Vansterdamn's Page

When Autumn Von Rotten threw Elle Boes into me last night, I hit the cement with a thud. My elbow screamed at me, and I said "that's a toaster" (meaning, I'm toast). I got off the track for a drill, then de-pussified and went back on to skate. I thought I was fine until I took off my cheap ass elbow pad. Then...owwwww! It really hurt.

Today I couldn't extend it all the way or flex it. My worst fear was that I had fractured my elbow, and after my long absence due to illness, I would have to be l… Continue

I just booked my trip to New York to visit an old friend. Let me admit, I chose the dates for this trip around watching Beyonslay skate. The student must learn from the master. Although I couldn't convince my pal to sit sui-side with me, we got tickets and they arrived in the mail yesterday. So psyched! And a bunch of her NY pals are going to join us. I'm hoping the Gotham Girls reply to my email and invite me to meet them. I would die!

My husband is the best ever. I was promising him I wouldn'… Continue

I made my grand return to derby practice Monday night. My lungs are still a problem, and I spent a disproportionate amount of time on the sidelines coughing. In our tin can practice space, that's pretty disruptive. And my puffer only helped so much. It was annoying.

On the positive side, I'm skating much better. My time off made me really hungry, and when my lungs weren't aching I gave my all. My cross-overs are getting much better. It's frustrating, because cross-overs are a really essential a… Continue

If you seriously want to get the flu, I have a guaranteed way to make it happen. Buy new equipment. Inevitably, some evil fate will befall you and stop you from breaking it in for a week or two. In my case, it was a cold followed by a flu -- source to be determined, but I will kill whoever gave it to me!

I am very excited about my new wheels, bearings and knee pads and feel confident that after I get over this sick spell I'm gonna be kicking ass. My old wheels were basically bare on the grip, s… Continue

This is intended as an affirmation, a manifesto per se.

When derby started in Austin, Texas, a group of girls broke into two parts. The reason for the break was simple. Some of the players felt like they had no say. They were doing what they were told to do, without being given reasons. They put up with a lot of shit. In the end, they said goodbye to their leaders and started the TXRG. The TXRG went on to form the WFTDA with other founding leagues. Their philosophy was basic: "For the skater, b… Continue