association would foster; and we had to fight hard to ensure, at that time, that corporate-modeled leagues would only be allowed if the ownership and management was by and for the skaters. ...And there were a thousand other topics we discussed... rules for sponsorship, the amount of involvement from men we would tolerate, minimum age requirement, lots of topics – some exciting and some boring – and when it was all over we all got terrifically drunk and sang Karaoke and danced our asses off.
2006 WFTDA members:
WOMENS FLAT TRACK DERBY ASSOCIATION est.2004
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“Our vision was
“There was no envy,
a for-the-skaterby-the-skater approach...
no resentment, no spite – only complete admiration and love...
”
”
“It was a close-knit group of like-minded women who shared a common vision for the future of roller derby in the U.S.
”
“We are still doing it on our terms, and even if we lose the big venues with jumbotrons, we will still be throwing down in a warehouse, doing what we love best.
”
n by Jea photo
er rzwald
Schwa
“I still feel lucky to be part of derby and committed and empowered to be in a group of people that help make decisions about the future.
”
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What has been your greatest memory of the WFTDA? HYDRA: At the first tournament, the Dust Devil, in Tucson, it was amazing to finally have all the leagues together, playing one another in our totally different styles of game/uniforms/equipment, opening the tourney with a small round robin to determine seeding because we had no idea how to fill the brackets, and my team/league handily winning it all with me as captain. GINGER SNAP: There was one trip Gotham took to Seattle a couple years back. It was my 99th and 100th game. The first night we played at the incredible Key Arena. The next day, we played games all day at Rat City’s warehouse. The weekend encompassed how far we (as a sport) have come, and that we haven’t left our roots. We are still doing it on our terms, and even if we lose the big venues with jumbotrons, we will still be throwing down in a warehouse, doing what we love best. That’s the reason that roller derby isn’t going anywhere. DERRINGER: I have thousands, of course. Lots are personal, and involve personal or team victories. Beyond those, I’d like to say that one of my sweetest memories was the year that Kansas City Roller Warrior (KCRW) won Nationals, the Texas Shootout in Austin, 2007. Of course, as defending champions on our home turf, Texas really wanted to win, but then when KCRW defeated Rat City, and the KC girls started getting raised-up on people’s shoulders under the lights, crying and beaming as the newly-crowned queens of the game while everyone cheered, everyone’s hearts just melted in complete love for this underdog team who had arrived with the right attitude and a humble spirit and had just taken it all – had even taken it away from long-reigning Texas! There was no envy, no resentment, no spite – only complete admiration and love, as if: this is what we’ve all been working toward, these moments, these victories, these smiles and these tears, which didn’t only belong to KCRW that night, they belonged to each and every skater who had worked hard to create this game. It felt like seeing your younger sister get married, and the after party that night felt like every team had won the tournament. It was unforgettable!
If you could pin it down to one moment, what would you say was the turning point for WFTDA that has made it the organization it is today? GINGER SNAP: I don’t think I can identify any turning points, because the whole creation of the organization has been a series of turning points. It’s grown so fast, it’s all been corners and bends all the way through. WFTDA is a beast of an organization – how could it not be? It’s young and enormous and growing every day. That’s what happens when you unwittingly become groundbreakers. Like a tall, lanky teenager, we have these long limbs and are working through how to use them. We will continue to have growing pains just like any business. We still suck at some stuff. We do some things really, really well. WFTDA is just going to have to be agile as the needs of its members change and the landscape of our place in the world of sports changes. I think there’s plenty of opportunity and talent within the org to do just that.
What does it mean for you to have played such a big role in the development of the sport of roller derby? IVANNA: I really don’t know any other way to be than how I am, so whatever contributions I’ve made don’t feel like that big a deal to me. I do feel really lucky to be part of the first wave, and in hindsight, it’s crazy to think that WFTDA, RollerCon and Sin City Skates all started the same year! I don’t know why I am still around when so many of my early compatriots have moved on, but maybe it’s because I’m so involved. I still feel lucky to be part of derby and committed and empowered to be in a group of people that help make decisions about the future. The thing I don’t get is why so many people *don’t* get involved. I imagine it can be intimidating because the organization is so big. But I see the WFTDA as more of a huge conversation than anything else, and if you do your homework and you have enough confidence to really listen to other people, you can get a lot from and contribute a lot to that discussion. That ongoing conversation becomes the future of this sport more directly than uninvolved people might imagine. It’s also a daily inspiration and an incredible privilege to interact with so many people that are so smart and committed and empowered. Why doesn’t everyone want to be a WFTDA rep?!H
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coaching junior derby saved my “skate” K A C E O. D A M O N D A Z E , S T E E L C I T Y R O L L E R D E R B Y
Somewhere in the midst of 2012, I was at an apex – not the fun one jammers love to jump, but one of frustration with Derby. My skills had plateaued, and I constantly felt strategy-stupid and uncoordinated during practice. Disagreements and dealing with different personality types on league matters, which now seem embarrassingly trivial, fueled the Reasons-to-Quit fire. I confess that sometimes leaving practices, I would fantasize about throwing my skate bag from my car window onto the highway. I was discouraged and contemplating retirement. However, I am a person who straddles the fine line between stubborn and stupid, so I kept going, despite the fact I was deeply unhappy. At that low point, I was dragging myself to league practices, with a chip, or more like a figurative bag of nachos, on my shoulder. Then something happened to distract me from the personal pity party. Members in my league began talking about starting a junior derby league. I knew that junior derby existed and thought it was cool that young girls, and often boys too, were playing the sport. It seemed to be thriving in many cities, but I hadn’t given it a ton of thought... until now. The prospect of junior derby in Pittsburgh suddenly piqued my interest, and it began to snowball as I researched more about it. One article in particular resonated with me: a father, describing how his two daughters were becoming tough, empowered and happy (read: obsessed with) playing roller derby. I don’t have kids, but I did play sports growing up and I couldn’t imagine a childhood without them. Female empowerment and self-worth are issues I care deeply about. Happily engaged in a new quest to bring junior derby to my city, I volunteered to help by responding to emails of interested skater-parents, while league mates, including
Whiskey Mick and Athena set the process in motion. Mick had played derby since 2003 and coached the Tucson Derby Brats when she lived in Arizona. Athena had a close relationship with the owners of Neville Roller Drome, a potential practice and bout venue, and she set up a meeting with the owners. The owners, Jim and Sophie were welcoming and just as excited about the prospect of a junior derby league starting at their rink as we were to start it there. The next part of the equation was setting up a meeting with prospective skaters and their parents, and hoping enough of them would come. For the next few weeks, I eagerly anticipated the meeting with the potentials. And much to my delight, girls showed up! As we began our meeting, they looked nervous and hesitant. I felt excited for them, knowing what challenging, but wonderful, things were on the horizon for them. No room for negativity in that headspace of mine – we had a league to get going! After the meeting, we had an informal skate lesson with the girls. At one point, Mick asked me what my schedule was for coaching. I was surprised, but I kept it to myself. My initial intent had been to help organize, get the league started, and volunteer for whatever functions we had. I hadn’t considered the possibility that I would be good enough to coach. Upon realizing that Mick, who had once been my team captain, had faith in me, I realized that I needed to challenge myself and do it. With our group of new skaters, logo, and coaches: Mick, Elsie Thudd, Lolli Pop, C.C. DeKill... and me, our junior derby league, the Pittsburgh Derby Brats, was born! When we had our first practices in February 2014, the girls had basic skating skills, and many were “rink rats.” For the most part, though, derby was new to them. At first the other coaches ran the drills, and I assisted. One day, Mick
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Fotodog
Striving to be the best coach that I could be inspired me to put more mental energy, not just physical, into my own skating.
