FMyLife #13: The Gorilla-Snake

Last time at the gym, coach said "I saw you training" (the room has a view onto the skating hall) "you looked like a gorilla-snake in there!"

I have been compared to a whole menagerie already: cats, rabbits, young goats and all… but there, with such an analogy, I felt like my jamming had reached a brand-new level. Fiercer, more powerful and insidous.

"This is a compliment", he added. "And I take it as such..." (although I liked the fluffy rabbit-kitty look better).


RELATED POSTS:

• #FMyLife

Wearing pads kills your survival instinct

- I sprained my neck...

- Again? How?

- Was standing and I just fell. Again. Is it bad?

To get a full view of the situation, let's mention that this is a derbygirl conversation, i.e. that the context includes rollerskates and pads (incl. helmet).

It is common knowledge that MEANINGLESS FALLS ARE THE MOST INSIDIOUS. You are more likely to hurt yourself real bad in falling from an idle standstill, simply because you are not ready nor is your body. You are relaxed, not aware of the danger lurking 'round the corner. It bursts out for no reason, you get frightened because you are not expecting it, and you lose balance without being able to stabilize. Follows an unmastered fall, with your body either very tense because of the fright, or very relaxed because your brain didn't even have the time to warn it. In both ways it can lead to a complete disaster.

Ich bin eine Berlinerin

After a three-month break that turned into a five-month break in Bordeaux, having left our Parisian appartment in early May, we have finally reached our final destination and our new home for a while: BERLIN.

HOW DID WE COME TO THAT?

A wind of change had been blowing on us for some time and we finally yielded to it earlier this year, feeling it was time for new adventures. At first we had set our minds on Montréal but it proved to be a bit tricky and quite a huge move for a first home out of France. Indeed I'm used to travel a lot around the globe, but I'd always had a French pied-à-terre -- until now.

Then I had a conversation that aroused my attention during my trip to the 2013 Eroc... Thinking it over and together with Wonka (and Deven the cat) we found that it was an excellent compromise, not too far but not too close, a little exotic but not too much, new but known... and we immediately launched our organization program:

FMyLife #10 : Docs & Biceps

Annual visit to doctor for sports certificate to get French Federation licence.

Door of waiting room opens, doc calls my name. Backpack on shoulder and skates in hand, I head towards the doc with free arm straight for a handshake...

... Guess who kisses me hello on both cheeks? I know it's very French, but I can assure you that no matter how long you've known your doc (for yearly visits) even in France, it feels like "err-- okay" awkward.

Welcomes me in and follows me to his desk when he adds in a confessing tone that "[he] ha[d] always been jealous of [my] biceps". Eyebrow rising. Haha. Thanks!

Let's do the physical test, shall we?

RELATED POSTS:

• FMyLife #4: Teres Major
• 72-96-68

Bootcamp Team France "Born to Reform"

A dozen members of the 2011 French selection who made it to the World Cup in Toronto (Dec.'11) gathered to organize a huge advanced French bootcamp on January 5-6, 2013, entitled "Born to Reform". The aim was to share experience throughout on-skates and off-skates classes and conferences.

The event was divided into three different cycles: skater / coach / staff, with specific classes according to the cycle you had applied to.

Honestly, I would have loved taking part in that bootcamp.
Coaching was fun too, though.

BOOTCRAMP Berry

This weekend, I was coaching in a BootcRamp in Bourges (fra) together with Wheely Wonka and Cherry LieLie, while Maëlstrom and Watzé were running a ref clinic in parallel.

The Paris RollerGirls were in da place, baby!

The event was extremely well organized and ran smoothly from A to Z. Seven out of the nine of us who were staying at Mojo Mama's place were sleeping in Oto's room (her two-year old son). Three words: Pa-ra-dise. It is only one word indeed, but it is worth three at least. Tons and tons of toys. A room carpeted with mattresses. A childhood dream!

Thank god the bootcramp participants did not see us like that, we would have lost all credibility. Forever. Ever.

Saturday. Cracking start.

Most of us arrived on Friday evening, but the event started on Saturday at 1PM. Yet, we were in the gym at 9AM to help setting up the track and everything, and we all had lunch together after a brief but efficient general presentation: organizers, coaches, refs and participants.

Visiting the Sac City Rollers

After our one-week stay in Vegas for the RollerCon (here and there for latecomers), we headed to California to visit longstanding friends of Karla Karschër's. One of our stops was Sacramento and we took the opportunity to go and train with the Sac City Rollers.

It was one hell of a resumption! The class was their very first of the season after the summer break, and coach Purdy Grrrl did not take it easy on us. The program was simple, though: ENDURANCE for the three quarters of the class... pacelines, single, double, clockwise, anti-clockwise... and a bit of skating and derby skills to end up with.

We made the mistake to show up with our Team France jerseys (we wanted to match a bit... yeah and show off too).

