Ravings of an Irate Pirate

I have never been good at this, and should have known that I would neglect my poor blog. Let's see, where did we leave off? Ah, yes... I was going to tell you about retirement from Roller Derby. August 31st was my final day as a skater. It was a relief and was mixed with sadness when the day finally came. Roller Derby has been a huge part of my life for almost a decade. Still, it was time. Time to let someone else shine, someone else be the league-vet, and time to let my body heal. As I stepped back, I realized I did not want to be completely out of the picture, so I threw my name in as a coach for the Cherry Bombs. I got the gig, and am excited to help the team grow and have a great 2017 season! After retirement we went on vacation to Disney with the 4TRESS (our RV). It was a blast. Hurricane Matthew aside, we had a good time, though I hope we do not see that weather again! As we drove there and back, Mr Pirate and I talked about how neat it would be if we could be...

In 2008 I set out on a road that scared the shit out of me. This new road was full of people I had never met, and activities I could barely do. While you may not believe me when I say this, I was painfully shy and terrified to meet these new people. I was scared out of my mind that I would make a fool of myself. I had no idea the impact these new people, and this sport, would have on me. Of course, my first 8 weeks of practices was spent on the sidelines in a cast. I broke my wrist the night before while getting used to my skates. Lots of people are deterred when they break a bone. For some reason, I was not. I took 2008 slowly. Because we did not have rookie camps or fresh meat training down to a science, I just skated and learned as they could train me. I was not in a class. Really, I was my own class. I had joined alone! The closest person I had to a Fresh Meat buddy was Hazel SmutCrunch/Jennarata. We were mere weeks apart. We were all learning, so when it came to contact I c...

It sure has been a while since I last wrote. Sorry about that. I attribute that to a schedule that will not quit and a brain going a million miles per hour. Today I am slowed enough to reflect a little on giving back. In the Live Action Role Playing (LARP, Realms ) I play we always ask the community to give back. Help an event holder by playing a bad guy for a while, help set up, help clean up, help! 20+ years of "give back to what has given to you" is starting to translate into Roller Derby for me. So I asked myself a while ago "How can I give back?" I came up with a few good ideas.  Roller Derby officials are, in my opinion, some of the most dedicated volunteers for our sport. They often travel without compensation, get yelled at regularly, are hated for an average 60 minutes each game, they study the rules for hours, and come back again and again with little thanks for the time they truly put in. They don't have to be here, and they do not have to lear...