There’s No City Like Dom City

On September 2^nd, Sum Mo Payne and PBR took a leap across the Atlantic Ocean on a mission to help spread the awareness of the horribleness sex trafficking victims call life. As in the true roots to their wheels, they embarked on a journey of 560km (382miles) across the great country of Holland to help raise awareness and funds for an organization that directly helps those affected by such a horrible crime against human kind globally. Along the way, Roller Derby was the foundation of the trek and provided great hospitality throughout every stride.

Each town visited housed at least one local derby team that stepped up to the plate of helping the Sk8 Netherlands crew with lodging, food, hospitality and an event to help spread the word. Now as Mo and PBR are versed in the realm of spreading derby love, The Dom City Dolls hosted an end of the trek boot camp where attendees came from all over Holland in anticipation to learn from the travelers.  Experience levels ranged from just laced up to having seen roller derby come to Holland which always presents a great variety of skills to the elements. As T3’s motto came true, everyone in attendance that day in Utrecht agreed: No matter how long you’ve been rolling, fundamentals are key… and fundamental learning was had in big ways.

Most of those in derby land are self-taught and unless someone takes the time to break things down to a basic level, that skater never really improves once the basics have been “learned”. T3 strives to break things down so that everyone learns from it to be properly affective! Those attending did just that and went above expectations to push their comfort levels. With pride, many individual goals were met that day. Whether it was wanting to know how to properly hockey stop, snow plow or even backwards skate effectively all was taught and soaked up promptly. Right before our eyes these skaters took what we said and instantly applied it effortlessly. They just needed the breakdown which we all need to accomplish said goals but rarely take the time to do for ourselves… we just continue skating without progressing… That was not the case that day.

So many progressed and it was an honor to be a part of! Such excellent skaters reside in good ol Holland and it was a pure joy to have this stop be so rewarding on all fronts. A fun black/white scrimmage was had following and then everyone wrangled in a side hall were the finest Dutch music played and gold plated individuals straight off the mafia train were mixed with a little side of roller derby which has good times written all over it! Thank you so much to all who made this event possible and much derby love to all those who attended!

-Living The Dream-

P.B.R., T3

Rolling Sturgis 2013

Year after year T3 teaches at Rolling Sturgis. Not only do the ladies ride but we enjoy supporting Danger Girls baby, aka Rolling Sturgis, and each year it gets better ad better. This year we coached 2 intimate groups of skaters about skate maintenance, upgrades, and the T3 spectacular FOOTWORK! Not only is footwork always a hit, I believe we will be headed back out to the hills to teach another camp here soon for the Wildfire ladies.

This year we were able to be a part of the World Record “Longest Roller Derby Bout.” Both teams filled with excellent skaters from all over the world skated their hearts our through over two and a half hours of nonstop derby action until the head ref called the game due to unsafe game play with night fall. The skaters were both sad to see it end earlier then they had wanted and happy it ended because Rob Zombie was going on stage. It is always exciting at the Buffalo Chip.

Another great Rolling Sturgis has passed and T3 looks forward to coaching their again next year. A big thanks goes out to Danger and Tiger for all their hard work.
Mo, T3

PS: Skating against Quadzilla was a ton of fun too.

T3 members Mo Payne and PBR jamming against each other on day 5 of Rolling Sturgis. Photo Credit: Cat Carr Creative Arts: Jennifer E. Carr Photography & Ceramics, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-Carr-Creative-Arts-Jennifer-E-Carr-Photography-Ceramics/102288593245

Colorado Bootcamp July 28th, 2013

Triple Threat was honored to teach the future of roller derby in Fort Collin, Colorado. There was right around 40 kids from ages 7-18 and boy oh boy did we have fun. We all started working out and skating together until it cam time to hit and PBR took the youngsters off to the side (and had them doing awesome footwork and I even seen them jumping backwards over cones. I was amazed with those kiddos.) While the older kids and I skated our faces clean off. We worked on a little bit of everything and most of the time my mouth was wide open in astonishment of the skills these kids already had. We were able to fine tune some already harnessed skills and add some news ones to the mix to make an awesome, awesome 10 hour jr derby experience. But it all really cam together at the mixer at the end: the parents were screaming and cheering on their children, the kids were coming back to the bench and telling me “did you see that,” I chest blocked her,” “I buttholed her,” “I jammed.” and all of those quotes and more filled my heart with happiness. More than that, seeing those kids keep going after they had such a long day and never once wanting to tap out really, truly made me proud of those kids. I cannot wait to yell their names at nationals some day.
I can only hope we impacted them as much as they impacted us!

Sum Mo Payne, T3

July 28th bootcampers. Photo credit: Mo Payne

 

Constant 3 on 1 Drill

This drill is great for intermediate and advanced roller derby groups, and this drill can last as long as you would like it to. This drill also works best if you have access to a track or track guidelines.  You will also need a stop clock and a whistle.

