DIY roller skate toe covers

Cost: potential for as low as $10
Time: 2 hours

If you have roller derby venues like ours, some of your floors may be rougher than a cat licking sandpaper. This can be devastating on beautiful leather skates. I used to heavily tape my toes to protect the leather from the abrasiveness of knee falls, only to cover them with more tape as it wore down. It created a bit of a problem because I also like to take apart my skates. Having to tear layers and layers of encrusted hockey tape was not only annoying, some of the leather finish of my boot came off with the bottom tape layer.

I was never a fan of the snouts or single straps to help protect my skate from getting scuffed, because the materials weren’t thick enough. Our rough floors and skating outside had me burn through them quickly. When I changed my roller skate plates over a year ago, I came up with a DIY solution for toe stop covers, which I have been wearing with no need for tape or replacement since I first installed them.

You’ll see from the photo that it’s made from a belt and in three separate pieces. The only thing that’s holding the pieces in position are my laces and the toe stop. I worried the laces wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the side pieces in place, but have seen no evidence of shifting after skating on them for a year. (More photos of the toe protector are at the end of this post.)

I did a couple of things accidentally-on-purpose that has made this construction stand up to over a year of abuse.

1. The toe stop holes were cut smaller than the toe stop stem width so the leather pieces had to be threaded onto the toe stop nipple. This keeps them from flapping between your skate and toe stop.
2. The pieces are layered strategically around the toe to prevent flapping and gaping holes on the sides. On top, the middle strip sits under the two side pieces. Holes are cut so they can be laced through both layers. On the bottom, the middle strip sits above the two side pieces, locking them in place to keep them from shifting. The toe stop anchors the bottom in place.

Here is a paper template that shows the positioning of the three pieces. You’ll want to refer to this picture when you are building your template and constructing your toe protector.

When I did this project over a year ago, I didn’t take photos of the process. So below is my best explanation of how I did the project. If you’re a crafter, eyeballing the photos will help you come up with your own design.

What you’ll need…

Leather belt at the desired width and thickness.
Mine was about 1.5” wide and 1/8″ thick and very rigid. The thicker the belt the more wear you’ll get. You’ll need six pieces and the length of them could be anywhere between five and seven inches, so make sure your belt is long enough. If you find one in the high 30s or low 40 inch in length, you’re probably good. I found a great belt at the second hand store for a few dollars.

Something sharp to cut through the belt.
I used tin snips. Scissors or a utility knife may work, depending on the thickness of the belt.

Something sharp to cut holes in the belt.
If you have a leather punch, that works best. But a hammer and nail could work well too, or even using a drill.

Paper and tape to help build your template.

Create Your Template

Figure out how the belt will work with your skates

Skate boots have different toe shapes, laces start in different positions and your toe stop hole position will vary depending on your plate. Cutting three paper strips in the same width of your purchased belt will help you figure out how to cut your belt for length and angle, so you don’t waste pieces by cutting incorrectly.

You’ll want to overlap the three pieces of your paper template in such a way that the toe is completely covered, you have good side coverage and it goes up high enough to be laced onto your skate. You could alter this design so the middle piece goes higher up your skate if you wish.

Remove your toe stops and your laces from your skates. Wrap the three pieces around your toe, matching the layering to the coloured paper template I posted above. Make sure the paper isn’t too loose, or you’ll have floppy protectors when you make your final cuts.

Ensure all three pieces of belt are centred over your toe stop hole under your skate. Also ensure the position of all three pieces don’t have big gaps in between around your toe. Adjust the angle of your strips to get the coverage you want.

When you are happy with the position, use tape to secure your pieces. Flip your skate over and stab a hole through all three pieces to mark where you will cut for the toe stop.

On the top of your skate, mark the cuts for your two side straps and your top strap. You want your two side pieces to butt up against each other when it’s all laced together. (If you position your middle piece exactly where you want it to sit on the top of your skate, you won’t need to mark that cut). Don’t worry about marking lace holes at this point.

Assemble bottom portion of toe cover

Cut your belt into strips and mount them onto your toe stop

When you pull apart the three paper strips, it should look something like the photo to the right. Use this to cut your leather pieces to size. I add an extra 1/8 inch on each end when I cut, in case I made an error on measuring because you’ll be trimming to make it look neat and tidy once it’s all assembled. On the toe-stop-side of your strips, mark your toe stop hole and cut it about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch from the hole.

A closeup view shows how cutting a small hole in your straps allows the pieces to be threaded onto the toe stop nipple and will hold in place.