asked me if I wanted to run warm ups, and I agreed, secretly hoping that I could do it with confidence. Admittedly, I was nervous, but at the same time I was eager to put some of the concepts I was learning and starting to master in adult practice into the junior league. I didn’t have any set methodologies at first, and it was often awkward using trial and error to find the best way to teach. I soon realized there was no perfect method to demonstrate a particular skill – each skater had different ways of learning. Reassured by the knowledge that I had excellent Training and Skills committee members teach me during my Fresh Meat season, my confidence in coaching and ability to pass on what I had learned increased. When one of the skaters told me I helped her master her crossovers, it meant more to me than she could ever know. About a month after coaching, I had a personal setback. It wasn’t an injury, but in my head, it was just as bad. I didn’t make the B-team, which caused an onslaught of doubt. However, as much as these emotions weighed upon me, my responsibility to the Pittsburgh Derby Brats was stronger. I’ve always felt pride in my sense of commitment. Quitting my adult league was no longer an option to me because I felt it would be a terrible example – giving up and giving in to failure. I still wanted to play derby, and I still had the opportunity to play during Home Team season, so giving up altogether was not an option. I still had much to learn AND to pass on to the girls. The only thing I could do was to practice derby and coaching as much as possible. Much like a skater improves incrementally each time at practice, the same is true with coaching. Striving to be the best coach that I could be inspired me to put more mental energy, not just physical, into my own skating. I had always enjoyed mixed scrimmages, so I continued to do every single one I possibly could, networking via social media, and trolling other league’s web pages to find any potential training and scrimmage opportunities. The more derby I could play, the more experience I would have to share. Teaching juniors made me realize that the experiences I had, while not those of playing ON an A or a B team, were still worthwhile because the bouts I played were a mix of beginner to All Star team skaters. I was definitely being challenged as a skater! Being on the outside looking in with our travel bouts was actually helpful in watching and learning. As I practiced and watched
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more strategy, many of the plays and nuances of strategies started coming to me (finally!) and I realized I wasn’t an idiot when it came to that type of thing. I just needed to follow my teammates, pay attention and read the rules. Yep. Rules. Coaching junior derby forever ended my habit of being a rules-slacker. Previously, I had been coasting my way through the rules changes. I'm intelligent – enough to write an article, anyway. But it came to rules... well, um... I counted more on teammates to know them. I have to confess that I was one of those skaters who treated rules like an “ex” at a party. That is, you know they are there, you subtly acknowledge their presence, but try to avoid awkward interactions. However, in the course of Pittsburgh Derby Brat coaching, I quickly realized that it wasn’t possible to fake it. I had to quit procrastinating, go on the WFTDA rules tab, and do some not-forpleasure reading. When junior derby skaters ask you why they have a penalty, you have to be able to tell them or find the resources to do so. The challenge of breaking down complex rules to a 10-year-old is definitely a way to reinforce it in my own head. I realized that I don’t have to be an expert, but I have to keep up with my knowledge. And when refs tell you to ask questions in practice, they’re telling the truth. They don’t make you feel stupid; they like it because it makes their job easier. Getting to know the rules enabled me to better understand the strategy in practices and bouts. A significant effect of coaching junior derby, which might come as a surprise, was the improvement of my jamming. From the beginning of my derby career, I had established that I was definitely a blocker. Everyone has to learn to jam; it is essential and basically you HAVE to know how to play all of the positions. But it was never something I thought I could or
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would want to do consistently. I had always been reluctant to jam all that much... not necessarily because of getting hit. To me, that was actually the easy part. I was plagued with fear – the fear of not being able to get out of the pack, of huffing, puffing, falling, and failing. However, at some point, I began to feel conflicted. As a junior derby coach, I practiced the philosophy of “everybody jams” at practices, whether or not they were going to jam in a bout. So one night at adult practice, as I stood in line waiting to go into to the next lineup, I vowed to make it my mission to conquer the fear of jamming. During adult practice and scrimmages, I took the star more and more, no longer shirking away from it. When Home Team season started up again in the fall, I was still playing the blocker position, but I was jamming consistently, as well. My stamina built up slowly, and even when Eric Romero I was tired, I didn’t collapse from exhaustion. Failure was no longer a fear, but a motivator to keep on pushing, literally and figuratively. This summer I was elated to earn an MVP jammer award in one of the mixed scrimmages I attended – a coed one at that! Fast forward to October 2014, and I’m no longer contemplating quitting derby. I’m more devoted, and addicted, than ever. Coaching junior derby is responsible for most of those positive feelings. This may sound cheesy, but it’s true: On bad days, when I’m in a horrible mood on practice day, it all melts away as soon as I walk in those rink doors and see the faces of my girls ready to play derby and have fun doing it. So I owe my Skate-Soul, to junior derby, including the girls in the league, the parents and the supportive team of coaches. This has re-invigorated my faith in roller derby and in me, and for that, I am forever grateful.
training true beginners to skate OLD XCHOOL, NORTH COAST ROLLER DERBY PHOTOS BY TEACHER SOME RESPECT
This program is based on one-hour practices, three times per week, for 16 weeks, which is plenty of floor time for beginners. For the true beginner, start slow give them a little time for their overall strength and confidence to take hold. Normally one to three weeks; everyone is a little different. Place emphasis on the safety gear, especially the butt pads. Beginners need to understand how quickly their skating career can end! BEGINNER PRACTICE PHASE 1 One week minimum – Basic fundamental program (Short Term Goal): a) Falls (reference WFTDA certs) b) Stops (reference WFTDA certs) c) Skating stance (pace line/speed)
h) Blocking stance.
Figure #3. Blocking/Battle stance: Head up, posture is like sitting on a bar stool, and skates at least shoulder width apart. Note you are ready to be hit from any direction.
i) Establish the beginner strength and endurance goals. Figure #1. Speed position: Head is up, Lower back relaxed, rounded, and knees are bent. If in a paceline helmets line up or your helmet is lower than the skater in front of you.
d) Arm and feet rhythm (opposite hand/opposite foot motion) e) Push-glides, push at a 20 degree angle. Not straight back! f) Crossovers, push and reach simultaneously. g) Skating the speed line using the 5 stride. See Figure #2. Speed line is a rounded parallelogram.
