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The last time I posted was before the rookie scrimmage. A lot has happened since then, and I mean A LOT.

The scrimmage itself was great. My team, Team Love, won by a decent margin, and it was a lot of fun. I blocked most of the time and had some good hits. I was supposed to jam  more than once, but had three minors and was sent to the box on a cut track minor my first lap of jamming. So it goes. It was still AWESOME. My boss and some of my coworkers came, and Danthrax’s entire mom’s side of the family came. I think everyone had a pretty good time. His mom and her fiancé even got each other season tickets this year – how cool is that?!

After the game, the league draft was held. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be a part of the league at all. But I did have my hopes up. I wanted to be a Victory Vixen. And there were hints here and there that led me to believe I’d be one. The captains and co-captains actually did the draft a few weeks before the bout, and the results were randomized as we were put into our teams in front of the crowd. Even though it was random, I was the first skater called to join the Vixens, and I screamed. I was so happy! And being called first was nice, because I suck at waiting. They gave me a bag of goodies and my blue Vixen shirt with my name and number on the back. Bliss! I watched as everyone else was drafted on, then tried on a uniform skirt and jersey. We all went out to a huge place called Side Pockets for the after party. Overall it was a great day.

Since then, we’ve been practicing as a team and I’ve been improving a lot. I’ve actually been spending some significant time in scrimmage practice jamming. In fact, Wednesday night I did nothing but jam. I’d just gotten over being sick (I say this now as I blow my nose every five minutes), so by the end I was pretty well beat, but it was a great night.  Vixenhood rocks.

I also tried out for the All Star team a few weeks ago. I didn’t intend to, mind you – I was planning on trying out later in the year, when I had more experience and confidence. But I stayed late and tried, and asked to do it for the experience and not actually be considered. The first night of tryouts, however, I was able to keep up with a lot of the veterans, and after encouragement from several of them, decided to try out for real. The Board of Directors did some talking and decided it would be ok to have me considered. The second night was mostly scrimmage, and we did it going clockwise instead of counter-clockwise – it was difficult. And somehow the universe came together and I made the All Star team. Our first stops are Omaha and Atlanta, and I am pumped.

Nicole and I were talking about it the other day, and she made an interesting comment.  She said she still had to laugh, because Cedar Rapids didn’t know what they had on their hands while I was still there. I’ve improved immensely as a skater since arriving in Kansas City, but I wasn’t bad while I was still there. Just new. And I have so far to go in order to get where I want to be as a derby athlete. But I think she had a point. I want to be a force to be reckoned with, and on the days where I don’t have the skill or the energy, I still have the heart.