Tricky Little Ninja!

OK You have heard me say before how awesome we all think our coach Pixel Ninja is! If not you have not been paying attention which means you can try some sit ups, push ups and do them with a smile!...LOL...Kidding if you need a reminder flip back to July and read the post titled "Pixel Ninja AKA the Coach"

One of the things I like most is he is always smiling...even when he is not happy with you he's still smiling....smiling except when your trying to find a picture of him smiling...good luck with that....I asked tonight for a picture of him smiling cause he was putting a crimp in my creative mojo trying to write this blog!...LOL "I don't like having my picture taken", he says...LOL



Pixel Ninja

 Plan A was to show my readers this happy sneaky smile we always see...the smile that tells you he is plotting his next drill...LOL...and I was gonna show you the face I saw tonight!  So I will have to show you Plan B...the face I saw tonight ....this picture is pretty close. He doesn't look happy does he?...would you think you did something wrong when he waves you over and says "I need to talk to you about something"?...HELLO I thought for sure I did something wrong and thinking to myself ...what could I have done?...LOL...I asked and of course he goes with it and says, "Well Alise, we do have to talk about something"...Crap! I'm thinking "I have only been on A Squad for a weekend, this is the first A Squad practice they changed their mind I am going to B, what did I do, no smile, he means business" He says, "You remember that skills test your working on"....Again I am thinking "I messed up! I am done!" He says, "Well....(loooong pause, looking very serious).....You passed your level one!"......Pixel Ninja is a tricky Ninja, sensed my anxiety and went with it...LOL...It was pretty funny actually!



L-R Cherry Dread, Alise T'Kill
Lip Smack & I'd Hit That



I was pretty excited! Another achievement! Lip Smack, Cherry Dread, I'd Hit That and myself all passed our level one skills test tonight! Now we join the rest of our squad and can start working towards our next level together! He breaks skills test into 3 levels so we have two more to go!

All and all there were some laughs, and jokes on me...but hey I'm thinking shenanigans are in order now!

A Squad Practice

Tonight was a BIG night...it was our first squad practice.  It was great! We got to do some different drills, some drills that we haven't done in awhile and it  was also our first practice back in the Lions Club...the season is fast approaching and all our arenas are putting ice down which means no more arena practices for awhile :( The folks at the Lions Club really are great to us and we enjoy practicing there.  The squads also help when practicing in this space because there is not as many of us practicing at one time. Although I must admit I miss my friends on the B squad but we will plan some shenanigans soon I am sure :)

 

A Squad

We even got to start doing some pushing drills...OH THE FUN! I know some girls couldn't wait till we got to this point.  I am pretty sure no one expected me to be as excited as I was...LOL...mind you my excitement was afterwards, I'm sure I had a nervous face when he called the drill.  It was a pretty intense workout tonight, I loved every minute of it but I will say there where times when I saw Pixel Ninja with his whistle in his mouth where I was thinking "just blow the dam thing already!"...LOL I was smiling on the outside but dying on the inside...push ups, sit ups ...OMG I surely will hurt tomorrow!...LOL

Pennies for a Derby Girl

Well my Freshmeat Package of gear has served me well but I have learned in the past couple months that replacing/upgrading equipment is sometimes needed. I am very happy with my current gear and would still recommend to anyone starting Roller Derby to get the Freshmeat Package as it really has everything you need to get started and the price is right! :) 

 

 

I have had a wish list going for sometime, adding items as I need to and buying items as I need them.   I recently crossed one item off of my list...Gladiator Knee Gaskets....these fit under your knee pads and they have Velcro on the them so that they stay snug under your knee pads...why do you need them? Well lets just say the addition of knee gaskets is like falling on clouds...the impact of a knee fall is not as harsh with the knee gaskets so therefore is certainly an added piece of protection that anyone should invest in!

