Congratulations!

To all of our Fresh Bloods who passed their skills test:

Ashlee C.

Danielle S.

Eileen

Erica P.

Farrah

Hannah

Hayley

Jenn

Justine

Katie F.

Lil e Von Schtupp

Natalie

Roxy

Spicy

Congratulations! 

To all of the girls who didn't make it this time, keep practicing and stay strong and focused.  You'll be ready next time around!

The Legendary Etta James

Today we lost a legend and my idol, the lovely Etta James.  The soulful, six-time Grammy winner passed away due to complications from a long time battle with Leukemia and dementia. 

On a personal note, I've listened to Etta James' music for as long as I can remember.  When choosing my derby name, I picked Etta Jams for a few reasons.  The first being that I love her music and I knew I wanted something that represented an older time era.  I also loved the fact that although she was able to pour out her heart through her music, she possessed a tough side.  Often outspoken and a fighter through life struggles including drug addiction and health problems, the singer persevered and continued to wow audiences with her powerful voice.

I am saddened by her passing, but know that her music will live on forever!  Here is one of my favorites from the singer.  Jamesetta Hawkins aka Miss Peaches aka Etta James you will be missed!

A Little Reminder......

Challenge Me!

I'm an athletic person.  I love to run and obviously skate.  I do my best to eat right and take care of myself, but the truth is, I could do a lot better in the nutrition department.  Nutrition and diet play an important part in derby performance.  Over the years, I've seen a lot of girls loose weight and get fit from skating alone and others from a combination of skating and dieting.  I've seen their bodies change and become more fit and strong.  While I'm not necessarily trying to shed any pounds (though a few would be fine), I do want to eat healthier.  Though some would say that my diet is not all that bad, I'm looking to develop better eating habits and change some of the things that I'm putting into my body.  I have trouble with this concept because when it comes to food I love the idea of quick and convenient and I really don't like to cook.  However, I'm willing to put in a little bit of work to change that and here's where you all come in!

I will be challenging myself to one week of healthy eating (I figure once I'm on a roll I will be likely to continue on this healthy path) and would like food suggestions from all of you!  Email me (ettajams@yahoo.com) healthy food ideas (please no meat - fish is ok) or recipes or better yet a weekly plan, and I will follow it for one week.  I'll post my status along the way and for those of you who would like to do it along with me, we can compare our results.  I will post my status along the way and let you know how it's going.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all have to say and how this change will make me feel. 

I hope this motivates other derby players to improve their food intake and in turn become better skaters.

-Etta

Be Healthy!

Just a little inspiration.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Like and Follow

The Rebel Yell is now on Facebook and Twitter!  Take a look to the right here on the blog and you'll see buttons to 'like' and 'follow' us! 

Thanks to all of you who have been reading and keeping up with The Rebel Yell over these past few years!

- Etta

The Derby Aquatic

It's one thing to capture a photo under water.  It's another to clearly capture derby girls in action under water.  Photographer Drew Barillas didn't seem to have a problem with it though!  This photo series features crystal clear visions of skaters in position and some of them executing actual skills.  The images beam with color and movement.  Take a look for yourself and for more, please visit Derby Life.

Name That Roller Girl

With a group of new girls getting ready to become official skaters for our league, the time is coming for them to choose what will be their new names. Roller derby aliases are such an important part of becoming a derby player. It’s your new identity, your alter ego. For some, it’s an escape from the everyday, a time to become someone new. For others, it’s simply an extension of who they are in day to day life.

With this in mind, I decided to take a look at the ever growing international list of registered derby names. It’s amazing, after four + years of having a roller derby alias, I still get goose bumps seeing my name and number on the list. It’s as if I’m a star in a new movie and my name is appearing up on the marquee.

So ladies, I thought I’d give you a few suggestions and before choosing a name.

The Long & Short of It
Most of the time your full derby name will be shortened by your teammates. With that in mind, be sure you want to be called by whatever nick name might be created out of your full name. Here’s an example; One of the choices I had thought up for myself was Shrimp Roll. Though the words sound cute together, I knew I didn’t ever want to be called just Shrimp or just Roll and so that one was crossed off my list.

Keeping It Real
Think about what you want your name to represent. Do you want to be known as a bad ass? Should your name be an extension of your legal name? Or maybe something representative of one of your passions or hobbies such as art or sewing. 

Pick a Name and Then Pick Another
Once you choose your alias, it will be sent in for approval. Remember, your name must not be that of an existing player. Also, chances are, if it is even somewhat similar to another player’s, it may be denied.  Having a list of alternatives ready is a good idea.

This is your chance to name yourself, so have fun with it!  I can't wait to meet all of you all over again.

- Etta

Are You Ready?

Video Courtesy of Rick Odell

The New Year

Hello!  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, delicious food and good times!

2012 is here and as always The Roller Rebels have a lot of great things planned for the upcoming season.  Behind the scenes, we've got some really exciting things going on.  First up, this week skaters will gear up and throw down for our All Star Team tryouts.  It will be exciting to see who will become the new All Star Team players for the 2012 season.  

Also this month, the latest group of Fresh Bloods will be taking their physical and written skills tests.  After weeks and weeks of practice, attending rules classes and open skate sessions and of course getting their fair share of bruises and sore muscles, it's just about time for these newbies to take it to the track show us coaches what they've got!

Now for you, our devoted fans, we have our first event of the new year.  On Saturday, January 21st, put on your bowling shoes and get ready to knock down some pins with your favorite roller girls.  Our famous bowling fundraiser is back!  Hope to see you all there.

And for those of you who like to plan and buy ahead, here is our 2012 schedule. 

We look forward to a successful and fun season!  Thanks for continuing to support The Long Island Roller Rebels!