fiveonfive | issue 32 | Summer 2016

WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK ROLLER DERBY MAGAZINE ISSUE 32, SUMMER 2016

proud partner of the WFTDA

fiveonfivemag.com

fiveonfive contents 30-31

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advice ask ms d’fiant and suzy hotrod!

WFTDA Meet WFTDA’s new Executive Director, Cassie Haynes, and find out how she is adjusting to her new role, and how she plans to help keep WFTDA up to speed with such a quickly evolving sport.

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business league rebranding derby merch basics managing risk for league events

12-15

health and fitness dehydration and heat injury

40-41

16-21 games and coaching blocking techniques

game history for officials: how necessary is it?

26-29 gear

When and how to build your game history as an official. What benefits do certain aspects of your game history provide?

Are you adding unnecessary/unhelpful information?

plates 201

32-35

junior derby common questions and misconceptions

46-47

38-39 rookie a question of balance

moving teams Important advice from an experienced coach on how to make your transition between teams as smooth as possible.

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officiating game history: how necessary is it? reflection and realization

phil lackey

50-57 international derby

editor phoenix aka stacey casebolt castle rock ‘n’ rollers copy editor and content manager vera n. sayne rocky mountain rollergirls art director assaultin’ pepa rocky mountain rollergirls contributing writers ms d’fiant angel city derby girls suzy hotrod gotham girls roller derby skaro boston roller derby grim solo naptown roller girls scar of david lafayette brawlin’ dolls papa doc windy city rollers catholic cruel girl rocky mountain rollergirls old xchool northern californian roller derby jennifer savaglio aka la petite mort fast girl skates vile love it queen city roller girls kate runnels southern oregon roller girls standard steviation lansing derby vixens wicked piz-aah columbia quadsquad heartless clarksville, tennessee professor piedmont riot roller derby papercut pirate city rollers slava shatrovoy white night furies cover photo joe mac midnightmatineephotography.com 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.

from the editor Welcome to the 32nd issue of fiveonfive!

A few short months ago I opened up the 30th issue of fiveonfive magazine following my standard shriek of excitement at seeing it rolled up in my mailbox. I shrieked again as I read that the magazine was looking for a new editor to fill in so that Miss Jane Redrum could take the time needed to be the best new mother she can be. Nine short years ago, I was in the same position and opted to leave work behind for a time and be everything I could be for my children. Those were probably the most valuable years of my life, but now, with my youngest getting closer to first grade, the itch to get back to work has gotten stronger and stronger. I applied for the position the next day, and you guessed it, I shrieked again when Assaultin’ Pepa informed me that the position was to be mine! Apparently shrieking is something I need to work on.

I was introduced to roller derby through Drew Barrymore’s movie “Whip It” many years ago. My husband has had a crush on Drew since ET, so we watch anything and everything that she is involved in. There was no question when I watched the movie that I was hooked. I told myself I would play roller derby someday. My husband and I started watching YouTube videos about derby and I had become obsessed. It took a few years, but when I moved from Texas to Colorado and found out that the Castle Rock’n’Rollers play just a few minutes away from me, I signed up immediately. I have been playing now for a little over a year, and finally earned my derby name after a few minor injury setbacks. So, from here on out you can go ahead and call me Phoenix. I know that filling Miss Jane Redrum’s shoes will be a difficult if not impossible task, but I look forward to learning and growing with you, the readers, over the next many issues.

In this issue we have some really great content covering a variety of topics about this sport we all love so dearly. We have a great article about how to make a smooth transition between teams, information about how to make the most of your merchandising space and money, injuries, injuries, injuries, and some great information for our beloved zebras, and the importance of keeping record of your bout experience. Kate Runnels walks us through the balancing act we all face as we integrate derby in with the rest of our life, as well as pushing the bounds of your comfort zone to master new and difficult skills on skates. Heartless Martis talks about what it means to her to retire from derby while reflecting on the ways it has influenced her life. These are just a few of the things in store for you in this issue. I hope you enjoy each article and learn something new from each perspective. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing magazine! Derby on!

Phoenix aka Stacey Casebolt

Castle Rock ‘N’ Rollers 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.

Scar of David Amy “Scar of David” David is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, where she teaches graduate courses in Project Management and Global Supply Chain Management. She has skated with the Lafayette Brawlin’ Dolls since 2014.

Grim Solo Grim Solo is the merch coordinator for the Naptown Roller Girls and has been volunteering for the league since 2012. As well as roller derby, Grim loves roller coasters, and travels the world to ride them. His day job is as a mild-mannered cataloger at a public library.

Steve Van Tol “Professor”

Evan Pease

Steve began coaching derby in 2009 as a Fresh Meat coach for a small team. He is now the proud coach of The Piedmont Riot, based just outside of Charlotte in Gastonia, NC. What he loves about the sport is that it’s constantly evolving, it’s a great community, and that he’s continuously challenged as a coach to better himself.

Old Xchool Old Xchool started skating when he was eight years old, using the outdoor clamp on skates and trained at the Roller Derby Training School in Oakland, California when he was 12. In 1980, he went into flat-track speed skating and became a certified speed skating official. He refereed about seven years until his job took him overseas where he started a beginner outdoor speed skating team on the military base. In 2010, he started coaching the local women’s roller derby team the Tsunami Sirens in Crescent City, California.

Jules Doyle

La Petite Mort A skater since childhood, Jennifer Savaglio (La Petite Mort, Rat City Rollergirls) fell in love with roller derby at first sight, opening Fast Girl Skates in 2007, the very first derby storefront in the world. She is a highly regarded authority on skates and gear, regularly collaborating with manufacturers worldwide and educating skaters at every level.

Suzy Hotrod

Ms D’Fiant

Gotham Girls Roller Derby New York, NY

Angel City Derby Girls Los Angeles, CA

dear blocker and jammer, I just became a member of the broken club. What can I do to occupy my time until I’m healed?

-BROKEN BETTY

dear bb, Just because you’re on the disabled list doesn’t mean you’re any less of a teammate and league member. Roller derby is full of injuries. The most important thing you can do is not interrupt your routine. If you have practice three times a week, keep going to it. You need to stay as fit as possible despite being disadvantaged. You can practice your physical therapy while you’re there.

If your bottom half is injured, work you biceps. If your shoulder is injured, practice squats. The routine is key to not slipping. One time I had a broken knee cap and hula hooped for cardio.

When you’re not trying to stay as active as possible within the limits of your injury, you can help with logistics of jam timing, whistle blowing, and penalty box timing. Lend a hand on the bench to help manage scrimmages, or just be on the bench to give positive encouragement to your teammates. When I’m injured I get so mad at people who are complaining, because I would kill to have a chance to be well enough to skate! (And yes, perhaps even having a crying screaming fit when someone healthy complains... HEY, being hurt is frustrating!) But you have to get over that, and just keep the routine of going to practice and focusing on yourself. You will respect yourself more as an athlete by staying consistent and your league mates will respect your dedication instead of just disappearing.

Off the track things should remain the same. You still have committee work and we all know there’s a lot of desk work in roller derby to be done. There’s always something to work on, the key is to keep moving and not get down and lose your focus to stay dedicated to your organization even without the reward of the skating.

Stay positive during your broken period. The return to skating after the injury will be difficult but knowing that you stuck with your routine will mentally help you keep focused on the sport.

Remember, getting hurt isn’t a question of if, it is a question on when. We all get hurt all the time. Stay as positive and focused as you can.

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dear bb, Sorry buddy! Nothing worse than feeling like a busted up truck next to your team of race cars. Flat out – injuries in roller derby are part of the sport. I’ve seen our insurance behind the scenes and can tell you with all confidence that we play a dangerous sport. But as Alexander Graham Bell said, “when one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us”. So, let’s look around for open doors!

First, what can you do for your team?

Towel girl? Water boy? Be at every practice you normally would. I know we can always use a hand, whether it’s helping with drills, picking up cones or running a penalty timer. Do not sit at home, now it is as important as ever to show your team that you still support them.

Second, what can you do for your league?

Have committee seats sat without chairs?

Can your officiating team use another body during weekly scrimmage? There’s always something to be done. And if there’s miraculously nothing to do at scrimmage, maybe the events team could use help planning the next game or fundraiser.

Third and most importantly, take care of yourself! Physical therapy is not pleasant and many people avoid doing it. But, I’ve noticed, not too many skaters because their primary goal is to get back on the track. Do not lose sight of that goal, get to every PT session and maybe look into ART massage or other holistic ways to get back on track.

The door to skating might have shut, but hopefully it’s only temporary. And who knows, maybe one of these other roles you find yourself in becomes a path for retirement.

Not everyone can skate for the rest of your life, you know (unless you’re Ivanna S.Pankin’ or Assaultin’ Pepa, then yes. Yes, you can).

dear blocker and jammer, What’s the best way to keep new skaters (fresh meat) around?

-ANNE AMBASSADOR

dear aa, I’m writing this advice from the perspective of someone who comes from a large established league. That being said, we’ve done all of the trial and error to figure it out, so even if you’re a small league I recommend trying to follow this framework to set yourself up for future growth.

To keep new skaters, you need to have a clear structured program. The coaching committee needs to meet to figure out important dates. When are tryouts? When are callbacks? How will the skaters be told if they made the cut or not? How long will they be in the fresh meat program before they are preliminarily assessed? After that first evaluation, when are you giving them feedback so they know what they can improve before their final evaluation? After the final evaluation, when will you give feedback again? When is the draft date to place the new skaters? Do you have a plan for if skaters are not ready to be drafted (a talent training pool business model) or will your league fully cut new skaters from the league to try out again the next time if they do not make the cut?

Even if your league is very small, I support accepting new skaters during designated times a year and not allowing constant rolling open admission. Fresh Meat need to grow together, even if a group is as small as two new skaters doing it together. There is a lot of bonding that happens when people from the outside world delve down the deep rabbit hole of roller derby together for the first time. As we vets know, it’s not just a hobby, it’s proving you can conquer anything through hard work, and you bond through the sweat.

Logistically, upsetting the balance of the teams is a concern and only allowing skaters to join your league at designated times will help with maintaining balance as your league grows.

You can keep interested new skaters active by having a mailing list and maybe even hosting open skate nights for curious new potential skaters as you hold them for the designated enrollment/tryout times. Gotham hosts training events to prep skaters for our tryouts. If your league is small, you can still host basic skills nights for potential new skaters.

Once you decide when new skaters are starting up, give them allocated alone time to work on their basic skills before throwing them to the sharks to “sink or swim” with the rest of the league. Gotham has a Fresh Meat only portion of training for the skaters first 1.5 months before they are evaluated then drafted. They are not attending regular practices, but their special nights can be attended by a reasonable number of league drafted skaters to help give a baseline of where the skill of an average skater in the league is compared to the new skaters, but also for the veterans to help encourage and welcome the new skaters... well and also so team captains can scope out the new talent for potential draft picks.

New skaters need as much feedback as possible. They need positive encouragement and the coaches leading their practices need to be giving these skaters excellent customer service.

You can hook a skater for life or completely lose her in the Fresh Meat period. You don’t have to be a softie. Be firm but fair, and give them honest constructive feedback about what they can do to improve. As I mentioned earlier, predetermining dates for feedback to be sent to these skaters is important. Skaters rarely remember the always valuable in the moment feedback and they really need that written feedback.