Figure #2. Speed line
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NOTE! After 1 week move on to phase 2, as the beginner builds strength they will improve on the phase 1 skills with occasional reminders. BEGINNER PRACTICE PHASE 2 These practices are dedicated to building endurance and strength to run the 27 laps in 5 minutes. Start every practice (the first 30 minutes) with the following: a) Focused 10 minute warmup skating at the beginner’s pace. How fast is not important right now! Good form is what we are after; speed will come as the beginner’s form materializes. As the beginner warms up constantly remind them of: i. Good skating stance. Rounded relaxed lower back with knees bent and head up looking at where you are going, See Figure #1. i. Good knee bend. This sets up a good aero dynamic skating position. With the skater pushing through the balls
Figure #4. Corner setup: Start your upper torso setup at the outside line as you approach the corner to make the turn. Note the position of the feet/skates as you set up.
Figure #5. Corner setup, another view: Turn (SET) your head, shoulders and torso toward the APEX of each corner. Note the upper body position of this skater as she runs for the apex of the corner, follow the blue reference line to the apex of the corner.
of their feet. Power comes from the bent knee and quickness of the legs with respect to track and body position. See Figure #1. iii. Speed-line. See Figure #2: Rounded parallelogram running, high (outside line) on the straightaways and turning left toward the apex of the corners (inside line). All crossovers! iv. Reach and push with your skates and legs simultaneously during your crossovers. When one foot is pushing the other is reaching (opposite hand opposite foot rhythm). v. Push and glide in a constant crossover motion. Skate, do not run, get the most out of your glide during every stroke. Learn the five stride! The track is designed for the five stride. No straight away pushes required. The five stride is the average strides it takes an average size skater to skate half the roller derby track. Whatever the skater’s stride, it should always be consistent and under control. vi. Set the upper body for the corners by turning the head, shoulders and torso as a single unit, (See Figure #4). Lean into your corner. This completes the whipping effect that feels like it is enhancing your speed as you leave the corner, not letting the centrifugal force of the corner rob you of speed and energy, (See Figure #5, 6, 7). NOTE! When the beginner skater is averaging 10 to 11 second laps at the end of their 10 minute warm up run their 27 laps in 5 minutes. If the beginner skater is running 54 laps during their 10 minute warm up they are also ready to try the 27 laps in 5 minutes.
Figure #6. Setup just before the corner apex. Note the upper body position: head looking inward, and the upper torso turned and leaning across the track line.
Figure #7. Right at the corner apex, the skater’s upper body still leans over the track line. The blue line extending through the skater is perpendicular to the pink track line. Lean, lean, and lean more.
b) Two minute rest, then sprint 10 laps off the jam line (introduce the skaters to the toe stop start that transitions to the duck walk and then transitions to a push glide as they set up the corner for quick accelerations from a dead stop. Encourage the skaters to go as fast as they can, they will fall, this is part of the learning curve. In fact if true beginner skaters do not fall occasionally when running these sprints they are not trying hard enough. This is about learning to skate at a new level, constantly pushing yourself to find and improve your skating skills. c) One minute rest, then sprint 5 laps as fast as they can go. Encourage the skater. d) One minute rest, then sprint 3 laps as fast as they can go. Encourage the skater to go fast. e) One minute rest, (the second 30 minutes of practice) start training towards WFTDA certification one skill at a time. f) Revisit Phase 1 and/or 2 above, pound in the fundamentals. It normally takes 12 to 16 weeks for a true beginner to pass their 27 laps in 5 minutes, so be patient. g) When the beginners can pass 27 laps in 5 minutes they have a fundamental grasp on all the skills they must use to survive on the derby track! This is a good time to bring in some veterans and have a controlled scrimmage and run some drills mixing up everyone as you finish and polish up their WFTDA certification testing (Long Term Goal). Your program now has a C skater ready to join your ranks. Good luck to ya and keep the shiny side up!H
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juking the hurdles: leaping into a successful derby career LOVE HURRICANE, SOUTH SIDE DERBY DAMES
Many of us were likely unaware of the significance of February 4, 2015 for women involved in athletics. That day marked National Girls and Women in Sports Day. As someone who never considered herself an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, I can now recognize myself as an athlete and celebrate this day in February with pride thanks to roller derby. As with many, my journey into derby was disjointed and wrought with, what I perceived to be, hurdles. As a rookie to any sport, there are many hurdles to jump in order to find yourself fully-vested, conditioned and committed. Lisa Beinetti (Wreck Star), has been skating for three years and is living proof that, “The commitment to yourself has to be there or else it would be too easy to quit.” She is witness to this truth as both a trainer and a skater – seeing first-hand the struggles new skaters face, and she sympathizes with those skaters finding it a struggle to stay on their path. So, before you lace up for the first time, or if you have already made the commitment to a team, if you become mindful of the hurdles you will face both as a rookie and as a seasoned skater, you will be better prepared to juke over and around them. the triumvirate In derby, as in life, you are constantly presented with challenges. As a skater, challenges present themselves mainly in three forms. Physical – Whether or not you know how to skate when you come into derby, it’s likely that the rudimentary
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skills will not come easy. Beinetti exemplifies this point stating, “Until you have tried to juke, push or otherwise muscle your way through an impenetrable wall, you will never understand how completely and utterly exhausting two minutes can be.“ The fact that we ask ourselves to push our body in a way it hasn’t been challenged before is enough to discourage rookies from continuing to skate. There is no one way to overcome this hurdle, but simply putting the time and effort into conditioning yourself and researching appropriate cross-training will give you a leg-up. Mental – Oftentimes we have destructive conversations with ourselves leading to the conclusion that we “just can’t do it.” Maybe you’re telling yourself that a drill is too hard or you’re struggling with a relationship with another skater. What is going on in our heads can cripple us to the point of not being able to perform. To combat this, the American Psychological Association
recommends, “…mental strategies, such as visualization, self-talk and relaxation techniques, can help athletes overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential.” Another cloud that can loom over your mental health in derby is the fact that, unfortunately, injuries are common. This can influence a rookie’s mentality creating an apprehension to execute hitting and other drills that present higher-level physical challenges. Proper physical conditioning and cross training can help prevent most injuries along with having an experienced coaching staff. Situational – Life happens and work/family life does not always coincide well with derby pursuits. There will be times when you can’t commit to the level you want. The key is to give yourself permission to back off when you need to. Productive communication with people in your life that influence your decision making along with being able to communicate with the league can go a long way to preventing problems from arising.
