Ideas to add to your Rookie Package-making it even more awesome!

Now you have picked out the Rookie Package of your DREAMS! But you still want to buy more goodies. One of the questions I hear most often in the shop when a new skater is picking out her Rookie Package is, "What should I upgrade?". You want to make sure you invest in stuff you will actually need/use. Of course everyone wants to get some tights, booty shorts and maybe a couple of pairs of socks. I will suggest some other items that will help increase your performance on the track, right from the start, or at least make it easier to focus on learning how to fall small and not get yelled at for taking your mouth guard out.

First, let's talk toe stops. The ones that come with your original Rookie Package. They will get the job done, you will be able to stop. If you are wanting to spend a couple more bucks and make it so easy you forget you are learning something advanced, take a look at the Gumballs. http://www.rollergirlskates.com/gumball-toestops.aspx

When I was Fresh Meat, these did not exist yet. I learned my suicides but they were never very pretty, they just were. When I got my upgraded skates they existed, so I said what the heck, I will give 'em a try. OMG, major difference. Now all those things you have to do on your toe stops, so easy. You never have to worry about if contact is made just right to hit the right spot on your toe stops, they are there! If you can love toe stops, I love these. 

Second, mouth guards. The Rookie Packages come with Shock Doctor Mouth Guards, nothing wrong with those, they do the job. If you are JUST starting out, you will soon learn about communicating on the track. You have to tell your other blockers when you see that jammer coming up on the outside or inside you need to let the rest of your pack know. You can do that with a standard mouth guard, but sometimes your other blockers will just look at you with a puzzled expression because you sound quite a bit like the teacher from Peanuts. WOM WOM WOM WOM WOOOOM. Take a lookie at the Protech Dent Mouth Guards: http://www.rollergirlskates.com/protech-dent-mouth-guards.aspx

They advertise that you can talk, drink water and even breathe easier...all while drooling less. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty darned good to me. I was a little skeptical at first. I waited till at least fifty girls in my league had them for a while, made sure none of them lost teeth or anything, then I jumped on board. Again I say OMG. Totally worth every penny. They fit snugly to your teeth, you can just about forget you are wearing a mouth guard. According to the technical info they actually provide 30% better protection than conventional mouth guards, so if you like your pearly whites, a good investment. 

In summary, if you want some goodies to make your rookie package that much sweeter, order those two items. You don't have to, but they just make life easier. Of course that is just my opinion. Now go pick you out some booty shorts and tights and get your derby on. ;-) 

~Peaches

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R3 Rookie Package Breakdown

Wanting to get all your gear to start f’ing it up on the track? Here is a description of what comes with the R3 Rookie Package which retails for $269 and comes with everything you need to get started:

 

Breakdown of R3 Rookie Package:

 

Skate: R3

The r3 is a great starter skate. It’s perfect for those people just getting their feet wet in derby. The boot is made from Clarino (which is vegan friendly) and is sized for men. This means that you would want to go down ONE size from your ladies size shoe to get the right fit. It comes equipped with the Powerdyne Nylon plate. The bearings are KWIK abec 5 which are high quality bearings perfect for someone learning their way around the track. The wheels are Radar Caymans which are a wide wheel with a speed groove with a durometer of 95A.

Helmet: Triple 8 Brainsaver:

Available in many colors and sizes. They are also available in Rubber or Glossy. Adds protection for your noggin.

Knee pads: Triple 8 KP Pro

Triple 8’s top of the line derby knee pad offers heavy duty EVA memory foam for ultimate comfort and optimal protection.

Elbow Pads: The 187 Fly Elbow

These are perfect for derby. They have super thick caps for the most protection. They are designed for excellent flexibility and comfort. They are double stitched for durability.

Wrist Guards: Triple 8 Wristsavers

These are ideal for our sport with a padded Kevlar palm. They have a thick support strap that wraps around the entire wrist.

Toe Protection: Toe Savers

Made from tough matte vinyl, this will protect the front of your skates from getting scuffed up. You will need to unscrew your toe stop and put this on the toe stop and screw it back on and then snap the other side into your laces.

Mouthguard: Shock Doctor Gel Max

This mouthguard has a triple layer design with an integrated breathing channel which makes it easy to breathe with it in (which meets a requirement of our species) and to communicate on the track with your teammates. It comes in many different colors as well which you can specify in the customer notes.

There are few instructions on molding it to your mouth which comes with the package.  These mouthguards provide maximum protection for your teeth, jaws and brain!