Fresh Meat need to find their pride and a sense of belonging from playing roller derby. Some of that is found off skates. Make sure they have social outings together after practice. We graduate our Fresh Meat class every year with a big party at the end of the team draft to celebrate their introduction to our league. Remember that the social aspect is important to acclimating these new skaters. Their journey should be celebrated as they conquer the confusing exhausting time of Fresh Meat. It’s a warm and fuzzy feeling when veterans share their Fresh Meat memories years later. Treat those Freshies like gold. They’re the future of our sport.

dear aa, Remember when you first started roller derby and it was the most amazing thing ever because you had finally found your tribe? That hasn’t changed! Even though your tribe may have changed from a drinking team with a skating problem to an uberfit squad of athletes, the underlying band of outcasts are still looking for their place in this world.

Speaking from personal experience, in my league we have an all day leadership conference once a year (definitely worth stealing this idea, if you don’t do it already).

We get all our brainiacs in the room and hash out new ideas and take on our big challenges over the course of breakfast, lunch and dinner (our first year it was a sleepover, we had so much to get through). What was the big problem at ACDG two years ago? Attrition in the lower/less experienced skating levels. We identified that we were failing to integrate new and recreational skaters into our community and give them a home, regardless of their derby career goals. While our league had learned how to become athletes, we started to lose the fun and community.

So, there were immediate actions that we put into place.

1. Build a foundation and celebrate it. For ACDG, it was the Fit Club (maybe you’ve seen our shirts?).

Everyone coming into our league joins Fit Club before going on to teams, they learn about our workouts, culture and league for a bit before tryouts. More importantly, the rest of the league believes in and participates in Fit Club too. Not only do skaters across the league wear the shirts and follow the Instagram, we drop in on the workouts too. It’s part of the foundation of the league and that starts at the ground level.

2. Keep it fun. This is so much harder than it sounds!

In my league we honestly had to make a volunteer committee that is strictly committed to fun and recognition (thank you, Angel Ambassadors!). They throw events, make gifts, plan our homecoming and do monthly shout-outs to volunteers.

3. Little/Big Sister program. Short story, we failed the first time we launched the Big Sister program because it was randomly assigned and mandatory to participate. Mistakes were made. Version 2.0 was volunteer based and much more successful.

I’m sure you could find a hundred different suggestions (especially if you’re sending a league rep to the WFTDA meeting, HINT HINT!). But the most important thing is welcome everyone and avoid becoming a “Mean Girls” club, as we know there are plenty of those out there already.

need advice? email advice@fiveonfivemag.com fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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league rebranding S K A R O, B O S T O N R O L L E R D E R B Y

As a young sport, roller derby is frequently evolving. Rules change, strategies change, numbers change. For some leagues, there even comes a time when they decide their brands need to change.

Rebranding a league, especially a historic or wellestablished one, can be complicated. With the right steps, however, many organizations find the efforts well worth it for promoting their teams and helping their members feel more identified with their organizations.

For Steel City Roller Derby, the decision to move away from the Steel City Derby Demons seemed like a natural progression for the league.

“Roller derby in 2006, when we started, was as much about spectacle as it was about sport,” said Ally McKill with the Steel City PR Committee. “As roller derby evolved and became more competitive and athletic, we started discussing how the league’s image could better reflect our alignment with this evolution.”

For one thing, people didn’t really understand what a “derby demon” was supposed to mean, she explained.

By adding the words “roller derby,” it made the purpose of the league more obvious and helped them to reach new audiences. Some potential fans were also turned off by the word “demon,” finding it family un-friendly.

Clearly adding the words “roller derby” to league names has been a popular decision among several recently rebranded leagues, some of which were also inspired to remove gendered language to help promote the inclusive nature of their leagues. Both the Green Mountain Derby

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Dames and the Boston Derby Dames have opted to make this switch.

“The goal of the name change was to better represent ourselves to the outside world,” said Agent MauledHer, director of Marketing and PR for Green Mountain Roller Derby. “We want people to know we are a diverse group of people that all have one thing in common: roller derby.”

Once these leagues decided that they wanted to do a name change, the first step was to present the change to the whole of their organization. When the proposals passed, they had a lot of work laid out ahead of them.

For Boston Roller Derby, that meant switching over dozens of online accounts from social media, email addresses, and websites. Space Invader, public relations chair for BRD, said it took the efforts of many league volunteers to get their online presence solidified quickly after their official press release went out in October 2015. There was also a great deal of behind-the-scenes work to be done getting the organization’s LLC corrected and updating all of the league’s official WFTDA records.

Merchandizing was also a big concern for the leagues during their rebrand. Many offered original merchandise at a discount to unload it and make room for newly rebranded products. When Green Mountain rebranded, they chose to do a total overhaul with updated logos, colors and fonts for

organization, but when executed well, it can yield a more cohesive brand. Boston, on the other hand, chose great results. to change the name only.

“Branding changes can be tough and complex, I’d “We realized that ‘Boston Roller Derby’ was more absolutely recommend consulting with a brand expert or effective on promotional materials,” Space explained, someone in the marketing field but added that they wanted to with branding experience, but maintain their official designs. they’re worth it if you create Each league echoed the Clearly adding the words a timeless brand in the process,” importance of going into the “roller derby” to league Mauly said for GMRD. process with a steady plan, a list The most important thing for of places that the name will need names has been a popular a league to do when undertaking to be changed and the right decision among several a project like this is to be patient. people in place to make those Steel reported that it took about changes. Consistency was an recently rebranded leagues, six months before they were important factor in each plan. some of which were also ready to integrate their new name Ally said that she believes into their materials. In Green the changes that Steel made inspired to remove gendered Mountain, with the extra has helped the league get better language to help promote rebranding steps they took, it was publicity. “I believe we have a year-long process. Renaming achieved greater presence and the inclusive nature of talks had started in Boston a few visibility in the Pittsburgh sports their leagues. years before they decided they community,” she said. “When were officially ready to put it to people see the name ‘Steel City a league vote.

Roller Derby,’ they get an idea of what we’re about and want to know more.”

With a clear mission and a plan for how to achieve the Whether a rebrand is right for a league will depend on its goals that the rebrand sets to accomplish, leagues can community and the individuals who make up the make a switch that works best for them.H

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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derby merch basics G R I M S O L O, N A P T O W N R O L L E R G I R L S PHOTOS BY TOM CLUBBINESS

Roller derby merchandise (merch for short) not only generates income for your league, but it’s also a wonderful way to generate publicity that will draw in more spectators and fans.

Let’s take a look at some different aspects to consider when you’re thinking about derby merch.

T-shirts are a staple at the merch table, and having more than one design will give your fans options as well as something to come back for.

Consider changing the design of your t-shirts each year and keeping more than one design in stock if your budget can support it. You may also want to do a special shirt for events or anniversaries.

Many leagues have one or more themed bouts each year. Themed bouts offer a wonderful opportunity to have a special t-shirt for sale.

Be careful not to overstock for special events. Many t-shirt vendors will be happy to work with you on setting up an online store where the shirts can be ordered or sold in advance. That way, you won’t have extra shirts left over for an event that is now a part of your league’s history. Anniversary shirts are a little different, but being cautious is a good plan here as well. Getting ready to order t-shirts for our 10th anniversary season, we looked at how

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many shirts we were likely to sell for the season. A realistic look will be based on previous year’s t-shirt sales, not a dream. Trying to sell shirts that have a specific date or your season schedule printed on them will be very difficult after the season is over.

It's important to have a variety of items available at your merch table.

Not only does this increase the appeal for a wider group of fans, but it makes

it more likely that items will be seen in places other than your bout venue. It’s great to see your fans in the stands wearing your team’s merch, but even better when they wear it and use it in other places too. Items like t-shirts, hoodies, hats, scarves, umbrellas, water bottles, keychains, buttons, stickers, and tattoos are just a few that provide those opportunities.

Having a variety of items will also let you have options for people with different amounts of money available to spend. It’s just as important to have several items available for someone who comes up with $5 to spend as it is for someone who is ready to spend $50. Keep your fans happy with plenty of options. You may also notice that your profit margin on smaller items is often much higher than it is on the more expensive ones.

How you display items for sale is extremely important. A backdrop behind your merch table or tables will not only draw extra attention to your display, but can provide space to hang or attach t-shirts and other merch so people can get a better idea of what they look like.

Backdrops and tablecloths should feature your team’s colors. Nothing helps draw people’s attention to your booth like seeing a splash of your team’s signature colors!

If you only have one point of sale, place smaller items like stickers, keychains, jewelry, magnets, and buttons closer to that location while larger items can be farther away.

People will often pick up smaller items to add to their transaction after they hand you a larger item if the smaller items are readily available. Be sure to allow space between your different items for sale. When items are too close together, your merch space looks cluttered and has a less positive visual appeal to your customers. Allowing some space between different items helps draw attention to what is different and why they might want to purchase it.

Arrange items in an attractive manner by fanning them out or putting them in rows or layers. Display more than one of each item. This allows people to pick up what they want to

buy off the table instead of waiting for you to dig through the bins or boxes for the item they want. Experiment with different styles and patterns in your display and pay attention to what makes your customers stop and look more closely at what you have. Adding another table not only allows more room for more attractive displays of your merch, but it also allows your customers more room to browse and see what you have to offer. Also, be sure to have the prices of your items displayed in a clear and easy to read manner. A large price tag with each item makes it much easier for fans to plan as they shop.

A friendly smile and a willingness to

help people find what they’re looking for are always in order, and are important aspects of being available to your customers. I also recommend that you start early and stay late. Nothing says that you’re ready to sell your fans the merch they want like being set up and ready before the doors open.

Staying open until the crowd is almost gone can help increase your sales as well. Many fans really enjoy the opportunity to pick something up on their way out of the venue so they don’t have to keep it with them while they are enjoying the bout.

Now it’s time to pack up what’s left and get ready for the next bout! Have fun, and good luck!H

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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managing risk for league events S C A R O F D A V I D, L A F AY E T T E B R A W L I N ’ D O L L S

what could go wrong?

Close to sixty skaters and officials from all over Indiana swarmed the Brawlhouse getting ready to skate. The whole league should have been thrilled at the turn-out for their season-ending scrimmage, but if you noticed the captains huddling in the corner, you would have seen this wasn’t the case. The track was taped, the scoreboard was hung, and the EMTs... were nowhere to be found.

Could this happen to your team? And would you know what to do if it did?

For most leagues, the failure of a large event, be it a scrimmage, bout, or fundraiser, can have a severe impact on reputation, finances, and fan experience. In extreme cases, it can even threaten the very existence of the league. Even teams that have hosted many successful events can fall victim to unexpected conditions or circumstances beyond their control. This past January, a power outage at Bankers Life Fieldhouse put an Indiana Pacers game on hold in front of thousands of fans. While an NBA team is probably ready to handle this type of interruption, most derby leagues would be scrambling to make decisions... in the dark.

Teams should therefore develop (and document!) a risk management plan that follows best practices from the sphere of Project Management (see pmi.org) to protect themselves against catastrophic failures and their aftereffects. To do so, the event planning team should collaborate on three steps: 1) Brainstorming possible risks, 2) Prioritizing risks, and 3) Mitigating Risks.

brainstorming possible risks To identify risks, the team should look at all of the items on their event plan, and think about what could go wrong with each one. For a typical bout, everything from printing programs to securing an opponent to setting up the sound system invites the unexpected. What if the printer is late?

What if the opponent cancels? What if the amplifiers trip the circuit breaker? To create a complete list, the team should brainstorm freely with ample time to go through every piece of the event plan. prioritizing risks Once a list has been created, each risk should be rated on a scale of one through ten on the likelihood it will occur.

It should then be rated on a second, but identical, scale on the severity of its impact. The past experience of the event production team is key to choosing appropriate ratings.