Cut a hole in each strip for your toe stop. (This will be hard if your belt is thick and rigid. Don’t cut yourself!) Make the hole big enough to just fit over the first thread of your toe stop nipple, but small enough so you have to turn the leather strap to make it go up the nipple.

Once you have all three holes cut, thread the strips onto your toe stop taking care to use the order as illustrated by the paper template above (middle strip should be the last one you twist on). Twist your toe stop nut on next then turn your toe stop into your skate, adjust the height and tighten.

You want the straps under your skate to be as close to the nut as possible (or next to your skate if your plates use a hex key adjustment). Position them accordingly before moving onto the next step.

Assemble top portion of toe cover

View of the assembled cover after the lace holes have been punched.

Flip your straps up and over your skate. Position them so the three pieces fully cover your toe, with no gaps. Layer the pieces according to the paper template above. When you have them positioned how you like them, mark your lace holes. Your middle strip needs four holes, your side pieces need two holes each and you want to do your best to line them all up. This will take a little guessing because the straps will be covering the holes you need to mark. Take your time to estimate. It’s okay if your holes are a little off; tightly lacing them (I use wax laces) will help keep it sturdy.

You could also do this step before you attach the pieces to the toe stop. However I do it in this order because I want to pull the straps up as tight as possible, then position the lace holes. Your laces hold everything in position and if your holes were inaccurate, the toe protector may shift more than you like.

View from the top. The laces also go through the bottom middle strip to securely fasten it to the boot.

Cut your lace holes using a leather punch or nail and hammer. (You can remove them from your skates to do this step or leave them attached to your toe stop). Once the holes are punched, lace your covers to your skates.

Finish up with tape to protect the exposed laces from being torn. Trim any excess belt to make the presentation look neat and tidy.

Done! Now do the other skate.

What’s great about this project is the pieces can be rotated to your other skate as they start to wear down. (We all have a favourite knee to fall on, that toe protector will wear down first.) Or you could just buy another belt and replace individual straps as needed.

Assembled unit from the side.

Toe protectors are meant to get scuffed, torn and beat up. They also cost anywhere from $20 – $40. These ones cost me $10 plus 2 hours to make. While they may not be the prettiest, they are very practical. But I’m sure you creative derby peeps will find some unique second hand belts to give your toe protectors some personality!

Happy crafting! Post a link with a photo if you do the project!

Here is the wear on my toe protectors after over a year of skating. You’ll notice I’m due to rotate some pieces to the other skate but they have held up well. Tape protects the exposed laces from getting torn. They aren’t the prettiest, but they are super practical for the rough floors I skate on.

New minimum skills have potential to make derby go ka-boom (in good and bad ways)

Everyone is slowly waking up from their weekend bangovers and hangovers to become lucid enough to read through the updated minimum skill requirements the WFTDA released. There’s no question, if a derby-wanna-be doesn’t strap on skates now and start moving, they may miss their window to play. There are some high expectations in there. But they are necessary expectations that will reduce time in the penalty box and reduce injury when skaters pass and start bouting.

Derby in Canada is in the middle of a major shift and I think these minimum skill requirements are going to be the black powder to trigger a bigger explosion of change. My province has over 20 leagues in existence right now. My guess is five years ago there were half as many, if not less. Many started their recruitment as, “Come out, we’ll teach you how to skate, you get to have fun, meet new people and wear fun outfits.”

With the new minimum requirements, leagues that continue to recruit in this manner are going to have some problems because this is bringing the sport to a new level. We all know fishnets and ass-creeping shorts are on the out while moisture wicking and performance gear are in. Skaters will be taught to skate, but if they can’t turn 360 degrees without breaking stride, they won’t see a bout until they can. Sure, they will be meeting new people and having fun, but don’t do it while the coach is giving instruction or you will be responsible for your team holding a plank for 1 minute.

Now is the time leagues need to be brutally honest when they are recruiting, if they aren’t already. Roller derby is work. Roller derby is commitment. And when your province has skaters moving so they can skate with better leagues, roller derby is turning pro (without the pro salaries).

I anticipate many leagues will be discussing these minimum skills at length over the coming days (and if it’s not on your radar, it should be). Many skaters who started the sport for fun and something different to do, as indicated by the recruitment poster in their local rec centre, will have to seriously evaluate their commitment and whether or not they will be able to continue. Granted, skills like hopping and lateral jumps are like riding a bike; once you get them you often don’t forget. But the new endurance and speed benchmarks require maintenance of your fitness level all year-round. (No more gorging and TV watching during the off-season.)