"Hey Team France, show us that blocking drill again. Girls, watch how close they work together. Team France, once more. Alright. Now one more last time, let's try with a bigger built jammer." Uuuh!

To be honest, I almost fainted and had to ask for sugar but that was fun (and purifying, given the water we lost).

Water. Air. Have you ever derbied in a sauna? Worse: have you ever had an endurance class in a sauna? Well... We did.

FMyLife #4: Teres Major

Rollerdancing session on the Docks of Paris...

Guy who'd been observing us for 30 min, leaves and says: "By the way, you've got a wonderful teres major. It's the muscle just here [points finger on my TM]. Yours is just perfect. Have a good evening!" 
 

Why do I never get hit on in conventional ways? FML.

 

RELATED POSTS:
• FMyLife #1, #2, #3

• Dark Side of the CERS

RollerCon '12, Las Vegas: Day Life

Last year's RollerCon was an Epic Fail for me. Remember...

This year was faaar better and I could enjoy all the facets of the event. At least the two main ones: Day life (i.e. derbying) and Night life (i.e. partying).

 This year was particularly huge. 5 to 6 thousand derbypeople in the same hotel, the Riviera down the Strip in Las Vegas. 5 days of non-stop events, on skates, off skates, on track, in pool, on dancefloor...

Off-skate workouts, conferences, on-skate classes, scrimmages and bouts constituted the day-time events and were organized in parallel in several rooms.

The off-skate part was made of workout classes and conferences on various subjects. Except for the pool workout for which the pool of the hotel was reserved (obviously), the workout classes took place at the very last floor of the Monaco Tower with a large bay window onto the city and the desert in the background. Stretching classes at 7PM with the sunset over the city were great.

It's a Long Way to the Top...

... if you want to rock'n roll. 

That's

(my version of)

the slogan of the CERS:

Bringing sportspeople

"BACK TO THE TOP". 

Put together, I've spent two months in that rehab center in the last 7 months. I cannot say that I am the worst off given the surroundings, the care, the food...
Everything is made for you to unplug your brain and concentrate on the improvement of your body.

I arranged things to come to that second stay with my friend Lynda whom I met during my first stay.

For the record it was close to being a disaster -- last fright of the real life: we almost missed our train! Stress, hubdub, hurrying up and... *SWOOSH* we plunged into a soundproof bubble. Alone in the world, nothing from the outside can reach you in there.

The CERS strikes back but I will survive!

Wow you are spoilt today, two puns in one headline!

You must have concluded that:

Yes I'm back in the CERS* !! and Yes it is no picnic...

Note: Strangely enough, this is the second tribute I pay to a freshly dead black female singer in a CERS article. Not on purpose. First Whitney, now Gloria. Should definitely stop going to that place!


 

After 4 weeks spent in February, I signed again. I am in the room next to my previous one: I don't have the amazing view onto the ocean (I mean, I cannot contemplate it when I am lying in my bed) but I can see the training field, which proves to be very useful to check if the weightbearing class has started!

In February, I had program number 2.

Now I have upgraded to number 3, the last stage!

There are three main threads in the center, according to if you are in post-surgery (level 1), semi-strenghtening (level 2) or re-athletisation (level 3). Your doctor puts you in one of the three categories, individualizes your program and adapts it to your special needs. I am *so* glad I have been given the same medical team as last time!

Sport and Nutrition

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING LINES CONTAIN ERRONEOUS NOTIONS ON LOW & FAST CARBS AND DIGESTION (crossed off in grey). SEE NEW ARTICLE FOR CORRECTIONS.

I finally find the time to write about the second part of my conclusions on my meeting with a sports nutritionist! In a previous post, I described the phases of hydration before-during-after effort. Now I will focus on what (is recommended) to eat, how and when, and how to optimize both your digestion and the energy supply for good effort conditions.  I know that this is quite a long post but you will probably find a useful tip or two!

THREE HOURS

are needed in order to complete your DIGESTION. 

This leads to a couple of comments:

• It is not recommended to do physical activity immediately after eating, the best choice being 3 hours after food intake.
• Every 3 hours, you need to refuel.

Sport and Hydration

I've learnt lots of things at lots of different levels these last months.
And now comes the time when I start to come back on these experiences with a retrospective eye. I'm realizing that some of the knowledge I stored might be useful to others, so that I'm going to share in case it would be helpful.

I would like to go back on my encounter with a sports nutritionist who gave me diet clues to combine with physical activity.

I consider myself quite a healthy person as for food, but nobody is infallible and I jumped on the (free) occasion of seeing a professional for a couple extra details.
In analyzing my food habits, I would in fact say that I eat "practical". I convey that the comparison isn't actually to my advantage, but it's just like the persons who dress "practical". You know, the ones who buy the 2-in-1 trousers with a zip above the knee… Investing in short pants for the summer? What for: I just have to unzip my trousers to recycle them into shorts!