Take, for example, the risk of your mobile credit card reader not connecting to the network. If you’ve typically had no problems with mobile data in your venue, maybe the likelihood is only a “1,” but if you have had unreliable service in the past, maybe this is a “7.” If you are in a brand new venue, maybe this hasn’t been tested, and the likelihood is a “5.” As for severity, it may depend on how much you rely on advance ticket sales vs. how many people buy tickets at the door, the location of the nearest ATM, how much merchandise you typically sell via credit card, and any number of other factors that are specific to your league.

Teams should develop (and document!) a risk management plan that follows best practices from the sphere of Project Management (see pmi.org) to protect themselves against catastrophic failures and their aftereffects.

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Once you have a likelihood and a severity for each item on your list of risks, multiply them together to get a combined score, called the risk priority number (RPN), between one and one hundred. Next, sort your risks from highest to lowest RPN to get a clear picture of which ones most require your attention. For example, a risk with scores of 3 and 8 will get an RPN of 24, and fall below a risk with scores of 5 and 6 for an RPN of 30.

Note that unlikely events should fall near the bottom, no matter how big of an impact they may have, so while an alien abduction of your head ref would unquestionably ruin the bout, it’s probably not worthy of concern. Similarly, inconsequential but common events will also fall to the bottom of the list, so you won’t spend much time worrying about what to do if the snack bar runs out of M&M’s. mitigating risks There are two main strategies for controlling risk: 1) prevent a negative event from occurring or 2) have a backup plan in place to minimize its impact. Many teams already have solid prevention plans, such as limiting cash-handling to trusted volunteers in order to thwart theft.

However, for adverse circumstances more difficult to prevent (usually those with low likelihood and high severity), a clear backup plan is the stronger option. The plan should begin with the means of detecting the problem, as well as

the person responsible for doing so. The second part should specify the action to be taken and the person or people who can authorize that action.

For example, if low ticket sales are a risk for an upcoming bout, the tickets chairman may plan to review the online presales one week in advance, and if sales are low, she may send out a special discount code via social media. It’s key that the decision-maker is determined in advance and therefore empowered to act quickly, without waiting for a board or committee vote.

Returning to our EMT-less scrimmage, the team’s safety officer had a confirmation email that wasn’t worth the pixels it was written on. What followed was a panicked shuffle for the phone number of a former league member with medical credentials who could be tempted out of bed on a Sunday morning. While the league was able to find someone, and the scrimmage was ultimately a success, it’s clear that league leadership would have had a better morning had there been a plan: 30 minutes before scrimmage start time, a specific person verifies EMTs presence, and has both a list of backup options and authorization for last-minute spending as needed.

An appropriate risk management plan, consisting of risk identification, prioritization, and mitigation, can help keep your league out of a similar situation, and guarantee the success of your events.H

Dave Wegiel

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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dehydration and heat injury P A P A D O C, W I N D Y C I T Y R O L L E R S

“No sweat” means “it’s good,” right? Not the case, when exercising in hot, humid weather, when it means danger. Sweating may be a social problem, but it is a life saving process for you on the track.

The core temperature of your body is maintained in a narrow range (about 97º-100º) in a wide variety of environments.

This is necessary because at too low a temperature, bodily functions slow down and cease. At too high a temperature, the body essentially cooks.

The body gains heat from several sources. The major contribution is from metabolism and muscle activity: under most conditions, about 70-90% of total heat production.

Radiation from hotter objects in the environment – such as the sun and hot pavement – is variable. High air temperature adds heat, especially with high humidity and no air movement.

Achieving heat loss involves two sets of activities: behavioral and physiological.

The behavioral responses are: 1) Altering the amount of muscle activity 2) Reducing clothing 3) Quenching thirst 4) Seeking shade The physiological processes are: 1) Conduction to colder objects (usually a small loss) 2) Convection which is dependent on air movement and an air temperature lower than the skin temperature (90º-92º) 3) Radiation heat loss dependent on clothing and on the heat of surrounding objects 4) Evaporation (usually the major means of heat loss when the air temperature is the same or higher than the skin temperature) Sweating accounts for the main evaporative loss of heat; respiration contributes a small amount. The ability to lose heat by sweating depends on the ability to sweat efficiently both in volume and in the water content of the sweat, the delivery of blood flow to the skin (i.e. circulation must be adequate), the sweat actually evaporating (limited in humidity

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> 60%), air movement and clothing and equipment (the extent of body covered and the type – e.g. non-breathing fabric).

Your ability to lose heat is reduced by poor physical conditioning, high body fat, certain medications, inadequate hydration, alcohol and caffeine, sunburn (reduces the ability to sweat), fever, clothing and equipment, and lack of acclimatization. types of heat injury When heat loss is impaired, the body suffers heat stress and eventually actual injury in one of several forms: heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat syncope and heat stroke.

Heat cramps are the mildest form of injury. More severe is heat exhaustion or heat syncope. Heat stroke, when the body’s heat loss functions fail, is the most dangerous.

Heat stroke can be fatal. Although the milder forms may warn of impending heat stroke, heat stroke may occur without the less severe stages. Therefore, you must be alert to the warning signs and symptoms.

Heat cramps are just that: cramps in the limbs and/or abdomen. If there are cramps all over the body, this is a more serious symptom.

Heat exhaustion and syncope occur when the body is still coping with the excess heat, but is under major stress.

The symptoms are weakness, exhaustion, dizziness, confusion, fainting, excessive thirst, cool sweaty skin, cramps, headache, and chills. The pulse will be rapid.

The blood pressure will be normal to low. The body temperature is up to 104º. The confusion can interfere with the behavioral activities to reduce heat. Therefore, it is imperative for teammates to watch out for each other.

Heat stroke is a true medical emergency. The body’s protective functions have failed. The symptoms of weakness,

dizziness, confusion, headache and/or fainting are present, but the skin is now dry and hot. Nausea and vomiting occurs.

Collapse with coma and seizures may occur. The pulse is very rapid and weak. The blood pressure is low. The body temperature is 104º or higher. Death is a distinct possibility when the body temperature is over 107º. treatment of heat injury Heat cramps are treated by moving the skater to a cool, shaded environment with cooling measures such as fans or cold wet towels. Removing clothing, stretching the cramped muscles and providing cool electrolyte-containing fluids should relieve the cramps. Your medical team must evaluate the skater.

When you are dealing with heat exhaustion or syncope, cooling measures (fans, cold towels and ice packs) are essential as are electrolyte-containing fluids (if the skater is alert enough to swallow). Medical evaluation and treatment are required.

Heat stroke is an absolute medical emergency. Call 911 while moving the skater to a cool, shaded environment.

Immediately begin cooling with fans and ice packs (if available, provide an ice bath) until the emergency medical help arrives. The skater will not likely be able to take oral fluids and will need intravenous (IV) fluids. prevention of heat injury and dehydration Acclimatization is conditioning the body to cope efficiently with heat, achieved by slowly increasing the amount of activity in a given climate over one to two weeks. This improves sweating capacity to allow more efficient evaporative cooling with less mineral loss. Acclimatization will reduce the body’s core temperature, improve the thirst response, and increase blood flow to the skin as well as improve the capacity of the heart to respond to the increased demands. You can lose acclimatization “progress” if you are inactive for more than a few days.

Environmental factors can be controlled by reducing or changing clothing, getting to a cooler or shadier area, reducing the physical activity and by reducing the ambient temperature and humidity with fans and air conditioning.

Maintaining adequate hydration is critical, not only for coping with heat, but for physical performance in general.

Pre-hydration is a must: drinking 24 ounces of fluids two hours before and another 8 ounces right before exercise.

The type of fluid is important and should be non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic fluids that supply water and electrolytes.

Water is the best choice for the first hour or two of exercise.

After that, electrolyte-containing, low sugar fluids such as non-caffeinated sports drinks and coconut water are good.

During moderate to heavy exercise, about 3/4 to one quart of fluids per hour (usually 8 oz every 20 minutes) is needed in temperatures over 78º. Breaks for water also allow for moving to cooler areas.

The most important electrolytes to supply are sodium (salt) and potassium. Salt is obtained through salting foods and eating salty foods when exercising. When not exercising regularly, a lower salt diet is better. Salt tablets are not recommended. Potassium is ingested through a variety of foods: vegetables, nuts and fruits (especially bananas, cantaloupes, tomatoes and coconut water).

Sports drinks should have 15-30 meq/liter of sodium and 2-5 meq/liter of potassium. Lower sugar concentrations (5-10%) are advised, because of weight gain concerns and because higher levels of sugar can induce diarrhea.

The maximum daily fluid intake should be no more than 12 quarts.

You can “measure” your level of hydration in two simple ways. First, your urine should be clear to pale yellow. Second, weigh yourself before and after exercise. With adequate fluid intake, you should not lose more than 2% of body weight.

You should replace any weight loss by drinking about 24 ounces of water for each pound lost.

Other factors in body heat maintenance can be controlled.

Improving general physical conditioning will reduce your level of body fat as well. Check with your doctor about any and all medicines you take (both OTC and prescription) and their effects on heat tolerance. Avoid alcohol and caffeine before exercise. Don’t exercise if you have a fever. Avoid sunburn – this also protects against skin cancer. If you are ill, reduce or avoid exercise until you are well. Wear the minimum clothing needed and use moisture-wicking and breathable fabrics.

Sweating can save your life, so “bathe” in it. Wearing deodorant and washing your pads is still OK.H

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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strawbe

C AT H O L I C C R U E L G I R L , R O C

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rry soup

C K Y M O U N TA I N R O L L E R G I R L S

ingredients

3 cups fresh strawberries 4 cups rhubarb (try to find rhubarb with thin stalks to avoid a stringy product) 1 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups chilled champagne Freshly cracked black and pink peppercorns Fresh mint Zest of ½ lemon

Hull strawberries and cut in half.

Cut rhubarb into small chunks.

Combine strawberries, rhubarb, and sugar in a saucepan.

Heat mixture on low for about 30 minutes, stirring here and there, until the fruit has broken down.

Allow to cool, then add the balsamic vinegar and vanilla extract.

Puree mixture in a blender until velvety smooth.

Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Before serving, stir in champagne and ladle into chilled bowls.

Top with a few turns of your pepper grinder using both black peppercorns and pink peppercorns. Chop the mint and sprinkle a bit over the soup along with a tiny bit of lemon zest.

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

15

blocking techniques OLD XCHOOL, NORTHERN CALIFORNIAN ROLLER DERBY PHOTOS BY HOT SHOTS PHOTOS

My background in roller derby is old school 1960s (Run-Run Jones, Red Jensen, Joan Weston and John Porky Parker were just a few of my coaches at the derby training school off 98th Street in Oakland, California). My brother and I spent hours practicing the bloviated techniques that the roller derby fans demanded. Old school derby was a fast game with a wide variety of blocking techniques such as knee, jump, cut, position, hip check, seal/ride out, elbow blocks, and more, while almost never skating and blocking backwards... on purpose, anyway!

We trained for an open, well-rounded blocking attack and worked very hard to not get stuck in a one dimensional game, with respect to the types/techniques of the blocks we chose to use. Old School derby taught skaters to use foot work to get good blocking position and avoid telegraphing our blocks by just rolling in or being off balance when executing a block.

At bouts, I watch skaters going down the floor blocking each other with shoulder block after shoulder block, and no one really winning the confrontation.