Tool: Reflex Utilitool

This is a must for getting into derby. It’s very important to get to know your skates and working on them yourself really gives a sense of accomplishment and helps you know more about your skating. It has a 9/16” socket for adjusting your trucks, a ½” socket for adjusting the wheel locknuts and a 3/8” for mounting hardware. It has a mechanism for pressing bearings into wheels as well and a tool to rethread your axle, which is only good for use on 8mm axles.

Lube: Bones Speed Cream

This is a high speed lubricant for your bearings which will allow them to roll faster and longer with less wear on them. Simply take your bearings out of your wheels and take the shield off the bearing and add one drop to each bearing and spin it while holding it in between your fingers. Then you’ll wanna put the shield back on, put the bearings back in your wheels and put your wheels back on. (See, the tool comes in handy already!)

And of course…..

The Roller Girl Skates T Shirt!

This is a super comfy and flattering black V neck with a design on the front and the back. I love mine and have even had my name printed on the back so I can scrimmage in it!!

All of the Rookie Packages we carry are great, but this is the best seller. It’s what I got from RGS as my Rookie Package and I couldn’t have been more pleased.

If you have any questions at all regarding this or anything else we carry please feel free to give us a call at 866-983-3729 and we will be happy to assist you.

Skate fast and skate hard!

Weapon X

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DDD to Host 3rd Annual Clover Cup

clover-cup-bracket-and-schedule.pdf Download this file

       

Spring is here. WFTDA’s South Central region is continuing its interleague action of the 2012 season. On March 24th and March 25th the Dallas Derby Devils will be hosting their 3rd annual Clover Cup Tournament at Nytex Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, TX. This is the home venue for the Devils and it is a great atmosphere for roller derby. This tournament will consist of 8 South Central leagues competing for a good spot as we reach the 2nd quarter of the WFTDA rankings. Last year, the legendary Texecutioners took 1st place, Houston took 2nd and underdogs Green Country Rollergirls took 3rd.

The 8 teams competing this year are:

New Jax City Rollers from Jacksonville, FL
Omaha Rollergirls All-stars from Omaha, NE
Oklahoma Victory Dolls from OKC, OK
Green Country Rollergirls All Starz from Tulsa, OK
Tampa Tantrums from Tampa, FL
Gold Coast Derby Grrls from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Houston All-stars from Houston, TX
Army of Darkness from Dallas, TX

New Jax City Rollers are an “on the rise” team with a recent win over Gold Coast and are coached by some of the best in Men’s Derby: Streak and Powder of the Magic City Misfits. New Jax City is currently ranked 11th in WFTDA- SC  and 10th on Flat Track Stats. Here are some key players: Meow Mix Yo’ Face Up, Crash, 12 Gauge, and Miley Virus who was a former Dallas skater.

The Omaha All-stars are relatively new to the SC region, but not to the sport. They gave a great impression by getting into the top ten soon after being transferred to the SC region so that they could compete in the 2011 Regional tournament. Currently ranked at 10th on WFTDA- SC and 8th on FTS, they will be a great match for any team this weekend.  Look out for Ima Firestarter to be a key point scorer and Bella Cope and Auntie Embolism to be other fierce threats.

The Oklahoma Victory Dolls All-stars just recently competed in the 2012 Governor’s Cup hosted by fellow Dallas league, Assassination City. They are currently ranked 17th on WFTDA-SC and 19th on FTS. With highly agile jammers and a wall of red that can stop a freight train, they will NOT take it easy on any team they compete against. Phoenix Envy, Czech 1-2, Critical Sass and Mount Crushmore will be just a few of their dominate players on the track.

The Green Country Rollergirls All-starz is a team that has come a LONG way. With a fantastic display at 2011 SC Regionals, they are hoping to continue that momentum for the 2012 season. They are currently ranked 7th on WFTDA- SC and 15th on FTS.  You can tell they study their asses off and do hardcore workouts on and off skates. Their roster is very stacked and they are some of the hardest hitting players I know of. Captain Temptress Storm ninjas her way through the pack while Bounce Her, Elektra Violette, Hott Rodd Havoc and JenATease are there to put a halt to the opposing jammers.

The Tampa Tantrums have been developing as a great team for the last 4 years. Their current ranking is 8th on WFTDA- SC and 6th on FTS.  With Little A being a player for the USA World Cup team and several speed skaters on their team, they are a force to be reckoned with. You can tell their dynamic is strong and they have a great sisterhood both on and off the track. Of Course Little A will be slicing through the pack like “butta” they also have some scary blockers out there including Bettie Krueger, Anita Bopabitch, Leia Flat and Lunch Lady.

