Next bout: Saturday, September 24

Time for a rematch! In June 2010, the Hellions traveled to Portland, ME for an epic weekend of fun and good old fashioned roller derby. I also jammed for the first time in this bout (and scored 4 points!) Read the bout recap here: http://hellionsoftroy.blogspot.com/2010/06/maine-bout-recap.html
The final score from this game was 157 Maine - 85 Hellions, so we're eager for this rematch. A year has gone by and our players have gained a lot of experience.
We're excited for this rematch!

Coming to the bout? Say so on Facebook.
Buy your advance tickets here: tinyurl.com/hotvmaine
As always, look for our ad in Metroland the week of the bout (9/22 edition)!

Watching video of yourself play

I found this video a coworker of mine took last summer at our bout against the ManchVegas Roller Girls.

0:17. Check me out passing three opposing players.
I'm awesome.

I used to think I was hot stuff in this video.  OK, to be fair, you have to love my jammer start (0:05).  A somewhat good start off the line (0:08).  And that's not a bad derby stance - I'm got pretty low when on my initial approach to the pack (0:13). I manage to sneak up the inside line, passing three MVRG players at once (including jammer) (0:17).

Then what happens?

Who's awesome now? :(

Instead of hauling ass and moving my feet, I start to coast. Then a three person wall of MVRG players gets in front of me. It looks like I am coasting from 0:20 to 0:34.... 14 seconds!  That's a long time in the grand scheme of a two minute jam.Finally, at about 0:34, I turn up my speed and break through the wall to earn lead jammer status (0:35). I think at this point, the opposing jammer is still trapped in the pack by Kitty, Pork Slap, Nymph, and Missy (continuously awesome, the whole jam).

My speed around the track to lap the pack isn't too bad. I think my stride is ok, but I think I've surely improved in the past year. It takes me about 20 seconds to reach the back of the pack.

Eventually I catch up and am able to pass the opposing blockers to score my points easily for the most part, after taking a bump or two.  I think I may have scored all four points.  At that point, I take a good hit and am knocked to the floor, at which point I decide to call off the jam.

In hindsight, I'm torn if this was the right opportunity to call off the jam.  As I am falling, you can see that the opposing jammer has finally broken through the pack for her initial pass - she had not made her scoring pass yet. It was conservative tactic -- perhaps I would've had to refight my way through the pack again, whilst the other jammer made her way around to make her first scoring pass.  Alternatively, I could've hopped back up, fought through the pack, caught the other jammer, and possibly scored again.

Improving my Jamming

In our December 4 bout, Slay Belles - Naughty vs Nice, I was put out to jam more times that I ever have been before. Six in total. I feel a lot more comfortable jamming since my first time jamming, but I know I've got a way to go. But looking at the statistics from the bout, I am pretty proud of myself!

Photo by Kimberly Vockel.

Here are my jammer stats from the last bout:

Total jams: 17 out of 35 total
   Jammer: 6 of 17

I was able to earn lead jammer 3 out of 6 times. In the times that I didn't earn lead jammer, I did not score any points (the jam was called off by the other jammer before I could make a scoring pass).
In the other three james, I scored 3, 5, and 3 points, for 11 points total.  Other jammers on my team scored 12-14 points each, with Kitty being our top scorer with 26 points :)

The final score was 63 Nice - 115 Naughty.

Point scoring aside, I think I've also improved on my technique as a jammer. One thing I struggled with was once and made my initial pass and rounded around to the back of the pack, I would slow down as if I think I could more easily maneuver around them (especially if there were one or two blockers hanging back waiting for me). This has never worked out for me.


In reality, what a jammer should do, and what I worked on in the last bout, is not give up any speed once she reaches the back of the pack. It's much harder to hit a faster, moving target. Quick reaction time and agility is very important - the second you see a way through, you have to leap (sometimes literally) at the chance.

With these thoughts in mind, I was able to break through a couple times. Believe me, it's hard when you've raced your heart out around the track, only to find Flexi Wheeler (she played on the Naughty team, I was on Nice) waiting for you. Tell yourself: don't be scared, you can do it. Then race up, juke around, and look for your next opportunity to leap.

Maine bout recap

Finally, my recap from the Maine bout on June 12, 2010.

I rode out to Portland with Rambo and Porkslap on Friday night and had an enjoyable time that evening and on Saturday during the day.  Rambo and I headed to the Portland Expo Center around 3pm.  Most everyone was there already and I met a few of the Maine Roller Derby girls - The Calamity Janes.  Their co-captain, Allagasher, was super friendly!  The Expo Center is a really nice facility and they had nice locker rooms for us.  Here I am being short as usual:

The game started at 6pm (earlier than we're used to, but maybe since their dang bars close at 1am and there was an after party to attend?)