James Keith
go ahead and jump It’s impossible to avoid hurdles, but what will make all the difference is your motivation to overcome them. Married or single, working in or out of the home, it is the motivation we find in ourselves that prompts us to action. A study titled Sports in the Lives of Working Women demonstrated that working women who participate in athletics assert that the more they exercise, in turn, the more motivated they become. Sports and fitness activities
influence how women care for themselves, see themselves and how they approach their work and personal life. Derby, for many, is difficult and being a rookie to the sport can push you to your limits. In the end, the benefits you glean – a community of supportive women, increased physical and mental health and elevating yourself to the level of athlete make juking and jumping the hurdles easier.H
strategies for mental strength: • Focus only on what is within your control • When anxiety prevents you from trying new things, step out of your comfort zone to continue to challenge yourself • Practice behaving like the person you’d like to become (practice like you play) • Always think about what to improve upon and visualize how to accomplish it
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catch up GREGORY BAXLEY PHOTOS BY GREGORY BAXLEY
It’s 11 a.m. on a Sunday and the sign just flipped to “Open” on a small storefront on the corner of 45th and Thackeray in Seattle. Two women standing outside have just driven 90 miles from Bellingham to get fitted for new skates. Traffic being unpredictable, they arrived a bit early and they are keeping warm by holding their coffee. A father is also standing outside. He needs to get in and out as quickly as possible. His daughter, sporting purple braids, has her first practice today and she needs... well she kinda needs everything. And she needs it before noon. Then there’s a click as the door is unlocked, and they all stroll through a brown wooden door into a shallow entry way. This door first opened to the public in March of 2007, eight long years ago, and it was the first of its kind. That opening was a tiny revolution that began because Jennifer Savaglio, aka La Petite Mort and Sarah O’Donohue, aka Wile E. Peyote, had the belief that skaters deserved more. And so it was that the first brick and mortar roller derby shop in the world, Fast Girl Skates, began its unexpected and steady march as one of the most important voices in roller derby retail. As they cross the threshold this Sunday, these early birds will experience the same simple manifesto of uncompromising service, quality and education that has been present here since the opening day. Looking at the first dollar on the wall signed by Dani (DeeTroit) Heckman and her wife Derika, it’s not hard to understand what drove Jenny and Sarah to venture into such uncharted territory. It was community. They were tired of seeing their league mates struggling without many options. Most of them were wearing the “Dave Special.” An oversized Riedell 125, RS-1000 boot with black Sunlite plates (jump bars and all), Rockin’ Ron’s bearings and Fugitive wheels. Purchased from the only local sporting goods shop that sold roller skates, it was what many of the Rat City Rollergirls had on their feet at that time.This was the beginning of roller derby’s rise back into popular culture, and there just wasn’t appropriate gear and skates available. No derby-specific padding or skates designed to hold up under the pressure of a fast paced sport. There were some better options online and some skaters, including
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Jennifer and Sarah, gave these a try. But despite best intentions, online retailers just couldn’t bridge the gap over wires that are so easily traversed when reaching from hand to foot. All around them and even on their own feet, the soon-to-be Fast Girl founders saw skates that were too big, too heavy, and ill-suited for the emerging world of roller derby. There needed to be a place dedicated to carrying only derby skates and equipment run by someone who knew the sport. Fast Girl was founded to be this kind of place. So, in a world of recreational skate packages, quick start eBay vendors, and online drop shipping companies; Fast Girl did something a little crazy. They opened a physical store front, took a lease, stocked shelves with boot-only fitting stock and opened the doors to burgeoning derby skaters from all over. For the first two years they didn’t even have an online store. They wanted to focus only on in-person interaction. Back to basics customer service and quality would be built one skate at a time on a work bench that is still sitting in the front window of the shop. It was Jennifer’s idea to put it there, “I wanted to have a teaching store. Customers should see me building skates. They should feel like they can ask questions and get answers right there. I really just wanted to learn everything I could about this stuff so I could teach others about it. More than anything, that’s why we opened the store.” Jennifer actively sought out as many experts in the skate design, manufacturing and speed racing as she could find. Men and women who had mounted thousands of skates throughout their lives, had won hundreds of titles, and who had countless hours of time behind a workbench. These experts would become her mentors. Given this pedigree, it’s no surprise that many of the world’s most revered skaters like Susie HotRod, Quadzilla, and Bonnie Thunders have trusted Jennifer to build skates for them. Today at the store Jennifer and her employees are trying to find out as much as they can about a skater’s weight, height, position, skating style and experience level. They know all of this information is key to helping customers define what is best for themselves. The staff
also takes time to ensure customers get straight-forward information on whatever is trendy. Jennifer explains, “There are fads people think they have to have, the short forward mount is an example, which has come in and out over the years. I can do that, but I make sure the skater really knows what they are getting into before I do it. I explain how the mount they are asking for was originally used – ‘You know this was developed mostly for outdoor speed skating?’ – and make sure they understand their choices. You’re new to skating? Maybe this isn’t the best choice for you.” Jennifer is known for being a straight shooter with her customers, “I just ask them to take a look at Bonnie, Susie, Atomatrix, Carmen, Steph – they’re not skating on these setups. Maybe there’s a reason for that.” What is best for the skater is a credo at Fast Girl Skates. Since 2007, it’s been the doctrine Jennifer and Sarah have used to push their influence outside the four walls of the 1,000 square foot storefront. When first starting out, an off-the-shelf skate boot came standard in a medium width. This is known in the industry as a D width last. Both this width and length sizing for skates were designed and made with men’s feet in mind. By contrast, a standard women’s foot typically has a smaller heel, is narrower and tends towards smaller sizes. The skates customers are trying on this day are a direct result of Fast Girl’s commitment to become the place where a player could be properly fitted for skates as true athletic equipment. Jennifer recalls, “We talked to speed skaters, artistic skaters –
people with titles and medals, people who had skates on since they were practically in the crib. They wear their skates tight, not curling your toes tight, but tight like a glove.” As a result, Fast Girl began swimming against the tide of common fitting advice. Jennifer continues,”You would read instructions online telling girls to wear extra socks if their skates were too big. Or even to go a size up if they had ‘wide’ feet. But here the best skaters were wearing super thin socks or no socks at all. They could skate in their boots for years, while other girls’ feet were in ribbons after a single practice. It wasn’t just skill or that their feet were tougher, they were just wearing skates that actually fit them.” Above the counter you can see the old school Riedell “linen” boxes. These are the bones left over from the quest Fast Girl had to get skates that fit their customers better. That quest led Fast Girl to buy up all the new old stock small size and narrow boots they could find in Washington. It was these boots that began Jennifer and Sarah’s love of the feel of the kangaroo leather speed boot. You can still see the influence the vintage 595 and 695 skates gave to their collaboration with Riedell. The Bluestreak has the indelible hallmarks of these workhorse “skating shoes”, right down to the vintage style box. When Jennifer and Sarah ran out of vintage boots to buy, they began to order new narrow, split last and small sized stock directly from Riedell. Narrow (narrow front and narrow heel) and split last (standard front and a narrow heel) were
“Wicked Skatewear loves Fast Girl Skates because FGS supports the roller derby community. We might be competitors and we’re the first ones to have each other’s backs when it comes to supporting the sport that we all love!” – B-Train of Wicked Skatewear, Wicked Athletica
