In Pursuit of Roller Derby

Derby Girl Problems: Please Help Levar Hurtin!

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:14:00 -0700

Derby Girl Problems: Please Help Levar Hurtin!:

One of the things I love (out of many, many things I love about the roller derby community) is that we take care of our own.

LeVar Hurtin was attacked last night walking to his home from a bar. They pistol whipped him, badly beat him and left him for dead. He was unconscious. Someone…

He’s also on Tumblr — levarhurtin.tumblr.com . Give him some love!

LeVar was mugged!

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:01:00 -0700

LeVar was mugged!:

LeVar Hurtin was mugged. He was pistol whipped and left for dead in the gutter. Let’s replace his phone and glasses because we love him!

Signal boost — if you love LeVar Hurtin’s amazing derby photos, if you’ve ever reblogged or shared or liked, chip in and help him out!

EDIT: The “YouCaring” page is closed to more donations, but you can still chip in through PayPal (email is on the YouCaring page).

Also a good thing to do across the board: CREDIT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHERS.

Adidas, Riedell Shoes settle trademark dispute - Portland Business Journal

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:34:17 -0700

Adidas, Riedell Shoes settle trademark dispute - Portland Business Journal:

Riedell announced today that they’re revamping the 265; those classic, lovely stripes are going away.

265s were my dream skates when I was brand new, and I daydream-doodled more than my share of striped skates.

WFTDA Updates Minimum Skills Requirements - LatestNews - Women’s Flat Track Derby Association

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:14:42 -0700

WFTDA Updates Minimum Skills Requirements - LatestNews - Women’s Flat Track Derby Association:

The WFTDA Training Committee has developed a new set of Minimum Skills Requirements in tandem with WFTDA member leagues and WFTDA Risk Management. This new set of standards was beta tested and voted in by WFTDA membership.

New minimum skills, everyone — 180s and 360s are now required (3.5).

I think I sprained my right foot walking down the street. (I stepped on a stick — A STICK!...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:10:06 -0700

I think I sprained my right foot walking down the street. (I stepped on a stick — A STICK! — and slipped, rolling my already-bad ankle.)

So I’m surly.

But I bought my hotel room for Rollercon so that’s one thing I don’t have to worry about.

"I never want to see the amateur level of roller derby dissolve. My involvement in roller derby at an..."

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:20:45 -0700

“I never want to see the amateur level of roller derby dissolve. My involvement in roller derby at an insanely competitive level is a mere teeny percentage of who the majority of roller derby is out there. I always want small-town derby. I always want brave moms or college students to have roller derby as a community and athletic outlet from the norm. I support professional roller derby if it were to be created but would never want grassroots local derby to fade away. It won’t. Just like how there’s professional baseball, there’s company softball teams, there’s Tee Ball. Our sport is growing so that there will be different versions of it to fit different lifestyles.”

- Suzy Hotrod in Pop Quiz Interviews

http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/live/bouts/2013/04/bay_area_rose_city

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:11:17 -0700

http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/live/bouts/2013/04/bay_area_rose_city:

Bay Area Derby Girls All-Stars versus Rose City Rollers Wheels of Justice.

You might want to watch this tonight (7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern).

Just saying.

I love skating and i've always wanted to try roller derby. I've been through a rough patch recently that cause me to gain a good deal of weight. My inspiration for loosing weight would my ability to try out for a local team. Where should i focus on strengthening as I work out? If you don't know the answer don't worry. I like your blog :)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:48:09 -0700

Definitely focus on your core, your quads, and your hamstrings!

Squats, deadlifts, and planks will be your new best friends (after being your worst enemies for a while).

Don’t get me started on that rebranding article. I have opinions and I’m angry. So...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:14:11 -0700

Don’t get me started on that rebranding article. I have opinions and I’m angry.

So I’m going to do some push-ups.

Angry push-ups.

me: omg that workout was so ridiculous i'm going straight to the shower, i'm disgusting

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:57:50 -0700

me: omg that workout was so ridiculous i'm going straight to the shower, i'm disgusting
twenty minutes later: still in workout clothes + tennis shoes, sitting on tumblr

"I didn’t start the spring so well. And the thought crossed my mind that maybe I’d never get a hit..."