This is what everyone has been begging for… to be taken seriously as a sport. Here we are folks, this is serious.

But I still see opportunities for everyone to get to play.

I foresee a future of farm team rec leagues skating under the old requirements, where fresh meat will benchmark to skate and play until they want to be drafted onto competitive teams as rookies. These will be the skate-hard-and-have-fun leagues where if you need to leave the track during practice to answer your phone because your babysitter is calling, you won’t be punished. I’m sure this is already happening in the U.S. But I predict a sudden spike in rec leagues within Canada.

I foresee more teams moving to yearly intake to stay competitive and build a team intelligently (as opposed to monthly or quarterly). But expectations will be set high; you’ll have to play with a rec league and know the rules before even attending an intake practice.

I foresee serious athletes gravitating toward derby in great numbers. Athletes such as rugby players and hockey players may have stayed away because a league with constant open recruitment shows an un-established organization. I’m making huge assumptions here, but if you’ve played conventional sports your entire life and then move into a newer roller derby organization, I bet it would be very frustrating due to the constant coaching challenges, venue challenges and money challenges leagues have. Standardizing recruitment and having a venue that supports a full season would be very palatable to an established athlete.

I foresee leagues that have loaner gear programs ending them because the expectations to join will mean a new recruit owning skates and knowing how to use them before attending their first practice.

Finally, I foresee an exodus of existing skaters if leagues do not sit down and talk about these new minimum skills and how they fit in with their existing recruitment and practice policies. Some skaters are going to throw their hands up and say ‘I’m out’ if they feel they can’t keep up. If three or four skaters do that within a smaller league, the league won’t have enough players to roster and will be months away from training their fresh meat to reach the new minimum skills in order to be at the competitive level they want. Larger leagues that already have a high-level recruitment policy will make the shift to the new minimum skills more seamlessly. Smaller leagues playing catch-up will be left behind. I won’t be surprised if we see some leagues fold with these changes.

If your league isn’t talking about this right now, you should be. It’s going to change the sport we love. It’s going to be hard to work. But it’s also going to be awesome.

I’d love to hear from other leagues across the globe. Does your league have a recreational team? Do you use it to train and recruit skaters to the next level or is it strictly for fun? What do you think about the new minimum skills?

Here’s some other blogs on the topic that came out the last few days…

New Minimum Skills Highlights the Darker Side of Derby by Moxie

The new WFTDA minimum skills by Rachael

Minimum skills requirements upgrade – what does it all mean by Elusia

Edited (Apr 18/13) to add:

Mad Skills by Left 4 Deadwards

New WFTDA Minimum Skills – let’s chat by Frisky Sour

New Minimum Skils… and? by Elektra Q-Tion

Things Roller Derby Must Lose by Lightning Slim

So, you need a roller derby logo. Part II

Welcome to part II of my roller derby logo series. If you missed part I, where I focused on the pitfalls of logo contests and the importance of recruiting a designer into a league, you can read it here. Before a logo comes into fruition, there is a lot to consider before a pencil touches paper or a hand touches a mouse. So while I bring up points to consider if you’re hosting a logo contest, many of these apply if you’re going to contract an individual to create your brand as well. Logo design takes some thinking on your part, beyond what favourite colours you want to use.

“But I reeeeeaaaaallllllyyyy want to do a logo contest”

Let’s say your league lives in a mecca of design schools and artisans and you’re certain you’ll have a good number of logo submissions for a contest. Before you announce it, you need to think up some smart rules and guidelines. There are lots of contests online that you can use their rules as a template to write your own, but you want to make sure you have the following bases covered. Read on.

Communicate how you want to be portrayed as best you can

Many contests include the organization’s mission statement and goals to help the designer get a feel for their brand. But also include important details like if your league is co-ed or if your team’s theme is flirty, killer or sexy. Be sure to provide a guideline so you aren’t faced with 20 pinup girl logos when you wanted a flesh-eating zombie. Be specific in how you want text to appear on the logo too, particularly if you have a team name that contains unusual spelling.

Brainstorm with your league and write key words that best describe you and include them in the contest write up. Go through a thesaurus and come up with more. (See how a professional could be helpful here?) Keep it open, but provide a theme. The more information you provide about who you are and why you are there (and how much ass you want to kick) the less disappointed you will be with what gets submitted.

