Goal setting the SMART way

February 18, 2013 – 11:35 pm

I wrote some articles last year about the steps involved in creating a successful and healthy team dynamic (“How to create a team that works“) One of the most important steps, in my opinion, is having a goal setting session with your team. Here is a more detailed breakdown on how to run a goal setting session from 8Mean Wheeler taken from the Camp Pivotstar blog.

Goal Setting Part Two

Ok, you’ve gotten everyone in one room. Now it’s time to set goals for the season. No idea is too big or small at this point so encourage your league mates to share what they would like the league to consider.

On a white board, a chalkboard or a really big piece of paper, have one person list every idea that your league members come up with. It’s a good idea to separate training goals from league goals. The difference being that training goals are just that, things to include when considering training. League goals are all of the other stuff that gets organized before and after practices and bouts, during meetings and via email.

Once everyone has contributed their ideas to the conversation, you should have 2 large lists. Now it’s time for each individual to weigh in with three votes towards both training and league goal lists.

Have each member come up to the board and place a check beside the three ideas that are most important to them for both training and league categories. This might take a little while as it should be done one at a time and some people need a minute or two to be sure before they make their mark.

After everybody has voted, tally up the check marks. The ones with the highest number of votes go to the top of the priority list. These will be your league’s focus for the upcoming season.

Now comes the challenging part. Make them SMART goals in order to have a higher chance of success.

Specific

Your goal should be well defined and clear so that it makes sense to everyone.

Measurable

How will we know when we have achieved it? Your goal should require tangible evidence of completion.

Attainable

Your goal should be appropriate and achievable.

Realistic

Goal should represent something that you are both willing and able to work towards.

Timely

Set a time frame or a date to achieve by. There should be enough time for accomplishment but not too much time so that it looses its sense of urgency.

Post the finished product where everybody can see and refer to it often. A team forum, your regular practice space (if you’re lucky enough to have your own) or group face book page is a great place for this.

Check in with each other to ensure that you are on track. This is easily done at a league meeting, as it’s nice to do it face to face and those who are struggling are sure to feel their league’s support.

Celebrate when you reach each goal! Remember to give your fellow league a congratulatory pat on the back and a thank you. League success relies on all league members and with all of the hard work that goes into running a successful league; it’s easy to forget to take the time to celebrate our successes together.

Best of luck this season!

8mean

For more information on roller derby training offered through Camp Pivotstar, visit our website: www.camppivotstar.com

By Lulu | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

What BLUE are YOU?

October 30, 2012 – 9:15 pm

I am in the process of developing my new Pivotstar Roller Derby Uniforms (fyi they are going to be awesome!) but I need your help.

I am trying to figure out which shade of BLUE and PINK are most commonly used in roller derby uniforms.

If you have a team in your league that has BLUE or PINK as their primary colours, can you post it on my facebook page?

www.facebook.com/pivotstar

Thank you for your help! And stay tuned for updates to the Pivotstar Roller Derby Uniforms – they are going to be exceptionally FABULOUS :)

Lulu

By Lulu | Posted in Products | Comments (0)

Thinking on your SKATES

October 10, 2012 – 10:52 pm

I am a jammer. But I love blocking. The reason I love jamming is the single minded focus of getting through the pack and scoring points for your team. The reason I love blocking is that it MAKES MY BRAIN EXPLODE!!

Honestly, I find blocking such a crazy mental challenge. And it’s so HARD to skate, work with your team, figure out what you should be doing now…. and then what about now….. and oh, the jammer just got sent off for a major, how about now?? Phew, exhausted just thinking about it.

So I love any drills that help work on my mental focus and processing, while also mixing in the challenge of not falling on my face.

Here’s a great one that I picked up from Ballistic Whistle (coach of the London Rollergirls) when we were coaching together in Belgium for Derby Revolution.

Skating by Numbers

Aim of the drill: mental focus, communication and multitasking

Set up: Everyone gets together on the track in one big pack. (If you have more than 20 skaters then you can split it into two packs and make them skate equidistant to each other – adds another level to the drill too!)

Level One
Skaters form a big pack and skate together (no contact)
Skaters number off 1 to however many they are (let’s say 15)
Skaters must repeat the numbers in sequence while skating in a pack. Each skater yells out their number at the correct time
Once skaters understand the drill make sure they are doing it as fast as possible

Level Two
Same thing but now add in more skating – skaters must move around through the pack.
Increase intensity by adding contact – light hits.