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custom orders back then and other skates that were not even available in smaller sizes (size 4 was a common smallest size). They began to order three of each “custom” sized skate to avoid the “custom” up charge. It was a large inventory investment for a startup skate shop, but they did it anyway to avoid charging their customers more for properly sized skates. Finally after a fierce lobby by the Fast Girl owners, manufacturers began to include the split last as a standard offering and to make skates like the 265 in sizes smaller than size 4. Fast Girl had successfully petitioned to move these sizes from something custom to something common, as hundreds of happy customers proved that the women of Fast Girl weren’t just pioneering in the derby market, they were defining it. These were still the days before roller derby had product lines and before cutting the track even existed, and the Fast Girl proprietors were already pushing equipment manufactures to do better. Jennifer explains, “We were selling a lot of snow board wrist guards from Triple Eight that were designed to go under snow gloves because they were really great for derby and comfortable. We talked to them and soon they started making a similar design specifically for roller derby. McDavid also let us add more padding to the tail bone and front of their
Athletics. The Fast Girl family grew to include great team members like Angee ‘Jalapeno Business’ Foster (Rat City All Stars), Katie ‘Sheeza Brickhouse’ Gay (Rat City All Stars, Jet City), Vito ‘Vito Vidi Vici’ Ramon (Outcast Men’s Roller Derby, Rat City All Stars Coach) and junior derby members like Grainne e Hunter (I-5 Rollergirls, Antagonist), Gabby ‘Gabberwocky’ Turner (Seattle Derby Brats) and ‘Amelia Darehart’ Seraphin (Seattle Derby Brats). Not all changes were easy. After five years as captain of the Rat City Rollergirls’ Throttle Rockets, an in-game injury forced Jennifer to retire from the track. Sarah continued to play, eventually retiring from Rat City to play USARS rules derby for Antagonist. Eventually a difference in opinion about business direction lead Jennifer to seek and procure sole ownership of FGS and she still can be seen there most days giving the same one-on-one attention to customers she has for nearly eight years running. Jennifer’s commitment to customers is one way she retains her extremely capable staff. Her vision of education and service before profit is infectious and it means this workplace more than a standard retail gig. Sheeza Brickhouse noticed this early on, “Fourish years ago, Jenny offered me a job at Fast Girl Skates. I was ecstatic to not only learn all I could about skates
“Fast Girl is a derby staple. Jenny is driven by educating and helping the derby community get what they need. Whether it’s the newest thing on the market or the tried and true classics.” – Vito Ramon, aka Vito Vidi Vici, aka Coach Vito, aka Fast Girl store manager, aka gym owner, aka Getsome Athletics educator, aka guy with no sleep
standard softball sliding shorts. We had them add a pocket for mouth guards and make it in longer and shorter lengths so the girls could get the style that best covered where they fall.” With these products sitting for years on the shelf now it’s sometimes easy to forget that it took people like Jennifer and Sarah to change people’s minds about roller derby as a fad. These passing years have also brought milestones and changes as this little store endeavored to find more ways to help skaters around the world. Fastgirlskates.com opened by the end of third year in an effort to expand what had been learned and perfected in the store outside its four walls. Jennifer became a familiar voice in articles, writing for Blood and Thunder and fiveonfive, covering subjects from skates to gear to injury care and prevention. Fast Girl University training school opened to offer skate and derby education supported by coaches like Pia Mess, Stephanie Mainey, Claire D. Way, I.M. Pain and even Carmen Getsome before she started Getsome
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and the mechanics of putting them together, but I felt lucky to be a part of a business that actually cares about its customers. I was quickly taught how to fit someone for skates and immediately refreshed with Jenny explaining how it’s more important to get a skater in the right gear for them than to make a sale. We were also taught that our goal was to teach our customers about their skates and gear, and helping them feel confident in the mechanics, maintenance, and longevity of their skates and gear. I was floored! Instead of giving our customers a fish to eat, Jenny wanted to teach them how to actually fish.” Val Capone of Windy City, the Chicago Red Hots, announcer and roller derby historian fame (seriously you want a lesson in modern derby history talk to Val) has similar feelings about Fast Girl. “For a few years I had the pleasure of being one of the voices of roller derby for Derby News Network. We always had copy to read, but when it came to Fast Girl Skates I’d often find
myself ad-libbing, in addition to reading the copy, because I love the place so much. I’d often joke that it was my personal ‘happiest place on earth’ but it’s true! Walking in and instantly feeling like you belong there is a pretty spectacular feeling. They treat everyone like they’re part of the team whether they’re a seasoned, grizzled vet starting her eleventh season like me, or you are the son of a ref who wants to get into junior Derby, as I saw on my last trip there. The staff is beyond knowledgeable and helpful. They’re also really good at selling you want you NEED and want, rather than whatever the new, cool product may be.” It may be the happiest place on earth to some, but Jennifer has never been one to sit back and just trade the reputation she has built. Now a sole owner, she remains behind the counter most days and even advocates for her small business competitors. “The biggest challenges these days is that we used to be part of a community of mostly smaller derby owned stores and there wasn’t tons of money involved. Now that derby is a bigger market you start to get competition from ‘warehouse-style’ derby stores who are only online. Some of them are drop ship sites that don’t really know the product and others are effectively sporting goods web stores that were already well established and have just rebranded to be derby. It might be a little less expensive to buy from them, but at the end of the day, it hurts the smaller, dedicated derby shops. They aren’t hands on, they didn’t grow with the sport or have the expertise and history. We’re also seeing people pay to be exclusive retailers at tournaments. Demanding less competition by restricting the amount of retail stores that can attend hurts the skaters. I don’t care how many stores are with me at a tournament, I’m going to bust my ass to give great service. I’m not going to ask for exclusivity because that makes it about me, the retailer, not about the skater. When you walk into a tournament, you should have a great selection and as many
opinions to draw from as possible. That can’t happen with only one or two retailers at an event. I go to tournaments because I love my job, I love to teach, I love this sport and I want to continue to make it about the skater. And there’s a bunch of small shops out there that feel the same way, I hope skaters go out and support these owners. To me that’s the derby community, ‘by the skater, for the skater’ – I still believe that.” Jennifer says this is so important to her because supporting small shops straight up gives skaters jobs. Former employee Angela Foster, aka Jalapeno Business, shared her personal experience working for fast Girl, “Working at Fast Girl really changed my life. Jenny offered a livable wage and enough paid vacation to help me cover my bills while traveling often for derby. Jenny is a very thoughtful boss and I always felt appreciated by her. Jenny empowered me to take on new responsibilities at the store, which made me feel like an integral part of the FGS team.” As the day winds down at Fast Girl on this Sunday or really any of the six days the store is open, you can often find a customer or two apologizing for keeping the employees staying after hours. Maybe they didn’t know the store closed earlier on weekends or maybe they have been debating on if their budget will allow them to get this skate or that skate. They stare deep in thought at the open boxes in front of them. Whatever the case, you can expect Jennifer or one of her staff will be patiently assuring the customer to take their time. The sign will flip back to “Closed,” but the skater will not be turned out until they have gotten what they need. It’s a poorly kept secret that in times like these deals are often made and Jennifer is known to say something like, “I’m sure we can figure something out, because that is the skate you love.” And so it goes that everyone crossing that threshold, whether they know it or not, becomes a part of that tiny revolution, an important member Fast Girl team and this store doesn’t plan on letting them down or giving them anything less than they deserve.H
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herbal derby
Gypsy Wagon Apothecary and fiveonfive present
A user friendly cookbook focusing on the medicinal properties of 5 popular kitchen herbs.