If you’re working with a designer as opposed to hosting a contest, the designer may ask you questions like, “Who is your target market or audience? Who are your competitors? Where and how will it be used? What is your expected life-cycle of this brand? (Logos evolve over time.) If someone were to look at your logo, what do you want their first impression to be? What is your budget?” Consider all these questions as well when introducing your contest.

Provide a realistic contest end date

Some may disagree with me, but I would be more inclined to participate in a contest that had a few weeks turnaround as opposed to a few months.

When I read a logo contest announcement, if an idea comes immediately to mind, I have time and I support the organization, I consider participating in it. If I see the deadline date as three months from now, I think to myself, “I have lots of time, I’ll do that next week.”

And then I see a squirrel and forget about it.

But a contest with a two-week turnaround, for example, puts a fire under me to do it that weekend. But that’s just how I operate.

If you’re hiring someone to create your logo, you want to give them time, which is why thinking about it early is a good idea. A designer will look at the market you’re in, see what others are doing, consider the conversations you’ve had and put it all into a visual. Sometimes, they may give you two or three rough sketches for you to choose one from and expand on. As I mentioned in my first post, logo design involves tweaking and revising so make sure you are realistic with your expectations and remember that they have more than just you as a client. Don’t be surprised if they take a couple weeks to draw up a first concept.

Specify the logo requirements

For judging, having artists submit a jpeg rendering of their art is just fine. But you should also let the entrants know you will be expecting a high-res raster or vector (preferred) file if their logo is chosen as a winner. (Not sure what any of this means? Stay tuned for my next post where I will talk about it!)

A good artist considers all the potential mediums the logo could appear on before they begin a design. But you may have an amateur designer who doesn’t understand the production process for a professional printer or t-shirts. If they create a winning design but it falls within a two-by-two inch wide space at 72 dpi, they will have to recreate everything after the contest in a high res format. Be clear at the start to avoid this.

Do you have a plan in place if you get hand-drawn submissions? You will need to figure out how to convert it to a digital format and possibly digitally colourize.

Has your team already chosen colours? Be sure to list them… and don’t just say ‘red and black’ because one person’s red is another person’s burgundy. Be specific and provide a CMYK breakdown or Pantone colour.

Will this logo be used in black and white? What about in a reverse format (white logo on a dark background)? A good designer will provide a logo in multiple colour schemes… full colour, spot colour, black and white and reverse, so their client won’t have to touch the final design in any way. Will you require your contest entrants to provide those options? Consider it if you have no one within your league to alter the logo for different colour schemes.

Speaking of formats; file formats such as tifs, jpegs, gifs and eps’s all have specific uses. If your winner provides you only with a gif as the final version of your logo, you’re going to have a hard time. Again, I’ll be talking about the difference between all these in my next post.

Do you want the shape your logo to fall within a square area? Vertical rectangle? Horizontal rectangle? Observe how other logos look when applied to t-shirts, water bottles, stickers, etc. If you don’t want the logo to be a specific shape, be sure to advise what shapes you do want. For example, an extreme horizontal logo may be difficult to work with on a uniform or bout poster, but would look great placed vertically on a water bottle.

Related to that, communicate how the logo will be used. It’s helpful to know the smallest and largest possible size the logo will run and what mediums it will be reproduced on so the artist can design accordingly. For example, a logo with a grunge-style typeface looks great when reproduced large, but turns into a blobby mess when reduced in a small format. If your logo has colour gradients and complex details, it may not reproduce well on a photocopied bout program. Again, that’s when a professional is really helpful because they look at how logo will be used before they draw it.

When it comes to logo design, a good artist will think backwards and essentially reverse-engineer it based on that information. With all this technical jargon you may think putting all this information in your rules may confuse people and keep them from entering your contest. There are pros and cons to being specific.

If you neglect listing this information, you may end up having to hire someone to make your logo usable after the contest. At the same time, listing this information will show you are taking this contest very seriously and know what you’re talking about. Artists may appreciate the detail and put in the effort to help you by entering.

And if you’re hiring a designer, don’t sweat it. They are paid to know all this stuff. But depending on the experience of your designer, it may be helpful to make sure they have all of the above covered.

Don’t forget the legal stuff

You ultimately want control of the logo. Down the road you may need to change a colour or tweak a design as your league evolves. Contests may have your winning designer from out of town or even the country which would make future revisions difficult to maintain. Be up front about ownership rights in your contest rules. Consider including a clause giving your team ownership rights and intellectual property of the winning design. That way, you can reserve the right to alter or modify your logo down the road if you need to make minor adjustments. Do you want the winner to be available to make those adjustments for you? You’ll want to discuss that. Some designers may not be keen in handing off their work solely to you. Be clear about your desire for ownership up front.

