Meet a Dame: Ruff N Tuff

It all started on a cold day in December.  I was born to a young, brave woman named Jeannie.  She did the best she could with me. Before I could walk I was wrestling the bear cubs that lived by our cabin. 

 

 

We lived in the forests above the small town of Paskenta in Northern California with no neighbors for miles.  My playground was endless. Some of my favorite things to do we tying rattlesnakes together and laughing as they tried to slither away, wrestling matches with the grizzly bear family that lived nearby, and surprising the mean old mountain lion with the occasional bucket of cold water.  I had to run like my heels were on fire and my ass was catching. As I grew older my yearning for bigger adventures grew as well. Finally the day came my mother hugged me goodbye and off I went. 

 

I traveled for months, following game trails through valleys and foothills long forgotten.  Eventually I came upon the small town Red Bluff that had promise of a warm bath and a good meal. That’s where I met my derby wife Lil Pass-a-fist. 

 

 

She is a hard hitting, toe stop skipping, bad mama jammer. She taught me to read and write, cleaned me up, and made me presentable. Basically she had to teach me how to behave in civilized society. Of course I had to teach her a few things too; frog giggin is our favorite. 

 

 

Together we played hard, but derbyed harder.  My love for roller derby is endless and my ass kickery level grows with every practice. My derby journey has truly only started and becoming a Sioux City Roller Dame has completed another step in it. Derby or die!!

 

 

– Ruff N Tuff

Meet a Dame: Lil Pass-a-Fist

I was born and raised in a small California town, Coarsegold. I played just about every typical sport but nothing ever stuck for more than a season. I could not wait to get out of the valley heat, so I went to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. There I got into logging sports and competed at the the collegiate and professional level. I graduated from Cal Poly with a B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection and a minor in Geographic Information Systems.

Lil Pass-a-Fist shows the log who’s boss!

I worked in San Diego and San Francisco for awhile as an Environmental Scientist and then landed in another small California town, Red Bluff. It was a town where I knew nobody else and was in search of a hobby. I saw a flyer that there was a new team looking for athletes; the Red Bluff Derby Girls. I found more than a hobby; I found a great network of people and a new passion. I skated with them for almost a year and half.

Just this last December, my best friend and derby wife, Ruff N Tuff had to move to Dakota City, NE for family. I didn’t have any family or other close friends tying me to Red Bluff and I was looking for a change, so I came east with her.

The happy derby couple: Ruff-n-Tuff and Lil Pass-a-Fist.

The Sioux City Roller Dames and roller derby has once again given me a way to make a new set of friends and to be welcomed to a new city and state. Roller derby has been the first sport for me that has stuck for more than a season. It has amplified my competitiveness and pushed me to grow as a person. I have absolutely fell in love with roller derby and those who support it. I am so excited to grow even more with the Dames.

– Lil Pass-a-fist

Meet a Dame: Canuck U Up

The Hottest Bar in Town Just Got Hotter!

The Blue Ribbon Tap is adding a new fixture to its vintage  decor: the Roller Dames! The bar, which just opened on Pearl Street in May, is the best place in town to knock back $2 cans and draws of PBR, Hamm’s and Keystone (you can also get a bottle of Sierra Nevada or Fat Tire, if you absolutely can’t bear to drink out of aluminum).

Join the Dames after our home bouts in the shag-laden and decidedly old school indoor bar or outside on the patio/smoking lounge.

The Blue Ribbon Tap is located at 415 Pearl Street, with free weekend street parking and a garage right across the street. We’ll see you there!

Rolling Along the River 6: Brackets

After rearranging to accommodate a couple of last minute drop-outs, here are the women’s and men’s brackets for Rolling Along the River 6!!!

Cross Training by Eat Schmidt

Dames take turns jumping rope and doing push-ups before the track opens up.

                In roller derby just like any other sport, it is important to incorporate cross training into your workout routine.  Just because you can skate for 3 hours straight in a practice does not mean that you are fit or translate into being able to run or swim for 3 hours straight.  Each sport and workout works on different muscle groups and that is why it is beneficial to cross train.

                 It was once believed that if you want to be good at a sport and strong, that you need to focus all of you energy and training on that one sport and activity.  This is not the case.  Focusing on one activity like skating leaves your body prone to repetitive motion injuries and can leave some muscles weak from inactivity.  One common mistake that people do when working out is only focusing on cardio like running, but forget to add in strength training and core workouts or they do the complete opposite and only focus on weight lifting and no cardio.  Another common mistake that people often do work one muscle group but forget to work the complementary muscle group (i.e. doing crunches and sit ups, but never working back muscles/ doing bicep curls but not triceps extensions).

                 Cross training is critical to counteract and prevent these problems.  It is important to not only cross train with different cardio workouts but also with different strength training workouts as well.  This helps reduce the risk of a plateau in your physical fitness.  So you are probably wondering what kind of cross training options would be good for roller derby athletes.  There are many options and some of it depends on your interests and access to workout equipment.  Cardio cross training can involve swimming or running for good full body workouts, or bicycling and walking are also good cardio workouts.  Strength training on the other hand can be weight lifting at a gym (3 sets of 15-20 reps for building lean muscle and 3 sets of 6-8 reps for building bulky muscles) or body weight workouts like sit ups, back extensions, squats, lunges, pushups, dips, etc.

