And to wrap up the current burst of blogging, over the past month I've really been able to push up the weightvest works on skates and at home. The vest is now loaded at 15 pounds, and using it for endurance workouts now too.
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Back in December, I posted about my three course derby meal to avoid muscle cramps of Potassium, ibuprofen, and Whiskey. I've since successfully modified that down to Apple Cider Vinegar, and Whiskey, with Ibuprofen as an occasional emergency backup.
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OK, it’s time once again to catch up on some blogging here. Now that my first full calendar year of bouting , and my second full year on skates, is completed, the headline news is Wow, What A Great Year!!!

* First day on skates at Boston Derby Dames freshmeat clinic, July 12, 2008.
* First bout skating for Western Mass Destruction, July 11, 2009.
* Last bouts of the full rookie year skated at the East Coast Derby Extravaganza hosted by the Philadelphia Roller Girls, June 26-27, 2010.
* First bout of Year 2 coming up in a few days skating for the Central Mass Roller Derby home team the Panty Linebackers, July 18, 2010.
* 2019 or Bust!!! (and if they haven’t carried me off the rink by then -- on to 2029 ^,^ )

At ECDX, I got to play in 5 different 30 minute fun challenge bouts, with skaters from many different leagues. The whole weekend was a great experience and just a super way to cap off the rookie year.

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This is the first guest entry here. My sweet and wild friend and great teammate from two leagues now (PVRD & CMRD), wrote this encouraging piece for the Central Mass league's discussion group. It is reprinted here with permission:

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I've got something to say to all of you brave and crazy enough to play roller derby.
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Sadly, I had to take my leave of skating with the WMD's. At the end of last year, Pioneer Valley Roller Derby moved it's practice space from a location 95 miles from my home to one 120 miles away. A 95 mile commute to practice twice a week was on the edge of sanity. 120 was a half hour over the edge. By the end of January, it was clear that I could not continue at that distance and transferred from PVRD to a new league.

So I give a very fond farewell to the Handgrenade, and say: 'Hello, Petticoat!'

Happily, I have found a very nice new home with Central Mass Roller Derby, a mere 45 miles away and without any of the Mass Pike tolls. (And become a fan of CMRD on FaceBook!) I had visited a number of CMRD practices, and knew this would be a good fit on a personal as well as geographical level. CMRD is just entering it's first bouting season, and it's very exciting to be part of the league! I'm playing on the travel team -- the Petticoat Punishers (On FB too); and also one of the home teams -- the Panty Linebackers (FB).

Our home games will be played on Sundays at Roll On America in Lancaster, MA, just off Rte 2. Really easy, pull off the highway and you're in the parking lot for the rink!

( Read more for the season schedule [editted with ticket info links now]: )

Doing as many squats with the weight vest as I can in 2 minutes. Yesterday hit 141, and today 145. The vest is currently loaded at 14 pounds. 145 X 14 = 2030 squat pounds -- that's moving just over a ton of lead weights in 2 minutes ^.^

Back in June when I first started working with a weightvest, I had it loaded at 17 pounds for my first time on skates with it. That proved to be a little stressful on my knees, and so I dropped it down to 12#. Now, after sevaral months of working with it, my knees (and ankles, and oh yes the thighs) are a lot stronger, and I've been able to start increasing the weightload and the workload I do with it.
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Potassium, Ibuprofen, and Whiskey: this is my favorite diet to avoid muscle cramps. I've had a lot of skaters asking about the details of what I take, so it's time to finally write this post up. I’ve done a fair amount of trial and error to see what regimen really makes a difference for me. Your mileage may vary.
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This journal is used for writing up somewhat more of the technical side of my experiences of learning to skate and play and make skate wheels. There is also a Cat O'Mighty FaceBook page for more actively promoting bouts and events and encouraging friend's to come out to them. Come join this page as a fan to stay up to date on the latest happenings.

And all the best fans wear cat ears ^,^

Whew, the WMD season is over for the year, and now to catch up on blogging.

Back in early August, I switched to a new set of custom made wheels. This set is very similar to the first set we made, but with a slightly different urethane type. It holds the floor slightly better than the first set, but most importantly the newest wheels have a negative static charge and the first ones had a positive charge. This is a very important difference.
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