Superbrawl: Canada / England / France

Team France ( 54 - 385 ) Team England

Team England ( 259 - 145 ) Team Canada

Team France ( 96 - 450 ) Team Canada

For our first official international event, Team France put the bar high in inviting Team Canada and Team England for a tournament on the French land. The sports complex of Nantes hosted 1300 people on Saturday, Feb. 15th, for a whole afternoon and evening of bouts, starting with France/England, then England/Canada and Canada/France to finish with. (Once again, congratulations to the Nantes Derby Girls for the successful organization and hosting of the event!)

I will not report on the games because the news are not that fresh anymore and because Team Canada did it pretty well already! I was disconnected for a while (two months to get the Internet!) which made the keeping up-to-date of the blog tricky (amongst other things).

Still, let's add a little French perspective to the Canadian summary!

For Team France it was not a matter of winning - such an outcome being highly improbable at our stage of national development, but of:

1. Testing the water and getting an idea of the top of the spectrum of the international level;
2. Going down in history in doing the first-ever international tournament with national teams in France with the French Team... And while we were at it, why not inviting the upper crust? More show, more challenge, more balls.

K-Tape Experiment

Today, I had my knee k-taped.

These elastic tapes come from Japan and are the new trend! Indeed, not only are they multipurpose: useful to reduce swelling and bruises, stimulate or relax muscles, stabilize joints... but they are also catchy and fun as they exist in tons of colors.

The first time I was introduced to those flashy stripes was during the Roller Derby World Cup in Toronto, as k-tape was heavily used by the physiotherapists, especially that of Team USA. Which was a good point for us (Team France) because the tapes were also matching our colors... given that we were in red and blue like the Americans!
It was misleading, by the way. Once, a spectator asked me when *we* were playing... Dude, do you really care that much about Team France or did you just mistake me for a member of Team USA? Victim, but proud.

The second time I met the k-tapes was in my rehab center where they are also used a lot, especially to reduce bruises of post-surgery patients: put without being stretched, they make folds on the skin, which helps lymphatic flow. It WORKS.

I was taped during my second stay in rehab because I had periosistis on both my legs. It is meant to work well on tendonitis and all, but I must say that, apart from reminding me that I had to keep it easy thanks to the flashy yellow and blue colors on my shins, it did not help much.

One year ago... I left my knee in Team France

One year later...
"with" and "without"...

One year ago the French Team was in Toronto for the first ever Roller Derby World Cup.

One year ago the French Team played against Sweden. HERE

One year ago I had a little misfortune...

One year later, I am (almost) back to square one.

One more month to hold on and I can close the chapter!

RELATED POSTS:

• News of my knee for nosey people
• Toronto World Cup Coverage
• I left my heart in Team France
• World Cup Preliminary Groups Draw
• 2011 French Team

News of my Knee for Nosey People

Before dedicating an article to the World Cup in Toronto, I’d like to share an unfortunate consequence: My knee didn’t survive the tournament, which led to a couple of misfortunes…

I know the question is burning your lips: How did it happen?

I took a hit, fell on both my knees like a rock’n roll guitar player (hell yeahh). And basically that’s it: hyperflexion and bad luck.

It didn’t hurt. My leg just wouldn’t respond – which is quite annoying when you’re in the middle of a jam. Made me think it was not a big deal at first. But seeing no improvement whatsoever and still feeling no pain as days went by, I started wondering – eh!

As soon as I came back from Toronto, I followed the advice of the physiotherapist: I saw a good bunch of practitioners (thanks dad) and did a MRI.

Toronto World Cup Coverage

To the people who ask if / where / when they can watch the World Cup in Toronto:

YES YOU CAN watch the tournament live on Derby News Network.

If you're in Paris, you can also go and have a beer at the Moose, they should broadcast bouts live (to be confirmed).
Don't get it wrong with the jet lags...

World Cup Preliminary Groups Draw

Haha.

Yesterday evening at 11PM, we were hung on the telephone, hanging out at the hockey rink on the docks of Bordeaux after practice, waiting for the results of the draw.

I won't insult you in illustrating this article with the picture of the original notes I took, because I really had a hard time writing legibly with my cold frozen hands -- I don't have the chance to have found me a deserted pair of gloves at the sports shop the day before, not insinuating anything of course. The illustration of Blood & Thunder, the derby magazine organizing this first-ever international competition, will do:

Team France Donations

At first, when you learn you're selected for Team France, you jump for joy. Then you start thinking and you realize that OMG you need money!

Indeed, just like the other national teams that are going to take part in the first derby World Cup ever next December in Toronto, each single one of us is paying for their own trip. And flying to Toronto is quite expensive...

The whole stuff is already well explained by yours truly

on the French Team WebSite...

We're looking for sponsors and for any kind of help, including yours! Feel free to help: we'll be eternally thankfull and we'll hold you in our hearts forever (maybe a little less 'cause forever's a f***ing long time!)

2011 French Team

THE SELECTIONS FOR THE FRENCH TEAM took place last weekend at Le Hangar Skatepark in Nantes.

There were 20 places and we were nearly 40 to try our luck: 10 from Paris, 9 from Toulouse, 7 from Bordeaux and from Metz, 2 from Nantes and Montpellier... not forgetting the expatriates with 2 girls living in the US and two others in the UK.

THE SCHEDULE OF THE TRY-OUTS WAS INTENSE

Starting at 2PM for us to register, get our number-of-the-day (mine was #29 and it remained at least 3 days on my shoulder... bloody permanent markers!), get used to the floor...

The atmosphere was unpleasantly heavy, as if it was some kind of audition -- I had this weird feeling to be brought back years ago, at the time when I was a ballet dancer at the national Conservatoire. Hopefully we managed to relax it little by little.

However, the real beginning was at 3PM, here we go for 2 hours of skills analyzed by our judges: Amelia Scareheart, Slash Gordon, Bravehurt and Brute et Peste. Agility, Team work, and Blocking'n Helping were the main points.