Another fun practice yesterday. Anarchy was at the helm, aided by Faux Paul, and we had a new skater (with gear!) in addition to 6 skaters. Drills, water breaks, and more drills filled the practice. Also, there was some questionably large amounts of sweating going on, much of it by me...
Anarchy started practice out by laying out a goddamn minefield of cones about the track. Some areas were designated as 'sticky-skate weaving' areas, others for toe-stop walks/runs, and a couple other activities that wouldn't be out of place on one of those jacked-up Japanese game shows where the contestants inevitably get beat down by cosplay enthusiasts. We slowly got going on the track, some faster than others, and went through the obstacle course. Good times, and by good times I mean screw plow stops. Once we were warmed/loosened up we got to stretch and then setup shop for some endurance work which involved variations on sticky-skate, cross-overs and squats in regions of the track, and finally built up towards the good stuff...
Now when I say good stuff, I don't mean the drills/skills which are most useful to me, but rather the stuff that I draw pictures of and then stick on the fridge. I may not be good at all of 'the good stuff' but I really enjoy it, even if I feel like it may kill me. First up was some jammer-style toe-stop starts. Now when it comes to skating, I am far from the fastest guy on the team, but this I can get into. I'll never be a jammer, unless they change the rules and you score by having the pack lap the jammer, but being the first one off the line is something I can get on board with. Get low, lean forward and run as hard as you can to avoid face-planting, usually resulting in respectable forward acceleration. Granted, only about half of the team was present, but I was happy to see that I was in the top half of those present, being beaten by Captain Obvious (taller than me, but only 75% the weight) and Beeswhacks (card-carrying skate-ninja and 66% of my bodyweight). Fun stuff, and if I lose weight/get stronger I might be able to challenge them someday... but I'm still not gonna be a jammer.
Later we got to do some hit drills. Unlike our initial hit drills, which more or less relied on using sheer impact force to get results, we worked on specific portions of contact, specifically hip checks and then full body checks. Since I come fully equipped with a 'big-backyard', the hip checks weren't terribly difficult to initiate, but I still need practice to make them particularly useful. Most of my hits felt about a step off for the day, but not the end of the world. We later did some pack work which was helpful for moving around at speed, starting/stopping as a pack, and giving/receiving/observing hits in close quarters.
With only a few minutes to go, and sweat having long since turned my white t-shirt clear, Anarchy declared we were doing the 25-in-5, which I had figured we would have done at the start of practice if it was coming. I figured wrong, so very wrong... The last time I tried I managed 23 laps, which was after nearly 3 weeks off skates. I had spent the last week skating more than usual, and was looking to see some improvement, even if it only meant making 24 laps when I tried again, though trying at the end of a 2-hour practice made me question whether or not I would be able to hold my previous count. Turns out all that extra wheel-time, the new bearings, and the fact that I really didn't want to puke all that water I had just drank came together to push me through. All 25 laps came and went and I can cross that one off the list of required basic skills. Managed to stump out crossovers almost the entire time, even after the left leg turned into dead weight around lap 8. On top of that I didn't hurl all over the track like I thought I was going to. Yay me!
Goal for the week: Practice plow stops until they are actual stops. If necessary, careen towards groups of little kids for motivation to actually stop.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
New Bearings = WIN
So a while back I bought some new bearings. After talking with Boyd @ Oaks I went with the Qube 8-ball, which, like their name suggests, have 8 balls rather than the traditional 7 per bearing. They (Qube) claim the extra sphere and a deeper groove/channel results in a bearing with good roll and excellent resistance to blowing out from side loading (cornering forces for the most part). I was interested in them because they were a reasonable price point, and I trust the people @ Oaks. Also, I knew that the bearings which came with the skates hadn't been cleaned/serviced since I purchased them back in March, so they would likely need to be replaced or at minimum serviced soon if I wanted to avoid any annoying sounds or failures.
The 8-balls certainly seemed to roll-on better than the previous set (ABEC-7s, I believe sure-grip brand but not certain). Felt like I had a little better glide and/or coast when I was paying attention. Since this was only my second set of bearings, I don't have a strong scale to measure them against, but will put them through their paces, servicing them monthly now that I have oil to do so, and hope to chart how they hold up to my 220+ lb abuse. Only time will tell. For now I am happy with them and hope to feel some improvement at practice this weekend.
