Two posts in and a sore ankle!

What is it about obligatory blogs that makes me lame at updating when I promise to? I'm exactly the same on my professional blog, yet I manage to write reams and reams of angsty stuff on my personal blog on a pretty much daily basis.

Either way, 3rd week of the new year and second post - in my defense, I didn't actually make the second week's practise however that's not really an excuse not to post.

So apology done, I'll turn to this week's roller derby session which was somewhat away from the norm in that we had a guest skater running it for the first hour, due to car trouble with our regular trainers. Justine Credible happened to be along to make up for missing her own Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames practise on Saturday and with 10 minutes notice managed to run what was an excellent first hour. I was also rather happy in that in the real, non-derby world, she's known as my friend Charlotte (more accurately, my husband's friend Charlotte but I've adopted her for my own!) and we don't see her enough.

I was ecstatic that the weird photographic memory I have for text kicked in for the rules test in that the first time I'd even looked at the rules was in the first 10 minutes of our car journey there. I knew the answers to almost all questions asked of people, and apart from being thrown briefly by the on-the-spotness of my own first question, held up fine. I'm not a swot - I'm just fast at memorising things!

We did get our regular trainers, Helen Fury and Cupid Stunt when they arrived late due to car trouble and practise was fun and exhausting. I did manage to fall badly, felt me ankle twinge at the time and now, several hours later its quite painful. Usable but I don't think I'll be running anywhere for a couple of days. Knocks, bumps and twinges all part of the fun though, and it was entirely my own fault for going faster than I am stable with around a corner.

It also turns out that almost no-one on the team can skate backwards, myself included which made for an interesting snail's-pace relay exercise. I suspect its one of those things where once the technique 'clicks' in your brain, its fine but until that happens its completely counter-intuitive - your entire body is geared up to making the motions to go forward and can't handle reversing them.

Finally there was drinks at the pub and this week I was able to actually have a beer (as I'd made Geoff drive me there - in my defence he wouldn't have wanted to miss seeing Charlotte anyway). Drink good, I'm a lot more sociable with alcohol in my system and it was a lot of fun.

New Year, New Blog

I'm Steph - AKA Shiza Rebel of the Severn Roller Torrent roller derby league and this is my shiny new blog, created right on cue after the first practise of the first month of 2009.

So... roller derby. Firstly, roller derby is FUN. Skirts, skates and stripy socks - what more does a girl need? That was pretty much the attraction for me - the whole image of be-who-ya-wanna-be that surrounds the sport. Gym posing has never held any attraction for me, I can't run for toffee and my hand-eye co-ordination is awful. Roller derby is a sport I can see myself being OK at and I love that its not something where you're expected to be super fit (or super young!) to be able to do.

Also, did I mention the stripy socks?

So... first practise of the year, and my first practise with my new rollergirl name. It took me ages to choose a name. Morgan le Faytal was a close second (and probably more appropriate) but I finally went with this one because - and you'll laugh at this - I already use a variant of it at selected internet haunts so I know I'm comfortable with it. Plus the song from which its taken is kickass. So thats why the name. If we're shortening it, I'll go with Rebel please which has a certain irony to it given what a mouse I can be. I'm very very shy and learning people is proving at least as hard as learning to skate.

Today's practise went well. Its great seeing just how much people are improving week on week although personally I felt decidedly wobbly, it being three weeks since my last practise AND having sat on my backside and ate my weight in chocolate and mince pies over Christmas. This wasn't helped by post-practise munching of many, many things that aren't on my metaphorical diet sheet but I was starving.

Its... harder work than it looks from the outside and my thighs are seriously going to regret it tomorrow. I really need to make the effort to work on my leg muscles away from practises as they're decidedly out of condition. I also really need to put some more effort into learning how to stop. I can do forward. I can fall fine. I can't stop though which is a little embarrassing. Once or twice would be OK, failing every time just smacks of lack of effort.

I'm also embarrassed to say I still haven't managed to fix all my teammates names in my head. I almost know everyone's real name, but only a handful of skater names which I really must put right.

I'm going to leave it there for now. I've two more practises this month (I think) on the 10th and 17th. The 24th isn't happening as our hall isn't free and some of the girls are off to watch the Edinburgh team kick some ass, which sadly I'm missing as it coincides with someone's 30th that I promised to attend months ago and the week after I am on the south coast.