BREW, BEEF, BUBBLES AND BED FINISH SKATERS’ EVENINGS!
by the Grand Poobah, ARRG Bout Co-Announcer – Photos by Bob Dunnell
Yesterday’s column looked at some of the rituals, on and off the flat track, that a few of the Arch Rival Roller Girls go through prior to a bout. We focused on diet, hydration and sleep, three important components for flat-track derby preparation.
Today, we throw those three elements completely out the window. Well, somewhat.
All three are still important for a skater following a sixty-minute bout. But after the evening’s flat-track frenzy has concluded, the skaters and support staff are ready to unwind with post-bout traditions.
At right, Toe-Stop Believin' - Adrenaline is still flowing post-bout!
“After a bout, win or lose, adrenaline is flowing and it’s time to party,” says Stunt Devils’ blocker Toe-Stop Believin’ of her ritual.”Beer, please, and thank you!”
She’s not alone in sampling a frosty beverage.
“I do try to take in a lot of water after the bout, but I’m pretty quick to gear down and make a beeline to the PBR stand,” adds the M-80s’ EnYa Nightmare.
“It’s crazy. They go down really well right after a super intense bout.”
And the intensity has been consistent this season for the league, which makes it impossible to completely leave “derby mode” at the evening’s conclusion.
“We have so much fun on the floor, that it’s hard to turn it off when we leave,” says Smashinistas’ blocker Harsha Punishment.
And don’t think that it’s solely hops and barley that the skaters consume following the event. After all, water and electrolyte loss during a bout is going to lead to a need for non-alcoholic hydration afterwards.
“Water, lots of it,” says Stunt Devils’ blocker Grave Danger. “I usually chug a bottle after a game and then again before I go to bed.”
And hydration can also come from food consumed afterwards. Protein, for example.
RSA's The Oregon Betrayal (L): Nachos are the crave!
“I go to Square One Brewery post-bout and eat a giant plate of flank steak nachos and drink a lot of water,” says The Oregon Betrayal of Rebel Skate Alliance.
Sounds like a great capper to the evening! But is it too late for that big of a meal and could it lead to a sleepless night?
“All season, I have played in the first bout of the doubleheaders,” she counters. ”By the time I get my nachos in me and get home, I’m exhausted.”
But a late-night feast isn’t always on the menu for some.
“No room for food, I need beer!” jokes Toe-Stop Belevin’. “Plus, I’m never hungry after an intense workout.”
For some, it’s an early call. Late-night socializing is nice, but getting back to safe surroundings for a little peace and quiet is on the priority list.
“Usually after a bout, I’m beat and just wanna have a few beers and go home,” says Rebel Skate Alliance’s Beaster Bunny. “Then, I’ll hang with the family.”
For some skaters, just getting home is a challenge upon itself – not because of an after party – but because they’re still wound-up from the evening’s battle.
“My husband has noticed that I have a tendency to drive like I’m blocking after a great bout or scrimmage,” jokes Harsha Punishent.
Upon arrival to the homestead for Nightmare, it’s a quick dip in the tub to relax.
EnYa Nightmare: Cold beverage and a hot shower is the norm.
“I have to take a shower before going to bed and winding down,” says the M-80. “Afterwards, I think I smell like a winner and sparkly unicorns.”
Sparkly unicorns?
“Others don’t always think so,” she quickly jokes.
“I also like to check my numbers on my arms,” Nightmare adds, referring the mandatory identification markings required by skaters who participate in a bout. “If they’ve went untouched, then I know my blockers were on their ‘A- game’ that night.”
Even with a full belly and a warm shower, hitting the hay is not as easy as it may seem for some. There’s also time for personal reflection.
“It always takes me a couple of hours to wind down after a bout,” says Harsha Punishment. “Even when I get in bed, I have visions of derby girls skating in my head.”
At right, Grave Danger: Derby the next morning.
“As far as winding down post-bout, it just depends on the game,” adds Grave Danger. “If my team had a great game, I go to bed smiling and replay all the great things in my mind.”
And what if the outcome earlier in the evening was different?
“If the team doesn’t do well, then I’m lying there with a furrowed brow wondering what we can drill (in practice) to make things better,” Danger says.
And said league practice will take place at The Skatium in South St. Louis the following morning.
“I usually try to have a full night of sleep because practice is at 11:30 am,” says Harsha Punishment.
“Now that we play tournaments, I recoup the next day by playing more derby,” adds Grave Danger. “I don’t sleep any more or less.”
“It’s hard to sleep in the next day because there’s practice,” says Beaster Bunny. “Afterwards, I do tend to take the rest of the day off. Usually I’m kind of sore, so I chill out for most of the day.”
And after practice, full rest is a welcome respite following a very active twenty-four hours prior.
“I usually sleep a lot the next day,” says Toe-Stop Believin’. “Lots of beer and being sore will do that me.”
And when you think about it, between practices, pre- and post-bout rituals, competing on the flat-track at events and fulfilling obligations to the league, there’s really never a break.
Because when one becomes a member of the Arch Rival Roller Girls, they’re living derby all the time.
Post-bout rituals will continue following the 2012 ARRG Local Championships at Chaifetz Arena on Saturday, April 28 at its official after-party. Details of the event – which is tentatively scheduled for a downtown St. Louis venue – will be released shortly.
This summer following ARRG travel team doubleheaders held at Midwest Sport Hockey, official post-bout after-parties will take place at a new location: Harrah’s Casino in Maryland Heights, MO. The first one at Harrah’s will take place following the ARRG doubleheader vs. Bleeding Heartland on Saturday, May 5.
COMING UP TOMORROW AT 8 AM FOR ARRG’s “30n30″: We pass the baton over to ARRG Bout Co-Announcer Magilla Guerilla, who looks a proposed derby change nationally that could potentially affect the way the sport is played. ARRG recently experimented with the proposed change at a local scrimmage. He’ll give his take on the possibilities and what it would mean for skaters and fans. On Tuesday, “Guerilla Uncaged” looks at what the sport of roller derby would become if minor penalties were eliminated.
ARRG’s “30n30″ is a daily feature that examines different aspects of the Arch Rival Roller Girls – St. Louis’ first female flat-track roller derby franchise. In this section every morning at 8 AM for the entire month of April, a new feature will be presented.
Other installments of ARRG’s “30n30″: PRE-SERIES SET-UP (1) EVOLUTION (2) THE DREAM TO PLAY AT CHAIFETZ (3) LOCAL SEASON RECAP (4) ARRG ALL-STARS (5) SAINT LUNACHIX (6) ROOKIE RIVALS (7) REFEREES & NSOs (8) PRE-BOUT RITUALS.
[...] Other installments of ARRG’s “30n30″: PRE-SERIES SET-UP (1) EVOLUTION (2) THE DREAM TO PLAY AT CHAIFETZ (3) LOCAL SEASON RECAP (4) ARRG ALL-STARS (5) SAINT LUNACHIX (6) ROOKIE RIVALS (7) REFEREES & NSOs (8) PRE-BOUT RITUALS (9) POST-BOUT RITUALS. [...]