The 8-balls certainly seemed to roll-on better than the previous set (ABEC-7s, I believe sure-grip brand but not certain). Felt like I had a little better glide and/or coast when I was paying attention. Since this was only my second set of bearings, I don't have a strong scale to measure them against, but will put them through their paces, servicing them monthly now that I have oil to do so, and hope to chart how they hold up to my 220+ lb abuse. Only time will tell. For now I am happy with them and hope to feel some improvement at practice this weekend.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Still not dead... mostly
So it has been literally a month since my last post. While I was off skates for over 2 weeks of that time, obviously skating and derby have been happening. This will be a LONG post, working my way towards the present. As I have no way of knowing who, if anyone, is reading this I'm choosing to not feel too bad.
6/22-7/10:
No practice, or I was out of town (Denver, then SLC). I think I managed to get in an open skate once or twice at most. No serious working out, but I did get paid in food in Denver, so I got to exercise my table muscles and put on 5-7lbs... Damn it. Killa'Volt is still off skates with a possible knee injury, summer in Portland means that people are busy and we cancel the 7/4 practice as well.
7/11:
First practice back. Just Kill Nye, Next of Ken, and myself. The Whip/CDW/Anarchy (all three personalities in the same space!?!) is attending a surprise Tool concert with Demon for his birthday, awesome party follows that evening. Really awesome. El Guapo pops in briefly but is injured and will be out till the end of July.
Scrappy go Lucky & ITSO EZ are guest coaching us. We work on plow stops, which to date remain something that happens to other people. Some agility work with cones follow, being the most oafish and least experienced skater present I am bringing up the rear on these drills. Lots of good one-on-one instruction, both Scrappy & EZ are patient teachers with lots of good observations and assistance.
7/12:
Monday practice. Since RCR is taking July off (except travel teams, they need to stay sharp) we (PMRD) are able to snag a couple extra 1-hour practices. Joy! And by Joy I mean Anarchy has us (the 5 on skates: Demon, Kill, Next, Bubba, and myself) doing 3 vs 1+1 baby whale/momma whale drills. All sorts of fun and didn't get old over the 45 or so minutes we were doing them, constantly rotating positions after each drill. For only a 1-hour practice, I am tired and nearly puke. Apparently I can get out of shape MUCH faster than I can get in shape.
7/14:
Another 1-hour practice. Several of us decided to warm up by going to the open skate preceding practice (9pm practice, 7pm open skate across the parking lot...) so we could hit the track running... or whatever. Next, Kill, Bubba, Free Will & myself all hit up Oaks, but Free Will couldn't stay for practice afterwards. Unlike Monday's practice, which in retrospect seemed easier, Anarchy said she had missed us and proceeded to put us through the paces something fierce! Agility drills, endurance drills, floggings, and then more drills. Probably one of the longest hours in my life, but a much needed workout none the less.
Anarchy informed Captain Obvious and I that we had sprawls in our future if either of us splayed out like spiders when we fell, which until that point was my signature move. Also, I received a strongly worded letter from my legs the next morning threatening outright mutiny if I did that to them again... which I didn't intend to repeat until Sunday or so I thought.
7/16:
Open skate at Oaks. Nothing spectacular except...
MY HUGE GODDAMN FALL DURING PACE SKATE! Fuck.
If I had to pick a least favorite moment to fall it would be during pace skate. This particular moment combines the two least likable ingredients for a fall: speed and everyone watching. I wish I could claim someone cut me off or some sort of a mechanical skate failure but I can't. My left foot simply decided that it hated my right foot and it was time to take that other bastard out. Fortunately, the sound of 50+ Boys & Girls Club kids watching from the outside of the track made it all worth while... that and the ugly bruise it left on my lower right gut. Fortunately, I had my wrists & knee pads. Unfortunately, I also managed to lose a couple postage-stamp sized chunks of forearm and elbow because I wasn't wearing my elbow pads...
After my demonstration in how to properly clean the recently resealed/resurfaced/extra grippy floor, it was a regular open skate again. I tottered a bit, shaken by the fall, but got back into the routine of left turns at an extra medium pace.
7/18:
Practice, with people... Had a moderate turnout for practice, people were still busy with family/vacation/etc. Speed Dealer from Lane County Concussion surprised us, but we were happy to have him there. Unfortunately, he broke the kingpin on one of his skates (apparently this was the 4th or so time this had happened to him) and was out for part of the practice until he was able to have it replaced at the Oaks Park skate shop. Killa'Volt was back on wheels, wisely taking it easy after the MRI/x-ray/Dr indicated that he had a strained ACL. He avoided the drills, but was eager to get back in the mix once he is at 100%.