Level Three – Odds vs Evens
Maintain same formation – everyone in a big pack
This time odds number off (1,3,5,7,9 etc) at the same time as the evens number off (2,4,6,8 etc)

Level Four
Continue Odds vs Evens and add in contact

Sounds simple right? Take this one to your next practice and see how simple it is :)

Another great drill for mental focus and thinking on your feet is Biggest Threat. I wrote up this drill in an earlier blog post: http://pivotstar.com/blog/?p=80

Have fun! Think fast and keep being awesome!

Luludemon
ps. and check out this pic of one of my favourite skaters Juke Boxx in her Pivotstar Francey Pants Athletic Capris.

By Lulu | Posted in Classes, Drills and Pointers | Comments (0)

Interview with C Max Roller Derby South Africa

October 9, 2012 – 8:09 pm

Earlier this year I visited beautiful South Africa to coach the C Max Roller Derby League in Johannesburg. You can read about my visit and check out the video I made on the Camp Pivotstar blog here: http://www.camppivotstar.com/?p=176

Luckily someone with more videoing talent than myself also took some footage and put together an awesome interview.

Roller derby in South Africa? Yup that’s pretty damn cool.

By Lulu | Posted in Media, Stories, Videos | Comments (0)

Roller derby in Norway??

August 9, 2012 – 8:21 pm


I remember the exact moment I knew that roller derby was going to take over the world. It was when I received an email from my old university room mate telling me that she had purchased roller skates and was going to join a local roller derby team. Not such a big deal you might think – except that this friend of mine lived in Oslo, Norway.

A year later and I was on a plane flying over Greenland, heading towards the land of fjords and skinny dipping. I was combining a coaching engagement in Belgium for Derby Revolution, with a stop off to visit my friend in Oslo and help out with their fast growing league.

European roller derby has grown exponentially over the last 3 years. Derby Roster lists over 150 leagues in mainland Europe (so not including the UK). But the most remarkable thing about roller derby’s growth in Europe is not only the number of leagues, but the skill level of the skaters in those leagues. With so many online resources on everything from starting up a league to training drills plus hours of archived footage on DNN, the learning curve of today’s skater is much steeper than it was “back in the day.” And what self respecting skater travels anywhere without their skates? With an army of skaters and coaches travelling the globe and willing to share their knowledge, it’s no wonder that these ladies and gents are progressing so rapidly.

So what’s the difference between derby here and derby there? Here’s my list of derby observations:

- Everyone speaks different languages. Well duh! But seriously, when you are in a mixed scrimmage and someone speaks Norwegian and someone else speaks Portuguese it can make things slightly complicated when executing strategy.
- European skaters are generally quieter than us boisterous North Americans (or maybe that’s the language barrier again!?!)
- They call the strategy of forcing a no pack on a power jam “The Sausage.”
- Less fishnets, more athletic wear.
- More roller bladers, less rink rats.
- Most teams practice in community gyms (with sticky floors and close walls) rather than hockey rinks.

But here are the similarities:

- You can still spot a European roller derby skater in a crowd. It’s the combination of style, attitude and upper arm bruises.
- They are just as obsessed with this sport as we are. Perhaps more so because they have to get up at 3am to watch the live stream.
- They have the same venue challenges that we have and the same difficulties persuading local authorities that roller derby is a “real sport.”
- They embrace new league members from all backgrounds, ages and sporting ability.
- Anyone that plays roller derby, regardless of where they came from, is immediately part of the sisterhood.

Here’s the video from my visit to Oslo Roller Derby in Norway. Thanks to the ladies in orange for their fine hospitality!

Find out more about roller derby in Oslo at their website: www.oslorollerderby.no and see pics from the visit on the Camp Pivotstar Facebook Page

By Lulu | Posted in Stories, Videos | Comments (0)

How do you create a team that works? Part Two

April 26, 2012 – 7:44 pm

In the previous blog post I wrote about how to set up solid foundations for a healthy team. Now that you have your road map, let’s take all this positive energy to the track and translate all this fuzzy, cuddliness into deathly efficient team work.

Firstly some practice rules:

1) Everyone skates with everyone else. While those beautiful, mind-reading partnerships may form and should be used in game play, practice time is for learning new skills from your team mates and, in turn, teaching them everything you know.
2) Everyone plays every position. Being able to support your team members is key. How can you support them if you don’t know what it feels like to play their position?
3) No one skates alone. Being an individually great skater will only get you so far. Once you start playing higher level teams, I don’t care how great you are, one person can only hold a jammer for a certain length of time. Great blocking and strategies are executed by multiple team members – NO ONE SKATES ALONE!
4) Let the coaches COACH. It is every team members responsibility to support the coach by listening and facilitating the drills. Feedback is important, but it can be given privately, after the practice is completed. Your coach is an integral part of your team – make sure you support them.