It seemed like Maine's style of play was strong walls (sometimes 4 girls all up in the front) and a fast pack as needed.  Their jammers weren't as mean as some I've seen.  There wasn't really any hitting right off the jammer line.  The blockers were another story.  As soon as the whistle blew, they were ready to blow us up.  A-Block, with her big mouth and even bigger derby booty (stated as a compliment - for real!) made me laugh when she threw her butt/hips at me when we were lined up to start the jam and exclaimed "I'm an ******* !" and threw her head back and laughed.  They played all in good fun but they played a serious game.

Be sure to check out my post about my first time jamming here: http://hellionsoftroy.blogspot.com/2010/06/4-things-i-learned-my-first-time.html

It was also awesome to play an actual WFTDA team.  Playing such solid players was a good experience.  They took us to town at with a score of 157 - 85.  Congratulations to MVPs to Shockratease for HoT MVP and Spry Icicle for MRD!  Yeah!

Thanks again to Maine for being a great host!  Also, thanks for the crazy time at the afterparty... can you say light up dance floor?  AMAZING.





Check out some other recaps of the game here:

Maine's recap: http://mainerollerderby.com/wordpress/?p=142 (I got a mention for my 4 points!)

POP NINJAS podcast: http://www.popninjas.com/popninjas.com/Podcast/Entries/2010/6/13_DerbyCast.html (listen to a podcast of the bout.  Sweet!  The beginning also has a great interview with Punchy O'Guts from MRD, where she debunks a lot of the Pop Ninja's misconceptions of roller derby.)

See some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ballofpopcultur/sets/72157624299668446/ (including one of yours truly!)

Photo by ballofpopcultur

4 Things I Learned my First Time Jamming

At the bout this weekend in Maine, I assumed I wouldn't be put in to jam.  I mean, maybe I should've at least considered the possibility because I've been jamming a lot at practice.  But as far as I knew, I'd be playing the front inside blocker position.  Easy enough, but important.  Guard the line.  Watch for the jammer.  Work with the pivot.  Got it.  

Halfway into the second period, Beefcake told me I was on deck to jam next.  Kitty smiled at me and told me I could do it.  I grabbed the jammer panty and made to sure wave it at Eloda Sarcasm who was sitting behind our bench.  Then it was time.

1.  Don't be scared.  Don't be scared.  Don't be scared.  Don't be scared.   (oo00ooOOoo000mmmm)  I want to be a team player, and I want to do what coaching tells me to do; I trust them.  Beefcake thought it was a good idea, so I went for it.  I didn't even want to think about being scared.

2.  You can do it in scrimmage, you can do it in a bout.  I stepped up to the jammer line.  I had done this before.  The girl next to me was doing a "runners start" (almost down on one knee, touching the floor.)  She was ready to go, and I knew she didn't plan to hit me off the line.  Phew, no nonsense.  Except from me.  I love jumping/bouncing on my top stops when I'm lined up to jam.  I feel so energetic and I need to let it out somehow.  Was it appropriate, though?  Would I look silly?  I decided I didn't care and started my engine.

3.  Trust your blockers.  One thing Beefcake told me before going out to jam was that he had a solid group of girls blocking for me.  I wish I could remember who exactly was out there, but most importantly Sally Mae Hurtyou was out there.  Somehow, I made through the pack as lead jammer.  Holy crap.  Maine was playing a fast game, so I had to concentrate on catching up.  Next mission: how to get through?  But then I saw Sally, who was about 10 feet behind the pack.  I called her name, grabbed her hips, and ducked down.  She started plowing through the pack.  We got by a few girls and I hopped around on the inside line past the last person in the front.  4 points!!

4.  4 points is enough.  I called off the jam soon after I broke through the pack and scored my points.  Maine's jammer was still trying to catch up to the pack to make her first scoring pass, so she didn't score at all that jam.  A net gain of 4 points for us!  I had a couple options.  Let her catch the pack and hope my blockers could keep her back, but in reality she might've gotten through so that would've been 4 points for each of us.  Net gain of 0.  Say I wanted to make up for that - I could try to achieve another scoring pass, but would I be able to?  At that point 4 points (Maine) vs 8 points (Hellions) is still just a 4 point net gain.  The game is won in increments of 4.  I did what I needed to do.