Anarchy flailed us through various pace-line skating drills and an assortment of other masochistic exercises involving us sweating and learning what despair tastes like. We discussed offensive versus defensive pack work, particularly when the jammers approach and how to react depending on a number of factors. During this drill I realized that derby seems to be about paying attention. Not just paying attention to the jammers, but to their position & status, to the refs, to your coaches, to your teammates, to the opposing blockers, to the penalty benches, and any number of other factors which come and go during a jam. So to that end I am buying some glue-on decorative eyes for the back and sides of my helmet cause I seem to be lacking in my field of vision.
Speed Dealer returned from the skate shop ready to go and we did some scrimmage jams. I was teamed with Speed Dealer and Kill Nye while Bubba Fett, Carpe Demon, and Next of Ken (NoK) made up the opposing side while Free Will changed between teams a couple times. Having previously seen Speed Dealer in action, I kinda knew what to expect and had told my teammates that he was likely the best skater for LCC, but seeing it live was an eye opener. His speed and maneuverability make him a seriously impressive positional blocker, and while I would have liked to have gotten the chance to go head to head, it was nice having him on my team. Demon played solid the whole time, regularly moving me out of his way, though I did manage to push him out a couple times trying to draw a cut penalty. Bubba and I took turns pounding the shit out of each other, he seems to subscribe to the school of cement for breakfast and bricks for dinner cause every time he hit me it felt like I was running into a friggin' wall. Despite his increasingly solid presence, I still managed to mix it up a bit during the jams. NoK and Kill Nye were well rounded both jamming and blocking, and continue to be excellent jacks-of-all-trades during practice. For my own part I managed to play as a decent (by my lowly standards) blocker, but simply lack the speed to excel as a jammer. Still, I managed not to puke at practice despite my stomach's threats, but seriously considered it a possibility during a couple points, so the day was a success.
Once attendance jumps back up to normal, we should be able to do 5 vs 5 scrimmages in preparation for setting up a scrimmage with Lane County. Speed Dealer said they were eager to play with us, and I would definitely like to get in some sort of full fledged scrimmage sooner than later.
7/19:
Skating at Oaks Park. Again another open skate which was attended by several members of PMRD, nothing too exciting except...
I fell again. Seriously, WTF!?!
7/20:
Next of Ken, Captain Obvious , and I skated a trail in SW Portland, hoping to find something suitable for a skating event coming up in August. Unfortunately, the trail is going to be partially closed for a sewer line beneath it to be repaired so no luck. Plus the long ass skate uphill returning to the parking lot was a bastard.
Goal for next week: Stop falling at Open Skate and when I inevitably do, fall 'small'
6/22-7/10:
No practice, or I was out of town (Denver, then SLC). I think I managed to get in an open skate once or twice at most. No serious working out, but I did get paid in food in Denver, so I got to exercise my table muscles and put on 5-7lbs... Damn it. Killa'Volt is still off skates with a possible knee injury, summer in Portland means that people are busy and we cancel the 7/4 practice as well.
7/11:
First practice back. Just Kill Nye, Next of Ken, and myself. The Whip/CDW/Anarchy (all three personalities in the same space!?!) is attending a surprise Tool concert with Demon for his birthday, awesome party follows that evening. Really awesome. El Guapo pops in briefly but is injured and will be out till the end of July.
Scrappy go Lucky & ITSO EZ are guest coaching us. We work on plow stops, which to date remain something that happens to other people. Some agility work with cones follow, being the most oafish and least experienced skater present I am bringing up the rear on these drills. Lots of good one-on-one instruction, both Scrappy & EZ are patient teachers with lots of good observations and assistance.
7/12:
Monday practice. Since RCR is taking July off (except travel teams, they need to stay sharp) we (PMRD) are able to snag a couple extra 1-hour practices. Joy! And by Joy I mean Anarchy has us (the 5 on skates: Demon, Kill, Next, Bubba, and myself) doing 3 vs 1+1 baby whale/momma whale drills. All sorts of fun and didn't get old over the 45 or so minutes we were doing them, constantly rotating positions after each drill. For only a 1-hour practice, I am tired and nearly puke. Apparently I can get out of shape MUCH faster than I can get in shape.
7/14:
Another 1-hour practice. Several of us decided to warm up by going to the open skate preceding practice (9pm practice, 7pm open skate across the parking lot...) so we could hit the track running... or whatever. Next, Kill, Bubba, Free Will & myself all hit up Oaks, but Free Will couldn't stay for practice afterwards. Unlike Monday's practice, which in retrospect seemed easier, Anarchy said she had missed us and proceeded to put us through the paces something fierce! Agility drills, endurance drills, floggings, and then more drills. Probably one of the longest hours in my life, but a much needed workout none the less.
