How not to recruit!

So recently I am co-heading the recruitment committee with I'd Hit That.
This is fine, because I can sit behind a computer and hide, and respond to e-mails, and facebook posts, and at no point really need to make eye contact with anyone, this showing them how ridiculously awkward I actually am.
I have handed a few things out, however it has always started with "You play roller derby? I always wanted to try that!"
*Insert random roller derby and why you should join explanation here*
I am not so great at initiating the conversations or asking getting right up in your face and screaming for the world to hear "ROLLER DERBY IS AWESOME! DOOOOOOOOO IT!"
I'd Hit that is however, so it works.
So this is how not to recruit.
I had to go to SNB to register a trailer for work.
Fine, I walk through the door and it hits me I forgot to fill out the account paperwork to have them charge this to head office and not try to take the money from my bank account.
Not that it would be there anyway, but that's a whole other blog post for a different time.
So I send random harassing text messages to a co-worker who is in the office so he will contact me with the numbers I need to fill out the paperwork there.
And trust me, they were pretty annoying text messages.
I get the number and they call my number.
Now I noticed there was a girl there I was not used to when I walked in, and I thought to myself, "If she serves me I am handing her a recruiting card."
So I get her, but they can't find the form I need, so I sit back down and send yet more harassing texts to the same co-worker and get him to fax me a copy of the form I need. Have I mentioned at this point it is creeping up on an hour since I walked in!
So of course the longer I'm there the more my nerves start to get to me, but I already told myself I was giving her this card, so I have to do it!

SCREW YOU SHYNESS! I WILL BEAT YOU INTO THE GROUND ONE EMBARASSING AWKWARD ENCOUNTER AT A TIME!

So the form gets faxed, I go back up and fill it out, get the registration, sign everything, say thank you then put the card I have been holding in my sweaty palms in front of her ont he desk and say "thisisforyou" and run away!
Well not run, but I did get up and move rather quickly.
I looked back and she took the card and was looking at it, but I felt like a complete dope!
*smacks head repeatedly*
Why can't I just be normal?

I am not now, nor have I ever been your SWEETHEART!

It's surprising to me that in this day in age you still have men in the workplace that somehow feel it's okay to referance woman with nicknames like "Sweety" or Sweetheart".
When it comes to my particular office, I am the highest on the list in terms of authority. I work with only men, and I have had to have chats with them about nicknames and how they are not appropriate. Which really, is ridiculous to me!
How have you made it this long without getting hit?
What really surprised me is the reaction of one of the students at the school when he found out I played Roller Derby.
Now I do not announce this to students, I don't even announce it to my co-workers. However I work with one person who is fascinated by it and he tells everyone! And of course because none of them know what it is, it immediately spreads through the office and soon every student is asking me about it.
Since they know very little about it, they immediately picture me in tight clothes, booty shorts and fishnets... *Sigh*
So one of them upon finding out I play roller derby has not only stopped calling me by my name, he now only calls me sweety, sweetheart, winks at me, and makes constant sexual references that are not appropriate in the least.
Prior to finding out I played, he refered to me by my name and was always resepctful.
I have made it clear it needs to stop, however since he is a not a co-worker, but technically for lack of a better term a customer, he feels he can continue on however he wants.
Me playing Roller Derby does not make me your sweety, your sweetheart! As a matter of fact the only person who calls me by such names is my mother!
Me playing Roller Derby does not make it so you no longer have treat me with respect!
Me playing Roller Derby does not make me a skank!

Actually, me playing Roller Derby means I can take you out quickly, effectively and without using my hands, and that I have about 30 girls who let me practice and hone my skills a few times a week.

Me playing Roller Derby does not give you the right to let you pig side come out front and center!
Roller Derby is a full contact sport. Would you approach a football player and talk to him the way you are now talking to me?
I wonder how this man would feel if his daughter played and men suddenly started talking to her the way he talks to me on a daily basis?
What is wrong with men?
Not all men, just the majority!

