Flat Track Musings

Roller Derby and Ink are Forever

This week Carrie Carpenter discusses her decision to get a roller derby-inspired tattoo.

I think it’s fair to say that when most of the outside world thinks of roller derby, they think of girls with tattoos. They’re not wrong. Tattoos are popular among the roller derby community. A lot of gals come into derby already sporting tattoos. Some are inspired to get tattoos after they join the derby world. I was. Many of my derby friends have tattoos. Being exposed to tattoos on so regular a basis allows you to appreciate them: for their artwork, their meaning, even their placement on the body.  About a week after my tattoo was finished, my mom accosted me via telephone. She was in an uproar because someone that can see my Facebook page snitched on me and told her that I had gotten one, that it was big, and not incredibly hidden. I …

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Flat Track Musings

Tough Enough for Roller Derby and Minorly Invasive Surgery

Not even torn cartilage will keep Carrie Carpenter off the roller derby track.

As I write this, I lay on my couch with my leg elevated and bundled up in the world’s largest ACE bandage ever made by humans. The coffee table in front of me braces the contents of four bottles of pain killers. My mother is darting around my apartment, trying to find something she can do for me to take her mind off the image (from early that morning) of her youngest child with IVs and a heart monitor strapped to her. The last time I wrote about derby injuries, it was a much more light-hearted story… I wasn’t seriously hurt that time. This time, I had to undergo arthroscopic surgery; which although not insignificant, is only minorly invasive. After some MRIs and X-rays and physical therapy, my doctor could not specifically diagnose my pain…

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Flat Track Musings

Oh No— Roller Derby Isn’t a Sport?!

This week our roller derby columnist provides a rebuttal to a commentary taking the sport to task.

About a week ago my Facebook newsfeed was inundated with angry reactions to some fellow’s column claiming that roller derby isn’t a sport. My derby community was outraged and I was grizzled. Adrian Taylor of the The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin is apparently a humor columnist, although he uses the British spelling “humour.” Unfortunately, Mr. Taylor isn’t funny. I’m sure he gets his jollies by inciting sharp reactions from readers, but his criticism of roller derby was both unfounded and vacant. His contrite and pompous column boiled down to this: “I hate sports that don’t involve balls.”  (Whoa… so many insinuations there, I’ll let you, the reader, figure them all out.) Just kidding (or am I?). The problem with Mr. Taylor’s diatribe is …

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Pattonville High Soccer Star Nets Honor

Kailey Utley named all-region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Kailey Utley won't step onto a soccer field for her senior season at Pattonville High School until the spring, but she is already racking up the off-field honors. Already named as a "Future Star" by the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame, Utley, who has committed to play soccer at West Virginia, recently earned "All-Region" status from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Forward follows in the footsteps of others in Pirate soccer lore. Tiffany Laughlin was named NSCAA All-Region in 2010 and Jan Gettemeyer was an NSCAA All-American in 1980. "I'm excited to get it for myself, but also for the team because it kind of brings attention to Pattonville and Pattonville's soccer team as a whole, so it's pretty cool," Utley told …

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Pattonville’s Pressure Bursts Parkway Central’s Bubble In Girls Hoops Battle

Pirates full-court press defense leaves Colts dazed in 61-21 win.

CHESTERFIELD – Coming off two sensational wins to start the season, the Pattonville High girls basketball team expected to face its first significant challenge of the season, Tuesday night, in a non-conference game against Parkway Central High. It was clear right from the tip though, that the Pirates were up to the task. Pattonville held Parkway Central scoreless for the entire first quarter, and led 29-1 midway through the second quarter, before eventually cruising to a 61-21 win over the host Colts. “We played pretty well as a team,” Pattonville head coach Craig Gregory said. “That was probably the closest we’ve played four (full) quarters all season. “(Parkway Central) is a good team. I’ve seen them play several times, and the score …

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Flat Track Musings

The Circle of Derby Life

Roller derby skater Carrie Carpenter says bouts are similar to the animal kingdom.

“I killed Mufasa!” The animal kingdom is a treacherous place, as The Disney classic The Lion King teaches us. The movie also demonstrates the delicate balance of the wild, which follows a strict hierarchy. In roller derby, we lovingly refer to our referees as “Zebras” because of their black and white stripe attire and tendency to huddle like in a herd. In the animal kingdom, zebras fall in the lower brackets of the animal hierarchy, in a class I call “food;” most likely due to their prancy behavior, flashy outfits and stubborn refusal to eat meat. Our zebras, however, are the authority. There is a slogan among the officiating staff: “Refs always win.” It’s true. The referees have the power – and they know it. The refs make the calls they …

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Mikala McGhee Tells MSU Basketball Coaches She'll Join the Team in 2012

Pattonville Senior tells university's basketball coaches she intends to join MUS's 2012 freshman class, according to the News-Leader.

Flat Track Musings

The Pre-Bout Jitters

Anxiety doesn't get Shimmy Hoffa off the flat track.

When I was young, like Elementary School young, I swam competitively. My parents always told me that they knew which lane I was swimming in, because they could see me swaying back and forth and prancing around behind the diving block before the race started.   When I’m nervous, one of my physical symptoms is an annoying need to pee. I also get severely nauseous. And I tend to clam up and seclude myself, mostly to avoid excitement which would cause a spike in my anxiety. Roller derby is no different for me. Between my nerves and the 32 oz. Diet Coke I down in the car on the way to each bout, I must pee at least 5 times in the hour and half leading up to a game. You can usually catch me sprinting to the bathroom about 5 minutes before the …

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Kirkwood Blows Out Parkway North to Move to 4-0

The Pioneers' B. J. Buckner catches a touchdown pass and throws for 192 yards and two TDs in 41-0 victory over the Vikings.

Kirkwood seniors Mike McHugh and B.J. Buckner turned a football game into a track meet in the second quarter of the Pioneers' game against Parkway North on Friday. The duo caught touchdown passes of 31 and 56 yards on consecutive offensive possessions to turn a 13-point lead into a 41-0 blowout Suburban Conference victory at The Wood. “The first series set the tone, and then we got a couple touchdowns with some great individual plays,” Kirkwood coach Matt Irvin said. “Of course, they were set up by some blocks and good throws, but both receivers made some great plays. "You do everything right, and one kid makes a great play … that can be discouraging for a defense.” With 8:27 left in the second, quarterback/wide receiver Buckner found …

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Maryland Heights-Based Soccer Complex Gets New Turf

The Lou Fusz Soccer Complex now has synthetic turf fields, KSDK reports.