Ravings of an Irate Pirate

I'm not always strong.  There are more days than I can count where I look at my own face and I wonder "what fucking right do I have to even be alive". I beat myself up a lot. More often than I care to admit, even to myself. Every conversation gets played to death in my head. Every misspoken word and every fuck up just goes on and on in an unending loop. I'm not always strong. There are days I can barely claw my way out of bed because it's easier to just fucking sleep than it is to face the world outside. I'm lucky I work from home. If I had to go into the office every day, I'd likely have be fired by now. I'm not always kind. Especially when it comes to me taking to me. I'm a fucking asshole to myself. When I can't stand myself is when I become more of an Asshole to those around me. I'm not always nice. One of my pieces of armor is more like a sword. One I swing wildly to drive people away when I am at my worst, just ...

Before I posted weird lessons. Now, let's talk important lessons. Some of these lessons are personal, some fall into the global category. Cross training is NOT an option. It is, in fact, a requirement. As you progress you are going to find you want to do better, be better, and something needs to be different to make that happen. Most of the time you need to cross train. Talk to your top skaters, find out what they do, work with your coaches and captains to get some things you can do at home or your gym. I also highly recommend checking out Roller Derby Athletics . For years I have sworn by Booty Quakes methods. Do NOT put duct tape on your skates! For the love of all that is holy and righteous, do not put duct tape on the toes of your skates. Get toe covers/toe guards instead. Why? Duct tape will stick, forever, and you will regret everything. It ruins leather and you'll likely be sad. Buy a good helmet! You are going to get a concussion no matter what if you knock you...

There are a million lessons to be learned when you are doing Roller Derby. Sometimes someone helps you with these valuable tid-bits, and other times you have to learn for yourself and learn the hard way. Here are some things I learned the hard way. Clear pee for victory! Not sure you are hydrated enough? Well, one sure way to know is if you are peeing clear. On game day, or hell any day, you should keep yourself well hydrated. This helps keep energy up and you will find you can go for longer, faster, jams. In the same line of thinking, pee before you hit the track and at half time. Seriously, go to the bathroom! New studies have come out talking about how the body reacts to over-hydration ( hyponatremi ), so just go pee! Again, same vein: poop before a game. It sounds funny, maybe it is gross for you to talk about, but seriously... poop. You'll just feel better. Speaking of poop..... Every hotel has a "Poop Bathroom". Speaking of travel, everybody poops. If yo...