Gearing up to make the trip to Bloomington, Indiana to take on our founder’s original team was a little nerve-wracking. We’d been hearing about the Bleeding Heartland teams for so long and this was our big opportunity to take them on. We had done a lot of preparation as a team and felt like we had been working as a strong, cohesive team so we certainly felt prepared; but didn’t want to go in too confident.
Meeting the BHRG girls was great! We hit it off with the Code Blue Assassins and their WFTDA team – the Flatliners – right away. The were very hospitable and just an all around good group of people to be around. The spirit of roller derby between the two teams prior to the bout was evident. There was energy in the air and no animosity – we were all just ready to play a amazing game of roller derby. In the second pre-bout warm-up, both teams had time on the track at the same time. After each team completed their coordinated group warm-up, we all had a chance to hit the track freestyle. CBA girls were whipping Helldorado girls and vice versa – the camaraderie was infectious!
Once the action started, game faces were put on and it was time to get down to work. The Helldorados took the first few jams and didn’t allow the CBAs any points. It was clear in the beginning that the Cedar Rapids team went to Indiana looking for a win and weren’t going to let their nerves of playing their founder’s original team infect their game play. The CBA team had many hard hitters and several great jammers. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with. However, we played our game, kept our heads cool and pushed forward for the win.
Personally, I feel that I played very well in this bout. I was able to help out defensively in the pack as well as put some points on the board as a jammer. However, I realized after our bout that I have still have so much to learn. After our win, we got the opportunity to watch BHRG’s Flatliners play against the Gem City Rollers. As a jammer, I had been waiting for the opportunity to see the Flatliner jammers in action. While the entire team was amazing to watch and worked so well together, the jammers left me in awe. Seeing how quick they were on their feet, how much they ran on their skates, how they moved their girls around in the pack with a purpose, left me heading back to Iowa knowing what I really need to work on. I do some of these things, but clearly don’t do them all with the purpose and the drive in which the Flatliner jammers did.
So tonight, I head to practice with much knowledge learned from my derby trip to Indiana this past weekend. I cannot wait to implement many of the new things I picked up and to get my new appreciation for this game on the track. I am now more driven than ever to be a better player and cannot wait to lace up the skates.
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