Hey there, been a while!

It has been a long time since I have updated this. Well, there are 2 reasons.
1. I have been very busy.
2. Well the above mentioned reason has made my derby life non existant.

I have been skating for 1.5 years. In that time I have rarely missed a practice, and never missed a game I was asked to skate in, and been at almost every fundraiser.
I was once told by my old coach, someone who was a stickler for attendance, "You know, you don't have to be at every practice, it's okay to take a night off." because at the time we were skating 3 nights a week, and I was there every single time!
So what the heck is going on with me lately? Why have I barely made it to any practices int he past month?
Honestly. I'm tired and constantly feel like I am rushing. Most nights when I get home I am exhausted and work has been a little drama filled the past 2 months or so. So when I get home and I still have things I have to do there, well, Derby just isn't my biggest priority.
I love derby, and I love skating, I miss it dearly. I have never missed this much time, however I have come to peace with it, realizing that just for this moment right now, I have to put my other priorities, work and family first, and derby second.
I am not done! Not by any means! I actually have a week off work at Christmas, and I am going to use that time to get caught up on things at home, relax a bit, and get things back on track. That way when the new year starts, I'll be ready to jump back in!
See you all soon!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Always one of my biggest fans!

 A very special Happy Birthday to one of best friends, biggest supporters, and wife extraordinaire Project Alice!
Yes, yes, she changed her Derby name.
Anyway, today she is, well older then she was before. Let's just say the occasion was a big enough deal that I purchased her a bottle of Champagne to celebrate.
Project Alice and I have been friends for about 6 years. We met when she came to a party I was having at my place. I had no idea who she was, and I was a little unsure who she was with at first, but there she was! That was about it for us, a friendship formed, and she's stood beside me ready to kick anyone's ass that looks at me or her sideways ever since! Last night sue to mommy hood  I was only at the birthday celebration until 11:30, however I doubt she remembers :)
So happy Birthday Project Alice, I hope this year is a great one for you!

Project Alice and her fiance Mr. Hyde

Money money money

Oh money! I love you when I have you, miss you when your gone!
Derby is frikken expensive!
You see girls skating with great new gear, well most likely unless they have money, which most of us don't, they either own a derby supply store, or they bought it slowly piece by piece!
Derby gear, much like computers, has constant items that are the best of the best!!!!... Until you buy it, then they new best thing comes out!
I am currently on my second:
-Pair of Skates
-Elbow pads
-Wrist guards
- Helmet
- Mouth guard

And third set of knee pads!

I have exactly 36 wheels! 16 outdoor, and 20 indoor (One set of outdoors I bought, the other I won.)
3 sets of bearings!
I have spare laces, and toe stops in my derby case.
I have things to tighten any bolt or screw on my skate.
And, well, the clothes!

Some of this is necessary for derby!
Some, like the clothes, not so much!

So how do you keep up with it all?
Well, my personal rule is necessity over want!
A few weekends ago I went to Saint John on Saturday for Slay of Fundy. At Slay I was greeted by table after table of stuff! Shiny stuff, pretty stuff, stuff I had an idea what it was, stuff I wanted and would figure out what it was later! So much awesome stuff!!!!
What did I buy?
Some hybrid wheels for the ever so slippery Lions club floor.
New bearings, cause one of my other sets had seen better days!
New pivot cups which I desperately needed.
A new sticker for my helmet, just cause it was pretty!
And that was it!
I wanted the shiny sparkly DerbySkinz! The Pivotstar hoodies! The ever so cute cardigans from HeartBreak Boutique!!! But I walked away, wallet bled slightly dry, but not as bad as it could have been. All in all I think I did quite well. I managed to keep a bit of money in my savings account, so I am pleased, although a shiny ass would have made me feel pretty awesome too!

