 Holy Smack-tastic, Batman! It's ketchup time, I mean, CATCH UP time. Oh how fast the wheels turn in the derby world. It's been a long while since I've written. I guess I kinda left y'all hanging. Oops. Sorry. (Insert lame excuse of preference here.) Enjoy the next installment of the Derby series. (and I'm leaving out the drama of personality conflicts I had with a bonafide sociopath crazy bitch from hell) Let's just say she's an asshat.
In October, NTDR had an exhibition bout, the Jack Skellingtons v. The Corpse Brides. I was officially on the roster to be a Corpse Bride. However, I had been sick for 2 weeks and decided to step down and not skate that bout due to the lingering sickness. No biggie, there will be plenty of other opportunities to bout.
November was really difficult for me. As a bouting skater on a bouting team, we are required a to have a certain number of practices per month. When we do not meet that quota, we must add the lost practices of one month to the quota of the next. Since I was ill in October, I missed my quota by 3 practices, so I had to make 8 in November. It's not a great number of practices, but I was having knee issues on top of coming off illness. I pushed and pushed my way through November, and made my quota. However, the last practice of that month was miserable. My right knee was so swollen it was difficult to strap my knee pad on, and bending my knee? Yeah, forget it. I basically skated that last practice straight-legged.
Yes, I do know better. Thank you for the concern. But I found myself debating and weighing the consequences, and I chose to skate.
But that meant I needed to be off my skates for a good long time to get my knee swelling to go down.
I took 2 weeks off. Again. And still I had swelling and limping and lack of range of motion. No. I did not go to the doctor. But I did do a lot of thinking.
Why am I having this problem? What do I need to do to correct it? What do I have to give up? What do I need to push through? Is it really worth it???
My best guess is that I had put my body way out of balance. Many skaters have right knee problems. We skate counter-clockwise and most of the pushing that we do is heavy on the right leg. Here I am doing that - 100lbs overweight. I mean, really. Who WOULDN'T have knee problems after doing that to themselves?
I work and work and work on endurance and skills and get better fairly quickly. But then I'm injured and I have to sit out for a couple of weeks and there goes nearly all the progress I had made. What's the point?
I was getting really frustrated with my body and anxious that my team, my coach, the rest of the league were starting to question my ability. I was questioning.
So what's the answer?
I had a brief meeting with the current Training Director, at my request. She's not only a fantastic Training Director, but she's also a very compassionate and genuine person. I told her my concerns and asked what my options were. She helped me solidify my decision, which I had already formulated.
I would step down from my position on the Main Street Mafia. I would no longer be on a bouting team. I would be a Crash Test Hunnie again, indefinitely, but this time, on MY TERMS! I would maintain my bouting skater status since I had previously passed my assessments. If and when we have an expo bout, I would be eligible to be in that line-up. If I decide to be placed back on a bouting team, I must meet the required 3 consecutive months of 6 practices and she'll put me in a draft.
So that was my solution. Step down from my team so I can get myself rebalanced. Yoga. Strength training. Cardio outside of skating counter-clockwise. Weight loss. I am focusing my efforts on getting that balance back so I can be a force to be reckoned with next season.
Also, I want to see an orthopedist. I want a serious knee brace, and not just one of these little neoprene slide on things that I have now. Those don't do squat other than compress.
The Training Director agreed with my ideas on recovery and "body training" as opposed to "skating like a maniac for derby's sake." As a CTH, I have no practice quota. I can go when I want, and stay home when I don't want to go. There is no pressure for me to be on my skates all the time. WHICH is helping my knee to heal! I can bend the motherfucker now, where I couldn't hardly do so before. The swelling is nearly completely gone.
So, that afternoon in December, I called my captain on the Main Street Mafia. I explained the situation and my decision. I also explained that as I step down, that opens my position for her to draft a fast skater to help fill the jammer positions. (win-win!) She didn't like the idea that I was leaving, but said she understood. I hated doing it, but I really felt it was the best thing for me, my knee, my mental health, my future skating with NTDR, and the MSM for team composition. We REALLY needed fast skaters that could jam. Our blockers were the best in the league - we needed jammers.
Then I composed an email and sent it officially to the captain and the five NTDR board members. Finally, I wrote a heart-felt email to my teammates on Mafia, letting them know of my resignation and the circumstances behind it.
Later, I received a text message from the Media Director, who is also the captain of the Hickory Street Hooligans. In the text message she said that the Hooligans' coach said that he would love to have Fluffy for Bench Manager, and would I be interested in taking on that position for the Hickory Street Hooligans?
HOLY COW!! ARE YOU KIDDING?! You bet I'd love to help out the Hoolies!
So that's where I am right now. I am getting on my skates now 1-2 times a week for an hour or maybe 2 at a time. I'm stretching much more than I did before. I haven't started yoga yet, but hey... I will when I finish writing and get this blog posted. I haven't started strength training other than isometrics, like wall-sits. (If you haven't ever done wall-sits, look it up and I challenge you to make it 30 seconds. I'm at 45 now before I start shaking like a leaf.) Don't even ask about weight loss. Grr... And I'm the bench manager for the Hickory Street Hooligans. The team has accepted me as one of their own, but officially I am CTH ($5 less per month for dues). I have been told by one of the Hoolie girls that I'm 87% Hooligan. She also told me that she thinks I should have been a Hoolie all along. It's so nice to be loved!! :)
The Hooligans take on the Muertas Locas on February 25, 2012 at 7:30pm at LoneStar rink in Denton. I'll make sure the flier is posted when it's released, now that I'm back in the writing saddle.
Oh! And I will be happy to consider any suggestions on training that anyone wants to offer. Thanks in advance. ...and homey-chick don't run. So take that into consideration. |
