THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK DERBY ASSOCIATION (WFTDA) ISSUE 8, SUMMER 2010
fiveonfivemag.com
health and fitness
blisters S I N F U L S A L LY, R O C K F O R D R A G E WO M E N ’ S R O L L E R D E R B Y
I have a new blister. Its name is Beatrice. I’ve gotten to know Bud, Bruce, Buzz and many others over the past few years. When I was in college, I played volleyball and was an Athletic Training Major (division of sports medicine). My fellow athletic training students dreaded my visits to the athletic training room for daily practice and got sick of looking at my feet during our care and
have taught me more than I ever wish to know about blisters. I’ve been through an endless amount of padding, blister care supplies and athletic tape. I have bunions, bunionettes, calluses and of course, the dreaded blister. I’ve tried everything to help prevent them and to heal them quickly once they appear. You could say I’m somewhat of an expert, so I thought I would share with you all.
Blood blisters are more bothersome and irritating. They appear when all layers of skin are irritated and affect the deep tissue causing blood vessels to rupture. In my case, my past few “friends” have all been blood blisters. They aren’t pleasant; they take longer to heal and are just plain irritating. So what’s a girl to do when prone to blisters?
prevention of injuries class. My feet were horrible. At one point, during volleyball season, I had deep “holes” in both balls of my feet from blisters that had ripped open. It was awful and awesome at the same time. Eight years later I have come to terms with having “Frankenstein” feet. Just 3.5 years of derby have taken a serious toll on my once beautiful and well manicured footsies, and the aforementioned “friends” I have made
about blisters Blisters are simply caused by friction which ends up separating layers of skin from one another and can fill with fluid. Blisters typically form anywhere there is extra friction, added moisture or “hot spots.” Moist/warm conditions are perfect for blister harvesting, and anyone who skates derby knows that we could make millions in the blister making business.
blister prevention
C Tasmin Brown Photography
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1. keep your feet clean, dry and well kempt Easier said than done, but it really does wonders. Dry feet will cause less irritation to the skin than moist feet. Change your socks frequently. Sounds like a chore, but if you keep your feet dry you have less of a chance to create a spot that will have excess friction.
When we do off skates training at practice I bring a change of socks to put on before we start skating and recently I have started changing my socks at half time of bouts. I’ve discovered that my hot spots don’t develop until close to halftime, simply because my feet are hot and sweaty. With changing socks midway I have less of a chance to have another nasty blister form. 2. minimize friction Baby power, skin lube, deodorant or Vaseline lightly rubbed on one of your hotspots before putting socks on will reduce friction. Other friction fighters that work well include (believe it or not) duct tape, Blist-O-Ban (SamMedical.com/blistoban) and Engo blister prevention pads (GoEngo.com) and items like Silipo Skate Bite Protector sleeves (Silipos.com) or Clear Clouds sleeves (SkatingSafe.com/ClearClouds) have special gel pads to protect hot spots. 3. wear the appropriate socks The right socks can make or break you. We all want the newest, most badass socks from our favorite derby apparel website, but many of these socks are made from materials that increase the chance of forming blisters. A study out of the University of Missouri-Columbia showed that 100% cotton socks are the worst for holding moisture and causing blisters. In fact the study further found that nylon socks help prevent blisters the best. Any runner, marathoner or triathlete will tell you not to wear cotton socks. A blended sock of nylon, wool or polyester will wick away sweat and keep your tootsies dry. My new fave socks are made by SmartWool (not trying to sell the socks, it’s just what’s worked for me). I’ve owned these socks for a few years for hiking but just started wearing them for derby within the last
six months and have seen great results. If you still want to wear your fun, new knee highs, cut off the foot at the ankle of the sock and make them into “leg warmers” leaving the foot part open for whatever socks suit your feet best. You can still look cute, but have blisterless feet. 4. wear properly sized footwear If your skate boots are too big your feet will move more inside of them and cause more friction and hotspots. Make sure when purchasing your next set of skates to ensure proper fit. Also, lacing your skate boots properly (based on your own unique foot issues) can be a big help. You can find some great lacing techniques online at IAN’s Shoe Lace website fieggen.com/shoelace. So you have already developed the “Blister from Hell” OR “Beatrice”; what should you do NOW? blister treatment There are so many products out there to help with blister treatment. What works and what doesn’t can really depend on the person, their skin, their blister (size and type) and your skate boot. I’ve tried it all and below are some of my personal favorite items that have worked well for blister treatment. • 2nd skin burn pads (Spenco.com/2ndSkin_1.shtml). My number one choice. These come in rectangular, square and circle pieces and can be found at some drug stores. They can be cut to size to fit your blister. They are a bit pricey, but they really cushion a hot spot or existing blister. • Mole skin (DrScholls.com) or felt/foam pads. A contender for best item to use. Both work great if used correctly. Make sure to cut a hole in the mole skin or padding just slightly larger than your
blister. The blister will sit inside of the padding and be protected from the inside of your skate boot. • Blister Band-Aids/Advanced Healing Band-Aids (BandAid.com). These work great on minor blisters, but not well with your more involved blood blister. These dressings have a breathable center that will fill with air and cushion your blister as it heals. They are waterproof and meant to stay on the area for several days. Be careful with these though, as you don’t want to have to peel them off before the healing process is completed. If you do you can end up ripping the blister and making blister treatment more complicated. should I lance the sucker? My personal/professional opinion = NO. It can lead to infection, ripped blisters and more problems; however there are some of you who will do it anyway. *Read as: “I’m not condoning this, however if you do here’s what to do” (you can find it on the internet anyway).* • Clean the area thoroughly. • Sterilize a needle and allow it to cool. • Create a SMALL pinprick as you don’t want to create an open space for infection or cause any tearing of the top layers of skin. • Drain the fluid by pressing on the blister with a sterile gauze pad. • Dress the newly deflated blister with antibiotic ointment and cover with a Band-Aid or other sterile dressing. Remember that the above is only a last resort. I’ve been a Certified Athletic Trainer for eight years and I’ve lanced a blister only once or twice when really needed. Take care of your hooves... happy blister free skating.
