What a great weekend of derby.

Last weekend was the 2^nd annual Muddy River Rollers Jamboree. They had teams from Maine, Quebec, and all over New Brunswick and Nova Scotia come to play for 2 days!
This was my team, Hits N Sass, second time playing for the public, in 20 minute scrimmages. We were excited to hit the track and anxiously awaiting our time to get out there.
The first shock of the day came when my coach announced I was going to be 1 of the 2 Pivots he had chosen for the weekend. I was extremely happy when he announced this. I really wanted the position, so I had been working my ass off in practice trying to earn it. I was told after by Smokey, our captain, that they had discussed it in length, and noticed I had been stepping up, and that after numerous talks with each other felt that I was the best for the job.
*blush*
Our first game was against The Riptide Rollers from Bridgewater NS. I am so proud of how we played. Our walls were great, penalties, well we could have stood to have a few less, but it happens! All part of the learning process. We won the game in the end. The girls on the team were solid throughout that game. I couldn’t be prouder of how they played. I remember at one point we had a power jam, and we were in our line on the side, I yelled “SWEEP!” and boom! A perfect sweep! I think perhaps the first time we pulled it off properly! Our coach said after he was so proud when he saw that.
I was also informed after that I did something that I kind of wish I could have seen. Here’s the thing you must remember, when you are in the middle of playing the game, you look and observe the best you can. But things around you happen so quickly, the decisions are quick, and me personally, I don’t look back to see if I inflicted damage, because when you look back to see what you just did, then you are no longer concentrating on the game in play. And that 2 second glance could cause you to something stupid.
LipSmack told me after, that I was on the track alone, not sure how it happened, but we were on a power jam, and all 3 other blockers were in the penalty box. Keeping in mind the NSO’s were all being trained and new to the position so did not realize that this was not something that is usually allowed in game play. So it was me, LipSmack, and 3 blocker from Riptide. I apparently, or so I have been told, took out all 3 girls in one hit. LipSmack said she was skating up, saw me alone, and was terrified of what was about to happen, then suddenly they were on the ground, I was standing, and she skated by without issue. I really wish I could have seen that! I honestly don’t remember doing it, but have been assured by several people it did happen, including my husband.
My bad hit for the weekend also came in that game, a huge direction of play. My husband loved that hit, he said he has never seen a girl crumple like that. I however was extremely mad at myself for it. I know better, I found the game on Canuck Derby TV and sought out that hit so I could see exactly what I did, to make sure I did not so it again! The part where I took down 3 girls, was not in the game, there was about 15 seconds cut, and that happened to be it.
Oh well, move on.
Our second game was against PEI.
These girls were great, tight walls, great timed hits. Very impressed with their game play. There were a few things that upset me a bit about this game, not only that we ourselves did not play as good as we should have, but we lost focus early on when a mistake was pointed out to us. When we tried to have it fixed, it was made worse. Then that was it, our heads were out of the game, and we did not play up to par.
Sunday came. My son had come the day before to the Riptide Rollers game. He is 3, and it is the first time he has seen me skate. The next morning I asked if he would come watch me again, and he told me “I not watch Rower Derby! I pay Rower Derby with Mommy!” And proceeded to go get his skates. He brought them out and said “I ready for Rower Derby Mommy, I have skates!”
I let my coach know my son was up for playing a game or 2, but we decided maybe it wasn’t the best idea.
First game, Halifax! What a fun game! We did not win, but we played well, and I am happy about this. Someone told me after that the same mistake that was made the day before, happened again in the Halifax game. I didn’t noticed, because I refused to let myself look at the score through the entire game. It happens, we’re all learning, move on!
Our 4^th and the final game of the weekend was supposed to be against Fredericton. Unfortunately, we were short players, and had a few injuries so had to forfeit.
-Shimmy Shocker hurt her back and could not come Sunday.
-Em Jekill was playing for the first time that weekend due to being off from a knee injury, and hurt her knee again in the second game.
-LipSmack could not make it Sunday
-I myself was nursing a leg injury, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop me from playing.
-Smokey hurt her back in the Halifax game, and although she was trying her hardest to fake like she was fine, was having a hard time moving.
-We had borrowed 2 players from Saint John for the weekend, and both had to leave that morning and could not play Sunday.
All this equaled, to few girls, and a 20 minute exhibition scrimmage, just was not important enough to risk girls getting hurt worse, and not being able to play the Halifax game in 2 weeks, and the Moncton game in 3 weeks. So we cut our losses, and forfeited. A decision that was hard to make, but for the best!
So the weekend came to a close. Smokey won best jammer for our team, and I won best blocker. Something that surprised me greatly, and I was probably 5 different shades of red walking up to get my congratulations high 5 from Liz Nail’er.
The weekend is over, my legs have more bruises then I thought 1 person could have, my son is going through serious mommy withdrawal and announced that today him and I were staying home together all day. I had to put pants on this morning before coming to work, and I feel seriously overdressed. Real life once again takes over.