Have jammers make a line in the middle of the track and blockers make a line on the outside of the track behind the jammer line.  At the whistle blow, the jammer will jump on the opposite side of the track to pick up speed before they hit the jammer line. Also at the whistle, three blockers will jump on the track and form a wall on the jammer line.

The goal of the jammer is to get through the three pack of blockers before they hit the pivot line or until they drive the pack to the pivot line as quickly as possible.

The goal of the blockers is to keep the jammer at a crawl and try to keep them between the jammer line and pivot line as long as possible.

Have someone timing with a stop watch and tell the jammers how long it took them for each run for them to try and beat their time the next time around.

Dubbs, T3

Photo Credit: Jim Lee aka “Jimmy Digital”
Dubbs backwards blocking and clearing a way for her jammer. SCRD vs. Babe City at Rolling Along the River Tournament ’13

Aberdeen or Bust!!

T3 packed up in June and headed North for the love of derby. As usual, we were greeted with smiles and an eagerness to learn what we had traveled to share. A wide variety of talented, deteremined skaters opened their minds and rolled with the knowledge we presented.

Through out the next 6 hours, we watched those attending from a variety of leagues excel in many different areas of their personal game. Between mastering a specific stop, chizzel to perfection a cross over or finally got the hang of backwards skating, many went above and beyond their comfort zone to suceed.

Following the bootcamp, a mixer was held. This was a great way for the skaters to put into action the many things we had taught thru out the day. Fun was had and many “Ah ha” lightbulbs went off. After the mixer many skaters stuck around, formed a circle of chairs around a grill and just hung out as humans. Laughs, smiles, and memories galore. Then a party bus was assembled and those left standing took to the town of Aberdeen, glow sticks in hand, to have a fun night on the town… and obviously fun was had!

Big Thanks to A-Town Roller Girls for hosting such a fantastic event. 10 pts and Derby love to you all forever ❤

PBR, T3

ATRG public poster

Box Drill

Groups of 5 skaters ( 4 blockers and 1 in the “box”) can be altered to whatever number of skaters available.

Rounds of 2 minutes.

Blow whistle to start the drill.

The 4 blockers then “box” in the “opponent”. The object is to legally surround, slow, control, and stall said opponent. 1 blocker makes the front of the box, one blocker behind the opponent, swinging like a pendulum closing any gaps with their body, and the 2 other blockers on either side of the opponent.

Situational-wise, this opponent could be a jammer or blocker the 4 blockers wish to goat. If the opponent busts out of the box or is detained to a standstill to which they wiggle out of the box, the 4 blockers must properly “guide” said opponent back into the box and smother them.

The main goal is to control this skater while working with your teammates to see that the goal is achieved. This drill is very tiresome for those in the “box” and great for endurance in game play. A referee watching is key to ensure everything is being executed properly.

Once the 2 minutes have been completed, the 1 in the “box” rotates out and 1 of the previous blockers assumes the “box” position. Repeat until all have completed the drill.

PBR, T3

Photo Credit: Jim Lee aka “Jimmy Digital”

Cross Training by SCRD’s Eat Schmidt

In roller derby just like any other sport, it is important to incorporate cross training into your workout routine.  Just because you can skate for 3 hours straight in a practice does not mean that you are fit or translate into being able to run or swim for 3 hours straight.  Each sport and workout works on different muscle groups and that is why it is beneficial to cross train.

 

It was once believed that if you want to be good at a sport and strong, that you need to focus all of you energy and training on that one sport and activity.  This is not the case.  Focusing on one activity like skating leaves your body prone to repetitive motion injuries and can leave some muscles weak from inactivity.  One common mistake that people do when working out is only focusing on cardio like running, but forget to add in strength training and core workouts or they do the complete opposite and only focus on weight lifting and no cardio.  Another common mistake that people often do work one muscle group but forget to work the complementary muscle group (i.e. doing crunches and sit ups, but never working back muscles/ doing bicep curls but not triceps extensions).

 

Cross training is critical to counteract and prevent these problems.  It is important to not only cross train with different cardio workouts but also with different strength training workouts as well.  This helps reduce the risk of a plateau in your physical fitness.  So you are probably wondering what kind of cross training options would be good for roller derby athletes.  There are many options and some of it depends on your interests and access to workout equipment.  Cardio cross training can involve swimming or running for good full body workouts, or bicycling and walking are also good cardio workouts.  Strength training on the other hand can be weight lifting at a gym (3 sets of 15-20 reps for building lean muscle and 3 sets of 6-8 reps for building bulky muscles) or body weight workouts like sit ups, back extensions, squats, lunges, pushups, dips, etc.  Lastly, core body work (back, abs, obliques) is essential to preventing injury because the core supports the whole entire body.  Core workouts can also include stretching recovery workouts or yoga.  Your core helps prevent injury when doing everyday tasks, promotes a healthy back, balance and stability, and supports every other muscle group. So don’t forget to mix up your workout routine and add some different types of workouts to help become a fitter and stronger roller derby athlete.

