Romancing my knees: New derby gear for those special someone's..

It's been a long year for my kneebones.

From the beginning of derby journey,  they've been under tremendous pressure to perform,  and as it turns out my kneepads (read about them here),  were a pile of shit. I should have known when I got mysterious bruises under my pads,  or maybe when my knee started swelling after training.  The injury I got scaling Mt Tamborine was an extension of what was already happening under my pads really. A massive disgusting hematoma that eventually ran down to my ankle and swelled there.  I couldn't afford better pads when I returned to derby which led me to my local sports store to get volleyball pads for underneath to create extra cushioning.  It worked,  for a spell, until my freshmeat pal told me of this amazing sale at Boardshop. I'd been lusting after some Deadbolt knees and Gladiator Gaskets, but I needed a cheap solution NOW. I launched at the website and couldn't believe luck - 187 Pro Derby knees for $85.00 with FREE shipping??

This might seem expensive for Americans, but here in the great land of Oz, if you wanna play derby;  you better have a pile of gold somewhere cause livin' on an island ain't cheap.

I also got some Smith's scab's gaskets, for about $40.00 and this was all delivered in a day, so big ups to Boardshop; I was super happy with the service. The only sell protective gear for derby, given they are actually a skateboard shop, but it’s cheaper than other places in Oz.

Yesterday I took them for a spin at training. I'm sure if my knees could speak they'd sing reggae, cause they were so chilled and happy. My review:

Smith's scabs gaskets

I expected them to be a little tighter, as I didn't have to fight to get them up. I was around the centre of XL according to my size measurements, but retrospectively I wonder if I could have gotten away with an L. Still, the padding is good, and my joint felt like it was being cuddled tight :) I still had the full range of movement, and today my knee feels great.

187 Pro Derby kneepads:

I wasn't so sure about getting these, they seemed bulky and sitting-on-top-of-your-kneecap-like but I'm glad I got them. The padding is AWESOME, they don't cut in anywhere so are really comfy. I did feel like they affect my crossover step but I think it's manageable. I did notice when trying to Turkish Get up they slipped to the side slightly, but I had my gaskets under my training pants and the kneepads over, so there was no contact to hold the pads in place. Stupid I know.

Honestly taking double knees almost felt like I wasn't falling at all, and an added bonus is I could push my hips out further because I wasn't as shocked by the tap-tap.

Ultimately, if you are pre-freshmeat or currently in a league, I offer you a wake-up call. Buy your pads BEFORE your skates, don't skimp, do your research and spend every last penny on them. Even for me, about 7 months of skating on bad pads has taken a toll. Spend big on your knees, take them out to dinner, offer them elevation and rest, ice and compression and daily squats. Pretend they're like already unhappy, do happy knees exercises. Turn your weakness into your strength!

I tried Bikram Yoga, which I could go into with great depth but in short - it was pretty culty, and I can't believe I'm saying this but it was competitive. I couldn't bear all the gentle and free-spirited voices and competitive origami limbs. Margaret Cho couldn't have said it better IMO.

So now I'm about halfway through this:

And my leg strength has gone through the roof! It's totally worth it, and seriously, I promise you that it only lasts for about 5 minutes of your day. It's a great way to ease yourself into daily movement if you aren't doing this normally.

I have half of my workplace doing it with me too : )

Things are on the move. Hope they are for you too.

Train like you fucking mean it!

Rink-test dummy: my new derby gear

So I vaguely covered my journey into the world of freshmeat gear but thought I should revisit it so we can look at what gear I got and what I've noticed. My apologies for the shitty photo quality, I'm new to this blog idea and have no fanciness.

I went with:

Protec kneepads

Protec Wristguards (hand not included)

Protec helmet

Protec elbows

Crazy VXi skates (stocko bandit wheels and enclosed bearings)

Outdoor Radar jelly wheels and Bones reds bearings

All up this cost me $550.00 (got them from Skatetrader, the don't have freshmeat packs but will make up one and offer a discount). Make of that what you will but it was the best combo for me and came out far more suitable and cost effective than any of the freshmeat packs online.