By detailing their medicinal properties along with some entertaining facts and applications, users of this book begin to understand how our food can become delicious medicine. With a few simple adjustments, Herbal Derby can easily accommodate every dietary requirement for optimal health and vitality. available at fiveonfivemag.com
(h)it girls of west coast derby GREGORY BAXLEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY MINH PHAM AND GREGORY BAXLEY
You know those women who catch your eye as they roll by? The ones that inspire teammates on the track, who always have fans waiting to meet them, and who have a killer day job; but still somehow manage to balance their professional life with a derby schedule. They are the athletes that pave the way, encourage new skaters, and make a name for themselves both on and off the track. They have a great attitude, a charismatic personality, and the party starts when they walk in. They don't even have to try. Society calls them “It Girls,” but we’ve deemed them the “Hit Girls.” A pack of up-and-coming West Coast skaters who are making waves in the derby community. A new generation of derby superstars.
At 4’8’’ Nehi Nightmare has proven that size has no bearing in the world of roller derby. Skating against players standing feet above her has done little to contain her speed, as she is a regular crowd favorite at Key Arena, home of the Rat City Roller Girls. She’s such a talent that Riedell custom handbuilt her signature Antik AR-1 boots in a size 1, the only pair of their kind. “Free time... haha that’s funny. I have three kids and I play roller derby.”
Nehi Nightmare Position: Jammer Day Job: Pharmacy Technician Skates: Custom-built Antik AR-1 Age: 33
“My favorite derby moment was being drafted to my team Grave Danger.” WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT DERBY IS no matter your size/weight you can be amazing if you just use your strengths to your advantage. MY BOUT DAY ROUTINE CONSISTS OF turning on Pandora and blasting the Eminem station. Peanut butter is my key food. And before I leave for the game each of my kids gives me a good luck hug. MY INSPIRATION comes from within, showing my kids that they can achieve whatever they want in life as long as they want it bad enough.
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Nana Nana Bruise You is one of those athletes who is impossible to miss. Known as one of the fastest skaters in her home league, Whidbey Island Roller Girls, she regularly inspires fresh meat with her skill and prowess. Some people are born to do something, and Nana’s path was obvious from her first step on the flat track. Working as a teacher has probably rubbed off on her derby career, and vice versa, because she’s always leading the pack. “My favorite movie of all time is Robin Hood – Merry Men in Tights.”
Nana Nana Bruise You Position: Jammer Day Job: Kindergarten Teacher Skates: Antik AR-1 Age: 26
“My team Inspires me. We are all so completely different, but we are all working toward the same goal. We learn so much from each other, and the way we play on the track reflects that.” WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT DERBY IS personal empowerment. I played sports in high school, but I never felt the way I do about myself when I’m on skates. THE CRAZIEST EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD WITH MY TEAM IS every Halloween party! They are a crazy and rowdy bunch, and someone always ends up streaking.
There’s no denying that the younger generation of skaters now coming of age, are impacting national derby in a huge way. Lana Del Slay has been owning the flat track since age twelve, and there is no doubt that adults were dreading the day she turned eighteen. Known as a powerhouse on the track throughout her junior career with the Kitsap Derby Brats, she has quickly made her way up the ranks in WFTDA sanctioned derby. Don’t be disillusioned by her collection of vinyl and stamps, her youth or her leg brace; Lana Del Slay is here to slay. “I love that there is not one set age group of athletes in roller derby. One of my favorite experiences was skating on a team with my mother.” “When people ask about my hobbies, my go to answer is obviously roller derby, which tends to shock them.” THE SOUNDTRACK TO MY LIFE INCLUDES Kanye West, Lana Del Ray, Kendrick Lamar, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Crystal Castles. THE CRAZIEST EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD WITH MY TEAM IS the most recent Christmas party. We took turns doing dares, and I watched a teammate do a strip tease that ended in impromptu splits. I don’t think she could walk the next day. MY INSPIRATION is my best friend Ruby (Red Rager). She’s a brick wall. I spend basically every day of my life trying to figure out ways to outsmart and outskate her. Still haven’t found a way, but I’m trying.
Sometimes it’s hard to stand out when you play for a world-class team like the Oly Rollers, but Scara ta Death hasn’t had any problems making a name for herself over the past five years. And it’s not just because she happens to be a frequent fashion model. Scara quickly became a pivotal part of her team, landing on the floor of WFTDA Nationals at age 18 in her first season. With a background in speed skating and roller hockey, there was never a doubt that this tough skater would excel above the competition. “My personal fashion is whatever is comfortable. I love yoga pants, and dressing up in jeans and cowboy boots.”
From a young age, J.CREWella was a self-described rink rat, and grew up an athlete. But it wasn’t until she discovered roller derby that she truly came into her own, gaining strength “both mentally and physically.” She is lightning in a bottle on the banked track, with her signature makeup style and near unstoppable speed. Even a fractured wrist couldn’t slow her down, which she happily decorated with a sparkly gold cast. Between her natural style and proven skills, she is quickly becoming one of the most exciting skaters to watch.
Scara ta Death Position: Jammer/Pivot Day Job: Bank Teller Skates: Riedell 595 Age: 23
“When I have free time, I like to skate, model and watch television. I also collect rare coins and old bills.” WHAT INSPIRES ME MOST ABOUT DERBY IS teaching others to be confident and strive to push themselves. And a cheering crowd is always amazing. MY INJURIES HAVE INCLUDED a broken arm, sliced open hand, strained knee, head wounds, and split open chin on three separate occasions. THE MOST CRAZY AFTER PARTY I’VE SEEN WAS at WFTDA 2012 Nationals in Atlanta. I was hanging out with some skaters from Texas and Australia. There were three girls trying to fit into a kangaroo outfit and people just losing clothes everywhere. It was extra funny because I wasn’t 21 yet, so I was just watching everyone else drink.