OK let’s get skating!

Teamwork Drill #1 Find a Friend
Equipment needed: At least 2 or more different coloured pinnies
Set Up: Divide the group into teams and put them in different coloured pinnies or T shirts. Make sure you have at least 10 skaters of each colour.
- Get everyone skating mixed up in a big pack. The more skaters you have the funner this drill!
- Coach shouts out numbers 2-5. The skaters have to find another skater of that colour to form those groups (ie. pairs, three, fours, fives). If the coach repeats the same number (e.g 2) then the skaters have to find a different group of the same colour.
- In between the numbers, coach shouts out “mix” – all skaters have to mix up again.

This is a really simple drill, but it’s fun and it gets people thinking about finding their own team mates when there are lots of bodies moving around. Make sure to keep the skaters in a tight pack as this will also help them practice their agility.

Teamwork Drill #2 Moving as One
Set up: Skaters get into groups of three: 2 blockers and one “jammer.”
Depending on space you can do this with everyone on the track at the same time. Or split it up.
- The blockers have to positionally block the “jammer” without losing contact with each other. If you split up, reset and start the drill again.
- Blockers focus on staying in front, keeping things SLOW and communicating lots with your partner.
- The “jammer’s” job is to help the blockers to practice their combined lateral movement. This is not about beating the wall. Make sure the jammers start slowly and keep the blockers moving around and across the track. Once the blockers are getting it, you can up the intensity.
- Switch up the roles and the groups to keep everyone learning from each other.

Again another really simple drill, but one that we do at EVERY practice. Working with other skaters is hard and takes lots of practice to become fluid and unthinking.

Teamwork Drill #3 Two Touch Drill
Set up: Line up off the track in 4 lines. 3 Blockers, One “Jammer” line. Blockers start as a 3 wall in front of the jammer. You have one lap before returning to the line. Everyone rotates through each line.
- This is the next step up from the “Move as One” drill. Now you have a 3 wall blocking the “jammer”
- You complete the drill if you can slow down and contain the jammer while maintaining TWO TOUCHES in that wall (ie. two points of contact). If one blocker leaves the other two, the drill has failed.
- Again, the jammer is helping the blockers learn, so adjust the intensity of their “jamming.” If the jammer gets past the wall, then reset to the original position and finish the lap.

This is another drill we do at every practice. It’s actually harder than the Move as One drill because now you have 3 minds all trying to work together. I find that the trick with this one is to figure out where each of you is looking (over your left/right shoulder, at the inside line, behind your legs) and aim to cover each other’s blind spots. That way you avoid all three skaters heads swivelling around and the wall breaking apart.

Quick Tip: When you are communicating with your team mates, DON’T YELL. Project your voice, but talk confidently and calmly. There is enough craziness going on on the track already without you adding to it. Plus as a jammer, having blockers calmly talking to each other is way more intimidating than having people that are shouting because they aren’t in control of the situation.

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Have you checked out Camp Pivotstar yet? It’s the newly launched coaching arm of the Pivotstar you know and love. Check out our website www.camppivotstar.com. We are now booking coaching for September-December 2012, email us at camppivotstar@gmail.com for more info.

By Luludemon | Posted in Classes, Drills and Pointers | Comments (0)

How do you create a team that works? Part One

March 26, 2012 – 10:22 am

Many of the leagues I coach ask me to teach them teamwork drills. “We have great individual skaters but as soon as they have to play their role as part of a team it all breaks down.”

This is a common problem for all levels of skaters. And actually can be even harder for veteran skaters to learn than it is for newer skaters. Derby has developed into a team driven sport – the higher level teams demonstrating that executing strategy as a unit wins out over individual skill every time (watch last years WFTDA final Oly v Gotham if you want to see it this for yourself.)

There are lots of drills that focus on pack work and communication. I wrote about a few in a previous post http://pivotstar.com/blog/?p=307

But to really skate as a team on the track the work has to start way before you lace up your skates.

Building a team 101

1) Decide what type of team you want to be or “Who are we?”

Do you want this to be the “fun” team with lots of post practice parties? The “family” team where everyone is supported and everyone gets equal playing time? Are you highly competitive and only play your strongest skaters? The farm team for the All Stars where everyone is striving to get to the next level?

