Practice - July 15, 2010

Endurance Pyramids. Really? Ugh! So Everyone had to go around for so many laps, then do exercises in between... It was killer for me!! Again with the stamina... I didn't think it would be all that bad skating around for one or even five laps, until I realized I was last. That threw a mind trick at me, and a feeling of hopelessness. I kept slipping on the turns, and couldn't get the crossovers. I felt so heavy, like I was weighted down and just couldn't get ahead. Bummer. Its so hard to ditch the failure feeling.

I stuck with it though, even though I was slow. Something to work on I guess. I also didn't drink enough water and got nauseous. Ugh.

After that was fresh meat time with Bettie.. Yay! We practiced falls, baseball slides, moving in a pack (which was so fun, and even though we were going in slow motion, we took it very seriously of course!), walking on toe stops, and jumping over a line! (I fell hard, but I think I just didn't bend my knees enough.)

All in all, it was a productive practice. Luckily the fresh meat time took my mind off my horrible performance at doing laps. Next time, even if I'm slow, I hope not to be last. C'mon feet!!

Practice - July 11, 2010

The evening started with us Fresh Meat watching a great team scrimmage. Those girls worked hard, and I'm sure they were exhausted after a long workout right before, and the extreme heat in that gym...

Next, it was our turn and because it was a scrimmage night, we Freshies had the track to ourselves. It was definetly awesome to practice on the track, but my body just wasn't ready to cooperate...  Happily, the foot-rigging I did seemed to work... I had no foot pain!! Yay! But, we went from weaving on the track right into a two minute sprint (the length of one jam)... I started panting and trying to breathe through a stuffy nose. I opened my mouth to get air and my mouthguard came loose. Then the sharp pain in my lower back started....

I had a mental battle with myself.. Stop skating and stretch my back, or risk it going out on me. I reluctantly left the track and did some back stretching, only to get back out there and have trouble breathing again. Argh!!!

I enjoyed the pace lines, pace line weaving, hip whips, and finally some crossover training, which I think I actually understand! I just had so many difficulties that I couldn't complete the second two minute sprint and then practice was over.

I was so frustrated and angry with myself... I cried the whole ride home. It's kind of funny that last week I was the one doling out the encouragement, and this week it was me seeking reassuring words when it felt like I'd just "never be able to do it." Thank you to my friends for listening to my babbling, and for cheering me on despite it. Xoxo to you all.

So, I know that I need to work on endurance, gaining strength, stamina, and I need to pick up a stopwatch and a better mouthguard.... I've got to figure a way around these mostly technical difficulties so I can concentrate on trying to survive those two minutes!

First Practice - July 1, 2010

Three months. That's how long I was waiting to get to that first practice. From recruitment night in April, until July first. I thought the day would never come. Three months re-learning how to roller skate (my childhood passion), three months sucking as much information out of any roller skater I could find. I wanted a leg up before that July first mark.....


Backtrack: I am completely out of shape. I gained 65 lbs. with my pregnancy four years ago... Lost 60, gained back 30 and climbing... I have never been athletically inclined, and it's like a joke for anyone who knows me to see me doing anything physical. I can't run, dance, swim well, play sports, couldn't do a cartwheel even as a kid and months of gymnastics lessons..... But I could always skate.


Day of... Sick to my stomach. Terrified that I wouldn't be good enough, or physically able to do anything asked of me. Feeling like an outsider and an intruder on some secret cool-kids club, I threw myself into it. I gave it my all. I was confident I could do at least a little bit (like skating forward, and possibly stopping - eventually), but how could I keep up with these pros?


Stepping onto the track was an amazing high. There I was. It was real. I was on the track, in the midst of  those women I had been admiring for so many months!


I fell on my ass. I got back up. I didn't know to boil my mouthguard before hand, so it didn't fit... It made my mouth bleed, it made me drool... I wiped it off and kept going. Endurance training was literally breaking my already weakened back. I held back tears, and with the encouragement of amazing women I didn't give up. I practiced falls, stops, pace lines, and played capture the flag with the group. I was at the bottom of a five girl pile-up... I smashed my head and my body... I got up and did it again. I skated with a picture of raw chicken on my head to alert everyone that there was a student driver..... I didn't care.


At the end of a torturous eternity "just two more minutes!" I had done it. I looked around. I was alive. My newbie friends were alive. We had all been so scared, and we all felt so proud. It was in the air. The team patted us on the back and told us "good job."  My body ached, my ass hurt, my mouth was bleeding, and I can't wait to do it all again :)