Also important is a clause in your rules saying that logos may not contain copyright material and entrants must be able to verify they are the creator of the piece. This is important. It would be terrible to choose a logo and find out later the artwork is part of the Microsoft Office clipart gallery. Or worse; directly ripped off from another designer.

When you’re hiring a designer, they should have a contract that will specify your usage rights on payment. When I create a logo for a client, part of their fee includes full usage rights and I provide all the formats they need based on what mediums they will be reproducing it on. Meaning, once I hand it off the files to them, it’s theirs forever. Pay attention to those agreements because every designer is different. A good designer will also provide brand standards with recommendations on how to properly use and reproduce the logo to maintain consistency.

The contract may not allow you to alter the logo, which you need to consider down the road. If you call up your designer asking for the original layered file so you can make some changes to it, don’t be surprised if they say no. But speak to your designer regarding future alterations and decide together how to proceed. Some may be happy to make adjustments as part of the service. Others may ask for a new contract and fee.

Outline how the winner will be chosen

When is the contest deadline? Who will judge the contest? How and when will winners be notified? Will you have a first, second and third place? Or only one final winner? What if you don’t like any of the submissions? Be sure you specify what will happen at the end of the contest if no winner is chosen. Think about managing your reputation as a league. If you get 20 submissions from local artists and you don’t like any of them and keep the prize for yourself, will that showcase your team in a positive light? Will those artists support you when you need their help to design a poster? Probably not. Give a prize away by random draw if there is no winner so you don’t burn any bridges. And speaking of prizes…

Make the prize worthwhile

I hope with all the information above, I’ve illustrated how highly skilled and knowledgeable artists and designers need to be for logo design. The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ applies here. If the prize for winning the contest is a t-shirt, you’ve just agreed to award someone the equivalent of $10. It’s a slap in the face, even if you’re not a professional designer. So make it good.

Bout tickets or even a season pass doesn’t cost you anything up front but is worth more in retail compared to a t-shirt. Better yet, recruit that winning designer by making the prize a pair of roller skates. (Heck yes, I would enter that!) A decent pair retail is still below what a designer would normally charge for the service. Or tap into your sponsorship pool and award $500 in gift certificates. Not only will that help keep your logo submissions local, you’ll be giving your sponsors shout outs within the contest promotion and you’ll drive new customers to them when the winner uses the certificates. Plus, if you have an awesome, legitimate prize, the professionals may be more inclined to enter which will increase your chances of a beautiful and technical-ready logo.

If your prize is payment because you’ve hired the designer, don’t balk at the price. You’re paying for a piece of art that will be reproduced over and over again and frankly, you’ll be making money from it. The Nike logo was designed for $35 in 1975 and that brand brings the company millions. (Thankfully, the artist got additional compensation through stock options later. Click here to see how much other famous logos have cost to create as part of a branding package.)

At the same time, make sure you are 100% happy with your logo before completing your agreement. Your designer is there to advise you on best practices for logo design. But if you think the derby girl’s boobs are too big in the logo, say so. Also expect the designer to educate you why some design decisions are better than others. Actively listen to their recommendations and be open to their suggestions because they know what they are doing. Finally, don’t be a douche. Pay your bill.

***

If you dive into the logo contest realm or are about to work one-on-one with a designer, I hope this information has been helpful to you. As always, I welcome comments to help educate the derby world, so please share your thoughts. In part three of my series on roller derby logo design, I will explain some of the technical jargon in dealing with logos: resolution and why it is important; the difference between raster and vector; colour in logo design, brand standards and more! This information will give you knowledge in how to have your brand reproduced in the best quality possible!

Final thought: If you’re a for-profit business and you host a logo contest, you’re doing it wrong. Hire yourself a professional.

I forgot my blog’s birthday… again

Happy belated birthday, blog! (March 6) As a present I’m changing your blog theme.

Three years and I’m 200 away from 80,000 views. Thanks, readers. I’m so happy you find my ramblings worthwhile!

Love, Cherri

So, you need a roller derby logo. Part I.

Congratulations! You’ve found a name, enough bodies to staff a board of directors, purchased your gear and found space to skate ‘round and ‘round. Before you master your first tomahawk or host your first home game, the team logo becomes a priority. Why? Because skating under a unified logo as a team is, well, unifying. Visions of new fans wearing your shirt to bouts and to the grocery store, dance in your helmeted head.

