A’Bout Jam Time… the title says it all. After losing our venue at Dickerson’s Event Center, the CCD League hadn’t had a home bout since March. We were all more than ready and this was going to be a good one! It was to be a round-robin style bout with all three home teams playing against each other.
As a newly drafted member of the Reguladies (June of this year), this was my very first bout. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Going through my mind was all sorts of things. What to wear, what to eat before the bout, what if I screwed up, etc… Thankfully I have amazing derby sisters and they gave me lots of helpful pre-bout tips.
This bout was unique in that there was to be three thirty minute bouts, instead of the normal hour long bout consisting of two 30 minute halves. The lineup consisted of the Rink Rash Revolutionaries vs Spitfire Sallies; the Reguladies vs Rink Rash Revolutionaries; and the Spitfire Sallies vs Reguladies.
I was glad we weren’t bouting first, that way I would have a chance to watch and try to strategize. It was awesome watching my leaguemates battle it out on the track. When it came time for the Reguladies to take the track, I did have a moment of butterflies, however, I took a deep breath and looked around at my team and knew they had my back, and that this was going to be fun!
Once that first whistle blew, it was on! The first couple laps around the track I mainly stuck to another player and got my “derby-legs”. I realized that I was being somewhat passive while trying to figure things out so I stepped up my game.
Once the contact started I got in the zone, got more effective and it really got fun. I used my teammates to “truck and trailer”, a move where you grab on to another player’s hips and use them to steady yourself as you crash into someone. I surprised myself by hitting the jammer out of bounds. By the time we got to the second bout, my confidence had grown and I was playing much better and really having a blast.
Before I knew it the bouts had come to an end. We won our first bout and had a close call on the second, narrowly missing the win by one point! It was quite possibly one of the most exhilarating and incredible things I’ve ever done. I came away with such a great feeling; all I could think about was that I wanted to do this again, like the very next day! I can proudly admit that I’m now a certified Derby addict. I can’t wait for the next bout, and every time I’m on the track I love it more.
-Boozeberry Pie, #1/5
As a newly drafted member of the Reguladies (June of this year), this was my very first bout. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Going through my mind was all sorts of things. What to wear, what to eat before the bout, what if I screwed up, etc… Thankfully I have amazing derby sisters and they gave me lots of helpful pre-bout tips.
This bout was unique in that there was to be three thirty minute bouts, instead of the normal hour long bout consisting of two 30 minute halves. The lineup consisted of the Rink Rash Revolutionaries vs Spitfire Sallies; the Reguladies vs Rink Rash Revolutionaries; and the Spitfire Sallies vs Reguladies.
I was glad we weren’t bouting first, that way I would have a chance to watch and try to strategize. It was awesome watching my leaguemates battle it out on the track. When it came time for the Reguladies to take the track, I did have a moment of butterflies, however, I took a deep breath and looked around at my team and knew they had my back, and that this was going to be fun!
Once that first whistle blew, it was on! The first couple laps around the track I mainly stuck to another player and got my “derby-legs”. I realized that I was being somewhat passive while trying to figure things out so I stepped up my game.
Once the contact started I got in the zone, got more effective and it really got fun. I used my teammates to “truck and trailer”, a move where you grab on to another player’s hips and use them to steady yourself as you crash into someone. I surprised myself by hitting the jammer out of bounds. By the time we got to the second bout, my confidence had grown and I was playing much better and really having a blast.
Before I knew it the bouts had come to an end. We won our first bout and had a close call on the second, narrowly missing the win by one point! It was quite possibly one of the most exhilarating and incredible things I’ve ever done. I came away with such a great feeling; all I could think about was that I wanted to do this again, like the very next day! I can proudly admit that I’m now a certified Derby addict. I can’t wait for the next bout, and every time I’m on the track I love it more.
-Boozeberry Pie, #1/5