                 Lastly, core body work (back, abs, obliques) is essential to preventing injury because the core supports the whole entire body.  Core workouts can also include stretching recovery workouts or yoga.  Your core helps prevent injury when doing everyday tasks, promotes a healthy back, balance and stability, and supports every other muscle group. So don’t forget to mix up your workout routine and add some different types of workouts to help become a fitter and stronger roller derby athlete.

~Eat Schmidt

Upgrading Skates By Eat Schmidt

Meet your new skates!

Coming in as a fresh meat or just a newer skater, the question always comes up, “What skates/gear should I get and does it really make a difference in my skating ability?”  When I started skating a year ago, I knew nothing about skates, pads, helmets, or much about derby at all.  I quickly learned that skates are not just skates and helmets are not only about finding the coolest color or most comfortable one.  Getting the right skates and gear is important to your success and safety as a derby player.  Now top end skates do not make you a good skater, hard work and dedication can make you a good skater, but having the right skates can help you take that next step and get to the next level in your skating ability.

When I decided to upgrade my skates, I looked into a lot of different options and at first it looked like a lot of gibberish.  Every person had their own opinion and preference of boots and plates.  The first thing I looked for was a new boot because the one I was on was a teammate’s that was almost 2 sizes too big and formed to her feet not mine.  It is important to take care of your feet and so a good boot is essential for skaters.  I debated between getting the super light Bont boot or go with an Antik boot.  I ended up going with an Antik MG2 boot over a Bont boot because of the higher ankle support and overall padding.  The Antik MG2 took some time to figure out the lacing that worked best with my foot, but I had almost no break in time and had no more foot pain while skating.  I would recommend changing the laces out on the boot, but otherwise I love the Antik boot.

After I picked my boots out, I started researching plates and soon realized that there is a plethora of information to learn about plates.  I knew I wanted a light plate and that I didn’t want a plastic plate, but other than that I had no idea.  Currently I was skating on a powerdyne nylon plate with  10 degree metal trucks.  I debated whether I should stick with the same angle trucks or move on to a 15 or 45 degree truck.  The 10 and 15 degree trucks offer more stability but less ability to cut on the track while the 45 degree trucks flex differently allowing the skater to make sharper turns and cuts.  I decided to go with the Avenger magnesium plate that has a 45 degree truck on it because I was looking to improve my cutting and footwork on the track.  This plate has been instrumental in improving my skating abilities.  The 45 degree angle has helped me more easily and fluidly cut across the track which helps not only for jamming but becoming a better blocker.   The allen wrench tightening mechanism also helps keep toe stops locked in and easily adjustable so that you do not lose a toe stop while on the track. The plates also help with overall agility and the ability to do crisp sharp movements while on the track.  The plates did take a couple practices for me to get use to because the different angle takes some time to get comfortable with.

I did fall quite a few times when I got my new boots and plates because I had to learn to balance a little differently, but now I feel like they are an extension of my legs and I can’t imagine going back to my old skates.  If you are a newer skater, looking to upgrade, or just feel like you skates are limiting you on the track, a plate or boot upgrade can help you become the skater you want to be.

Eat Schmidt

Mayday Mayhem by Eat Schmidt

What is better than over 24hrs of team traveling, mountains, fresh air, roller derby, and an armpit hair growing contest?  Well I would have to say not much.  This past weekend the dames traveled out to Greeley Colorado to participate in the Mayday Mayhem Tournament put on by the Slaughterhouse Derby Girls.  The weekend started out with 8 eager teams from all over the US even including Hawaii competing for the coveted Mayday Mayhem Trophy.

Way to stay in bounds and get that point, Funsize! (Photo courtesy of Pixel This Photography)

The Dames first and only bout on Friday was against Pacific Roller Derby.  Even though many of us were lacking sleep and a little stiff from traveling, the team pulled ahead quickly and ended the first half with a score of 238 to 4.  At the end of the bout, the Dames had our first victory of the weekend with a score of 370 to 51.  Saturday we kept the momentum going, pulling out 2 more wins against Slaughterhouse Derby Girls with a score of 363 to 104 and Cheyenne Capidolls with a score of 372 to 79.

Sum Mo Payne gets ready to dance her way through the pack on a power jam. (Photo courtesy of Pixel This Photography)

With both games being finished early afternoon, we headed down to Denver to watch the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls take on the Minnesota Roller Girls All-star team.   The Denver bout was inspiring and fun to watch.  With derby overload, we absorbed as much derby knowledge as we could and got even more pumped up for the bouts ahead.