I ended up swapping over my bones reds bearings with the stocko bearings that came in my crazies because they seemed so much faster, and more for rink. So my road wheels are a bit more sluggish but that suits me fine (all the better to not eat shit with my dear).

The biggest issue I've has with any of my gear is my kneepads. Whilst they want to save my arse when I come down on them, the velcro also wants to make my life unbearable. They're tight as fuck, and I wonder if they don't fit now given how much they cut in. The back of my knees end up looking like a strung ham after a skate. The tattooed goddess said to get them tight as I can bear it because eventually they loosen as the cushions inside compress but I think I went a lil too tight. I've come down on them a few times now and its been blissfully painless, so they are like tiny clouds it seems : )

Wrist guards are what I've found to be most essential . I've come down on those bad boys with 100kgs of fear and know they've saved me at the very least a fracture. I can also see they'll wear out fast by the battle scars they already bear.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my gear, though next time I might try out the 187 knees, they seem less bulky and cumbersome. What are you guys rockin' and howsit working?

Freshmeat Roller Derby gear: My miseducation and subsequent demystification

I'm a really impulsive person, and though close to danger as it takes me, none is more dangerous than anything I approach with my keycard. Impulse purchaser extraordinaire am I, driven by impatience and blissful ignorance. Then I had step children. Money is tighter than a nuns @#/%. The beauty of this is I learnt how to be an expert researcher of purchases. (all credit to my partner). I stopped buying things before checking every possible avenue, brand, price, shipping cost and forum for clues. It's kinda workin' I think.. When I started thinking seriously about derby, I began scouring online stores for clues as to what to buy. Given I'm in Australia, most things are cheaper online so I sorted site after site, comparing blogs and forum advice with prices and packs. I became obsessed. How do i get the best skate for the lowest price? What protective gear do I need? What brands are going to last me? 

I figured out I'd need this at a start: 

Derby Skates (no shit!)
Helmet
Elbow pads
Wrist pads
Knee pads
Toe guard (to stop you from ripping your skates)

For me, I knew I would be skating daily at the basketball courts near my house so I'd need outdoor wheels and bearings and a skate tool.. I've since read you can use a socket set to take your wheels off, so I'll try that before I buy a tool.

Basically, I learned for someone with a family the $500-$600 or so dollars is a massive commitment, that's our monthly food budget!

I learned that good pads were a necessity, knee gaskets might be good for me because of my size (and dodgy knees, cheers dad). After all the comparing of US skate stores I eventually found a freshmeat pack on derbyskates.com.au that had all the right stuff in the right places. Suregrip rebel invaders with 187 pads and came with a helmet, gaskets, mouthguard, and toe protectors.

I also tried calling and emailing skate stores in AU to find out about basic outdoor wheels, and beginner skates. No one could give me a solid answer, I needed to speak to someone! 

Fortunately, I hung back after my first skate class and queried the tattooed goddess about my dilemma. She said, contrary to what I'd read online; big girls don't have to have aluminium plates, the nylon plates are just as strong and will break eventually no matter what. That dropped my starting price by about 100.00! My biggest miseducation though was working on the premise that I needed the best quality skates I could afford, when in all reality I was going to fall a whole bunch and fuck them up regardless of what price I paid. 

Also I have private health cover so can get a mouthguard through my dentist. Sweet deal.

The rink had a skate store in-house and when I told the lady what I was going to pay she offered to quote me on a pack. On the advice of the skaters there I went with a cheap skate (crazy skates vx) and the best pads because:

1. I won't understand what I'll want in a skate until I figure out how they work on my feet (and how not to kill myself on them)
2. I'm going to get familiar with the floor, so I'll need the best cushions I can get

My original freshie pack was $550.00 without even getting to the outdoor wheels and bearings. The rink mama quoted me $391.00!! Plus cheap outdoor wheels which will be about $70.00 and bearings at about $50.00. BAM. A saving of at least a hundred bucks :)

The moral of this story is: you read everything you can find online, check all the forums and blogs, read all the reviews and as per usual the best advice is found out when you find someone who knows their shit.