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shoulder blocking (figure 1) I watch smaller skaters going against skaters twice their size and getting their clocks cleaned, because they are trying to counter their shoulder blocking opponent, with a shoulder block. shoulder blocking (figure 2) Think about the energy used when loading up every block for a shoulder block during a bout! The only time I see a shoulder block as being the “block of choice� is when the opponent is caught totally off guard by a blindsided hit to the bra strap area from behind. blindside block (figure 3) The red blocker is focused on the gray jammer, as the gray blocker executes a perfect blind side on the red blocker.

The shoulder block can be countered, by getting underneath the opponents shoulder, and giving the shoulder blocker nothing to hit.

bean dip (figure 4) The jammer has dropped herself into a low position as the black blocker goes for the shoulder block, but there is nothing there to hit!

Block and counter block low to high (see figures 5-7) and watch what happens.

pop up block (figure 7) Another way to keep your opponent behind you, or recycle, if needed. The black blocker started low and popped up under the arm of the jammer, taking her off balance and to the floor.

j block (figure 5) Rotating the shoulders into your opponent as you simultaneously unload your torso into your opponent’s chest. hip check (figure 6)

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There are a variety of blocks from both the left and the right side that can be used against the brute force shoulder blocker. Don’t get me wrong, the shoulder block has a place in the game! But, should it be your go-to block?

It is a block used when the opponent is already by you or beside you. This is an issue in itself! You want your opponent behind you when any confrontation is completed. Add some depth to your attack and go at your opponent like a prize fighter, using combinations of blocks and footwork

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to control and set your opponent up.

John Porky Parker use to say “It’s not how hard you block, it’s about who’s in front and in control after the block!” Add some blocks to your attack. Here are some blocks I plan to dedicate to future articles stressing the blocking techniques: position blocking (figure 8) Keeping your opponent behind you and within the out-of-play/engagement blocking zone.

Great position blocking stance and balanced to hit and move quickly.

butt check blocking (figure 9) Keeping your opponent behind you and relentlessly attacking their knees with your butt as they roll up on you.

Keeping your opponent behind you and off balance. hip checking (figure 10) Shoulder block, counter block.

Recycling and setting up your opponent for a big hit.

Get your opponent to commit to your strong side and own them as they try to get by you.

j blocking (figure 11) Shoulder block counter block. Recycling and setting up your opponent for a big hit.

Setting up the j block shoulder rotation.

We did not catch it on film, but as black #116 unwinds her shoulders and torso into the chest of the white jammer, it was a classic j block. power blocking (figure 12) The big hit! (Kind of like the can opener but with more control and executed from the j block position.)

All about the two set up and the simultaneous release of the knees, torso and shoulders into your opponent’s chest.

butt cuts (figure 13) Catching your opponent off guard.

Blue blocker started her cut from the outside line and butt cut the black jammer, knocking her out of bounds and then recycled her to the rear of the pack.

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backward blocking (figure 14) Good all-around blocking technique.

Backward blocking was a rare thing to see a couple of years ago now it is common place to watch during almost every jam.

Backwards blocking can happen at any time and any place on the track during a jam. shoulder block (figure 15) If you must!

Blue blocker #72 nailed the black pivot with a blind side shoulder block. She didn’t know what hit her!

Each one of these blocking techniques could take a whole article (in fact I plan on doing just that for future fiveonfive articles!). If you are a C skater just finishing up your WFTDA certifications and rules testing, these techniques are the stuff D1 and D2 skaters are made of. Watch the D1 skaters work their opponents.

Like figure skaters, they know the Who, What, Why, When and Where of every move they make. This comes with experience and practice. I hope you enjoyed this article about some of the tools and techniques you need to get yourself to the next derby level.

Good luck to ya and keep the shiny side up!H

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DRILL

drill courtesy of allderbydrills.com

drill: queen of the rink purpose: hitting, pack awareness

All skaters get on the track between the jammer and pivot lines. At the whistle all legal contact is allowed between skaters. In addition to being removed from the game if you fall down or step out of bounds, you are also removed from the game if you are out of play. Generally OOP is considered to be 20' from the bulk of skaters, but as the game winds down to the last few, it is reduced to 10'.

Help skaters recognize when “opportunity blocks” are happening on the track.

Did a skater not quite fall or go down from that last hit? Can I take the next hit and complete someone else’s attempt?

Is there a skater not paying attention because they just hit someone else down or out that I can put down?

Is there a skater who is going for a big hit that I might be able to use their momentum to take that skater and their target out by following behind?

Help skaters recognize block avoidance tactics.

Maintaining a front of pack but in play position is often the least likely spot to be engaged. Encourage newer skaters to stay there.

Would disengaging from this skater allow for the hitting skater to continue down or out of bounds while the receiving skater would stay up and in bounds?

Point out when people have been taken out because they weren’t paying attention behind them or were too proud of their last hit.

As the game winds down to fewer skaters, implement a “shot clock” of 3 to 5 seconds.

Keep the games moving along. Encourage alliances on the track, especially to make

sure the last round’s winner does not win again.

If you have 30 to 45 skaters at practice, try dividing up into three groups, run each group until you’re down to 3 skaters, then have a final match of the top 3 from each round. the Nantucket

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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plates 201 J E N N I F E R S A V A G L I O A K A L A P E T I T E M O R T, F A S T G I R L S K AT E S

A while back I wrote an article entitled “plates 101”, which was a basic overview of plates, i.e.– metal vs nylon, single vs double action, and the king pin degree.

I’m going to take it one step further this time and try to give y’all the information to decide on which plate is right for you. I think that knowing why plates are sized the way there are and why they are placed on the boot in a certain way is helpful in making a decision about choosing the component your wheels are attached to.

Since it’s been two years since the last article, this has been updated with the new plates on the market.

Let’s start with some basic plate information, What the plate numbers/sizes MEAN: Some plates are numbered so that they correspond with the size of the boot.

Riedell’s plates fall into this category. Therefore, a size 7 boot would take a size 7 plate. Other manufacturer’s plates are numbered what we at Fast Girl call the “old school” numbering system. What that means in the real world is that there is a chart that must be referred to in order to find the manufacturer’s recommended size. Sure Grip’s plates (Invader, Avenger, Probe) are numbered using this system. Still other manufacturers size their plates by wheel base. The wheel base or axle spread is the distance between the center of the front axle, to the center of the rear axle. This can be taken in millimeters or inches.

Basically, manufacturers number their plates using a system that works for them. Typically, they try to use one plate size for two sizes of boots, sometimes three.

Keep in mind that most skaters can wear more than one size plate. It is personal preference. You have heard me say it before and I will repeat it now, the manufacturer’s recommendation is just that, a recommendation. That goes for double for the person at the rink or on a blog that says they have unlocked the mathematical secrets of plate size and orientation. You are the

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final arbiter of your own derby fate – do what works for you. For example, a less experienced skater may need a longer wheel base for more stability, whereas an advanced skater might want more maneuverability and not need as much stability, so when faced with the choice of a shorter or longer wheel base, they might choose the shorter.

Why does the placement of my wheels matter?

The back wheels on your skate are for stability, the front wheels are for agility. This is why the manufacturers’ recommendations on where the wheels sit are to place the rear wheels under the ankle bone (stability), and the front wheels under the ball of the foot (agility).

As always, there are exceptions. There are many types of skating and skaters, jam, speed, rhythm, artistic, roller hockey, and flat and banked derby to name a few. The manufacturer’s recommendations are a point of reference. Teammates and coaches might advise a skater that a certain plate or type of mounting is “best”, but as always, no one thing is best for everyone. If someone tries to tell you it is, that is a red flag. Your goal should be to figure out what works for YOU as the skater.

The ways in which my experience has helped me determine this are listed below.

But first let’s talk about some actual plates. In the Plates 101 article (Summer 2012), we went over the differences between the features of a plate. Now let’s talk about the functions of plates and why or why not they might be right for you: Remember: 10 degree kingpins help with stability and power/acceleration at the end of your push, 45 degree help with agility, 15, 16 and 20 degree are right in the middle, giving you potentially both.

Sure Grip: One of the oldest plate makers still making plates today- their three most popular for derby are: The Invader/black Avenger – aluminum, 45 degree, double action with adjustable pivot pins and pinch toe stop housing $120 The white Avenger- magnesium alloy – lighter than the black aluminum version, 45 degree, double action with adjustable pivot pins and pinch toe stop housing, $189 The Probe – nylon, 10 degree double action, nut and washer toe stop housing $60 The Avanti – a magnesium or aluminum plate modeled after the Probe. Magnesium (lighter) $190, Aluminum (heavier) $99.

All these plates come standard with 8mm axles, but can be ordered with 7mm if desired, and all come with US standard sized 5/8” toe stop housing. They are sized “old school” chart style.

Powerdyne/ Riedell: We know they make fantastic boots, and they are also making great strides with their plates these days.

They offer: The newly redesigned Reactor PRO – extremely lightweight aluminum, 10 degree kingpins, double action, pinch toe stop housing. $307 The Reactor NEO – lightweight aluminum, very like the Reactor PRO, but at a lower price point. $179 The platinum Arius – Based on a very old school plate, the Arius uses a 45 degree angled kingpin, but it is adjusted and maneuvers differently than a traditional 45 degree plate.

Instead of adjusting the tightness of the trucks, the cushions must instead be changed so maneuverability can be adjusted based on the hardness/softness of the cushions.

It was built to be a more stable 45 degree plate. $350 All Riedell plates come with 8mm axles and US standard toe stop housing size of 5/8”. They all come sized to correspond with your boot size.

Roll Line: Out of Italy, this company has been making the “Cadillac” of plates for many years. And yes, they are metric and yes you will pay handsomely for the fine engineering and craftsmanship. However, in 7 years of being a retailer, I’ve seen ONE broken truck, and that is it. That is saying something.

Huh? What the heck are adjustable pivot pins and pinch toe stop housings??

An adjustable pivot pin is for the skater to get a very precise adjustment on their trucks. Simply put, the “ball” of the pivot pin needs to sit in the “cup” so that it is all the way down to the bottom. This enables it to not only be secure, but to be able to properly maneuver while skating. If you loosen your trucks too much, that “ball” will not be all the way to the bottom of the cup (as you loosen the trucks, it pulls the arm of the pivot pin and ball up), and thus it will not work to its maximum potential. One of the ways it doesn’t work is to “pop” out of the pivot cup and send you careening either out of control or to the ground. This is an avoidable circumstance. The actual intention of the adjustable pivot pin is to allow you to be able to adjust the angle of the pivot pin in relation to the king pin and the plate. It’s somewhat technical, pretty fussy and not always necessary for most of us playing derby. However, there are some skaters out there who come from an artistic or speed background who appreciate this very precise adjustability. As a retailer, coach, teacher, and retired player – I advise any skater with this type of pivot pin to be sure that if they loosen their trucks significantly, they check the ball at the end of the pivot pin to be sure it is fully seated in the cup.

A “pinch” toe stop housing typically comes on an aluminum plate, and is usually much more reliable than the standard nut and washer toe stop housing. It works by tightening a nut with a hex key/allen wrench. As the nut is tightened, the housing (the part of the plate that hugs the toe stop stem), gets smaller or “pinches” the stem, keeping it in place. In contrast, a nut and washer is usually found on a nylon plate to keep the toe stop in place. It works by tightening the toe stop stem threads into the plate against a “lock” washer. Repeated vibration (such as sport court or outside terrain) has been known to loosen this type of fastener. So if you have this kind of system always check your toe stops before skating on sport court or outside, and again after.

And why do I care if it is US standard size 5/8” housing?

Because not all the world adheres to US standard threads. In layman’s terms you can’t screw every toe stop into every plate.

If you have a metric plate (most European plates are metric), your toe stop housing/threads are sized for a metric stem and you must use a toe stop that is also metric. A Gumball, Bionic, Moonwalker or Big Bloc will not fit in these types of metric plates.

