Roller Derby Boot Camp
Oh hey there! So, I passed the basic skills test with an average score of 3.2 (only needed a score of 3 to pass).
This is how it was all broken down with a zero being “didn’t even attempt” and a 4 as “does it perfect”:
- Side stepping: 3
- Forward and back stepping: 4
- Derby stance: 4
- Crossovers: 4
- Sculling: 2.5 (really thought I had this down, but apparently I don’t use my hips enough and was a little unstable the lower they made me go)
- Squats: 3
- One foot glides: 3
- Lateral cuts: 3
- Weaving: 3
- Lateral hops: 3
- Jumping: 3
- T stops: 2 (yeah, I just could.not.do.them that day. I was overthinking and let the pressure get to me.)
- Plow stops: 2.5 (these are still a work in progress…)
- 180 turn on knee: 4
- Two knee fall: 3
- Single knee fall- left: 4
- Single knee fall- right: 3 (I do my 180 turn on my left as well. Just not that coordinated to fall with the right.)
- Baseball slide: 3
- 4-point fall: 3
- 25-lap test: 4:49
After the basic skills test, there was a two week break (in which I got married and subsequently did no exercise). Our first “intermediate” practice was last Sunday and it was a little rough skating again after two weeks off. I felt rusty, but quickly remembered everything and got back into it. I was slightly surprised by how many people didn’t pass the basic. I think only about half of us continued on, although it’s possible more people passed but couldn’t make Sunday’s practice?
Here’s what we did:
- Pacing- basically what it means. We formed a line and kept the pace around the track for a few laps.
- Weaving- weaved between team-mates in the pace line. When people left a huge gap, this was super easy. When people only left that arm’s length gap, it was a little difficult but fun.
- Leaning- in which we just leaned against a partner and sculled with our outside foot. This is the first fundamental step to learning how to block. It took a little while to get it- mainly because i’m short, so my hip doesn’t exactly match up to her hip, so there’s some weight shifting going on and finding that right balance so we can successfully lean into each other.
- Pushing (which is really fun!). It took a few times to get used to the push. But that little speed boost is amazing!
- And then we did an endurance drill called “push-carts” in which we formed a train of about 4-5 people and placed our hands on the person in front of us’s hips and the back person pushed the group around the track. Started with 1 lap pushing, then 2, then 3, and then 4. Talk about tiring.
I have no idea what’s in store for us tonight, but I suspect some push-ups and squats are in order and I’m hoping we get to whipping and hip assists. We test on the “intermediate” skills on December 6th, which leaves only 5 more practices to learn it all. (Eek!) And if I pass this test, I’m offically on the team and a roller girl!
