BEAST of the East champions!!!

After a 2 day roller-derby tournament in which your team makes it all the way to the finals (and maybe even wins), I have to say that if you don't feel like you got hit by a bus, you just didn't give it your all.

16 teams. Mostly from Quebec and Ontario. 12 hours of roller-derby on the Saturday and then another 6.5 hours of roller-derby on the Sunday. That's an insane amount of derby.

My team, La Racaille, fought valiantly until the end. Sunday morning, we faced our local foes Les Filles du Roi and they won, but since we were as of yet undefeated, we were not yet eliminated. So we continued on. And later in the day, we found ourselves face to face with FDR once again for the semi-finals. This time we played harder and smarter and were victorious. This bought us a ticket to the championship game. And guess who we got to face off with at the championship, none other than Montreal Roller Derby's other team The Contrabanditas. Playing against another team from our league made the whole event just so much more exciting for us. The Ditas gave us a run for our money. They proved to be pretty fierce competition. At one point, I even took a hit to the head from the lovely and talented Boxcar Bethy. Despite being tired from 2 long days of derby, we'd found our team's thunder and we came out victorious in the end.

La Racaille: 2009 Beast of the East Champions!!!

I am so very proud of my team.

Shut up and skate!

That's my team motto.

This weekend, we had a little team bonding retreat. We drove out to a cabin in the woods for some chilling, dancing, drinking, strategizing and all around awesomesauce. It was a ton of fun. I really love my team. Such a wonderful group of people. All of them big-hearted, fun and quirky. I couldn't have found a better suited group of people to be my teamates if I'd hosted an american idol style tv show about it.

Now that my team is all bonded. We're psyching ourselves up for the tournament this weekend. Beast of the East 2009. Our first game together since I joined the team will be Saturday morning at 11:20. It'll be a non-stop derby weekend.

Just a few days left to get ready. I've got new wheels (which are not only awesome in their shiny newness but also very necessary as my old one have been entirely striped of their grip) and there are 3 practices left for me to get myself entirely in game mode. Grrr. (that's my derby growl)

derby roadtrips and the cure for social anxiety

This weekend, the Montreal Sexpos hit the road to take on the Bytowne Blackhearts in Ottawa. I was originally supposed to play this game, but since I was sick for the better part of the month, I let someone less rusty take my spot on the roster. However, I did find myself a nice spot in the bleachers and yelled until my throat swelled and my lungs threatened to explode. It was great fun. And like any derby roadtrip is was both exhilerating and exhausting.

We got back into town around 4 yesterday. Which gave me about 45 minutes, after driving people home, to unwind on my couch before hopping back into my car and heading to team practice. My better judgment told me to cave into my exhaustion and just stay home, but having promised a ride to one of my teammates, I dutifully went to practice. And I did not regret it. For the first time since my lung infection, I was able to work myself to the bone without exploding into fits of coughing. Admittedly, my endurance has gone to shit from my lack of practice, so I got tired and therefore sloppy before practice came to an end. But when it all came to an end, I felt completely and utterly satisfied. I had worked hard. My pads were all drenched in sweat. And I imagine that mixture of adrenaline and self-satisfaction is like to how a superhero feels after a job well-done. The post-roadtrip social anxiety that I always feel after hours jammed into a car with an assortment of people had been obliterated by the beating I took on the track.

For a while, I was a little scared that, having been picked for a team, I'd disappoint my teammates. Being sick for a while did nothing to alleviate that fear. But yesterday, I had a moment of clarity during which all my fears vanished. I felt the potential lurking within me. Bits of it shone through. And I am determined to do everything in my power to help it reach the surface. Outlook: optimistic.