Anarchy informed Captain Obvious and I that we had sprawls in our future if either of us splayed out like spiders when we fell, which until that point was my signature move. Also, I received a strongly worded letter from my legs the next morning threatening outright mutiny if I did that to them again... which I didn't intend to repeat until Sunday or so I thought.
7/16:
Open skate at Oaks. Nothing spectacular except...
MY HUGE GODDAMN FALL DURING PACE SKATE! Fuck.
If I had to pick a least favorite moment to fall it would be during pace skate. This particular moment combines the two least likable ingredients for a fall: speed and everyone watching. I wish I could claim someone cut me off or some sort of a mechanical skate failure but I can't. My left foot simply decided that it hated my right foot and it was time to take that other bastard out. Fortunately, the sound of 50+ Boys & Girls Club kids watching from the outside of the track made it all worth while... that and the ugly bruise it left on my lower right gut. Fortunately, I had my wrists & knee pads. Unfortunately, I also managed to lose a couple postage-stamp sized chunks of forearm and elbow because I wasn't wearing my elbow pads...
After my demonstration in how to properly clean the recently resealed/resurfaced/extra grippy floor, it was a regular open skate again. I tottered a bit, shaken by the fall, but got back into the routine of left turns at an extra medium pace.
7/18:
Practice, with people... Had a moderate turnout for practice, people were still busy with family/vacation/etc. Speed Dealer from Lane County Concussion surprised us, but we were happy to have him there. Unfortunately, he broke the kingpin on one of his skates (apparently this was the 4th or so time this had happened to him) and was out for part of the practice until he was able to have it replaced at the Oaks Park skate shop. Killa'Volt was back on wheels, wisely taking it easy after the MRI/x-ray/Dr indicated that he had a strained ACL. He avoided the drills, but was eager to get back in the mix once he is at 100%.
Anarchy flailed us through various pace-line skating drills and an assortment of other masochistic exercises involving us sweating and learning what despair tastes like. We discussed offensive versus defensive pack work, particularly when the jammers approach and how to react depending on a number of factors. During this drill I realized that derby seems to be about paying attention. Not just paying attention to the jammers, but to their position & status, to the refs, to your coaches, to your teammates, to the opposing blockers, to the penalty benches, and any number of other factors which come and go during a jam. So to that end I am buying some glue-on decorative eyes for the back and sides of my helmet cause I seem to be lacking in my field of vision.
Speed Dealer returned from the skate shop ready to go and we did some scrimmage jams. I was teamed with Speed Dealer and Kill Nye while Bubba Fett, Carpe Demon, and Next of Ken (NoK) made up the opposing side while Free Will changed between teams a couple times. Having previously seen Speed Dealer in action, I kinda knew what to expect and had told my teammates that he was likely the best skater for LCC, but seeing it live was an eye opener. His speed and maneuverability make him a seriously impressive positional blocker, and while I would have liked to have gotten the chance to go head to head, it was nice having him on my team. Demon played solid the whole time, regularly moving me out of his way, though I did manage to push him out a couple times trying to draw a cut penalty. Bubba and I took turns pounding the shit out of each other, he seems to subscribe to the school of cement for breakfast and bricks for dinner cause every time he hit me it felt like I was running into a friggin' wall. Despite his increasingly solid presence, I still managed to mix it up a bit during the jams. NoK and Kill Nye were well rounded both jamming and blocking, and continue to be excellent jacks-of-all-trades during practice. For my own part I managed to play as a decent (by my lowly standards) blocker, but simply lack the speed to excel as a jammer. Still, I managed not to puke at practice despite my stomach's threats, but seriously considered it a possibility during a couple points, so the day was a success.
Once attendance jumps back up to normal, we should be able to do 5 vs 5 scrimmages in preparation for setting up a scrimmage with Lane County. Speed Dealer said they were eager to play with us, and I would definitely like to get in some sort of full fledged scrimmage sooner than later.
7/19:
Skating at Oaks Park. Again another open skate which was attended by several members of PMRD, nothing too exciting except...
I fell again. Seriously, WTF!?!
7/20:
Next of Ken, Captain Obvious , and I skated a trail in SW Portland, hoping to find something suitable for a skating event coming up in August. Unfortunately, the trail is going to be partially closed for a sewer line beneath it to be repaired so no luck. Plus the long ass skate uphill returning to the parking lot was a bastard.
Goal for next week: Stop falling at Open Skate and when I inevitably do, fall 'small'
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