“The soundtrack to my life consists of Bon Jovi, Cher, ABBA, David Bowie, and Queen.”
Lana Del Slay Position: Jammer Day Job: Student/Waitress Skates: Luigino Vertigo F-1 Age: 18
J.CREWella Position: Utility Player Day Job: Special Events and Development Manager Skates: Bont Vaypor Carbon Age: 33
“My personal fashion style is preppy meets outlandish. Lots of jewelry. I would describe metallic as my favorite color and I think sequins are appropriate to wear for any occasion.”
WHAT INSPIRES ME MOST ABOUT DERBY IS the variety of women I meet. Some skaters are natural born athletes, and some are trying sports for the first time. I love seeing each player succeed. I loved how I grew as an athlete and as a person. I have grown into a stronger, more assertive and confident person because of roller derby. MY BOUT DAY ROUTINE CONSISTS OF trusting that I’ve trained enough that I don’t put too much thought into the game beforehand. I focus on my bout makeup and just chilling out. My team likes to go to breakfast before the bout, it’s an important tradition to start the day together. MY FAVORITE DERBY MOMENT WAS skating with my league in San Diego for the Battle on the Bank National Banked Track Championships last year and taking 3rd place! It was a thrill to skate with and against the best banked track skaters in the nation!H
fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
world cup D A V E W O O D, R O C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y D AV E W O O D
The second Roller Derby World Cup was held in Dallas this past December. Three years after the inaugural event, this edition of the international showcase showed that while the United States still rules the derby world, the rest of the planet is rapidly catching up. In 2011, Team USA wasn't even remotely challenged as they won their semi-final game by over 500 points and took the goal medal game over Canada 336-33. This time around, Team USA was held under 300 points in each of its final two games. The tournament kicked off with two days of pool play as the 30 teams (up from 13 in 2011) were divided into eight groups and competed against each of the other teams in their group for the right to advance to a 16-team single-elimination bracket. Those 16 teams turned out to include 12 of the 13 teams that took part in the 2011 Cup, as only Germany failed to advance past the group phase. Joining those repeat participants in the final 16 were new teams from the West Indies, Belgium, Netherlands, and Norway. But none of the new teams were able to make it to the next round – the quarterfinals consisted of the top seven countries from 2011 plus Argentina, who showed that they have made significant strides since their last-place finish in the first World Cup.
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There were no real surprises in the quarterfinals as the world's top four derby nations all cruised into the semi-finals with fairly easy victories. But there would be no easy victories on the tournament's final day. After giving up 15 or fewer points in each of its first four games, Team USA was challenged in its semi-final game against Australia, but ultimately took the win 259-54 (the same semi-final ended 527-4 in 2011). The other semi was also a repeat of 2011, but this time around the result was very different as England avenged their 161-90 2011 loss to Canada with a 156-112 victory. After watching the semi-final games to open the tournament's final day, fans were treated to two outstanding exhibition games. First, two mix-up teams of JRDA junior skaters showed that the future of roller derby in the United States is definitely looking bright. That was followed by a World Cup all-star game, consisting of one skater from each of the teams that didn't make the final four. Then it was on to the bronze medal game, a 197-128 win for Australia over Canada. And then, after Australia had become the first team to ever score 50 points against Team USA, England became the first to top 100 as Team USA repeated as champions of the world with an intense 219-105 victory.H
2014 World Cup Rankings
1 - USA 2 - England 3 - Australia 4 - Canada 5 - Finland 6 - New Zealand 7 - Sweden 8 - Argentina 9 - France 10 - Ireland 11 - Belgium 12 - The Netherlands 13 - Scotland 14 - Brazil 15 - West Indies 16 - Norway 17 - Wales 18 - Germany 19 - Denmark 20 - Colombia 21 - Mexico 22 - Chile 23 - Italy 24 - Spain 25 - Portugal 26 - Greece 27 - Switzerland 28 - South Africa 29 - Japan 30 - Puerto Rico
fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
Spring 2015 | fiveonfivemag.com
final scores Team Australia Team New Zealand Team Canada Team South Africa Team Belgium Team USA Team France Team England Team Finland Team Brazil Team Spain Team Scotland Team Sweden Team Canada Team Australia Team Japan Team USA Team Italy Team Finland Team New Zealand Team England Team Colombia Team Norway Team Germany Team France Team Sweden Team Switzerland Team Finland Team Australia Team England Team Norway Team Switzerland Team West Indies Team New Zealand Team France Team Sweden Team Scotland Team Italy Team Germany Team Denmark Team Puerto Rico Team West Indies Team Spain Team Colombia Team USA: Stars Team Canada Team Sweden Team Japan Team New Zealand Team USA Team Switzerland Team France Team Finland Team Wales Team Australia Team England Team Portugal Team USA Team Canada Team Chile Team England Team Australia Team Denmark Team Netherlands. Team USA Team England Team Australia Team USA
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Team Italy Team Norway Team Argentina Team Wales Team Greece Team Netherlands Team Switzerland Team Germany Team Colombia Team Portugal Team Ireland Team Mexico Team West Indies Team Denmark Team Belgium Team Chile Team Puerto Rico Team Greece Team Scotland Team South Africa Team Spain Team Mexico Team Wales Team Ireland Team Brazil Team Japan Team Portugal Team Mexico Team Greece Team Ireland Team South Africa Team Brazil Team Japan Team Wales Team Portugal Team Chile Team Colombia Team Belgium Team Spain Team Argentina Team Netherlands Team Chile Team South Africa Team Greece Team USA: Stripes Team Brazil Team Ireland Team Mexico Team Netherlands Team Norway Team Italy Team Argentina Team Belgium Team Puerto Rico Team Scotland Team West Indies Team Denmark Team Argentina Team Finland Team Germany Team Sweden Team New Zealand Team Puerto Rico Team South Africa Team Australia Team Canada Team Canada Team England
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tips to improve your bout posters through typography JUSTIN LASCELLE
Great artwork is only the beginning of poster design – while it initially attracts the attention of your viewers, getting your message across is your true goal. If you can’t communicate your message quickly and efficiently to a viewer, your poster will fail in its primary purpose: putting meat in the seats! While laying out letters and phrases may not be as exciting as putting the finishing touches on your flat track-inspired masterpiece, effectively communicating your message is an important part of creating visually striking and functional bout posters. k.i.s.s. Keep it simple, stupid. This is a poster, not an essay. Studies have shown that as the designer, you have roughly 11 seconds to convey the entire message of your poster to a viewer, so make every piece of copy and every typographic decision count. Your poster should convey the what, when, and where as succinctly as possible while remaining readable, legible, and well organized. Copy free of spelling and grammatical errors or passive sentence structure will greatly improve readability while appropriate and clear typefaces will ensure legibility. Laying out all of your design elements using a typographic grid will keep everything organized.
