Tuesday, June 28, 2016

#GangGreen for life

Fountain City Roller Derby was once called Dead Girl Derby.  I joined when it was still Dead Girl Derby.  I started in 2012.  2012 was a big year for the league.  There were SO MANY girls at recruitment.  So many!  Each person who was eligible did make it on a House Team.  I've told my whole draft experience before.  It's back in those archives somewhere.  Maybe last November-ish...
The House teams were at capacity.  So much so that they could not put every player on the roster.  They could field fourteen players and two alternates.  Also, everyone could play in the last quarter if the coach saw fit.
That is how the Zombie League came to be.
The Zombie League was were the first year skaters as well as returning skaters that needed more time on skates.  There might be a picture from my first game here. I, honestly, didn't know about this article until someone googled me and told me about it.  This was the only time I was on Black Plague.  I skipped ahead here.
The Zombie League was comprised of two teams, throwback teams to the ages of old: Gang Green and Black Plague. 
After that first game, I was always on Gang Green.
While I made the alternate spot on the house team roster, I didn't get an abundant amount of play time the first season.

The second year of Zombie League saw great changes.  This is when I coached Gang Green.  I didn't realize when I signed up to coach I would be playing with Gang Green.  A lot.
Roster requirements changed.  There were just fourteen people on a roster and those who were not in the fourteen were sent to Zombie League to skate for the month.
It was a heartbreaking year.  Month after month, I would receive a message saying I didn't make the roster.  I did make it a few times.  I didn't get a lot of play time though.  One time I might have started crying on the bench because I sat there and sat there.  Finally, I got to play because I had to serve out a penalty for a teammate the had reached her penalty max.  I played in a few jams after that.
It's embarrassing when you invite people to come to the games and they actually show up and you don't make the roster.
I worked my ass off to sit on the bench.  It was fun.

Third year, I stopped coaching.  Even though I got the better reviews from the whole of the Gang Green coaches.

I, again, played Zombie League.  A lot. 
Roster requirements didn't change.  It was still the solid fourteen.
I did make the roster a few times due to injuries or people being out of town.
I didn't play a lot.
I got frustrated with the coaches on Zombie that year.
I had a terrible time when I played in those games.
My third year was just frustrating and upsetting.

Now!  It's this year!
Roster requirements changed.
Everyone on a house team made the roster as long as attendance was met.
There was a cap on the house team numbers though.
I can't remember exactly what it was.
You were guaranteed to play in four jams.
I played more.  Actually a lot more.
We just started the coed season and that first game was definitely amazing. 

I've played in two Zombie games this year, by choice. 
The coaches are amazing and these girls are tough.
Also, I am not just playing with Zombies, there are travel team girls
and house team girls. 
We just like to skate!

Monday nights Zombie Game was truly the best.
Sometimes the game play was faster than the house teams game play and
I might have had to rest a few after one particular jam.

Gang Green won 70-50.

I will post pictures and video once it is available.
If you didn't see that game, you really missed out.

Also, me drinking a Monster after watching Sharkatraz....that's a whole other story.
I'll probably talk about it later.

I sport the original Gang Green tank.

Did you know I coached?
Photo by Mary Wano
Of the whole team, only two remain as skaters, Sailor Moon Moon and Blazin Bay Bay.
And guess what?!?  They are on my coed team!!
Photo by Mary Wano

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