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:02:54 -0700

“I didn’t start the spring so well. And the thought crossed my mind that maybe I’d never get a hit again. But what’s different now is that the negativity disappears as quickly as it arrives. Now I know I’ll come out the other side. I went through some dark baseball hell for a while when I first came up to the majors. Those struggles now give me confidence. You learn to believe in yourself no matter what happens because you’ve seen yourself battle through it. I think that’s why sports is so important for kids. Where else do you get these kinds of lessons about failure and struggle and resilience? I learned that things aren’t always going to go my way, whether it’s on the field or in the rest of my life. You have to be mentally tough. My dad drilled that into me. I didn’t do such a great job of that sometimes when I first got to the majors. Sometimes you have to be dragged to your lowest point before you figure out how to believe in yourself and fight.”

- Tilting at Windmills – Brandon Belt « Brandon and Brandon

Show Me Who You Really Are: How Roller Derby Can Save Your Life

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:25:42 -0800

Show Me Who You Really Are: How Roller Derby Can Save Your Life

No Consensus on Plantar Fasciitis - NYTimes.com

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:47:23 -0800

No Consensus on Plantar Fasciitis - NYTimes.com

Headstrong? Roller Derby and Concussion Culture

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:17:48 -0800

Headstrong? Roller Derby and Concussion Culture

I love love love my Bonts, but the leather is really tender. I managed to gouge a nick in my left...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:55:52 -0800

I love love love my Bonts, but the leather is really tender. I managed to gouge a nick in my left toe at some point during the bout on Saturday (maybe when I accidentally kicked a ref? whoops!), so I’m like NOPE, CANNOT SKATE AGAIN UNTIL SKATES ARE PROTECTED.

I called Cruz to see if they had the Bont toe covers in stock, since they’re going to be moving from SF to Berkeley next week (!!). No go.

Luckily my old school skate snouts (from Christmas 2009!) are still good, so I stripped my Riedells and now they’re snug on my Bonts.

All is well.

re: that bachelorette featuring derby article, am i the only one who feel a teeny tiny bit miffed that most of mainstream America thinks roller derby means primarily banked tracks, simply because the Derby Dolls are banked track and that's the team that gets filmed?

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:17:00 -0800

I don’t disagree, but it’s always been that way, though — anyone who’s familiar with old-school derby, “why aren’t you on the banked track” is pretty much always the first question they ask (followed by “do you hit with your elbows? do you fight?”).

The fact that we’re now getting to the point where modern roller derby is being recognized more and more as a non-dramatized sport, no matter the track or rule set, is progress to me.

If seeing LADD on the Bachelorette or Bunheads or the Today Show is enough to make someone Google “roller derby” and their local town, then that’s a win for everyone.

Also, Rat City and Rose City were on “Top Chef”, Denver’s been featured on a competitive cake show (I forget which one, but it was for the Denver home teams), and Rocky Mountain is being represented on the Amazing Race by Fiona Grapple and Triple Shot Misto. There are definitely opportunities for featured flat track leagues!

Derby Girls vs. Bachelorettes: Who’s Winning, America? : KQED Pop

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:19:12 -0800

Derby Girls vs. Bachelorettes: Who’s Winning, America? : KQED Pop

fyi

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:22:41 -0800

The Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipstick (specifically in #10) will last you through a whole bout, should you be one of those skaters who wants to wear bright red lipstick when bouting.

Bout day breakfast! Bacon, coconut water, Chobani peach Greek...

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:17:06 -0800

Bout day breakfast! Bacon, coconut water, Chobani peach Greek yogurt with banana.

The Do-Anywhere CrossFit Workout

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:36:04 -0800

The Do-Anywhere CrossFit Workout:

They’re calling it a CrossFit workout, but really these are all great for crosstraining:

Jump squat
Butterfly sit-up (I usually do bicycles)
Burpee
Tricep dip
Lunge hop
Push-ups