Bouts and Rumors of Bouts

It is hard to not be troubled.  Excited, but troubled.

After a roller skating drought, suddenly there are more bouts about than we can shake a stick at.  Not that we're allowed to shake sticks - more bouts than you can shake a pool noodle at, perhaps.  This is all very exciting except for the fact that, the more I get involved with derby, the more completely terrifying it is.

Bout #1 - MissFits All Stars @ Soy City on September 30.  A great big dose of Not My Problem, except that it comes immediately after

Bout #2 - Some sort of tournament in Bloomington on September 24.  Since I'm now on the PR committee this will mean work for me, right at the beginning of the school year.  More importantly, in my own mind I have this pegged as a potential first bout for me to actually SKATE, since a tournament sounds like it will need a lot of skaters, and that will be about six months from starting practice, which is how things worked with the last batch of recruits.  I hope the upcoming Soy City bout doesn't draw away all the roller derby excitement.

Bout #3 - MissFits AllStars @ Chocolate City Cherry Bombers on August 27.  Another bout I don't have to worry about.  Maybe I'll even NSO this one, since I think that would give me a giant Derby blowout before the semester starts.

Bout #4 - MissFits @ DarkRiver on August 13.  Unfortunately, this is also MissFits night at the Corn Crib, so we're splitting the talent for a big event.

Bout #5 - I don't have to do anything but sit on my butt (or jump up and cheer a lot) for this one.  My friend Kate, the person who led me to the MissFits, is skating in her First Bout Ever with the Twin City Derby Girls on August 6.  It was just over a year ago that she skated for the first time in her life.  That's what I love most about roller derby - that it's so new, so there are doors open for everyone.  And I know I'm going to love seeing Kate skate.

Bout #6 - MissFits home inter-league bout to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters on July 23.  Details are still sketchy, but it's going to have a Monster theme - so I get to put my PR brain to work coming up with Monstrous ideas for us, for the audience, and for the kids.  The more fun everyone has, the better.

So, those are the bouts we all know about.  BUT we're all being nagged like crazy to get our insurance paperwork in soon, "just in case something comes up."  It seems we've been doing a lot of mixers and scrimmages lately, so I wonder if something's coming up before the end of summer.  Right now there's no local roller derby for the entire month of August, and I just can't imagine that being a good idea.  Soooo.....

So I've started working on a little list, sort of a condensed training schedule, to get me ready to bout, or at least ready to fill in with an extra body on the floor, ASAP.  First are some goals, which I will make nice and public so I'll have to keep them:

1.  Pass the basic skills test by June 20.  No more screwing around on these stops; it's time to make 'em work.
2.  Skate outdoors - preferably in the heat of the day - at least 3x/week
3. Do squats and lunges to improve my derby stance 4x/week
4. Begin Plyometric exercises by July 1

 I hope it's a realistic but ambitious plan.  Because, just in case anything should come up, I want to be ready to go.  My insurance paperwork is in.  Even if I don't wind up skating in some sort of August Mystery Bout, following this plan will leave me in much better shape in September, so it can't be a bad idea.

Then there's the rest of the roller derby to-do list:

1. Make cute little swirly skirt - with pockets
2. Make nifty bag, probably with my skull print fabric, to hold my tools
3. Order new toestops and wheels ASAP
4. Buy more fishnets

It's not enough to skate like a derby girl - I have to look the part!