Make sure all team members know what this decision will mean in terms of attendance expectations, social engagements and roster decisions.

There is no wrong answer and people may disagree (what derby girls disagree, never!) but the important thing is that all team members are comfortable with the decision made at the end – or at least willing to try it for a period of time.

2) Write up a team code of conduct or “How do we get to where we are going?”

We have one for our All Star team which I am very proud of. It’s on a big piece of paper in lots of colored pens and I stick it up on the wall whenever we have a team meeting.

A few of our items are:
Respect for EVERY member
Communicate with your team
NO DRAMA (but raunchy gossip is ok)
Take responsibility for your own emotions/actions
Have fun
110% effort always

3) Make some goals or “Where are we going?”

When we came together to write down our goals (again on a big piece of paper in fun colors) we decided to make our goals for one year. We brainstormed ideas for about half and hour. Writing down everything anyone said and not judging them. Then we looked at all the goals we had and came up with our top 20. From that we voted on a top 10 so that the team was really focused.

This year some of ours were:
Get super awesome fit
Make it to regionals in 2012
Raise $25,000 for traveling money
Master the fundamentals
Have a team camping/bonding trip

Every time we have a team meeting I stick these up on the wall so we can refer to them when we are making decisions, plus this is a great time to evaluate how close we are to achieving these goals.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have just completed the hardest part of the process. All you need to do now is take your combined energy and focus onto the track!

Our next blog post will help you translate this teamwork into your skating.

Did you know that Camp Pivotstar offers more than just on skate coaching? We can help your team or league craft your own road map to success. For more info check out our website: www.camppivotstar.com

By Lulu | Posted in Classes, Drills and Pointers | Comments (2)

Skater of the Month for WFTDA – me! Sweet!

March 19, 2012 – 8:50 am

“The Terminal City Rollergirls are proud to call this skater one of their own and recently named her league MVP. She loves jamming and shares her love of the position and roller derby as a traveling coach and owner of derby business, Pivotstar. In 2012, she’ll teach you how to improve your own game play if you attend a Camp Pivotstar bootcamp! Read on to learn more about Luludemon…”

Derby name: Luludemon

Number: 44 (It’s the country code when I am calling home!)

Home league: Terminal City Rollergirls, Vancouver, Canada

Home team you play for: I started my career playing for our home team, the Riot Girls. This last year I have been solely dedicating my time to our WFTDA charter team, the Terminal City All-Stars.

What is your roller derby playing position of choice?
Jammer! I love jamming!

What is your skate gear of choice?
Riedell 265s with nylon DA45 Skinz, short plate forward mounted, Atom Stingers. Honestly I have no idea about gear, I just ask Rollergirl (owner of Rollergirl.ca and my team captain) what I should be riding and she always gets it right!

Do you have a pre-bout ritual?
Our team has incorporated a lot of things we learnt from the Roller Derby World Cup into our pre-bout routine: from the importance of earplugs at tournaments to our hour long team warm up that involves cardio, dynamic stretching, and team bonding. My personal routine involves constant snacking (I get bad sugar lows if I don’t regulate my intake) and taking Tums to avoid having to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes!

What do you think about when you’re lacing up your skates?
I think about how awesome my team is. How I know they will be there for me when I stumble. How they need me to be my very best today, so I have to put aside any negative thoughts or worries and skate, score points, and make my team proud.

Do you have a motivational quote?
“It’s not how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can be hit and keep moving forward.”
–Rocky

Do you have a theme song?
It changes all the time, but the one I used to get in the zone for the Canada versus USA game (at the Roller Derby World Cup) was “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor.

What is your favorite derby moment?
Scoring the first points for Team Canada in the final of the World Cup against Team USA. Oh, and lining up on the jam line with Suzy Hotrod, oh and Atomatrix, oh and Bonnie Thunders. Oh, and hearing the crowd roar whenever we skated out that weekend. Can I have a whole weekend as a derby moment?

How did you get involved with roller derby?
I had recently moved to Canada and was looking for a sport that would keep me fit and help me to make friends in this new city. One day as I was getting ready to go to my job at the restaurant I saw the recently formed league on a local TV show. I already roller bladed and played roller hockey and I thought this looked pretty similar and fun so I signed up. A year later I quit my evening job because it was interfering with my derby schedule and I was officially hooked.