We're not rich. We, like most others, live paycheck to paycheck! My new items came courtesy of a Saturday I worked at a career fair in Gagetown. My travel time pay, and overtime pay, made my shopping experience possible!
So how do you keep up? As Freshmeat, being overwhelmed with the cost of derby, finding out what is best, and getting dizzy when you see the cost of the FreshMeat package! OH MY!
Well.
-Buy second hand when you can, but be sure to check the quality of the item you're paying for!
-Ask lots of questions to the experienced skaters.
-Try on other peoples gear! Don't be afraid to ask, better you try something and know you like the feel then shell out money for something that doesn't work for you!
-And finally! Don't stress! Very few began with the best of the best! It took time to get the equipment we have! Worry about learning, the upgrades will come with time!

Accept for your knee pads, always look for a good quality kneepad, even right out the gate!
Just saying!

Look what I can do!!!!!

I remember being a little girl and going across the street and strapping on my white skates with the red wheels. Then Amy Smith, my neighbor, and I would skate and dance around. We would dare each other to go down Dutch Hill, a very steep hill in our neighborhood, we would fly down with no control, or knowledge on how to stop and hope we made the turn onto Olympic without severely hurting ourselves.  Amy had much more skill then I did. She could skate backwards, something I could never quite master and was very jealous of.
To this day whenever I hear the song Brown Eyed Girl, it reminds me of those times. It had become one of Amy's favorite songs, and we would listen to it often while skating.
I moved from Olympic Cres when I was 11. We moved to Riverview, and that was it with me and skating. Rollerblades had become popular, and roller skates were harder to find. I just didn't like roller blades, so my mode of transportation became my bike.
It's strange that 19 years later I would again strap on skates. My co-ordination from childhood was almost completely gone. I had enough memory that I could lift my feet comfortably to propel myself forward, but that was about it!
Now, 1.5 years later I can do so much more on my skates then I could when I was a child. I can skate backwards! Big thanks to Pixel Ninja for working with me for weeks until I got it down. I can jump, not high or far, but my feet do leave the ground and return safely! I can take and give a hit. I know about wheels, hardnesses, parts of a skate. I watch other skaters and hope to have there skill and confidence soon. Like this past weekend, watching the 709 Derby girls, and Rainbow Fight come up behind a pack and jump to the right and continue like it was nothing, it was impressive and by me was met with a "Did you see that? Holy Crap!" to the girl next to me.
Watching Snipress with the LumberSmacks is always entertaining. She has confidence and control I wish I could master. And she's just a really nice person who has partnered up with me and worked to show me how she does some of what she does.
Allie B Basin blew me away this weekend! She was right on top of things, hitting hard, skating backwards. She's always been a great skater, but you could see her confidence throughout this tournament! She was there to do some damage! And she did an awesome job!
So many more impressive skilled skaters, I can't mention them all, but wow! I hope by this time next year, with allot of work I can be where you are!
I find I do the best when I let go. Stop worrying about getting hurt and just do it! It's my own fear that stops me from progressing. It's a hard thing to get rid of, no one wants to get hurt! This next year will be me working past the fear to get myself to the next level. I have some amazing teachers here that are willing to help me, do I must take advantage of the opportunity.
Skating for me is still fun. I still feel like that kid skating around her neighborhood. But somehow, I am better now then I was then. And I'm only going to get better from here!

 I have been pretty quiet about the change I have made in not only leagues but teams as well. However I think by now most people have seen me and realized the change has been made.
I left a month ago and in that time I have been drafted to an absolutely awesome team the Reines of Terror, and I have played 2 games, and we won both of them I just want to add.
The game we played last night against PEI was the last game we are playing this season, and we kicked ass. My husband brought my son to the game and he got to see me play, which was awesome. Honestly, I couldn't be happier right now. I got the chance to play again this season, which is something I didn't think I would get. My teammates are awesome. Very encouraging and supportive. And I get to skate, and learn and play, which is exactly what I was looking to do!