Or maybe your team is expanding. That’s super! You’ve been through the process of getting your first logo designed and approved so the second time around may be easier.

Fingers crossed.

Logos play a big role within sport. Do it right and your logo takes on a personality of its own. A sports logo, no matter the activity, becomes an emotionally attached brand; as if the cheering that surrounds it gives it magical power. When eyes gaze upon it, it can bring love, hate, excitement or fear depending on the eye of the beholder. (Habs fans, you know what I’m talking about.)

It’s also a money-maker for a team. Do it well and you’ll have non-stop opportunities for supporters to buy all the things with your logo on it. Do it not-so-well and you’ll likely sell shirts and maybe some stickers, but you won’t get many repeat buyers. People love to wear attractive logos, so it should be a goal as a new or expanding league to make yours desirable from a marketing perspective.

In my 20 years in the print, pre-press and design industry, I’ve been involved in a lot of good logo designs and some not-so-good. When dealing with a new client, I often have to educate them about how to make a good logo… the technical specs. You can have the most beautiful, colourful, detailed logo in the world, but it will be useless to you if the t-shirt maker can’t work with the logo due to its design.

Here are things to think about when you’re contemplating a new or team expansion logo. I’ll be posting in parts, because this topic is too big for just one post. I hope you find the tips helpful and, as always, I welcome comments and additional tips.

Recruit a graphic designer into your fresh meat program

(No, really. Recruit a graphic designer into your fresh meat program.)

Finding someone to create your logo can be challenging. The easier you can make it on yourself, the better. There are lots of great artists and graphic designers out there who could help you. However, you want to try and find someone who has had pre-press or pre-production experience.  Why? The mediums used when you send a brochure to get professionally printed, silkscreen a t-shirt or produce a temporary tattoo, have some limitations in reproduction of your design.

A knowledgeable designer will know those limitations and design your logo around that. I’ll go through some of the more common limitations down below and in future posts. So having a designer already skating for your league may be able to oversee the process or at least help you take some of the guesswork out of it.

“I know, let’s have a logo contest”

This sentence makes me shudder. For many reasons. Not only does it devalue the industry for graphic designers (Do accountants participate in math contests?), it doesn’t allow you to have one-on-one conversations with the designer to help them understand how the team wants to be portrayed. This is going to be your brand; your image; your emotional attachment to your fans. Without those conversations, it would be difficult for anyone to get a logo perfect on the first try.

Logo creation takes time. It also takes revisions. Contests lend themselves to neither. It’s also a process that designers charge from hundreds to thousands of dollars. If you think about it, would the really good designers who are paid hundreds to thousands of dollars, join your contest to design a logo for payment of a t-shirt? Probably not the good ones, unless you recruit one into your league. See above.

Logo contests are also risky. Logos shouldn’t contain copyrighted material but sometimes it’s difficult to tell. Good artists would never rip off another’s design. Opening up a contest for anyone to enter can increase that risk because you simply don’t know who you’re dealing with. In the end, your league could be held liable and be forced to never use the logo if the copyright infringement is discovered.

For more information on the pitfalls of logo contests, read this article on logodesignlove.com. Please read it before you consider a contest.

Here’s my confession. I participate in logo contests sometimes. I know it’s hypocritical based on what I’ve written above. But I only participate if I’m inspired by an idea quickly, have time and I truly want to support the organization hosting the contest. If you’ve used a logo contest and was gifted with a logo that was everything you ever wanted it to be, that’s fantastic! But please keep in mind that it’s not always the most easy or effective way to get a logo done.

If, despite all my efforts, you’ve decided to still run a logo contest, please stay tuned to my next post which will include how to run your contest to keep you from getting burned but the tips are great if you plan on hiring a designer too. The post following I will explain some of the technical jargon in dealing with logos: resolution and why it is important; the difference between raster and vector; colour in logo design, brand standards and more. Stay tuned!

The derby life cycle within the life cycle of derby. It’s a time paradox!

Last year, PLAYER 1 from Vancouver’s Terminal City All Stars (who incidentally is skating under her real name this season, Germaine Koh) wrote an incredibly poignant article about roller derby and her thoughts on aging. She was about to turn 45 when she wrote it. Her original post can be found on her Facebook page here  within a status update posted Aug. 28, 2012.

Go read it… I’ll wait right here.

