Awkwardly Triumphant Return

Tonight was my first time back on skates since my shoulder injury nearly five months ago. It was scary and beautiful all at once. I felt awkward and clumsy as if I were a brand new recruit. None of that mattered.

I've officially retired from my team, although I will always be a Royal Pain. I'm going to continue to skate with my league for recreation and fitness. It's been an amazing adventure but there aren't enough hours in the day to fit everything in and I still have some physical recovery ahead of me. 

Take a peek at my roller derby page. Never been to a derby game? Always wanted to be a roller derby girl/guy? Check it out! It's one of the top accomplishments of my life so far. Even post surgery, I don't regret a minute of it!

Stitcher Down!

I've nearly survived my first week, post-op following shoulder surgery. I've been so blessed to have a boyfriend who had to go from architect to nurse overnight and handled it quite well. 

Physical ailments aside, the lack of stitching and skating in my life has been a real struggle. Skating is out of the question for at least the next 4 months. I likely have another few weeks before I can begin to stitch again and re-stock the shop at half capacity. 

Today has been a real turning point in the recovery process. I'll spare you the details but if you are facing any type of shoulder surgery in your future, feel free to contact me with any questions of what to expect, how it went for me, etc. It's a very uncomfortable recovery at it's temporarily debilitating, particularly if it is your dominate arm. Add allergies to pain medications, anxieties about the claustrophobic feelings of wearing the immobilizer brace for a couple months, and you have a tough first week or so once you return home.

Was derby worth the pain and financial burden? When I went down, I went down jamming. Being injured on skates does not feel like a badge of honor or a source of pride. It hurt. It still hurts. It is an expensive injury. But I knew all of this when I signed up. The benefits that I have found from derby could never be duplicated through any other source. I will be back on skates in some capacity. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2012

A little late on this update. Here are a few highlights from Game 4. 

Me and Mr. Stitch

Photo Credit Steve Yates, KC Star

Photo Credit Steve Yates, KC Star

Photo Credit Steve Yates, KC Star

Photo Credit Steve Yates, KC Star

Photo Credit Steve Yates, KC Star

Game 3 Rocky Horror Derby Show

Jamming Debut! A harsh loss but I've never been more ready for the next game!

Photo Credit: Brandi Beyer Wilson

So proud to have my niece Baila on the rink with me during half-time! 

Photo Credit: KC Derby Digest

Hard work to earn the right to wear these!

Royal Pains Family

80's themed sleepover and family day at the park. It was a great weekend for team building!

Shamrock Showdown: Game 2

Slamming my head and body into a concrete wall at a high rate of speed. Check mark on the bucket list! I loved every minute of it!

  Photo Credit Steve Yates-KC Star

 Photo Credit Steve Yates-KC Star

 Photo Credit Amy Gray

Photo Credit Paul Adderly

 Photo Credit KC Derby Digest

  Photo Credit Brandi Wilson http://brandicewilson.smugmug.com/

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

 Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

Photo Credit Brandi Wilson

Build Up to Game Day

There is so much build up to game day! I'm dealing with my nerves by soaking up all of the support from our fans. The clinic where I work has declared this Friday as "Purple Friday." My little sister made a poster for the team. Knowing that my mom and sister back home are showing support from so far away is the best feeling!

Night of the Loving Dead: Only Fools Fall and Shove

Pics from my first derby bout. This was truly the most amazing night. Proper words are still not there to describe the feeling of playing derby.

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Brandi Wilson

Photo by Brandi Wilson

 Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

  Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

  Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

 Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

  Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

  Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

 Photo by Sergio Obrosov 

 Photo by KC Derby Digest

Photo by KC Derby Digest

Photo by KC Derby Digest

Photo by Steve Yates-KC Star

 Photo by Steve Yates-KC Star

Photo by Steve Yates-KC Star

 Photo by Steve Yates-KC Star

Photo by Steve Yates-KC Star

Photo by Steve Yates-KC Star

Derby Pep Rally

My boss is giving us an hour off today for a derby pep rally. "How to be a derby fan 101" and glittery sign making. 2 days 'till Game Day! My co-workers are the best!

League Photo Shoot

Quick shots grabbed with various iPhones. I'll post our professional pics once they are available. 

Post-Practice

I am going to bed with an ice pack in tow and hope to practice jamming in my sleep, hopefully with fewer penalties this time.

Polar Plunge & 5K Day

I've been excited for weeks to put on my finest derby fishnets and jump into an icy lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. There was not much ice but the temperature wasn't particularly kind to our freezing cold limbs. I was so incredibly cold after the first hour following registration, that I found myself signing up and lining up for the 5K portion of the fundraiser. 35:32 was my clock time. Not bad for my very first 5K and first time running in nearly a year. I feel another obsession coming on.

Skate Night with Lil Stitch

Aunt Stitch will have her ready to be a Derby Brat in no time!

The happiest I've felt about being outside this winter.

6.7 mi skate trip "most epic day!" with iSkate - GPS Skate Computer for iPhone (http://iSkate.vdt.me/) finished!

Show Track in Google Maps

vdt.me

Trip time: 01:00:16 | Trip distance: 6.7 mi | Trip calories: 447 kcal | Average speed: 6.7 mph | Maximum speed: 11.8 mph | Climbed altitude: 111 ft

Why Derby?