Anita Spur sneaks by while Dubbs, The Annihilatrix and T-Vicious pester Junction City’s jammer. (photo courtesy of Pixel This Photography)

After another restful night of sleep, the dames traveled back to the Kill Floor to finish out the tournament.  We started out Sunday morning with a bout against the Foco Girls Gone Derby, and pulled out another win with a final score of 234-100.  The final championship game pitted the Dames against Junction City Roller Dolls out of Junction City, Utah.  Junction City put up a tough fight but could not get the win.  The Dames took the championship game with a score of 299-147, and PBR brought home a well-deserved MVP trophy.

The Dames all cuddled up with the very pointy championship trophy. In other news, Anita Spur can levitate. (Photo courtesy of the Sioux City Roller Dames)

All of the Dames that traveled to Colorado this past weekend not only showed their honed skills on the track, but also played with intense passion on the track.  The Mayday Mayhem tournament treated us well with amazing reffing and announcing crews, great teams, and a fun derby filled weekend.  The Dames showed true Dames dedication by playing through injuries, equipment failures, blisters, exhaustion, altitude and the embarrassment of hairy armpits.  I am proud to be a part of this amazing team and would not change any of it.

E Pluribus Skateum by Kaiser Wheelhelm

I’ve never considered myself an athlete.   In fact, I’ve usually had bad luck playing sports.  The first and last team I joined was a local T-ball league at age 7.  First day of practice I got a nice shiner trying to catch a fly ball.  Any future attempts at sports were relegated to physical education classes with me being picked last and getting hit by various balls.  Once in a while I’d have good luck with soccer or floor hockey.  I usually spent my time involved with speech or theatre and seemed to have found my niche there.   Over the years I felt pretty content with my situation, sure I didn’t fit in with most of the guys in school, but oh well it just wasn’t my thing.

Fast forward to a couple years ago.  A friend heard Sioux City had a roller derby team.  I’d been watching a few documentaries on roller derby in Texas, so I was pretty excited there was a team nearby.  Well into the season, my friend and I finally had a chance to see a home bout.  We had NO idea what to expect.  I honestly had pictured an auditorium full of people in hipster punk garb, loud and screaming, spilling beer everywhere and throwing trash at the losing team.   Oh how wrong I was.  Overcoming our nerves, we walked into the venue, and found a seat up high away from any attention.   The Dames were playing D3.  What an experience!  Everything moved so fast, and while I had a basic idea of the game going in, my head was just spinning trying to keep up with the action.  The speed and agility of the skaters, all the refs racing around blowing whistles, screaming penalties, watching the jammers bob and weave through blockers.  Hearing names like Funsize, PBR, Rainbow Spite, T-Vicious, the soft roar of skates on the court.  So new….So exciting…..So…..Different.  I’d found something here.  We went to every home bout from that point on.  The more I watched the more I wanted to be a part of derby.   Before I knew it, I was an NSO, right in the thick of it jam timing, scorekeeping and penalty tracking.  Pretty soon I had my skates and I was ready to work on getting my stripes.

Learning to skate again has been a challenge, and those first practices were pretty intimidating.  Watching the other skaters maneuver with such balance and skill made me constantly question my decision.  “Why am I doing this?”  “There’s no way I’ll get this!”  I had to remind myself these things take time, I’ll get there, don’t give up.  One of the lessons I’ve learned skating with the Dames is it’s not how good you are at a particular skill, it’s that you try.  Push yourself, if you fall, (and you will fall at some point) no big deal.  Get up and do it again.  Before you know it you learn that transition, skating backwards with ease, a quick snow plow or mohawk stop.  I’ve had the great fortune of skating with very supportive skaters.  Even an “off” day still feels like a great day with these players, and my fellow refs have helped this baby zebra continue to grow and learn the fine art referring.

Derby has been one of the most positive decisions I’ve made so far.  Skating has been a tremendous stress reliever.  I strap on my skates, and all the garbage of the day is merely dust beneath my wheels.  I’ve met some great skaters and become part of an amazing, accepting group of people.  We all come from different walks of life but are united in skates, E Pluribus Skateum if you will.  My journey into derby has just started, but I’m looking forward to a long skate.

I’m Kaiser Wheelhelm, and I ref roller derby.

 

 

 

Ohh, That Girl! by Gore May

What the hell is Gore May all about? I have asked myself that question about a million times now….

I remember the night my friend talked me into going to the bar for a recruitment night, and all I was thinking was, “Holy shmoley, people actually play roller derby?” I walked into the bar sporting a fever and runny nose, so sure I’d want to leave as soon as I showed up, but these ladies instantly had me captivated. I had no clue what I was signing myself up for. But there will never be a day when I regret joining this sport.

For the first few months there were days when I couldn’t even sit down to pee without being in agonizing pain, but I put on my big girl panties and kept at it.  It’s funny how many people seem astonished that I would even partake in this sport. Most think I’m too scrawny or too small, but to that I say “PSSSSHHHHHH, there’s no such thing!” It makes me laugh that people seem surprised that I would play this kind of sport.

Despite all the skepticism, and these two crazy bruise filled years, I’m glad I stuck around. This team has stolen my heart, and inspired me to do more than I imagined I could some days.

To anyone considering joining this sport, DO IT! Don’t doubt yourself, everything is with trying at least once.