The Gold Coast Derby Grrls are a very impressive team known to make adjustments and come up from a loss. Just like Omaha, they made it to regionals within the first year of becoming a part of the WFTDA. They are currently ranked at 9th oh WFTDA-SC and 17th on FTS. Gold Coast and Green Country faced each other TWICE at last October during regionals so just the thought of seeing them compete against each other again makes me want to JUMP UP AND DOWN WITH EXCITEMENT! Some of their key players are Jess Business, Iggy Cocks, and one of the best “apex jumpers” I’ve seen: Lucy Lunatic.

Houston All-stars. What a stacked roster. Mistilla. Brandi Brown. Rebel Ann. Goldie Bloxx. Jekyll and Heidi. Enough said. There has also been a reemergence of DBC who has inspired most of us to continue to be the best after having her lay out people one after another. They also have Windigo, who was a key player on the Canadian World Cup team. Always expect these ladies to give 110 % performance when they compete. They are a very strong force in the SC region.

DDD’s Army of Darkness has had their eye on the Clover Cup since back in 2010 and they believe this is the year to prove victorious.  Coach O’Raney and Captain Anita Riot lead these fearless soldiers through any and every battle with tenacity. They also have a very stacked roster with a deep jammer rotation and some hard hitting blockers such as Rink Panther, Juice Box, Hollywood Hitcha, recent addition, but long time veteran Annie Wrecksion, and yours truly Weapon X.

This upcoming weekend will prove to be a great one for the South so make sure you attend this tournament or keep up with the scores so that you are in the know.

For tickets and any other info visit:

http://dddclovercup.com/

    

 

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Exactly Why Would I Need a Knee Gasket or Knee Stabilizer?

Knees. Man, if only they were easy to replace. We as derby skaters put a

huge amount of strain on them.

Back in early 2010 while playing in a home team game with my league, the

Dallas Derby Devils, I had a phenomenal game. Scored the most points for my

team and felt great. I even reffed outside pack ref in the game after mine. Felt like

a million bucks, until I woke up the next morning. I could not bend my right knee.

It was completely stiff. I panicked; afraid I had done some major damage. Luckily

we have a sponsored doctor, Dr. Turgeon, who also sees the Dallas Mavericks. He

did some x-rays and examined my knee.

He taught me two great things:

1. I was suffering from Excessive Lateral Patellar Compression Syndrome. In

Layman’s terms: my knee cap had slightly leaned off its track. It is actually

very common in jammers and very aggressive skaters. The constant turning

left and the forceful push from the outside right leg causes this. It can

often occur without any injury at all but the pressure on the patella can

eventually cause it to slightly lean. The patella is a v-shaped bone that sits

in the groove of the thigh bone. Surgery is not usually needed, just rehab

stretching and a knee stabilizer, which I will talk about more in a moment.

2. The knee pads most derby skaters use are created for skateboarders. The

padding around the knee is not formfitting to the knee so when it takes a

blunt hit to the ground, some damage can be done, similar to when you

get in a car accident and hit your knee on the dashboard. Dr. T suggested

researching more formfitting knee pads, which some companies such as

Triple 8 are currently working towards.

This leads to why knee gaskets or patella stabilizers can become a

derby skater’s best friend. I purchased a knee stabilizer made by Bellhorn

from a drugstore. There are many other brands out there as well. It is

made from mostly neoprene, which keeps the muscles and knee warm

while competing. It has a donut shape around the knee to hold the knee in

place and protect the knee caps from moving around. A proper warm up

and proper stretching can prevent things like this, but extra protection can

never hurt.

I then decided I needed something for my other knee, just for extra

support. I got a 187 knee gasket and loved it. It is a tight fitting neoprene

sleeve with a donut pad around the knee cap. The padding feels great

underneath my kneepads.

I would highly suggest researching some of these products if you

feel like this is something you can relate to. I know that all we derby folk

are looking for ways to extend our careers as badass derby athletes.

Preventing injury is very important to the longevity of our muscles and adds

confidence that you are fully supported when competing.

You can of course find great knee gaskets at rollergirlskates.com

Here are some great links to look at for further research:

http://advancingyourhealth.org/orthopedics/files/2011/05/Patellofemoral-Syndrome.pdf

http://www.bellhorn.com

http://www.muellersportsmed.com

http://www.rollergirlskates.com/the-187-knee-gasket.aspx 

Weapon

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