Pace lines with friends and outside voices are encouraged. I can become Stitch and forget that my professional self exists.

Helmet DIY

Blinged out derby helmet, modeled by Lil' Stitch!

Derby Name Approval

My derby name has been submitted and approved by my league and appears to have cleared the national roster! You can now refer to me as "Stitch." I'll be skating as "Stitch Reaper" #8.6 yds. 

Here is my rough draft, preliminary logo.

Dead Girl Derby Ugly Sweater Party

You may remember last year's tutorial for up-cycled leg warmers, made from the remains of my sweater from the Dead Girl Derby Ugly Sweater Party. It's that time again, but this year, I will be attending as a Dead Girl!

I donated this piece for the silent auction. Lots of other great items up for grabs!

Plan to attend this Saturday! 

More Info on Facebook

Dead Girl Derby Draft Night 2011

It finally happened! I am officially a "fully dead" Dead Girl Derby skater. I am proud to announce that I was drafted onto the Royal Pains. Watch out for this team in 2012! We will be a purple force to be reckoned with. The draft night was the most amazing experience. Picture somewhere between 65-75 people from the league in my house...screaming when the draft calls came in and partying the night away. I'll never forget that night. 

Derby Tights

My new 7 Deadly Sin Tights...I see you trying to creep up on me sloth! This is my favorite Etsy purchase to date.

Here it goes...confessions of fresh meat. I am now half-way through the new recruit process with the Dead Girl Derby league in Kansas City. The fateful night of skills testing will be here before I know it. The past several weeks have been such an amazing experience that I have not yet been able to set down and put it into words. Friends and co-workers ask me how practice has been going and what it is like to try out for a roller derby league. I give them a basic answer and post the general status updates, but I really never try to paint a vivid picture of what the experience has been like for me so far. I cherish the experience so much that I almost selfishly try to keep it all to myself. 

So many emotions are wrapped up in this process for me. Fear (of getting my ass kicked or embarrassed), pride (I bust at the seams with it when I think about Dead Girl Derby), reprisal on the memories of my bullies (all of those popular athletes in Jr High and High School that made this athletically challenged nerd's life hell), satisfaction (when I think about all that I have accomplished in the past several weeks), and finally, empowerment (when I realize that I share a home with my biggest fan who never stops encouraging me and cheering me on. He is the best). Maybe sharing a little bit of this process with others isn't so bad after all. 

My confidence level throughout this process has ebbed, it has flowed, and a couple of times it has evaporated into thin air. My very first practice was amazing. I jumped into an endurance test, completing 20 laps in 4 min. 35 seconds, safely under the 5 minute requirement. I left practice thinking I was some kind of speed demon. The next two practices were spent picking my ass up off of the ground every 3 minutes. I left the rink thinking I was crazy for even considering this sport and full disclosure, there may have been at least one tear shed on the drive home. I've had more good practices than bad and I'm trying to focus on what I've accomplished each night.

In my Social Work Masters program, entire semesters were dedicated to Group Theories and learning how to facilitate cohesion within various types of groups. Scrap everything I learned there. Group cohesion happens when you show up for practice at 8pm regardless of the holiday or weather, sweat your asses off with 40+ other chicks who are skating around in their underwear and fishnets, and booty checking each other to the ground. You are all in it together. You all stink to high hell and you compliment each others' bruises at the end of the long night. I've made more friends in the past 4 weeks than I have in the past 4 years. Regardless of what our fate turns out to be in derby, just going through this experience together makes me predict that I will remain friends with many of these ladies (and gentlemen) beyond the rink. 

I spend my lunch breaks at work obsessing over the skills set list. I highlight the ones that I need to work on, I cross out the ones that I feel like I am beginning to "master." The next day, I'm whiting out and rethinking my plan of attack for being able to complete these skills by the mid-October test. A nerdy perfectionist...that's just who I am.

So what I need to work on....CONFIDENCE! It's time to get over myself, take those falls, dish out those hits, and do it as if I've been doing it for years. My derby tights may be cute, but they will look a lot better with a Dead Girl uniform than collecting dust on the shelf of my closet. I can't give up...I have to make this league! Thanks everyone for encouraging me to share a little more about this process. Your support means the world. 

Roller Derby Fresh Meat

This week has been a whirlwind of new experiences. I am officially a "Newly Dead" recruit for the Kansas City Dead Girl Derby. My first practice was on Sunday and my poor muscles are hating me. The pain is amazing and is a constant reminder of how awesome this experience is! Here are a few pics from my album. 

"The Fresh Meat Files"

Skate Route Mapped for My Upcoming D.C. Trip

I recently found a path at my neighborhood park that is specifically for skaters and bicycles. "Wheels Park" has been my new home, nearly every morning at 6:30am. I'm working towards the all mighty goal of 20 miles per morning. So far....6 miles has been pushing it.

I wanted to share an iPhone app that I found that will track your progress through GPS. iSkate is my favorite new app and one that I certainly think that I will get a lot of use out of. It tracks distance, speed, calories burned, and elevation climbed during your trip.  It is too good not to share!