Any advice for girls who want to join roller derby?
Do it! But know why you are doing it and research your options before committing to one league. Personally I think derby should be accessible to everyone, regardless of athletic ability, gender or age. Find a league that fits your current goals and lifestyle and make decisions early on about how much time you are going to dedicate to this sport. Derby is my whole life – it’s my family, my health and my business – but I don’t think everyone has to be this way to be a member of our community. (Thanks to Smarty Pants for previous thought provoking discussions on this topic!)

Read the rest of the article and learn more about The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association here: http://wftda.com/featured-skater/Luludemon

By Lulu | Posted in Media | Comments (0)

Am I really an athlete?

February 16, 2012 – 8:57 pm

The term “athlete” is one that is being used a lot in derby at the moment. I guess in part to ensure that our sport is taken seriously and not dismissed as a bunch of girls in fishnets throwing elbows. But also possibly as a way of pushing those skaters that are in this sport to take themselves more seriously.

Personally being called an athlete makes me nervous. To me an athlete is someone that gets up at 6am every day to hit the gym or run up a mountain. When I think of athletes, I think of Suzy HotRod’s daily workout routine or Beretta Lynch’s road racing past.

Then there’s me. I hate mornings with a passion. Get out of my warm bed to go work out at 6am? A thousand wild horses couldn’t drag me there. I don’t know the first thing about lifting weights and I am still working on getting to 10 real pushups without my puny little arms giving out. I was never particularly sporty in school, I think the highlight was making the C level netball team, once. Oh and did I mention that the mere thought of running makes me come out in a cold sweat.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not sitting on my butt eating chips all day and I will jump at the chance to go snowshoeing up a vertical slope, but to me exercise is about having fun and being healthy. That’s why I love derby – it’s fun, always changing and constantly challenging.

But if I am truly honest with myself, I am never going to have a guns like Suzy or come anywhere close to Lynch’s gorgeous thighs. I don’t have the discipline or the time (self employment has it’s perks, but lots of free time is not one of them!)

And that’s OK. Because there are other ways that I can bring a little bit of the athlete into my life.

1) Eating like an athlete: Changing up simple things in my diet like switching to whole grains, eating super foods like quinoa and consuming less bacon (sad face) and more lean protein like fish (mmm salmon). Consulting dietary experts like Beretta Lynch about what foods to eat pre, during and post workout. Oh and no energy drinks – ever.

2) Looking after my body: I go to the public hot tub once a week. It may seem like an indulgence, but those 30 minutes spent working out my sore muscles on the jets keeps this derby body happy. And if I have any tweaks I see a physio right away and commit to doing the exercises (even if they are SO boring!)

3) Training like an athlete: Not just turning up to practice and going through the motions – making sure I commit 110% to each drill and set goals for my own skill development. Plus adding in cross training once a week in a way that is still fun and different eg. Insanity workouts, Spin classes.

4) Thinking like an athlete: I think this the most important thing that I have learnt about becoming more athletic – it’s all in your mind. 90% of our performance is based on our mental capacity, not our physical capacity. One of my favourite quotes is:

“An athlete is a person who can perform at the same high level regardless of whether they are having the best day of their year, or the worst day of their life.”

So when I turn up for a 9am WFTDA bout having had 3 hours sleep, with stomach cramps and work problems weighing on my mind that’s when I have a chance to show how truly “athletic” I am. Because my team needs me to perform at the top of my game, I push all those things to the back of my mind, I breathe deeply, focus on my skating goals and fall into the warm up routine as if this was just another scrimmage.

I may not be an athlete in the true sense of the word, but I am getting there.

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Encouraging others to be more healthy and athletic is something I am passionate about, and is one of the reasons I enjoy coaching derby so much. Helping others achieve their physical goals and find their own inner athlete is exciting and rewarding.

It’s why I am excited to announce the launch of Camp Pivotstar, a roller derby training company that offers bootcamps, league training, coach coaching and junior camps. I have teamed up with some of the most skilled and athletic skaters and coaches in Canada – 8Mean Wheeler, Beretta Lynch, Stan da Side and Coach Mack the Mouth. We have lots of exciting things planned for 2012 so keep an eye out for a Camp Pivotstar training session in your area.

Check out the facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/CampPivotstar
Full website coming soon: www.camppivotstar.com
Want more info on training? Email us camppivotstar@gmail.com

By Luludemon | Posted in Stories, Videos | Comments (3)

For Christmas I want to be LEAD JAMMER!

December 23, 2011 – 11:41 pm

This song pretty much sums up my feelings whenever I step on the track.

I love this!

By Luludemon | Posted in Videos | Comments (0)