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These plates have long been the favorite of artistic skaters and roller hockey players, probably due to the super fine adjustability, durability and best of both worlds 20 degree king pin angle. Roll Line has come late into the derby market, but what they have to offer holds real promise: The Blaster – Nearly identical to the Variant, but with a black anodized finish, and 8mm king pins. 20 degree kingpin, double action. $200 The Killer – Beautifully engineered lightweight aluminum, the best your derby money can buy.

20 degree kingpin, double action Also comes in silver $465.

The Variant – lightweight aluminum, 20 degree kingpin, double action $215 The Mistral – very light aluminum, 20 degree kingpin with click action $400 Again all Roll Line plates are METRIC, have 7mm axles (except the blaster, which can be ordered with 8mm), metric pinch toe stop housing and adjustable pivot pins. They are sized by wheel base length, in millimeters.

There are a few other plates we see in derby that are less mainstream, one is the Labeda Pro Line (lightweight aluminum, 5 degree king pins, double action with click adjustment, pinch toe stop housing and 7mm axles $400). This plate was extremely popular many years ago, and then it went out of production. It is again being produced, but there is some controversy about whether or not they are being “made like they used to be”.

Crazy: Not unlike the Roll Line: The Venus – very lightweight aluminum, 20 degree king pin, double action and pinch toe stop housing. Silver $199, metallic colors $119 The Apollo- Ultra lightweight rigid FiberGlass based Resin Composite, 20 degree king pin, double action and pinch toe stop housing. Right now, the Apollo is the only nylon plate on the market with this kind of housing, and it comes in many colors. $89 Crazy plates also have 8mm axles and us standard 5/8” sized toe stop housing. They have their own sizing system, and the sizes are all in 13mm increments.

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Summer 2016 | fiveonfivemag.com

Nistevo: The Pilot plate system: You may know them as Atom or Luigino. They have come out with an interchangeable plate system that allows the skater to pick and choose the components that work for them.

Falcon 2.0 Plus: Polished extremely lightweight aluminum, 16 degree king pins, double action with click adjustment, pinch toe stop housing and adjustable pivot pins. $299 Falcon 2.0: The same plate and features as the plus, with the exception of featuring a one piece truck that does NOT have adjustable pivot pins. $220 These Pilot plates come with 8mm axles, and standard US sized toe stop housing. They come sized to correspond with wheel base measurement in inches.

Chaya: The newest plate to market, Chaya launched their products in Summer, 2015. They are thoughtfully engineered, lightweight, aesthetically pleasing and come in two kingpin angles, the 20 degree and the 45 degree, both in anodized black, or silver.

The Ophira: 6000 Extruded aluminum, center mounting holes (for Chaya boots only), or traditional mounting holes, this plate has an offset pinch toe stop housing and comes in BOTH 20 degree kingpin angle and 45 degree. $250 The Shiva: 7075 Extruded aluminum, same mounting holes as the Shiva, comes in both black and silver, 20 degree and 45 degree, but with lighter trucks and “clip action” axles for super fast and easy wheel changing.

And what is click action?

Click action or micro adjustment style fasteners for trucks is the adjustment mechanism on the end of the king pin that has ridges on it that correspond with ridges on the cushion retainer so that when you turn it, it clicks as it passes over each ridge. This can help the skater get a more specific adjustment because they know they have gone 3 clicks, each being say, 1mm. This way you know how far you’ve gone, and how to adjust the other king pins. On the Roll Line, the nut has numbers on it for even further precision of how far each have been turned.

REMEMBER: The following chart is meant to be a guideline, or a starting point. Everyone’s needs are different, and every skater has their personal preference as to how they like their plates.

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A. Use the boot sizing chart in my previous article or on the Fast Girl Website under Learn/sizing/boots at fastgirlskates.com/pages/sizing-boots to determine your Men’s US size on either your current boots, or new boots.

B. OR-Using your current skates, measure the distance from the center of your front axle to the center of your back axle to determine your axle spread in millimeters.

C. Do your boots fit you snugly and are you happy with the length of your plate? Are you both stable and agile? Want to improve one of those? Depending on these answers, you might want to go up or down one size.

D. Use the chart to find the correct size of the plate you are buying as a starting point. Check your work by cross referencing the wheel base/axle spread, indicated on the chart next to each manufacturer’s size column.

I know that is a lot. It’s hard, but that is why we retailers have spent a good amount of time to become knowledgeable in this field. Visit Fast Girl Skates or your favorite retailer or give us a call to help you out. You can also narrow down your choices by asking yourself the following questions: 1. Do I need stability or maneuverability/agility?

2. If I look down upon the skates I have now, is the front inside wheel under the ball of my foot? Yes? Do I still feel stable?

No? Do I still feel agile?

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3. If I were to take a hard sternum block or stand up quickly while skating, would I probably fall over backwards?

4. Am I a very technical type person who wants to know about each little adjustment that can be made on my plates, and I know why and when to use said adjustments?

5. Am I very petite and concerned about the weight of my skates? Am I very strong and concerned about the durability of my plates? Have I broken a plate already? Do my plates feel heavy?

6. Does colored gear make me happy?

7. If I drop lots of money and my plate breaks or is stolen, can I honestly replace it?

8. Can I find a skater who is similar to me in stature, style, experience, and look at what he/she wears? Ask them why and how they like their plate.

After determining the answers to these questions, use the information listed above about the different kinds of plates to narrow your selection. Us retailers are there to answer your questions and help guide you toward the gear that is right for you. If your particular retailer is not helpful, call, email or go to another one until you find one willing to listen and help you out.

Bottom line, it can take years to find your dream plate (and boots for that matter). Arm yourself with as much information as possible and try as many other people’s skates out as you can.H

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meet the WFTDA’s new Executive Director V I L E L O V E I T, Q U E E N C I T Y R O L L E R G I R L S

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to the game of roller derby. It’s not a sport you can start playing immediately. There are many different skills to master, but out of all of them, the most important are listening and communicating with your team. know what that looks like just yet. I’m just listening at this There’s a lot to learn when it comes to the Women’s Flat point. I have a lot to learn.”

Track Derby Association too, especially when you’re the Cassie’s journey from self-described theater nerd/choir brand new Executive Director. Cassie Haynes, who started camp girl to the Executive Directive of the WFTDA is one on April 22, 2016 is excited about ascending the learning most skaters, officials, and volunteers will recognize. curve. She’s spent the first weeks of her tenure listening to Cassie wasn’t athletic in high school or college. It wasn’t people about what it means to compete as a skater, train until after college when a friend as an official, be a member of developed leukemia that she decided the WFTDA, as well as be a leader to do something about her own in the WFTDA. She’s also developing “The WFTDA has had physical fitness and health. There an understanding of all the was a triathlon sponsored by The mechanics and inner workings of the last 10 years to be Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the WFTDA itself. she completed it in her friend’s honor.

That is a tall order for anyone. a ‘startup’ and right “I love a challenge,” she said.

But despite being new to the sport, now the organization is But what she really means is that she is extraordinarily well-suited and she loves a “constant challenge” phenomenally experienced to lead the at a crossroads where because after that she didn’t hang up WFTDA out of its 10th year and into her sneakers, she pushed herself the future. we need to transition “Cassie comes to the WFTDA further and signed up for an Olympicwith experience in the nonprofit length triathlon. And then a half into sustainability.” sector, public health, and in running marathon. And then a full marathon. a professional sports league. She And then the Boston Marathon. You is uniquely well-rounded, with the would think that Cassie would love outside perspective that the Board of Directors feels will running. “I hate running,” she says. “After discovering the barbell greatly benefit the WFTDA and position us in the coming I turned my athletic focus and my competitive drive towards years,” said WFTDA Treasurer Heather “Ms. D’Fiant” Watson, CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, and finally, powerlifting.” who served on the Executive Director hiring panel.

She brings that drive into her professional life as well.

Cassie said she is excited for the opportunity to lead the Although her experience includes legal, nonprofit, and next stage of WFTDA growth. corporate work, the common thread running through it is “The WFTDA has had the last 10 years to be a ‘startup’ entrepreneurial spirit. In addition, Cassie comes to the and right now the organization is at a crossroads where we WFTDA with a personal and professional commitment to need to transition into sustainability,” Cassie said. “I don’t women’s athletics.

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“The WFTDA is at an exciting juncture. I’m thrilled to be on the journey.

I like having big ideas and figuring out how to get there.”

“The WFTDA is at an exciting juncture,” said Cassie.

“I’m thrilled to be on the journey. I like having big ideas and figuring out how to get there.”

Cassie says that she hopes to be able to foster the idea that we are always progressing; that we are always developing as athletes and as an organization.

The fact that the WFTDA and its member leagues are fueled almost entirely by volunteers was staggering to her. “I knew I was walking into an organization with a structure that doesn’t exist anywhere else,” said Cassie. “The amount of volunteer time that people invest for this sport and this organization is unmatched anywhere. While that dedication is amazing, it also brings challenges.”

How do you manage all those volunteers? How do you transfer knowledge from one to another without losing the essence of the experience gained? How do you simply thank them in a meaningful way? And, of course, how do you grow the volunteer pool? Those are some of the questions that the new executive director wants to help answer.

“Cassie is excited about our business the same way most people get excited about our sport. It’s really interesting to have someone come in who has her particular business acumen, but no roots in our sport,” said WFTDA President Amanda “Alassin Sane” Hull.

“She understands what has made us uniquely successful up until now. We plan to use her experience and vigor to improve upon what we have and ensure we have a successful future.”

Another personal focus for Cassie is diversity and inclusion. “I applaud the WFTDA for its diversity statement,” she said. “But we need to keep having the conversations and keep putting the words into practice and pushing it downstream to member leagues.”

“The bar for gender diversity and inclusion in mainstream sports is set very low and I would like to see the WFTDA push well ahead of the curve as an example to other sports.”H

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a junior derby skater’s (and parent’s)

common questions and misconceptions J E N N I F E R S A V A G L I O A K A L A P E T I T E M O R T, F A S T G I R L S K AT E S

As your Jr. Derby skater continues to grow and outgrow their equipment, I thought it might be helpful to answer some frequently asked questions that have to do with plates. A few of which are covered in some detail in other articles, but some are technical in nature and actually have simple(ish) answers.

I’m thinking of buying ____ wheels. Should I buy 7mm or 8mm bearings to go with them?

Actually, bearing size has to do with the hole in the middle of the bearing not the size of the bearing itself. This hole has to fit snugly on the axles of your skates (the posts that your wheels sit on) otherwise it will either not fit at all or rattle around like oversized ring on your finger. Happily, it has nothing to do with the wheels, so you can use pretty much any wheels any time! The current standard or most common size is 8mm. Back when speed skating was popular, skaters were very concerned with reducing weight, so requested thinner axles. But once skateboarding really came into popularity, 8mm became the standard. If you have 7mm axles, you need both 7mm bearings and axle nuts. The axle nut size is determined by the inside diameter (i.d.) of the nuts, as are bearings determined by the inside diameter of the race.

As to determining which axle size your Junior’s skates have, here are a few tips: 1. If the skates came all put together from Riedell with boot, plate, wheels and bearings, they are 8mm. This includes the following plates: Thrust (black nylon/plastic), Reactor NEO, Reator PRO, and the Arius. Antik packages come with these plates as well. See how I italicized from Riedell in the first statement? That’s because there are lots of skate shops (including my own) that sell “package-like” assembled skates which include a Riedell boot with plates from other companies. These are not assembled at

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Riedell, but rather mounted in the store and they can include plates that have either 8mm or 7mm axle plates.

