It's true, I'm trading my star in. It's been a nice run as a jammer, but it's time to expand my game. For the past few seasons, all I've really known is the jammer star. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten to play in the pack PLENTY since joining Emerald City, but mostly…I jam….and I jam like a freight train. On travel team, when we go around and tell each other our goals or say our mantras, I hear some people saying "Block like a jammer and jam like a blocker!" I never say it, but I like to think I embody that mantra pretty well. However, I feel that my game has been shifting a bit. So now I'm going to go from this:
Taking a massive hit from Lethal Whoopin of Lava City Roller Dolls in Bend, OR
…to this:
Notice my amazing photoshop skills…I'm for hire btw! lol
I'm very excited to learn a new role for my home team. I've been told that I'm a pretty intimidating force on the track. I'm excited to bring this intimidation to a new position. Don't get me wrong, you'll still see me donning the star every now and then. But for now, look for the stripe!
I've never really played pivot. I did a few times when I first started playing roller derby back in Oklahoma. But the position didn't mean much…in fact, I've never given any thought to the importance of the position before moving to Eugene. Pivot means a lot more than what I thought it initially did. It's a pretty big role on the track, pivots aren't just another blocker. There's a lot to consider when playing this role like, what the other team is doing and how to counteract, where to position on the track to get an optimal view of the game, working on plays and strategy, communication with team mates, and all around knowing when to play O, when to play D and when to play both. This is just what I've gathered of the position so far, but I'm sure there is a lot more.
My initial plan is to watch a ton of derby and pay attention to what the best pivots in the sport are doing. One of my team mates also recommended calling out where blockers are on the track while watching derby. What are they doing? Is it effective? Where are their jammers? I thought about creating derby watching assignments just to aid with the research of this role, like analyzing one bout a week. I'm also interested in who the best pivots of the sport are…tell me, who do you think the best pivots are? What do you see them doing?
Aside from being super excited about playing a pivotal role (heh…get it?) I've been dealing with some pretty nasty allergies. I recently received one of these bad boys from my team mate Krazy Kurlz:
…I must say, I was pretty nervous to use this thing. When Kurlz texted me about bringing me a Neti Pot, I got a little anxious. I watched a demo video on youtube and thought "no freakin' way!" Burnadeath had this to say about the Neti Pot:
"I find it reminiscent of drowning at the Jersey Shore. But it helps me."
Kurlz brought it to practice for me last night, and all the way home I had gave myself the most epic Neti Pot pep talk. A lot of "Frank, if you can take massive hits from Lotta Leadpipe, and skate on a broken toe for half a season, you can pour some salt water down your nose!" When I got home, without any hesitation or second thought…I proceeded to "Neti Pot". I read the directions very carefully, mixed the warm water with the solution…and slowly bent over the sink and began pouring salty goodness in my sinuses! At first I didn't quite have my head tilted forward enough, so some of the solution went in my mouth (and made me gag a bit), but once I got the hang of it…it was smooth sailing!
The Neti Pot is awesome! I used it again today and managed to flush out a GIGANTOR neon greenish yellowish mucus blockage (the size of my palm!) I had to stop neti potting and stare at it for a good two minutes. That thing was HUGE! I can't believe something that huge existed in my sinuses. I can certainly breath a lot better (although I'm still a little congested). I did miss practice tonight though, because last night I was struggling to breathe. I don't recommend derby when you can't breathe.
So yeah, Neti Pot…Frankie approved! Thanks Kurlz!
