The week before I was coming back from the flu but I was still coughing up my guts on the Friday so I had to sit out the training session with a shitty look on my face because I couldn't skate. I got back on my skates the next day at Skatel for a general skating session with some of the guys and girls from H.A.R.D and our future freshies. Leo and I continued our cat and mouse game, we each got the better of the other one at various stages. The funny moment came when I went to shoulder charge him but I clipped his skate and stacked it instead :D I somehow bruised his ankle with my skate during the morning, something tells me this will end in blood or tears or both hehe. Cherry and Mon also joined in on the fun with both of them lightly hitting me or carving in front of me. I was doing all this stuff for the first time and I think I coped with it ok. When they were about to hit me I'd squat down and try and provide some resistance so that I wouldn't go flying when they hit me. I had a lot of fun practising with them. In other major news after Cherry adjusted my toe stops I was finally able to stand up unassisted using my toe stops. I had never been able to do it until then, it was a massive relief because I was the only one in my league that couldn't do it. Once I started doing it a few times it became effortless and I thought to myself you have to be bloody kidding me it was so easy.
Last Friday was my first training session back from the flu and boy did I feel it. The ten minute endurace skating towards the end was the killer. My legs were so stuffed towards the end of the endurance that I don't think I was even skating properly anymore. Cherry was telling me during the endurance to think I was skating at Skatel because I'm still skating with fear at training which annoys me I wish it wasn't the case. Umm Cherry can we just switch our training sessions to Skatel I might improve a lot faster :) Along with Poz we had a photographer come out and take photos of us training for some promo shots, here's some of them we had to look angry in them :)
and bracing for hits is all great practise and helps with my confidence. My legs were stuffed so I'd take breaks but Cherry exploited my weakness by getting under my skin and calling me a piker. I knew she was trying to get a rise out of me and it bloody worked because all I could think was 'I'll fucking show you piker' so I'd get out and skate even though my legs weren't co-operating properly by that stage :D Cherry even helped the WSR freshies that were there, she really never stops coaching.
Sunday was brutal, it was off skate and on skate training. My legs are still suffering today. Cheya took over the training role for the freshie and she was really good. We practised various falls and stops, I was more confident with my t-stops after that. My toe stop caused me to injure my ankle just my luck so the endurance skating was a pain in the arse because I kept having to go off and try and somehow stretch the pain out not that that did much but I didn't give up and somehow got through it.
Our Corporal (white star) test is coming up in less than a month. The last two training sessions really highlighted how far behind I am everyone else. I don't believe I'll pass the test on my first attempt and I'm not stressed about it, I'd rather pass on my own merit than be passed on a dodgy because it'll only help me in the long run. I'm going to give it my best shot and I've got all my own training set out between now and then so I'll see how I go.
For those looking for some live derby action Sydney Roller Derby League have a double header on the 4th June. I'm bringing some friend's along who will be going to a bout to the first time. I'm hoping they enjoy it. All the details are here.
Lastly my league H.A.R.D is having its next freshie intake. Come along it'll be a lot of fun!