If your skates were not assembled in the Riedell factory as a package and you don’t know what size your axles are, call the folks that sold you the skates and they should be happy to tell you.

2. If the skates or plates have an old metal plate (and by old, I mean 20 years), it is possible they are 7mm. You can: A. compare them to a teammate or friend’s skate that is newer and you are sure has 8mm axles. If your axles are 7mm, they will be noticeably thinner. (picture 1) B. Try the two different bearing sizes on your axles. Obviously, if the bearing won’t go on the axle at all, it’s a 7mm bearing trying to go on an 8mm axle, or if you put it on the axle and there is space or doesn’t seem to be a snug fit, it is an 8mm axle on a 7mm bearing. C. Measure the outside diameter (o.d) of the axles.

This is a bit more challenging, as it is difficult to be accurate with the types of measuring devices most of us have at home.

3. If you have a plate made in Italy, it is most likely 7mm.

The Roll-Line plates, with the exception of the Blaster have 7mm axles.

4. If you have the following plates, they are 7mm: Snyder, Power Trac, Nova, Laser. Conversely, these plates are 8mm: Probe, Rock, Avenger, Invader. Many of Sure Grip’s plates can have either- it is the skater’s choice: Competitor, XK-4, Century, Cyclone, Classic.

If you discover that you have 7mm axles, but only have 8mm bearings, you can purchase axle sleeves. These are literally “sleeves” that go over your axles and turn a 7mm axle into an 8mm axle. However, the axle nut stays 7mm. (picture 1a) I have these metal tube things in my wheels between my bearings, what are they and what are they for?

Those are spacers and are an interesting debate right now. I hear from skaters who absolutely swear by them, and others (including lifetime skaters), who say they are not necessary.

Here’s the breakdown.

Each bearing has an outside “race” (the metal ring on the outside) and an inside “race” (the metal ring on the inside).

Remember, bearing size is determined by the inside race.

A spacer is meant to sit on the axle between the two inside races to prevent them from collapsing into each other. This could happen if your wheels were to take a significant impact laterally. The proper use of spacers also allows you to completely tighten your axle nuts and still get maximum wheel roll.

The problem is that spacers are made in a factory

wherein a large metal “tube” is cut into little barrels by a machine. It is difficult to make them to exacting specifications, meaning all the same size. So let’s say you get a set of spacers and put them between your bearings.

They are actually only effective if they are exactly the right size and touch both bearings on the inside race when the bearings are seated in the wheels. Look at the inside of your wheels. See the little “shelf” that the outside race of your bearings sit on? That prevents the outside race from collapsing inward. Try this: 1. Seat your bearing in one side of your wheel (I usually do the inside, or flat side). 2. Put the spacer in the wheel sitting on the bearing and look for where the top of it ends up. It should sit very slightly above the other “shelf”.

If the spacer isn’t the right size, it isn’t doing anything but moving around inside your wheel and therefore wouldn’t be very effective in keeping your bearings intact should your wheel get hit from the side.

How do I know it’s time to loosen the trucks?

A new skater who is just learning often doesn’t skate very fast around the corners, especially if they haven’t yet mastered the crossover. Since skate packages come from the factory with the trucks pretty tight, this isn’t a concern at first.

Once the skater starts to really be able to do a good crossover and is consistently skating faster, they need the skate to help them to turn. It’s like having power steering.

We also get A LOT of questions about foot cramping. This is usually because either: a. the skater’s boot is too big, and they are clenching their toes to “hold” the skate onto the foot while skating, OR B. the trucks are too tight and are fighting the skater when turning.

You get this turning flexibility by loosening the trucks. As a teaching store, it has always been Fast Girl Skates’ recommendation that your junior learns to adjust and care for their OWN skates. This is done by the nut on the bottom

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of your kingpin. A good starting place is to loosen all four kingpins ¼ turn to the LEFT or counter clockwise. Then go skate. Be sure to take several laps at speed with crossovers to see how it feels. From there it is fine tuning. To loosen all four at once is a starting point. There are no hard and fast rules. Some skaters like their front trucks more loose than the back, or one foot more loose the other. And generally, the more advanced the skater, the more loose they prefer their trucks.

You must give the skates this flexibility or it will take the flexibility from somewhere else, such as pain in the feet, ankles, knees, shins and hips. Another side effect to trucks that are too tight is for the plate to separate from the sole of the boot, OR the boot upper will separate from the sole along the back of the heel.

Conversely, the trucks are too loose when: 1.The boot is touching your wheels when leaning or turning, causing you to not only fall on your face, but you now have a divot in your boot above your wheels. Another side effect is that the screw holding the plate onto your boot can cut into your wheel causing a groove around it. 2. You cannot control your skates at all. 3. The nut is almost all the way off of the kingpin.

Please, please, please do not just loosen your wheels instead of adjusting your trucks. We are seeing a fair amount of this and although it is very rare I tell skaters NO definitively, this practice is dangerous and should not be done in lieu of loosening your trucks. I’m serious. Ask any of the skate/plate manufacturers or career skaters.

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Do I ever need to replace axle nuts?

Absolutely. Axle nuts are commonly referred to as “Nylock” style nuts. This means they are metal and have a nylon ring on the inside and are made to “lock” in place when they are tightened. Look at your nuts, the nylon is usually black, yellow or white. After you have removed your nuts 10+ times, the nylon starts to wear, preventing the nuts from locking as they did when new. If your axle nuts are “backing off” or getting looser as you skate they also need to be replaced no matter how many times you have taken them on and off. Remember to double check the size when buying new. Are they 7mm or 8mm? Remember it is the size of the axles on your skates that determines this.

FYI: Astro Nuts from Grnmnstr and Zero Nutz from Sure Grip are made entirely of nylon. They have no metal. They are lighter, but the nylon still wears away and must be replaced just like metal nuts. Also, these nylon nuts come in 8mm ONLY. Will changing the cushions (or bushings) make a difference?

Yes, as long as you are actually changing the hardness or replacing ones that have reached the end of their life. Most plates come standard with medium hard cushions, and it takes quite a while for these to wear out. They are worn out when they are flat, bulging (another side effect of too tight trucks), cracked or brittle to the point of disintegrating.

Cushions are rated similarly to wheels. The lower the number, the softer the cushions. If your junior skater is petite, a softer cushion is recommended.

Changing the hardness works in several ways: 1. It gives the skater more flexibility similar to adjusting the trucks. 2. It gives the skater more or less responsiveness when pushing or turning. Let’s break that down a bit: Let’s say you have medium cushions that came on the skates when you bought

Sean Hale

them. You are now pretty advanced and have loosened your trucks as far as they will go but still feel that you need more flexibility. You would be a good candidate for softer cushions.

This would allow your trucks to be slightly tighter but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d still get the flexibility by the hardness of your cushions.

Or, you are skating (which means pushing) and feel like you have too much flexibility and/or are working way too hard. You would be a good candidate for harder cushions.

Keep in mind a few of things. Generally, a larger skater finds harder cushions more useful and a smaller

skater finds softer cushions more useful. You can mix the cushion hardness on each kingpin, but the harder cushion should always go on the side of the truck closest to the plate, and the softer cushion should go on the side of the truck closest to the floor.

You can also use different hardnesses from foot to foot or front to back. Just like truck adjustment, it can take trial and error and differs from skater to skater.

Okay. I hope that was helpful! And as always, if you have more specific questions, please feel free to email me at jenny@fastgirlskates.com.H

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a question of balance K AT E R U N N E L S, S O U T H E R N O R E G O N R O L L E R G I R L S PHOTOS BY ERIC FURRER

“To maintain balance while constantly shifting the body weight is an art few ever acquire.”

– Bruce Lee I doubt Bruce ever slid his feet into a pair of skates, but I’m sure if her ever did, he would say it is doubly important and much harder to achieve this art of balance while on skates.

I’m going to add to his statement with one of my own that I have used over the years with other skaters: “To have good balance you must constantly push yourself out of balance.”

This statement sounds contradictory, but read it one more time before moving on. It is like the age-old question regarding good and evil. How do we know the one without an understanding of the other? In every Yin there is Yang and in every Yang there is a spot of Yin. As adults we no longer think about walking, we just walk; though it is harder for some than others (I am able to bump into door jams and trip over shadows). Even teenagers, while they are not really conscious about thinking to walk, they are still growing, and so, constantly adjusting to an ever-changing sense of balance.

If we take the time to watch toddlers, they truly are thinking about the process of balancing – they are purposefully putting themselves out of their balance zone, i.e, comfort zone, to learn how to gain the ability to walk. I watched my nephew once when he was learning to stand and walk, pull himself into a standing position and then wobble there for several minutes. He didn’t fall, didn’t try to take a step, just wobbled. I think he was testing his balance zone as he would bend his knees and move his hips around in a circle, first one

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way then the other; wobbling the entire time.

That wobbly feeling is how many fresh meat skaters start out feeling, especially learning to skate as an adult. We could just keep crawling throughout life, but we put ourselves in a precarious position and learn how to walk, or in our case, to skate.

You get this same unbalanced feeling again once you get better at skating and decide to loosen your trucks for the first time. Your balance point, your balance reference has changed, and now you must figure out how to move and hold your body all over again. It is there when you try to skate on one foot for the first time, or when you are being especially daring and decide to skate with only your back wheels, or even your front, or maybe with only the inside, or only the outside.

This feeling is there when you are with a derby team while balancing the responsibilities of having a job, a relationship, school, kids, or a mix and match of all of the above. These are balancing acts too. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we fall, but like the toddler we pick ourselves up and try again. And if you are lucky to have a derby team like mine, someone will always be there to help you back to your feet, or to steady you as you trip on that shadow.

I’m not alone in struggling at times to juggle and balance a life with derby. At times, some people will have to take a leave of absence from skating. There are some people who can’t get enough derby and skating, and they have no trouble

traveling long distances to skate and be on a team. Every skater’s balancing act is unique to their life and circumstances.

As a lifelong skater I have encountered those troubles several times and have had to reassess what is important in my life. I may stumble or fall but I stand back up and find my balance. Every skater feels like a moose or a giraffe on skates at first, wobbly, unstable, and either going to tip over backwards or fall forwards. They feel their legs might go any direction at once plopping them to the floor.

I know this feeling. It is exactly how I feel when I put on ice skates to try and either ice skate or even play ice hockey. I’ve roller skated for 32 years, and yet I have had so much trouble trying to ice skate. I have a great video of my fifth time on ice skates and maybe my first time playing ice hockey. I tried to hockey stop and instead spun, landed on my knees and continued to spin. It then took several tries to make it back onto my skates. But I kept trying. Pushed myself out of balance repeatedly, constantly, and I have gotten better.

I felt the same at my first full scrimmage. I hadn’t even bouted yet, and I felt lost and unsteady, not on my skates, but in what I was doing and where I needed to be. I pushed past that feeling of being unbalanced. I found my stability and I got better.

A wise friend, by the name of Riptide, once said to me, “Everyone wants the skill; they just want to be able to do it and forgo the learning process. And that’s the point where

people get messed up (frustrated). They don’t take the time to learn how to do things the way their own body can. As a coach you have to break it down to fundamentals. Adults have a harder time learning because we, as adults, all expect results immediately but children aren’t expecting that yet.”

As adults we see someone else able to perform a skill and we believe it should be that easy for us too. How many times sitting watching a sporting event have heard someone say, “I could have done that.”? Yet when they give it a try they are not able to match it half as well. What they don’t see, what they don’t expect or want to hear about, are the years of dedicated practice that have been spent developing and honing those skills.

