derby derby derby

[spacebug]

Fun game last night. I made my second well-deserved visit to Spike's House for blocking from behind. The game is so fast and chaotic that my body feels ahead of my brain sometimes, in both good and bad ways. I rarely remember making plays that my team or fans will tell me about later "You did such and such, it was awesome!", or "Hey, you're doing this, go to the box." Both times I've been called on penalties it hasn't been intentionally illegal stuff I'm doing, but it's a realization- "Oh, shit, I am doing that! Okay." I could really tell I hadn't been to practice since the last bout. I feel like I was a lot more on top of my game last bout. Skating and being where I'm supposed to be become more built up muscle memory and learned instinct more than thought-out plays- there's not really time to think. Maybe all fast, competitive sports are like that to some degree, but I haven't played any for so long before derby that I don't remember what it was like.

It was fun to play in a roller rink- since I'm new this year, I'd only ever played at the big bad Roy with the slidey slidey floor. This floor was super nice and smooth but sticky as all get out when you fell on it. I have no doubt some of the injuries from last night came from not being used to such a sticky floor- it grabbed my knee pad really well when I fell near the end of our last jam; I kept going, so it slipped down and I ended up with ripped tights and a scraped up knee... I also jammed my finger. I don't think it's broken but it's nice and swollen today.

Slept in late. Hoping to get some productive stuff done around the house before yoga tonight. Yay for the day off!

Comments

[soylentmean.livejournal.com]

Pretty much all competitive sports I've been are like that. Pushing the rules as much as humanly possible without getting caught is the name of the game. Derby is worse than most sports though, because it's so ridiculously frantic. A trip here, a block-in-the-back there, and you so rarely get caught.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't a jammer almost all the time, because it's boring having to behave all of the time. Behaving is yawn-i-riffic.

Wish I could have made the bout... stupid tummyache!

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

I think derby's plenty fun without cheating intentionally. The most fun games to me are clean and tough. Personally, I tend to think players who cheat intentionally as part of their game are trying to make up for being less-strong skaters.

[soylentmean.livejournal.com]

Well, I think those who get *caught* cheating are probably trying to make up for being less-strong skaters. Plus, a good solid clean shoulder/hip check hurts more, and is more effective, than any kind of cheating move.

Given that I almost completely jam, I'm not really sure how rampant cheating is, though. I have to keep my nose clean (jammer penalties -> ouch!), so the only penalties I see are the ones that are inflicted on me. The vast majority of the penalties I've received are unintentional, as near as I can tell.

[(Anonymous)]

hey did you see ande2317's post about the coke commercial that you are in?

haha!

[dangerdhotrod.livejournal.com]

oh this is danger that said that.

[spikenheimer.livejournal.com]

hey, thanks for visiting! your room bill will arrive soon enough. ;)

one of the things that i keep hearing about is that once you get into the 'zone' you'll find that things appear to happen really slowly. thats when you know you're full on seeing the game and processing everything realtime. or it might not happen like that with you. certainly as a sideline ref i dont see things that way...

that floor was really fast. it kept you really tight but you're right. it grabbed way too hard on the pads. although i noticed some girls had no problems sliding on their kneepads during warm up. i think it depended on which pads they had.

i definately could tell your game was tighter and better than before. keep on derbying!

[soylentmean.livejournal.com]

Yeah! I've noticed a huge difference between how different brands of knee pads perform (I've had three so far). My Pro-Tec Street Pads were super grippy, but I can slide forever on my The 187 Pro Pads. Would be nice to find a good, happy medium.