Koh hits the nail on the head in her article. Her athlete insights are not only for all athletes, but I see it as a life cycle of what every skater evolves through from when they join as fresh meat to when they are considering an exit strategy of their own. Taking it a step further, as derby evolves, I see many skaters go through life cycles encompassing those insights within each step of evolution.

This June I turn 40, which isn’t particularly old for me. I think my body performs better than the average 40-year-old and my mind is definitely younger. When I started this journey back in March 2010, I was 36 and had it set in my mind I would stick it out until I turned 40 and then maybe do ‘something else.’ I’m sort of holding true to that transition, as I won’t be running for a league board position after three years of commitment to those duties. But as for skating and playing, I’m in a little bit of a conundrum.

It’s obvious to me I’ve moved through many of the points in Koh’s article and I feel like I’m on exit strategy but I’m not ready to quit yet.

From the time I joined roller derby to now, the sport has undergone multiple transitions. Its insane growth has changed the rules, strategy and fitness expectations. In the last year Canada achieved its own ranking system and are hosting its first national tournament this year based on regional playoffs (which I had the honour of playing in and getting my ass hit by Player 1 and her counterparts last summer LOL).

Within those transitions, skaters have evolved multiple times as well. Starting from cut t-shirt uniforms and going out for beers after practice, many are now in wicking performance gear and drinking protein shakes. The evolution seems to happen overnight. It’s like a lightbulb turns on and a skater changes how they are training or performing, as if they were reborn.

So for me, I feel I’m simply at the end of a cycle within my overall roller derby life cycle. My existing light bulb is about to burn out and another is about to burn bright.

I truly believe that ‘something else‘ I committed to 3 years ago is still going to be roller derby, just birthed into something new. And when I figure out what that something new is, I’m sure I’ll work through and learn from many of Koh’s insights again. “I’m not just going to let that river of time take me where it will.” I get to choose my next path and that’s really exciting.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced life cycles within roller derby. I’d love to hear your stories.

The isolation of ‘no pack’ derby

I played in scrimmages two weekends in a row and both were very different. Granted, the one last weekend was an intermediate scrimmage (Stettler) and this weekend’s was an advanced (Medicine Hat) so there was bound to be some obvious variances.

Teams are resorting to no pack strategy more often in regular play, but happens most when they are on a power jam, really behind in points or if they are having trouble during a (full-strength) jam. (This is old news and is covered extensively here  and here) While splitting the pack (forcing the refs to call ‘no pack’ and all blockers must disengage and reform, allowing jammers to pass through relatively untouched) is kinda-sorta-maybe allowed, it’s really manipulating the rules to make it easy as possible to score points with as little contact as possible. It feels like getting a goat to slow a pack seems like a distant past; old strategy.

No pack derby is driving me crazy. I love it; I hate it. I love it when I’m jamming and my team executes it perfectly and I cruise through the pack untouched. What jammer wouldn’t love that? I hate it as a spectator and I hate it as a player in general because you’re watching two walls of 4 on 1 until the ref calls the no pack. It requires little skating skill. WFTDA skater Juke Boxx even made a plea about it at this year’s Rollercon.  But it’s easy for teams of all levels to resort to, so I understand why it’s so palatable.

The WFTDA is releasing revisions to the rules this fall. While they have confirmed they will be eliminating minor penalties from the WFTDA rule set, there hasn’t been any kind of confirmation if they will be making changes to help eliminate no pack scenerio (that I can find).

This summer I made a promise to myself to play as much derby as possible and take in as many experiences as I can. In fact, I’m planning on playing 3 weekends out of the four in August. However I’m frustrated that my perception of the negative experiences I’m having are outweighing the positive. The ownness is on me to decide whether to cut my losses and stay home or surge ahead and break down the negatives, which is probably something every athlete goes through multiple times regardless of their sport. Equally frustrating is the sense of seclusion I’m feeling right now. Everyone is having a great time filled with awesome-fun-loving-derby-times and I’m just sort of hovering on the edge. I’m not sure what’s needed to make derby fun again.

Pulling myself from jamming has seemed to help, which I did in my game in Medicine Hat this weekend and I jammed less than I normally do in Stettler. No pack derby, while effective in strategy, makes a jammer fend for herself most the time. I’m tired of it. Maybe some will say I have a bad attitude for saying that and I need to put on my big girl panties and suck it up for the sake of the team. But playing as a blocker has been much more enjoyable as the sense of isolation I was feeling as a jammer is non-existent. Lately when I’ve been handed the star, I dread it. Not a good headspace to be in when your team is counting on you to score. My sights are set on a change in direction, I’m just not sure where yet.

