BOUT DAY!!!

Some might know that I'm on a local Roller Derby team here in Killeen, but a whole lot more probably don't.  Back in January of this year, dear husband and I went on a Starbucks date.  On their community board was a flyer for the Femme Fatale Roller Dolls, saying that they were having new girl try outs.  I found them on Facebook, showed up to a new girl night on a Wednesday in February, and have been with the team ever since. I became team secretary this summer, have been a part of both home bouts, and 2 away bouts, the most recent one being yesterday in San Angelo against the San Angelo Roller Girls.  They're an AWESOME team!!

First Home Bout Poster featuring yours truly

This is the poster for the first home bout we had.  That's me, Disciplinarian, on the left, and teammate Amanda - or Girlnade if you're on the track ;)  Amanda is an AMAZING photographer and has her own business.  She took Reagan's 3 year pictures, and they were pure perfection. 
Our posters were designed by another talented teammate, Mae Needabeer.  She has a degree in marketing which is why she knows how to sell a bout! She just so happens to be a fabulous makeup artist as well, and through her connections in that field was able to coordinate team pictures - like the ones on the bout poster.  Everyone's pictures turned out great, and we were able to put a team picture together from everyone's individual poses, a la America's Next Top Model.

Cat eyes, booty shorts, fishnets...it must be bout day!

Lots of people think that roller derby is elbowing, throwing punches, and fishnets.  This isn't so much the case...except for the fishnets part.  I never dreamed I'd have so many pairs and varieties or styles!  And socks??  When they're all clean, I can barely shut the drawer!  Stripes, argyle, skulls, sloths, plaid, rainbows and clouds...I could go on, but I think you get the picture.  I've got LOTS of fishnets and socks.  Derby is a real sport.  We condition, we practice, we take hits, we give hits, we get hurt, we heal, and we play hard.  Our team is a non-profit, so we also fund-raise and donate money to HARP of Killeen ISD.  HARP stands for Homeless Awareness and Response Program, and is a wonderful system in place to help displaced families, unaccompanied youth, and families with school-aged children in shelters.  The whole point of the program is to help these kids have some sort of stability in school when other aspects of their life might be a bit chaotic and unstable. Our team has given over $1200 to HARP so far, and we don't plan on slowing down next season!

Thrift Shop Sally + Disciplinarian = Derby Wife Love

  Hang around derby girls a while and you might hear the term "derby wife."  A derby wife is your partner in crime on the team.  Your wing [wo]man.  The one you call at 11 PM, bawling your eyes out, after you've just had the worst mash-up/bout experience of your life where you got hit by a girl so hard, you would have rather been hit by a Mack truck.  (That so happens to be a true story, and even though she was already asleep for the night, she answered the call and listened to me the whole time.)  That's what a derby wife is, and this is my derby wife, Thrift Shop Sally.  The first time we met, there was definitely some tension.  I wasn't sure if I liked her, and I'm pretty sure she probably hated me - I have that effect on people...it's so weird.  But once they get to know me, I instantly win them over with my awesome charm, personality, and sense of humor.  The first time we hung out, we almost got into a fight...kind of.  At least the people sitting at our table thought we were about to fight, which was pretty hilarious.  We found out just how similarly weird and crafty we were, and have been goof-ball buds ever since.    

Two things you cannot survive derby without: a supportive family, and duct tape.  Lots and lots of duct tape.  It's so important for your family to be on board with your new-found love for derby because of all the hours you spend away from them.  Practices, bouts, fundraisers, meet-and-greets, team meetings...and the list goes on and on.  My Dear Husband has been an AMAZING support for me, and has even helped the kids make posters to take to my bouts.  He rocks.

Duct tape, Derby, Donnie...a few of my favorite things!

Now on to the duct tape.  We put it on everything!  We tape the front of our skates to protect the leather from all those knee falls and 180 degree turns.  We tape chord to the floor to outline our track.  We tape our elbow and knee pads back together until we can get to the skate shop and get replacements.  Now that there are so many designs and styles, your duct tape can be an extension of your personality.  I've had pink and white zebra stripe tape, Avengers tape, and Pickle tape (it said, "what's your dill?"  haha.  get it?).  A teammate, Domestic Violate-Her, let me borrow the TMNT tape before yesterday's bout.  I looked down and noticed that "Donnie" was on both skates so I took advantage of an Instagram opportunity.  Donnie just happens to be Dear Husband's name - would this be the derby equivalent of a soldier naming his rifle?  If so, pay no mind to the other turtle names on my skate...Donnie is the only one that matters.

Viper Kiss, me, and Cajun Tree Shaka up against the SARG

 Here's a picture from the first jam of yesterday's bout - before the hard hits, hard falls, hurt tailbone, and sore back.  I love my team.  We had a tough season, but we learned a lot and grew so much!  I'm super excited about next season!  We've got seven home bouts scheduled, tons of ideas for events and fundraisers, and lots of new girls chomping at the bits for their chance to see an official bout from on the track.  2014 will be a great year for the FFRD!