Sprained Ankle? Get Rollerblades

I’m a few weeks overdue in posting this blog. I started writing it a day or so after our last ETC (of course, it deals with the last ETC), but never finished, so now I will commit to finishing it.

Besides the weather, our March ETC was excellent (I would probably give it 8.23 out of 10). Generally, I prefer heat to cold (cool and warm are my favorites), but I don’t have a big problem with the cold. In this case—the case in which it is so cold that the ground is frozen and falling on it hurts—however, my knees had a problem with it. More specifically, they had a problem with hitting the frozen ground. They still have not recovered.

Weather aside (now I feel like one of those old guys sitting around the general store, drinking coffee, and figuring on the chance of rain for the evening), camp was awesome. Of course, there was tons of rugby, which is the point, but we also got to hang out in the gym for a while doing testing. Have I ever mentioned that I love the gym. The gym and I have had a long and thriving relationship—the healthiest relationship I’ve ever had (pun intended).

One of the highlights of camp, for me, was a déjà vu moment I experienced when Jenna and I collided and the world exploded. This happened once before—the first time we played against each other—and it was a surprise for us both. Kind of a “what the ---, that hurt a little” moment. Besides being part brick wall, part kung fu sneaky, Jenna also has the power to think outside of the outside of the box. She pointed out, in the gym, that if Carmen would just spread her legs wider—sumo wide—then she would have about the same distance to squat as the rest of us. And she suggested to Pete that he get rollerblades for his sprained ankle—the high ankle support and the fact that he would be on wheels as benefits.

I have enjoyed these last couple of ETCs a lot. It’s always great to be around my fellow freaks and play good rugby. I’ve also missed my MARFU teammates. Looking forward to the April ETC, and perhaps we can develop our first Bagel Pig and Catbird cartoon (how does the song go?). 

Back At River

My first weekend back with James River was a sweet, sweet reunion—could hear the angels singing “Halleluiah.” First, I got to start at inside center. Loved it. I got to play with some new players, who are really talented, and some old faces (SJ, Ro, Amy, Tammy = oldies but goodies). We tied Raleigh, a very talented squad, who won the National Championship a couple of years ago…and a couple of years before that, and so on. I got to hit (and get run over) by Jamie Burke. We had a post-match celebration at a roller derby match. And then I got to do some Gladiator training on Sunday.

I can’t tell you how much I had missed the gals at James River. Playing with them again cleansed my soul (maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but it certainly helped me to release some stress). The playing—the actual rugby—was great, and so was hanging with good friends. And probably the most awesome part was when a couple of Raleigh girls came up to me afterward and told me how they appreciated my positivity on the field. That’s something I’ve really been working on (on the pitch and in life), and so I got a surge of good vibes knowing that the work is paying dividends.

Following the match, we hung out with Raleigh at the social, and I got to chat with my old MARFU buddy, Six-One/Smashley/Ashley. It was good to catch up, and it was great to hang out with rugby people. Roller derby and a shoulder workout came next. Being the considerate sweetheart I am, I offered to carry a table to the match, so that we could recruit potential ruggers.

Though I may be considerate, I also tend to be a bit of a show-off, and so I decided to carry the weighty and awkward table over my head. Not being one to give-up (call it perseverance or stubbornness), I kept the difficult thing above my head. After making our way through the labyrinth of the Richmond Convention center, down a long corridor, around a bend and through another hallway, we arrived at the match just as my shoulders were screaming at me to drop the effin table.

I have to say, roller derby is quite the sport. I pride myself in delivering big hits on the rugby pitch, but if I had to do it on wheels, I don’t think I would be that successful. I prefer my feet to wheels, blades, boards, or anything else that requires added balance for ambulation. The derby gals, on the other hand, did quite well wheeling around while smashing each other. I particularly enjoyed watching a Richmond player (would we call them players? rollers?) called “Bouncy” barreling through others. All in all my first roller derby experience was a good one, and derby is definitely something I could find myself watching again.

With a Saturday full of awesomeness under my belt, I woke up on Sunday morning ready for more action, and I got that at Gladiator training. I even talked another River rugger, Gray, to come with my weekend roomie, Mahaffey, and I to train in the rain. There’s no better way to start a Sunday than to throw chains around…well, unless you can throw chains around and then go and have a breakfast of champions—pig and coffee—which I did with Mahaffey and her Ma Dukes.

Well, I think that about sums up my amazing weekend back in Richmond. I can’t wait for more. This is shaping up to be a pretty darn good spring.