I see it when people watch me skate. They expect to take the same strokes I take, or glide or jump as I do, and they can get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. I have to tell them that I have been skating for 32 years. But they didn’t have that kernel of knowledge to start with.

But I was, and still am, willing to fail and willing to fall and so must everyone be, or everyone would still be crawling around on the floor too afraid to stand up. So if you are a beginner, just know we have all been there, so keep on trying. Intermediate skaters: keep testing your limits.

Advanced skaters: push those limits and set new ones.

We must all find our balance, but never be afraid to push ourselves out of balance for we never know where that next step or stride might take us.H

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game history: how necessary is it?

S TA N D A R D S T E V I AT I O N, L A N S I N G D E R B Y V I X E N S

Where and when do you start building your officiating history? Not all readers have 200 games with 40+ Sanctioned/Regulation games under their belt. Some officials must travel several hundred miles each year to get 2-3 higher-level games and then with slim chances they will even be staffed! What are some thoughts and suggestions out there? Continuing from the last Officiating Column, I thought this topic would help others. Let’s explore: Where to look, how to begin, how to add to your game history. What do you put on your Game History and what do you leave off?

Julius Seizure, Chicago Outfit:

Anonymous WFTDA official:

“I was doing this for four years before I ever did a sanctioned game... when I look at someone’s Game History, it depends on what I’m staffing: (For a) Tournament, it’s important; Sanctioned double-header or whatever, not a huge deal.”

“When you are first starting, you put everything on your Game History. By the time you get 50 games, you start deleting stuff like scrimmages, 45 minute games, and the such!”

Officially Hate, Cincinnati Rollergirls

“Require it with anyone I don’t know, even with visiting leagues.”

What about “theme based” (games)?

“I want my game history to look as professional as possible... Put those in the “others” tab...

Even if these games are few and far between, put them on record... it shows others what you support, if you try positions you are not comfortable at for Sanctioned/Regulation games and your willingness to take on new challenges.”

Justin Bibe, Beach City Roller Derby

“(Game History) is used for deciding who to staff for sanctioned or regulation games and tournaments. (Or) if you travel (to a game) and they do not know you. I've used them for that (purpose) but, (to me) Cert 2 would mean you have a good resume.”

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Will Huston, Burning River Roller Derby

“I haven’t THRed or CHRed a tournament so I haven’t had the opportunity to leverage them for that purpose. I like them for what they are, but they can’t shake a stick at a thorough reference. They show someone’s experience in different roles and in different levels of play.

The history says nothing about the quality of the experience and that is where a reference is huge. If someone has extensive experience in a specific position or positions, it becomes easier to assume that they are meeting a certain standard. (Otherwise) they would not continue to be staffed in the position or at that level of play. The number of games is helpful to understand if the person has the experience needed for the game; however, I’ve never been very focused on whether the person has worked 100 games or 400. Someone can easily get staffed on a game every weekend if they’re willing to drive that much but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a good official.” other contributors: “Using game history for game staffing is not the final word, but a useful tool to indicate some strengths and weaknesses.”

“Don’t wait until you’ve officiated a full year before you start! You will never remember all the games you worked.”

“Game History doesn’t reflect how well you perform a job, work with others or adjust to situations.

It does reflect your social capital, and possibly show a trend for your derby path.”

Start recording your Game History today, don’t wait. Document who is HR and HNSO, who is playing, and the event location. (I like to grab a program as I walk in the venue and write down this information.) Do not “pad” your GH, stick to full length games, and as you mature in officiating, consider deleting some early mixed scrims and such or move to them to the “other” tab. Finally, I like to get my Game History info filled out before the game, excluding my position. The totals are not calculated at that point, but the details are there.H fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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reflection and realization WICKED PIZ-AAH, COLUMBIA QUADSQUAD

Emotional intelligence training has made me a better roller derby referee.

I am coming off the high of serving as an official at Southern Discomfort 2016. On my multi-block walk from my, pay-to-park lot, and my job at the law school, I took the opportunity to reflect about my experiences over the weekend and check in with me.

But before I dive too deep into what I discovered, I must first give a quick shout out to CQS, all the teams at the multi-day event, and all officials, skating and non-skating, who were involved in the event. I continue to be wooed and wowed by all of you who are a part of this amazing sport.

All right, back to my ponderings.

After my morning quick check in with me, I realized that much like at the end of Southern Discomfort 2015, I had learned a great deal, worked with some amazing people, but unlike 2015, I was in a very different emotional place. In the past after officating, there was always this underlying layer of selfshame or blame, tainting my positive experience. That was not present in my reflection this morning. A fan of the “five why” process tools technique, my next question of course was, why? Why had I shamed myself in the past for my officating experience and why wasn’t I doing it today?

The answer I came up with was Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ). For those who may not know, Emotional Intelligence can be defined in its basic form as the ability to understand the emotions you have as well as those of others around you. What is important to note is that every person possesses emotional intelligence at some level and effective

leaders tend to possess a great deal of it. A positive is that where I work, the employees participate in EQ, and in the last year, I became a facilitator and as all good teachers know, when you teach something to others you often gain a greater understanding of the topic. I have always struggled with perfectionism and forgiving myself and others for past mistakes. I think some of it is tied to being a highly driven person with the learning disability dyslexia. The striving for perfection and not feeling good enough helped me achieve many goals in life and in derby.

But it is also a huge hindrance, especially when serving as a roller derby official.

My goal has and always will be to make no mistakes as an official, but when it happens, because I am a person and not a robot, my response now post EQ training is very different than it has been in the past. A few years ago, I may have responded to a mistake on the track by refusing to admit it or by letting myself get bogged down on internal name calling and emotional weight. Now I can dump the mistake from my mind, and move on to the next jam without the baggage of the jam before.

After the bout, I will then reflect on those banked mistakes to correct myself and broaden my knowledge of the rules.

This ability to stop judging myself mid-bout has allowed me to improve as an official. Also once I stopped expecting myself to be perfect, I took a great deal of pressure off of myself and I have been able to fall into a few perfect moments as an official and learn so much more from others.

Emotional Intelligence can be defined in its basic form as the ability to understand the emotions you have as well as those of others around you.

feedback is seen as a gift that you are being given

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Joe Schwartz / JoeRollerfan.com

Emotional intelligence has brought me greater selfawareness but it has also aided me in regulating myself and my own emotions so I do not rush headlong into hasty decisions or allow another unhealthy emotion to derail me while officiating a heated or scrappy bout. We have all experienced that tremendous HR, HNSO, coach, or captain who can bring the calm on all the crazy emotions. The ability to recognize emotions as they occur in yourself and others allows you to determine those that are key and needed for the jam and those that needed to be deescalated for the completion of the bout in a safe and positive manner for everyone. A benefit often tied in with emotional awareness and management is also the ability to sympathize and empathize with others.

As an official, I have found this skill to be one of the most beneficial as it relates to giving and receiving feedback. In the last

year, I can tell you I have received a few confused expressions when I have received feedback and I have responded with a thank you. I then often have to explain that where I work, feedback is seen as a gift that you are being given. Now I will sometimes even mention it at the start of the multi-day event to let others know I am open to the feedback and appreciate that they are taking the time to try to aid in me becoming a better official.

When I am giving feedback, sympathy and empathy help me to be in their shoes, and allow me to alter tone or demeanor appropriately for the situation.

Emotional intelligence training has aided me in my growth as a roller derby official because I do not seek something in others that I would not be willing to give myself. I now always strive to bring my authentic self to the venue and trust that all others are doing the same and when I am â&#x20AC;&#x153;doing meâ&#x20AC;? there is no room for blame.H

When I am giving feedback, sympathy and empathy help me to be in their shoes, and allow me to alter tone or demeanor appropriately for the situation.

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just below the surface M E G A N “ H E A R T L E S S ” M A R T I S, C L A R K S V I L L E , T N

I left the sport of roller derby rather abruptly. It is still news to most of the skaters I have competed against in my neck of the woods that I have “retired”.

When they find out, they seem hurt and offended; I am met with responses like, “WHAT?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!” and, “I am going to miss skating against you, even if it hurt!” Undeniably, having made an impression on my teammates and our opponents besides the likes of a physical bruise is extremely heartwarming and compelling; I am grateful for their sentiment. But who am I out of so many skaters? Why should I have made a fuss about leaving a hole in the local derby community? Because that is what I did.

I left an open space for someone to take my place. And I am totally okay with that.

Surely, there have been testimonials on departures from roller derby before.

Some former skaters might have regaled readers with a colorful account of how much they will miss the sport.

These same retirees probably went on and on about what the sport has done for them. Well, I am going to tell you my feelings on roller derby now that I am done skating, and it is not altogether pretty or flattering.

Roller derby found me on July 27, 2010. I do not recall if I knew much about it before that day, because I do not recall what I did with myself before

roller derby. On that day, I was working in my family’s pizza restaurant. People often left a newspaper on a table after they were done reading it; I grabbed one to amuse myself after the lunch rush clean-up. The local newspaper includes what is called the “GO” Section; that is where I saw the article.

I can tell you there was a photo of the women involved in a new roller derby team starting in Clarksville, TN. The article detailed a bit of what the sport entailed, where this team practiced, and on what day and at what time. It just so happened they would be meeting up the very next day.

“Enthralled” does not begin to describe my emotions.

Being that my mother was my boss, I went to work at changing my hours. I was off work the next day, and I had money to burn, so I did minimalistic research on the gear I would need to participate in roller derby. There is a used athletic equipment store in town; they had basically everything I needed!

Let me emphasize the word “basically”.

Little did I know, there was a roller derby team approximately forty miles away in Nashville, TN that had formed some four years prior, and there was a well-renowned skate-shop within that city. So, I wound up with cheap quad skates, definitely not made for competing in roller derby, and some used skateboard pads. I should

mention I grew up at the skating rink on as many weekends as my mom’s purse would allow. Rollerblades and speed skates were mostly what I had skated on, and quad skates were not hard to get used to, even if it was over ten years since the end of my rink rat days. Occasionally, I would join the adolescents on Sunday afternoon skates, attending friends’ children’s birthday parties at a rink. They were impressed with a “grown-up” skating faster and wilder than them. I digress.

July 28, 2010, I showed up for roller derby practice wearing knee-high, argyle, neon skull socks, a tu-tu, and a hand-made “jersey” with my newlycoined alias on my back. I met Clarksville Roller Derby’s, Red River Sirens; women from different walks of life, yada yada yada. You have heard it before. My poorly-chosen quads were shaking from the axles up under my legs as I flew around that make-shift track. Someone skated up to me after watching me for a bit and asked, “Where did you come from?” I am sure I retorted with something witty. I was now Heartless Martis. I was created in the image of a jammer. I was a jammer before I knew what a jammer was. I did not need confidence, higher selfesteem, or an ego boost; I used the word “I” a lot. I played roller derby for myself for a while. My name was on the back of my jersey; that is what

My name was on the back of my jersey... The name on the front proved to be what mattered.

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I was supposed to find derby. I needed to experience the biggest version of myself to find the tiniest missing piece I never knew about... skaters saw since I was usually in front of them. The name on the front proved to be what mattered. Heartless Martis learned a lot about Megan Martis in those five years of roller derby. As I stated, this is not altogether pretty or flattering. But it is honest.

During the first months of being a Red River Siren, I distinguished myself as a skilled skater. Roller derby came naturally to me. Even in my last months of skating, when someone would tell me they aspired to skate with my grace and control, I wanted to say, “I cannot teach you finesse and showmanship.”