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health and fitness
Chillin’ Out Summertime Soup Catholic Cruel Girl, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
Suggested beverage accompaniments: iced mint and green tea, water with lemon slices, water with fresh chopped ginger
ingredients: 2 medium to large cucumbers 1 lb. fennel bulb with fronds 1 large shallot 1-2 tablespoons minced ginger (fresh or jarred) 1 cup vegetable broth 1 cup coconut milk 2 tablespoons canola oil
Peel cucumbers, slice in half and remove seeds by scooping out with a spoon. Dice into small chunks and set aside. Cut fennel in half. Discard outer layer and remove hard inside core. Thinly slice. reserve some fronds for garnish In a large saucepan heat oil and add minced shallots and thinly sliced fennel. Sauté over medium heat until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. (Turn down heat if browning begins to occur.) Add minced ginger and remove pan from heat. If using freshly minced ginger, add halfway through sauté time. If using jarred, add after fennel and shallots are done cooking. Gently combine chopped cucumbers with fennel mix. In a separate bowl stir together vegetable broth and coconut milk until combined then add to fennel mixture. In small batches purée mix in blender or food processor until smooth. Chill for at least one hour. Serve in chilled bowls or cups. Garnish with feathery fennel fronds. Note: Soup will separate while chilling. Whisk before serving. For a sweeter variation add 1 peeled, cored and diced granny smith apple to sauté. Questions, comments and feedback are welcomed at recipes@fiveonfivemag.com
photo by Jean Schwarzwalder food styling by Leitha Matz
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the chicago riots B U B B L E G U M F E R O C I O U S , T H E C H I C A G O R I OT S
It was a blazing September day when Fistful O’Hare, Smoshpit,
our big sisters use. We get better and stronger every week,
and I went to volunteer at a Renegade Craft Fair booth. Little did we
and we’re anxious to tear up the track at our first bout on June 5th.
know we would find inspiration to start Chicago’s one and only junior roller derby team: The Chicago Riots. We saw rollergirls. They were faster than everyone else. They were bigger and taller than everyone else. They were definitely stronger and tougher than everyone else. They were Amazons, and they inspired us
TCR is important to everyone who is involved in it. Especially the skaters. While most of us can’t find the words to describe just how meaningful it is, we all have to agree it’s one of the best things that has ever happened to us. Chi-town Choker (the team’s fastest skater and most would say
to do what we do today. We didn’t even talk to them. All it took was
scariest): “I used to be really weak, and most of my friends are really
one look at them gracefully skating like bad asses and we were sold.
strong, so they would push me around and think it was funny.
We wanted – no, needed – to be like them, to be them. It’s not like we
Everyone at school knew me as being weak because my friends
had never seen derby before, but these girls were different. They were
would overpower me. We were friends, but they would push and hit
in front of us, they were within our grasp. We could actually walk up
me and I would get really hurt. Just a couple of weeks after I started
to them and take a flyer or a button. We were way too scared of them
derby, one of my friends hit me, so I hit her back and she said,
though. Of course now we would be able to walk up to any rollergirl
‘WOAH!! WHEN DID YOU GET STRONG?!’ and it made me feel good
as if we had known her forever. We didn’t talk about them. But there is
about myself. The people in roller derby have really changed me,
no doubt that they are why we are here today. Why we are Amazons.
without them I would never have thought to dye my hair black.
Why we are Riots.
I would never have had the courage to do anything like that.”
We came back to my house after the craft fair, ordered pizza and
Anvil Lavigne (one of the team’s most transformed girls):
hung out like normal teenagers. Then the idea came into our heads:
“I refer derby to everybody because it’s something anyone can do
junior roller derby. We had no idea there was such a thing, we thought
if they stick their mind to it. Derby helps girls get out stress, and it
we were geniuses! After going through several lame names, we came
helps a lot in day-to-day life. Girls nowadays go through a lot of stuff
up with The Chicago Riots. We immediately emailed all of our friends
in middle school and high school, derby helps them find themselves
telling them about our idea. About a month later, we met with some
and it supports them through all the drama of being a teenager.”
girls from The Chicago Outfit (TCR’s big sisters), then about two months after that we were on skates. Our team has grown a lot since those first practices, our skaters range from 12 to 17 years old. Physically the girls could not be more different, but put them on the track together and they’re all Riots. Nearly every day we get emails from girls who want to join the team. It still surprises me that we’ve gotten so far, and how enthusiastic these girls are in their emails is still exciting. Mari Cone and Mo Mentum are the two adult rollergirls that helped
Cupquake (the team’s newest girl): “The Chicago Riots have really taught me how to make friends on my own. I’ve never had to do that. It’s made me reach out more because it’s something I’m doing without my friends from outside of derby, so it’s made me more independent.” The Chicago Riots have also inspired two girls in Indiana to start The Chicago Riots’ sister team, The Redneck Rollers. Our first bout is just around the corner, and with so much under our belts already, who knows what the future of derby has in store for us. All we can tell is that we Riots, along with every other junior
our power trio stop thinking about skating and actually got us up on
league in the world, are making the future of roller derby and girl
skates. They are now our two primary coaches, with different skaters
culture better every day.
coming from the Outfit every week. We bruise each other up every Saturday, and are always working on the same drills and techniques 34 | Summer 2010 | fiveonfivemag.com
Black and blue, bruises for you, we are the Chicago Riots!
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