I just see food as fuel for my body. I know it's sad.

FMyLife #1: Lazy leg squats

Today, in showing the next warm-up drill to the whole roller derby class:
 

"... And then, while the first half of you is doing 5 laps, the other half is doing wall squats leaning on your toe stops like that no to..." *WHAMBAM* fall.
 

I had forgotten the lazy leg parameter in a fit of enthusiasm. FML. 

They tried to make me go to rehab...

...and I said 'Yes Yes Yes'

4 weeks’s a long and a short time altogether. And I was longing for this retreat as much as I was dreading it. Longing for being taken care of and sweating, dreading for managing to fit in and make friends. In this first summary I will concentrate on the sweating part, the socializing stuff will be the subject of a second post.

I was in room 432: A single room with a large bay window looking onto the ocean. The bed was the same kind as you find in hospitals with the head and the foot that can be lifted up – which happens to be handy when you want to read or work on your computer. Every morning at around 7:30, the nurses would knock at each door to wake us up. Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 8:30 except on Sundays (rest days) when we could oversleep until 8-ish!

EROC 2012

The 2012 edition of the EROC took place in Berlin on the last weekend of January, and was hosted by the local league, the Bear City RollerDerby. Go HERE if you want a little "history" of the event -- if you can call it history so far...

The European Derby Convention is growing year by year: Have a look at the list of the registered countries and leagues if you're sceptical! 13 countries were represented by up to 16 leagues each (for Germany) -- and 7 for France!

The event started on Friday evening with an opening party at Wowsville bar where all the participants could meet and warm up for the weekend. I had forgotten what it was like to be allowed to smoke in bars! Although I convey it's pretty cool not to have to go outside and lose your fingers in the German cold, I'm not quite sure I'm liking it anymore.
By the way I would like to deeply thank all my saviors to whom I borrowed the gloves during the weekend: I really had underestimated the power of cold. Now I know that I'd rather concentrate on my gloved hands slipping on my crutches, than concentrate on saying to myself over and over that pain is just an illusion.
Anyway this is no dilemna now as I don't need my sticks anymore: I learnt to walk this weekend thanks to an intensive training consisting in at least one hour per day of waking in the snow.

Skate Cross in Haining

Last week, I was in China for a Skate Cross competition.

"...A what?!"

I'm sure you derby girls will agree with the concept of the discipline. Actually despite all the differences, there's quite a lot of common points with derby. Despite that...

We use inline skates, no quad-skates.

You're alone against the world, no team.

The competition is unfolding on a street/skatepark, no flat-track.

RollerCon 2011

MISCELLANEOUS

• 4 tracks and a huge off-skates room 
• A gigantic hotel in which you can get lost just like that (tested and approved) 
• Waiting lines to get tickets to attend workshops 
• Over-secured check-in – too bad for you if you don’t gather on time your ID, your RC pass, your Workshop ticket and your RC sticker on the left side of your helmet 
• Stickers, badges, goodies a go-go 
• A crowd of rollergirls AND rollerboys from all over the world 
• Tons of love, tons of flashy “lift-n-separate” short pants, and tons of workshops’n scrimmages all day long

The experience was very instructive, attending such a huge event, observing the organization, remembering tips and drills of the workshops I took, meeting people I didn’t know, meeting others I knew and I hadn’t seen in a while. I was there only for two days, but I tried to enjoy these 48 hrs as much as possible.

Derby Training

Training Schedule

The Paris RollerGirls have two official trainings per week in the gym, on Saturdays and Sundays: 7 hours/week to scrimmage yeah! The ground is soft and sticky, which is quite tiring but we say to ourselves that it's just a 2-in-one training+extra work-out...

During the week we are responsible for our personal trainings (on and off skates). Now that the sunny days are back, we are meeting outside to skate together, and I must say that we see each other nearly every day now!

 

We have the incredible luck to have three amazing American Derby girls to coach us: Amelia Scareheart, Fifi Lafoe and Dixie Pixie -- Mimi, Fifi and Pipi (er--yeah...)! I feel really honored to have the priviledge to have such quality training. All the more that it's the first time I have coaches: With Freestyle, I'm used to train on my own in the streets, come rain or come shine, and coaching myself. It's a big luxurious change to have somebody behind your back to tell you to do this and that!!

 

I rarely Freestyle now. I really need a break, I came so near from being disgusted... But I still skate a lot, to go from one place to another... and I try most of the time to do it with quad skates to become more and more agile with them.

I'm having a go at street roller-dancing too, and I really like it. It's a bit like doing Freestyle but with quad skates on. New challenges, and I need to work on my upper-body... very interesting work.

As for the off-skates workout, I'm doing body training, jogging and stretching!