Does that sound like a gracious, humble thing to say? That is why I never said it. You see, the overconfidence was always just below the surface, but I learned to control it. I was like Spiderman just learning to shoot his web. I held on to the confidence, but I left the ego just below the surface. Some of my teammates moved on to our neighbor-team in Nashville; a higher level of play and skill was a definite requirement there.

Was I as proficient a skater as some of them? Not on my best days. But that did not affect my knowledge that I was damned good. I danced on my skates. I was like water. I was a drunk in a car wreck; going with the flow and never severely injured.

Fast-forward to when taking positions within the league like training committee coach, the head of a subcommittee, and ultimately vicepresident, aided in the puncturing of my swelled head. I do not claim to

have been a full-hearted fool before taking on those positions, but they definitely played a role in the dumbingdown of the “Heartless” persona. I stopped wearing tu-tus. I started blocking more. I was genuinely happy for skaters that received the MVP award over me. Roller derby was extremely fulfilling and fun for me. We, like all other roller derby teams, are a non-profit organization. The team takes part in county and city events, fundraisers involving other non-profits and their beneficiaries, and of course just good ole’ hard-hitting derby action.

It was rewarding to be a part of something bigger than myself; however small a difference I was making within the team was better than none at all.

Like Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility. I was reveling in focusing on helping other skaters, even if I did not feel I was getting better. But one day, the fun ceased for me.

Maybe I outgrew it. Perhaps I had gained everything I could from the sport. Whatever mix of emotions I had towards roller derby, I was starting a new career in massage therapy. Having an able-body to start my new job was top priority now; not that I had to convince myself too heartily. I was ready to leave. That fact confused people. “But you are so good!” If only being “good” at something was enough to retain my attention in it. I was “good” at making tacos and delegating cleaning tasks, but I refused to work in fast-food management forever. When I

started learning about the inside of myself, as well as humans in general through massage therapy training, I found a filler. Something took the space that roller derby had held tightly for the last five years. I did not have to perform anymore. I was turning 30, and my skin finally fit. Being a facilitator for the general well-being of others is my home now. For so long, I thought I was an extreme extrovert.

Turns out, I can be silent and content for hours.

Roller derby did not change my life for the better. Or did it? It did not teach me kindness, humility, grace, and patience. Wait. I am confusing myself now. If I had never played roller derby, perhaps I would have joined a band like I always dreamed of doing. As a lead-singing front-woman, I am sure I would have had to rest my head on my shoulder from the weight of it. No, I was supposed to find derby. I needed to experience the biggest version of myself to find the tiniest missing piece I never knew about – and on eight wheels. I still support my team, as they will forever be my team. I will go to our games and miss the feel of my wheels over the creaky, wooden boards of the rink floor. But I will not miss hearing my name over the speakers. I will not miss flaunting my prowess. I will not miss the inflated image I had of myself. I will cheer for the home team, and think fondly of the Heartless girl this woman once knew. She is, after-all, just below the surface.H

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moving teams S T E V E VA N T O L " P R O F E S S O R " , P I E D M O N T R I O T R O L L E R D E R B Y

When you are thinking of starting over with a new team you are hit with a host of various emotions. These can range from excitement all the way to fear. Sometimes, even slightly depressed. Let’s face it, our teammates become our friends, even family. It is similar to changing to a different school as a kid. This transition can be quite easy or very unpleasant depending on the individual and team.

One of the most common reasons for changing teams is relocation. Less common reasons are inter-team drama, conflict, and sometimes it is for personal growth as a player.

Regardless of why the change is taking place, there are some guidelines to follow that will make this transition as flawless as possible. avoid The absolute best thing you can do once you join a new team is to avoid creating or feeding into any drama. It seems like common sense, but you might be surprised how easily some fall into the drama trap. After leaving a team that I coached for over four years due to drama I had accepted that I was retired from derby. Well, we all know how that goes and within a few months I reached out to one of the local teams to see if they needed a fresh meat coach. I wasn’t wanting to run a team or coach everything because of how things ended with my previous team. I was so nervous at my first practice. This was a team that I had coached against and yet it felt like my first day of derby.

Being someone that always overthinks things, I wondered if anyone had ill will towards me. After about a month though I was asked to start running the veterans practice. Maintaining my stance on avoiding any drama I allowed myself to focus on building new relationships. Doing this made my new team like family much quicker.

accept When joining a new team, you should accept the fact that you are the new person, an outsider of sorts. At first you may not feel buddy-buddy with everyone. However, over time you will be accepted and looked at as not just a teammate, but family. With my previous team I had become very close with a number of teammates. At the time I considered them best friends. It was common that we would grab dinner after practice, party together, or just hang out. The loss of them was very tough on my psyche. Once I was part of the Piedmont Riot, I did not allow myself to get down over the fact that I was not always invited to have a drink or grab dinner, hang out, etc. This new team typically did not have that kind of relationship with previous coaches, and perhaps I kept a certain distance because I was afraid of getting too close to this group. I was afraid of being hurt again. I realized that our relationship together as a team was not at the level it needed to be for these things to start happening and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean that they don’t like me. It’s just a different relationship.

Then I was in a car accident. The team set up shifts to bring us food each day – I swear they put 10lbs on me. They make it very well known that they want me on the team. When some of my former teammates came to an Invitational we were hosting, Suture Self, our League President, promised “I will piss on your leg and mark our territory if I have to!” Only in derby

Over time, you will be accepted and looked at as not just a teammate, but family.

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Terry Bruce

would I be flattered by that (knowing that she probably would). Time has brought invitations to social events, and my goal of being just one of the “ladies” on the team is just about achieved. they were first Something to work on once you get coaching from your new team is to remember that they were here first and they are not your old team. You are going to be required to earn this team’s respect. Some simple ways to do that would be to avoid phrases referencing your old team (“my team did it this way”) or constantly mentioning styles of practice/play that suggests “they are doing it wrong”. If you want to wear out your welcome quickly, go in to a new team with an attitude and be a know-it-all. Instead, be patient and willing to learn from them. Keep an open mind. Just because you did something a particular way before doesn’t make it right or wrong. One of the many things I love about derby is that it is constantly evolving and there is always something new to learn or a new way to do things. Embrace what your new teammates have to offer in the way of experience and knowledge. We recently had

someone join our league that was pleasantly surprised her first few practices. “You guys are so quiet, calm, and so low key”. At first I was insulted, but after speaking with her realized that she was used to yelling and screaming with people fighting for control of practice... so I took it as a compliment and she has been a welcomed addition to the team. We have the unique benefit on our team where most of us have been on another team but have really gelled together quite well. Showing respect will earn you respect. Show up to practice, work hard, and PLEASE participate outside of practice and show them you want to be a part of the team.

You should be able to enjoy the fact you’re given the opportunity to expand your derby knowledge by going to a new team. I have learned a number of lessons from prior teams over the years. Every day I use those experiences to better myself as a coach and team member. This calendar year, my team (Piedmont Riot) is undefeated and I attribute a large part of that to our willingness to learn from previous experience as a team and build off of that. As always with derby: Please leave your ego, problems, and drama at the door and your team will benefit greatly.H

Embrace what your new teammates have to offer in the way of experience and knowledge.

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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the full contact convention 2016 P A P E R C U T, P I R AT E C I T Y R O L L E R S PHOTOS BY JOE MAC

Three days, three tracks, and the first event of its size in New Zealand.

The inaugural Full Contact Convention took place in Auckland on February 6th-8th and attracted skaters and officials from throughout the country. With over 200 participants, seven top-level coaches from across the world, and over 40 classes, the bootcamp had all the makings of success. And the forces behind Full Contact had an even bigger vision for the weekend.

The Saturday started with open discussions to help New Zealand derby grow and overcome some of the issues that faced the community. Roller derby started in New Zealand almost ten years ago. As the sport has grown on an international level, New Zealand’s derby scene has grown with it. Sparked from the first league, Pirate City Rollers in Auckland, the country now boasts over 30 local derby organizations – women’s, men’s, coed, and junior. In depth and in numbers, the community continues to grow.

As with many smaller countries, New Zealand derby faces its own particular set of challenges. The isolation of leagues from the larger community is one of the hardest things for the skaters and officials who want to take their derby to the

Summer 2016 | fiveonfivemag.com

next level. While a handful of New Zealand leagues travel internationally to compete and participate in WFTDA games, the costs and time requirements of travel mean that getting top coaches over to help skaters upskill is often too expensive for leagues. The Full Contact Convention wanted to address this by bringing the world’s best coaches to New Zealand. As a not-for-profit event, the aim was to provide an affordable, accessible event for all levels of skaters and officials, and to keep the community growing in skill.

The discussions were followed by a packed out ramp session hosted by Chicks in Bowls and led by its founder, Lady Trample. The day concluded with a sanctioned game between the country’s top leagues, both of whom had recently gained WFTDA rankings. After a back and forth battle, Pirate City Rollers took the win against Richter City Roller Derby, 184-150.

For the remainder of the weekend, New Zealand skaters had the privilege of working with some of the world’s most experienced derby coaches. The bootcamp had classes for coed skaters separated into three skill levels, as well as

specific official training and junior classes. Rose City’s Scald Eagle coached eager skaters on her incredible jammer skills while Brawllen Angel, captain of Bay Area, covered team strategy. Angel City’s recent transfer, Tui Lyon, shared the skills and tactics which make her one of the top offensive players in the game. Antik founder, Quadzilla shared some of the incredible footwork which finds him his success, and Team New Zealand’s Evil K’Neevil covered the aerial skills that made her a crowd favorite at the 2014 World Cup. Stefanie Mainey covered team dynamics and broke down some of the skills which make her such a valued triple threat, and Level 3 WFTDA referee, RawShark, worked with officials from throughout the country to build the reffing community.

Ultimately, it was the skaters and coaches involved who made the Full Contact Convention a success. The feedback from the inaugural event was overwhelmingly positive and a followup event is in the works for 2017.H

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

White Night Furies photo project P H O T O S B Y S L A V A S H AT R O V O Y

The White Night Furies is the first and only roller derby team in Russia. The White Night Furies girls began training in May 2013, and since then, have twice visited the Games in Finland (August 2014, January 2015) and once in Sweden (August 2015). The team consists of nineteen girls including players and referees, existing and practicing peacefully side by side with different religious, sexual and philosophical outlooks on life.

In the summer, the team trains outdoors at the Palace Square, and in a gym the rest of the year. There are a variety of unique difficulties faced by the Furies including lack of professional trainers and suitable practice space. The girls have had to do with training themselves, primarily finding exercises on the internet. They have had to translate the WFTDA rules themselves into Russian, and must travel abroad to gain experience with other skaters. So far, the Furies have played in Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Portugal, Germany, and Finland, and have been visited in Russia by coaches and players from France, Australia, Norway, Spain, and the United States.

The team took a trip to Finland in January to take part in three games in Helsinki and Porvoo.

It has taken a lot of work, but the girls are motivated by a desire to represent Russia at the international level. To do this, the Furies are determined to get into the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top teams and take part in international competitions.H

Summer 2016 | fiveonfivemag.com

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

Summer 2016 | fiveonfivemag.com

fiveonfivemag.com | Summer 2016

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Summer 2016 | fiveonfivemag.com 1. Pivot’s knee cap is a different color. 2. Blocker on left is missing team name on jersey. 3. Skate is a different color on left black blocker.

4. Blocker in fishnets is missing tattoo. 5. Where did the jammer go? 6. Blocker on right is missing logo on helmet.

7. Helmet strap is a different color on blocker on right.

Joe Mac

THERE ARE SEVEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PHOTOS – FIND ‘EM!

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