 

Eat Schmidt, Sioux City RollerDames

Eat Schmidt Jamming
Photo by Jim Lee AKA Jimmy Digital

Grand Forks,NORTH DAKOTA Bootcamp!! April 27th

We started our trip out with a stop in Fargo to have supper with some Rock City Riot gentlemen. It is nice to know we have family everywhere that we can pop in and see.
The awesomeness had just started we rolled into Grand Forks, ND early and got some real sleep for once. Up early and off to the venue. Which happen to be a hockey rink (they love their hockey there, and so do we.)
We started warming up and realized we had a talented group of skaters and a great bunch of women and men. We ripped through all of our agility drill and moved on to our skill set focused at a high skating level which people seemed to enjoy. T3 had a good time watching the smiles of those trying something new and fun.
After lunch we talked about skate maintenance and how important it is not only for the extended life of your skates but for your agility and speed on the track. As we stepped into strategy we answered a ton of questions and then watched the ladies put all the answered questions into their play. It was a hell of a long day and everyone involved put their heart into it which made it all worthwhile.
After all was said and done we went off to the local grub shack and got some amazing food and got to know some of the girls that will be forever friends, thank for all the love Forx Roller Derby!! Hope to see you all soon on or off the track.

Sum Mo Payne and the T3 crew

Photo Credit Mo Payne

Latest T3 Bootcamp

 

Traveling in the name of Roller Derby is Triple Threat Derby Girls middle name! Last Friday eve Sum Mo Payne, Camel Joe (not a girl, he is a man) and PBR headed east to spread their derby knowledge for those eager to listen. Grand Falls Holiday Inn was the initial destination which was reached at 2:00 am Saturday. With an alarm clock buzzing off right around the corner, T3 hit the hay and gathered their excitement for the coming hours.

 

 

The venue was in Sterling, IL which was only a short jaunt away. The boot camp host, Midwest Derby Divas, had recently scored this practice facility and was it a spectacular site to see.  Every new venue, practice space, or plot of concrete that can be skated on is a new adventure! Each holds their own beauty, history, and potential for growth within. This venue had some roller skating heritage so I am told and actually use to be a Bearing factory for roller skates back in the day which made its historical essence even cooler.

 

 

Each boot camp we coach all start with the same skeleton guidelines. Until you see how the skaters roll, it is impossible to judge what levels will be showcased day of boot camp thus we take it back a step to start off just to see where everyone resides on their level of skills thus far. Impressed we were as everyone attending was 100% responsive to suggestions, open minded to a different style of techniques and eager to hear more (Most commonly, we skaters think we know everything hahaha.) This is what Roller Derby is all about, I was reminded. As I share at every chance I get, that Roller Derby is about the basics. To be the best Derby player you can be you must master, re master and continue to master every single fundamental bit that Roller Derby skating encompasses. These ladies understood that and I was thankful we were on the same page.

 

 

We bumped things up a bit with technique, more challenging maneuvers, and more intense demands of skill set. The ladies met the challenge with smiles on their faces and fire in their souls. As in anything, some folks snagged up what we were laying down simply and others were met with a momentary barrier in achievement however with a little elbow grease many of them walked out victorious in accomplishment of pushing their boundaries. And that’s just it: YOU MUST ALWAYS PUSH YOUR BOUNDARIES AND SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS.

 

 

More times than I wish, I see frustration in a skaters eyes crying out “Why can’t I do this?! They can… You can… Why not me?”  Rule #1: Compare yourself to no one and go at your own rate. Rule #2: Only Rule #1 Matters.  If only we all could be reminded more often how we once were in those same skates, feeling the same way. Fortunately, I am honored to be able to be reminded and shed light of the knowledge I have gained personally from “then” to “now” and how to achieve it. So, frustrated skater and I break things down a bit…. And I’ll be… They get it! I’ve seen it time and time again… First frustration and then success. You know what causes that? Determination from within and the belief that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. “Yes you’ll fall… but you’ll get up” is what I always tell them. Saturday I witnessed many individuals rise above their shells and gain a new sense of pride it what they are doing, glow in the achievements (whatever size they may be) they accomplished and roll to a new beat of determination…. In T3 land we call that a success!

 

 

Thank you to Midwest Derby Divas for being AMAZING hosts as always! You ladies are absolutely a joy to be around, especially when the locals give you the deep end of the pool all to yourself. Big Thanks to all the ladies who traveled on their GAME DAY  to attend from the Aurora 88’s, Barbwire Betties, DRDC, Peoria Push and Rockford Rage. It was an honor to have you all. Last but not least we send light & love to Kerri Baker for a speedy recovery also, you are one tough cookie. Heal up quick ❤

 

 

 

Next Stop: Grand Folks, ND April 27^th… ROLLER DERBY FOR LIFE!

 

-Living The Dream-

Libby “P.B.R.” Claeys, T3

T3 Bootcamp

Sk8 the State for MS takes on Iowa