 

 

Several years ago I tore some ligaments in my left knee...it was winter, was drinking with friends and fell on the ice...I don't think I need to get into that story but I am sure you get the picture..LOL.  Anyway, I have been leery to do any knee falls on my left knee for fear of re injuring it.  I do them if I have to but not on command ;) My knee has never really been right since.  Now that I have my gaskets I need to condition myself to build my left knee as it is not as strong as my right as become. So left knee falls...I'm ready for ya now! :)

 

 

Next on my list is to buy my Jukes (my new wheels)!  I have been using Kitty Von Doom's while she is recovering from her broken ankle but I will HAVE to have my own soon!  I CAN NOT not go back to my old wheels after experiencing Jukes! Neon Skates refers to them this, " It's basically like a party on your skates and everyone's invited."...LOL...so true! I LOVE the Jukes!

 

 

 

Then I am on a misson to get some new wrist guards :)....So as you can see this Derby Girl needs to start saving some pennies! ;)

League Photo

Don't we look like pros? :)

Training Squads

We had a league meeting last night of which we were all told in advance that our group would be split into two squads:
A) will be focused on more advanced skating techniques and game play
B) will be focused on basic skating and conditioning
The split was determined by skill level, work ethic and attendance.

If we make A we have to keeping pushing, maintain our work ethics and attendance or we can go to B squad..also if we are B we can quickly move to A once we are ready.

Tonight at practice there would be a sheet posted in the dressing room letting us know where we fall.  I was nervous all day but when I got there I kinda forgot about it...I have been very sick the past two days so I blame it on the cold medicine...LOL I went back out to my car to get something for Kitty Von Doom and came back in and peaked at the list.....This is what I saw... :)

I was so excited I squealed a little bit :) I was the kid in school when we were split in groups in gym class I was always the last kid standing..LOL Not today :) I know the list was alphabetical but I was pretty excited to see my name at the top of the list! I looked around and Pixel Ninja, DiiMented and Firecrackya all sitting there with big smiles :) Not sure who's was bigger...pretty sure mine!

This does not mean we are a team...this is a training squad...but this will most likely be the foundation of the first team Hits N' Sass ....I still have a lot of work to do! I'm almost done my skills test and need to learn some game play among a lot of other things but this is just one step closer to Hits N' Sass.

Bond..James Bond

So my whole Derby Alter Ego revolves around James Bond "A Licence to Kill". Alise T'Kill 007 is not nearly so polished....YET!....LOL

I am however always surprising myself with my accomplishments in Roller Derby.  I shouldn't be as surprised as I am because I do work very hard...I feel I earn my accomplishments.  I would be lying though if I said I wasn't hard on myself about somethings...although I think it drives me to try harder so I can pick it up eventually.

I have had a couple of accomplishments the past couple of weeks.  I have struggled for a long time to get my sharp right turns down.  My right foot often is nothing more than a stick with a skate on it! Sounds easy enough but man I have struggled with this for a long time.  A couple weeks ago I was pretty hard on myself because I didn't get my 25 laps in 5 minutes....but that same practice I tried my starts (run on toe stops, duck walk then ease into a powerful skate) anyway my starts were getting better so what I was hard on myself about didn't seem so bad after feeling better about the starts....then I nailed my turns, then I got my 25 in 5....then last practice I skated backwards (pretty well too I might add) the first kick at the can! I tried it earlier that practice but Pixel Ninja was teaching some newbies how to do and I thought I should watch in case I wasn't doing it right...LOL he told me to go back and keep doing it cause I already knew what I was doing BONUS! Did it on my own and was doing it right! 

I guess James Bond and I have one thing in common so far ...I am like a spy ...I watch....this is how I learn best. :) I'm also getting pretty good with speed while playing tag....just like Bond in a car chase...LOL...Pixel Ninja and JagerMaster were chasing me and I was giving them a run for their money last practice. Until I wiped out twice right on my tailbone really giving myself a good pull on my shoulder.  So I got a sore butt...a sore shoulder but still no derby bruises to brag about...LOL

The falls last practice were especially hard because I was planning a bike trip to PEI with my friends the next day which was an awesome trip however a sore butt and shoulder riding in my car may have been more comfortable.



My roomate Jeff and I