December 2011
47 posts
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Birmingham Blitz Dames's 2011 Review →
I wrote this for the BBD blog. I missed out arguably the most crucial event of 2011, which was Daphne du Gorier joining the league and making it 100% harder to get through a drill with her trying to distract everyone.
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Muslim Fashion Appreciation Post
ichbinschadenfreude:
I see a lot of Tumblr posts of girls in their short shorts and singlets that only cover up half their torso, but I don’t think I have seen a Fashion post about classy, stylish or spunky, conservatively-presented girls, most especially Muslim girls. Mad props for them for showing sexy, classy and stylish without showing too much skin! Here goes! Enjoy!
...
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Marriage
I’ve been thinking about it, lately.
I’m pretty into the idea of marriage. Once, in one of those upscale novelty candy stores, I saw this really old couple shuffling through. They wore oversized cardigans and looked bewildered by all the bright colours and noise, as if they’d been cryogenically frozen and now woken up in the future.
the huge, ridiculous jelly bean bull we...
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What Do Muslims Do For Christmas?
Around this time of year, friends tend to chatter away about their Christmas plans and preparations. Then they look at me, with a dawning suspicion. “What are your Christmas plans?” I shrug and give an apologetic smile. “Nothing much. I don’t really celebrate Christmas.”
Everytime I give away this slice of information, I’m met with horror. “Then, what do...
“1. WRITE A NOVEL.
a short story!
2. SEWING PROWESS.
using japanese sewing...”
– These were the aims I had for this year. I achieved none of them. ><
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Poem by Roisin Roulette of Birmingham Blitz Dames and All Ireland Roller Derby fame.
My bones ache in the cold; and forty bouts Have left their marks on me. New tactics come and go; I can adapt Skate either fast or slow. My chosen clothing functions to conceal The strapping and the padding underneath Which hold my joints in place Meanwhile my face Reveals my will to battle for the win. I am a...
Jollifications: Footage...where? when? how? →
jolly-pop:
It was only when I started watching lots of footage that I saw a real improvement in my understanding of game-play, strategy and rules. This in turn gave me a much needed boost in confidence in my own judgement when on the track. I noticed a particular improvement in my game-play after the epic…
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daphnedoesderby asked: Dear Daphne, I have noticed that you now have comments enabled on your journal. What's that about? Why did it take you so long? Is it because you hate hearing what people have to say because if someone else is speaking it means that YOU are not speaking, and you hate not speaking? Lots of love, Daphne
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Why Can't People Understand Roller Derby?
I’ve been wondering about this.
At first I thought it might be because there weren’t enough things in roller derby. So I made this diagram to illustrate it.
Now, nevermind about the interesting suggestions this diagram is making, because as soon as I finished it, I realised that skates could be classed as a tool. Then I realised that running and swimming were sports and they...
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Game Faces →
From the world cup! Raw Heidi is the best.
Calling The Wild: An Announcer's Perspective -... →
If you are a skater, an NSO, a ref, or even tangentially involved with a Roller Derby league, here are a few tips on how to help your league’s announcer improve and create a more enriching experience for your audience.
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me: you can't not turn up to practice because you're hungover.
Captain kick'ard: yeah, the amount of times you've turned up to practice hungover. it's a real testament to your spirit.
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Home Truths
Roller derby teaches you a lot about yourself.
Recently I have realised something that shook me to my core.
I’m a bad sport.
This has never really occurred to me before, mainly because I never cared enough about a sport to get upset or attitudey about it. Also, because I’m so nice!
At first I sort of ignored it, brushed it off as a one time thing, but today, while seething in the...
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The Post-Derby Shower
There is something special, about the post-derby shower.
I have never had a practice where I’m glad to finish. Even when my skates feel too tight, or I’ve run out of water, or Roisin Roulette is running an endurance session.
However, once practice properly finishes, my feelings change quite dramatically. I’ve made a chart, so you can see it in diagramatic form.
As you can see,...
Things I Learned From Roller Derby;
thingsilearnedfromrollerderby:
There are always going to be people who are going to make you feel like you’re not good enough to play derby. These people should not bring you down but should be part of your motivation to be the best jammer/pivot/blocker ever. You’re more than good enough, keep skating.
Just wanted to plug this tumblr.
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WFTDA December 2011 Featured Skater: Kelley Young →
I love reading these! They ask the questions you really want to know.
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I think I’m having derby withdrawal.
It’s not the sport aspect. I do miss that, but I’ve got it covered.
It’s just that, after a while, you start to take for granted that three times a week you’re going to be meeting up with a bunch of awesome women who will be able to discuss the important issues such as ‘did you see the video where Quadzilla jumped over nine...
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Modesty, Mormon Style →
I don’t want my daughters equating “modesty” with how much skin they choose to reveal or to cover. Sure, I’d like them to be modest, but modesty encompasses so much more than how much leg or cleavage or, okay, shoulder you reveal. Modesty is about attitude, demeanor, dispositions.
I don’t know much about mormons, but this article resonates on many levels with me, particularly in the...
A Day In The Life Of Team Canada - Pivotstar →
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Derby Fuels My Recovery From Eating Disorder →
“My ideal of beauty used to be the girls that I saw on the ʻthinspirationʼ pages of pro-ana sites. Now it is the girls that skate in the league. They are some of the most beautiful, strong, exceptional women I have ever met, and they are amazing athletes.”
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The article I mentioned yesterday has now been closed for comments. From what I can see, I’d imagine this is because the response it got was recognised as negative because it’s stupid, rather than negative because it was controversial.
It’s very easy to say something poorly researched and deliberately antagonistic, maybe because you think you can get away with it, or, as...
Giving Roller Derby A Sporting Chance →
More articles like this, please.
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accio-rollerskates asked: Yeah I'm a tiny person as well. Someone told me the Poisons are pretty much just like Sugars, which I'm on now. Any idea if that's true? The poisons come in the slim width though, right? What width do you skate on?
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Roller Derby Isn't a Sport. Yeah, right.
I woke up this morning to this article on Why Roller Derby Isn’t a Sport by Adrian Taylor (originally posted by skatingwookie).
Normally I wait until I am more awake and coherent to type my tumblr posts, but I just can’t pass this one up.
The crux of this argument is nicely summarised for those of us who are too enraged to read through the three hundred odd words preceding it:
If...
New Sportswear for Muslim Women →
I’m really excited about the new Friniggi sportswear store. Finally a muslim sports brand with cute designs and an attitude I can get behind. Pioneer 402 is looking promising, the only problem is there’s nothing in Blitz Dame colours.
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Ellen Rage: are you interviewing me for your derby blog?!
me: no. well. yes. but I wasn't going to credit you.
Ellen Rage: FFFFFFFFFFF
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is this roller derby?
I’m a derby baby, there’s no getting around that.
Before 2010, I didn’t even know this thing existed, and I only started skating with my league at the beginning of this year.
Despite being pretty new on the scene, even I can tell that derby is, and has changed. There’s a lot of discussion about how it’s changing, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, and...
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The Road to Working Out
The night before: set alarm for 0900 to get a jumpstart on workout.
0900: turn off alarm and roll back over.
1100: wake up. fall into shower.
1130: cannot work out because have not eaten in 11 hours. Very unhealthy. Eat breakfast in front of computer.
1200: finished breakfast but now full, cannot work out until digested a bit. Read emails. Tumble.
1300: now ready to work out. Look for...
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“Come on, Penny! Pen her! Pen her! Get it? Like Penny, but pen? It’s a...”
– Last night, at practice
The Roller Derby World Cup: not your average bid... →