Full circle…

I was a nameless fresh meat looking for a derby pseudonym and wrote to this Terminal City member to ask permission to use a modified version of her name. I’m so glad she said no. I’ve grown into my chosen name very well.

At the time of receiving this I thought, ‘Yah right, as if I’d ever play a team from Vancouver.’

******

We were fortunate to have been contacted by the organizers of Klash in the Kootenays. The tournament that organizes WESTERNS, were offering spots to other teams as some of the top 8 teams declined.

We enthusiastically accepted after agreeing to reschedule our game with the Gnarlie’s Angels, which was happening the week before; two trips to BC two weeks in a row just wasn’t doable.

Here we are, a team still in its infancy, about to face western Canada’s best.

We pulled Terminal City for our first game. Needless to say, I’m stoked. I’m having a huge full-circle moment over this.

Are there any other sports leagues in the world that allow teams with such a range of experience and skill to learn, work and play together?

This is what the DIY movement of roller derby is all about. I’m so excited to learn as much as I can from this experience!

Are you looking for me?

I’ve noticed the last few days in my blog search terms that readers are looking for my contact info.

I make an effort to respond to every comment on my blog, so feel free to get in touch here! Or you can also reach me via email at cherriblaster@yahoo.ca, but a faster response will always happen through blog comments.

Thanks for your continued love and support!!! <3

Take a knee

Two weekends ago I played in a most amazing roller derby tournament, Flat Track Fever. I skated in Calgary’s Olympic Oval, which was amazing and also got to watch some amazing skill in women’s, men’s, co-ed and junior bouts.

The Wednesday prior to the tourney, I got tangled and took and bad spill at practice. I went down on my butt with legs forward and my knees bent out, essentially making a W with my lower body when I fell. I found out later that the impact of the inside of my knees hitting the floor in that way, I sprained my LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament) on my left leg, which is the ligament on the outside of the knee.

I sprained the Lateral Collateral Ligament

Thinking I could push through and fear of letting my team down, I went to the tournament and played in 2 games. I had fun but was always aware of the throbbing in my knee.

Fast forward to the week following; more throbbing, swelling and feeling that my knee was filling with fluid prompted me to visit a physiotherapist who diagnosed me with a ‘Grade 2’ sprain and now I’m off skates and have regular visits to therapists to try and fix me.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since my initial injury and I’m still limping, I still have to ice it and simple tasks like getting in and out of a car make me groan like I’m 70. I’m terribly frustrated. I can’t imagine what skaters who have worse injuries than myself, like full tears or broken bones, have to go through.

Injury prevention is on my mind.

I found this great article – 6 Ways to Ruin Your Knees – where they talk to derby girl Iron Maiven who tore her ACL.

But thinking a little further beyond published articles about cross-training, stretching, resting, etc., I started to recall lower-body injuries that happened within my league or that I witnessed. A common theme started to surface.

Most of them happened when the skater fell on her butt.

In fresh meat, you’re taught the importance of keeping your balance forward and taking a knee(s) when you fall. You often learn that lesson quickly after the first sting of a tailbone bash. Also coaches are quick to remind new skaters to fall correctly if they witness a flailing fall to the posterior.

But after the fresh meat phase, basic reminders like ‘fall to your knees’ often don’t get spoken to the veteran skaters. Warmups involving single or double knee falls are often looked at as trite distractions until it’s time for drills and scrimmaging.

Dare I say veteran skaters become complacent to the importance of knee falls? I know I did.

Track action happens so fast that a fall to the butt is sometimes unavoidable. Hell, I’ve spontaneously fallen to my ass while at a stand still.

However it begs the question, after fresh meat training, are we doing enough to continue to make sure knee falls are instinctual?

If I ever get back on skates (and I realize I’m being dramatic but I’m super cranky that I’m not feeling any improvement in my knee today so bear with me) I plan on filling my free-skate time with shifting weight to my heels and lurching forward to avoid a potential ass-fall.

Bionic awesomeness!

I’d love to hear what you think… are you complacent with how you fall during a game? Do you think about it? When you fall improperly, do you take steps to improve so it doesn’t happen again or do you chalk it up to a one-time event under specific circumstances?

PS: Since writing this post I’ve had another visit with my physiotherapist. He took pity on me and fitted me with this sexy new leg brace which makes walking much more comfortable even though it looks massively hindering. I really want to make 6 Million Dollar Man sound affects when I walk now.

Na-na-na-na-naaahh