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understand your informational hierarchy Before you begin laying out your poster, sort out your content into clusters of copy that are relevant to one another. These clusters should then be organized by importance and laid out appropriately – this will increase the impact that the poster has on the viewer. For example, if you cluster the key information of what, when, and where together and place it at the focal point of your design, the viewer will subconsciously take this vital information in much faster than if it were scattered haphazardly or grouped somewhere less obvious. Viewers are more likely to explore the rest of the poster if the immediate information they receive is relevant to their interests. People viewing your poster should instantly think “roller derby on March 9th at the Event Center, eh? I wonder how much it costs and where I can get tickets?” not “What is this for?!”
use a typographic grid A typographic grid is a 2-D structure made of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines used to organize and structure content. Following a grid system will allow you to organize text and images in a way that allows your audience to quickly absorb and digest the information presented to them. A good way to begin using grids is to break your work area up into a number of columns with a specific-sized space, or gutter, between them. When laying out your type, decide how many columns an element or cluster should take up by determining how much visual weight you want to give that
particular bit of information. In the figure above, an example of a poster is laid out using this exact method next to a poster with the same information minus a grid. Even though the typographic elements have not changed in size or weight, someone casually scanning the poster will absorb the grid layout quicker. Using a grid may feel restrictive at first, but once you fully understand how the grid works, you can start to break it. To begin properly using a typographic grid, try reading Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef MĂźeller-Brockmann and The Typographic Grid by Hans Rudolf Bosshard.H
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Five Strides on the Banked Track A N D Y F R Y E A K A L E B R O N S H A M E S, C H I C A G O B R U I S E B R O T H E R S
Last summer, Frank Deford’s cult classic book about roller derby entitled Five Strides on the Banked Track was reissued and released as an ebook, offered through Amazon and other sites by Open Road Integrated Media. With 21st Century roller derby entering its second decade unto the next World Cup, this book’s reissue stands as an opportunity to experience a great adventure into the roller derby days of old, when coed teams lined up to battle the famous Bay Area Bombers and few players skated under pseudonyms or derby names. As Deford tells it, the roller derby and cheap shots that are both part of NRDL’s paid players not only play that played upon the banked track by the the game and to court fans’ adoration game and play the role of the 1960s National Roller Derby League and allure. Evenings don’t necessarily superstar, they also put up and tear was stocked with elaborate, larger conclude at the pub, lounge or VFW down the track after the last whistle, than life characters just like today. Yet for a typical after party as we know it. just the same as we do, while fans teams back then skated with two Too often the stars of the banked track leave the venue. Likewise, as in jammers, two blockers and a pivot, are off the next day, scampering to today’s welcoming roller derby scene, albeit at the same frenetic pace and another locale for tomorrow’s game, drinks are ample and more than cross-focus on both offensive and and hitting the road on an all-night social, but the players of the 1960s defensive play. share cigarettes as much Deford illuminates Much of what the reader will discover within as they share cocktails within his book that five Five Strides about life in the derby of years past and camaraderie. decades ago, roller Between the jams is not only charming, but cozily familiar too. derby’s players and fans and anecdotes about stiff embraced the game drinks, many of the bus ride to Syracuse, Richmond, “without question, and its skeptics people of roller derby, within Five Providence or Duluth. Despite the long dismiss it just as quickly as fraudulent Strides, are described as kind, fun, hours both off and on the track, and savage.” Moreover, he paints a introverted and unassuming. Just the players don’t wear nearly as much picture of the derby life of the 1960s same, every team has their own gear as we do now, but sustain the as very different from that of the resident joker or tough guy, and same injuries during play, sometimes average derb today. In Deford’s world usually it’s a woman named Ann worse, many repeatedly so. of Five Strides, roller derby isn’t just a Calvello or Joanie Weston. Much of what the reader will lifestyle, it’s a full time job. Today’s roller derby zeitgeist is may discover within Five Strides about life Bout nights on the banked track are be less about showmanship, possibly in the derby of years past is not only full of athletics and exciting feats of more predictable, likely more heroism, combined with ample attitude charming, but cozily familiar too. The sovereign. Since the founding of the
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Texas Rollergirls in 2003 – essentially flat-track’s catalyst and ground zero – anyone keeping a close eye on roller derby has seen it flourish independent of corporate or promotional backing, and much to the disregard of entertainment value as measured by media, or the predilections of fans in the stands. As such, flat-track, or 21st century derby, reminds us of last-century derby about as much as the sleek bike frames at the Tour de France resemble the early-concept, front-pedaled von Drais bicycles of 1817. But the passion and fervor behind the game today bears strong undertones of its forerunner from a century before. Five Strides on the Banked Track, first published in 1971, ironically around the time of banked track derby’s demise, still offers an enchanting look at the predecessor of the world’s fastest growing sport.H
Five Strides on the Banked Track (Open Road Media; $14.99), renowned sports journalist Frank Deford opens a fascinating window into the exhilarating entertainment and incredible athleticism of roller derby. From its Depression Era roots – the Derby began as an idea on a tablecloth in 1935 by Leo Seltzer – to its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Deford sweeps us along on an unforgettable journey, bringing to light roller derby's players, fans, promoters, and celebrities. He painstakingly details the exploits of Bay Bomber legend Charlie O’Connell, the experiences of superstar Joanie Weston, and the antics of beloved villain Ann Calvello, who, with her signature blue hair, would ultimately compete in roller derby for seven decades. Deford vividly captures the excitement of the sport Variety called “cathartic, dramatic, fast-paced, and classic as a John Wayne movie.” From the idolatry of the fans and the loneliness of the open road to the hard-charging frenzy of the arena, Five Strides on the Banked Track is a rare glimpse into a uniquely American spectator sport that continues to be resurrected and reinvented today. Includes a new Foreword by Jerry Seltzer the second and final owner of the original roller derby league created by his father; and a new Introduction by Frank Deford. About the Author The author of more than fifteen books, Frank Deford (b. 1938) is one of the nation’s most prominent sportswriters. In his nonfiction he has chronicled everything from roller derby to the Miss America Pageant, while his novels have used sport as a background for historical fiction and explorations of what athletic competition can mean. A senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, Deford also appears on NPR’s Morning Edition. A member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and its Hall of Fame, Deford has been named Sportswriter of the Year six times.
fiveonfivemag.com | Spring 2015
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Spring 2015 | fiveonfivemag.com 1. Logo is missing from jammer’s helmet panty. 2. Front blocker’s number has changed. 3. Blocker on left’s number is missing from her arm. 4. Blocker on right’s skates are now green. 5. Jammer on the bench’s helmet panty is now blue. 6. Official is missing stripes from socks. 7. Front blocker’s wheels are now blue.
joe mac/midnight matinee
THERE ARE SEVEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PHOTOS – FIND ‘EM!
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