RollerCon 2013 Virgin Recommendations

One of my favorite things about my G Spot is that I get to give away goodies to my readers.  This is only made possible because I have amazing followers who share the blog with their Roller Derby family, spreading the Derby Love.  This time, I get to give away a goodie pack of Bones stuff:  Bones Bearing Washer Bottle, Speed Cream, 8-pack of Super Reds (or 16-pack of Reds), Bones Bearing Tool, and Bones Stickers!  But wait, that's not all!  I also have a purple CSPC Triple 8 helmet to give to anyone the winner chooses. 

So without further ado, the winner is...HardKore Lena from Athens Ohio Roller Derby who submitted the name "Kitty Liquorbottom." 

Congratulations!  Have fun with your goodies!

Craziness at the Black and Blue Ball

I have been working on a blog post about how to keep your toe stops from coming loose and falling out, but with RollerCon coming up next week I don't think I will be able to post it until after the festivities.  If you are having this issue and would like me to send you the article, send me an e-mail at 2N1SkateShoppe@gmail.com.  The article is complete, I just need to take some photos to include to enhance the verbiage.

This will be my 5th RollerCon in a row and I'm just as excited as my first one.  I don't have any recommendations specifically relating to gear, so this is just general advice:

1. Keep your schedule loose!  There is nothing worse than having your heart set on a specific class, only to find out that it already filled up, was cancelled, or you got drunk the night before and woke up too late to attend.  If something like that happens, brush it off and don't give it another thought.  There is so much going on at all times during the convention, you won't have trouble finding something else to occupy your time.  Come on, it's Vegas!

2. Don't go crazy!  It's amazing to be amongst so many fellow Roller Derby fanatics, and it can be quite overwhelming, but that doesn't mean you have to keep up drink-for-drink with your new buddy and wind up puking into the pool during the Black and Blue ball (yes, that supposedly happened.)  It's okay (and expected) to have fun, but if you overdo it, you may not be able to put your skates on the next day or two due to a nasty hangover.

3) Have a battle buddy!  This one comes from my time in the Army.  A battle buddy is someone who is supposed to look out for you and keep you out of trouble, and you are to do the same for them.  This may mean you take turns getting trashed, find a way to keep your buddy from going over their limit (booze, gambling, staying up late, etc.), or making sure they don't go back to some random person's hotel room when they may not be able to make the best decisions for themselves.  If you pick the right battle buddy, they will not only keep you out of trouble, but also will encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and into situations you wouldn't have thought to get yourself info if you were alone.

If you follow those 3 rules, you should have no problem staying happy and out of trouble while experiencing new adventures.  If you have an interesting story from a past RollerCon, whether it be a tale of woe, humor, or just plain strange, please feel free to share it with us in the comments.  If you are heading to RollerCon next week and happen to see me, flash me the shocker...it will make my day.

Until we skate again!
Shocker

One Hit Wonder?

My Orange S-One Lifer Helmet in Action

There is some confusion as to "one hit" versus "reusable" helmets. There are el-cheapo helmets that are not good for much of anything, there are multi-use which provide some protection, then there are high impact helmets. High impact helmets have layer of hard Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS) foam lining, which if you hit your head hard enough will act like a crumple zone in a car.  Some cheap helmets will have a hard foam lining that may look like EPS, but look for the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) sticker on the inside of the helmet to make sure it is going to protect your brain.  The CPSC certification means the helmet has been proven to protect your head in bicycle crashes (think how fast you go on your bike!), so they translate well to Roller Derby.  Here is an illustration of a CPSC certified Lifer helmet:

Both S-One and Nutcase brands have CPSC certified helmets with a layer of hard EPS lining followed by a soft foam pad. They are made for multiple lower impact hits to the head and if you happen to take a hit hard enough to dent the hard EPS foam lining (you will be able to see this), it's time to replace it.  So basically these helmets are reusable helmets at low impact and single use at high impact.  You can replace dented or cracked S-One helmets for $20 through the manufacturer or $35 through 2N1 Skate Shoppe, which is a pretty sweet deal.  I also heard a rumor that Nutcase likes to replace broken helmets when you send them an awesome story about how it saved your brain from catastrophe.



Non-CPSC Certified Helmet



Helmets that only have a hard shell with a thick terry cloth liner (see picture to the right) used to be the most popular helmet in Roller Derby, and this may also be why we were seeing so many concussions or traumatic brain injuries.  These helmets are not CPSC certified and are even illegal to sell in some states because your head is the crumple zone instead of a hard foam liner. Doesn't sound like much fun, does it?

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has recently taken the helmet issue a step further by recommending HECC certified helmets. These are (imho) ugly hockey helmets that run about $150 (from the models I looked at), but are tested to even harder hits than the CPSC helmets.

Nutcase Modern Dots CPSC Certified Helmet

Some skaters I've met want to keep their helmets forever...personally, I think it is better to look at all of your protective gear as being easily replaceable after it has done its job. Hopefully no one ever hits their head hard enough to need to replace their helmet, but I don't think that worrying about having to get net stickers should be a reason you get a lower rated helmet.  Besides, with the awesome color selection S-One has and super cute Nutcase designs, who wouldn't want to switch it up every once in a while?

Chris from Nutcase sent me a helmet to try out and review, as well as one to give away to a G Spot reader!  While I'm testing mine out, let's hear some of your helmet stories...  Post your tale of woe, near-miss, or triumph in the comments for your chance to get your own brand new Nutcase helmet.  We'll announce the winner April 15th.



Sweet Atom Backpack

 Speaking of giving away stuff, you have less than 2 weeks left to enter our Atom Backpack giveaway contest!  Just post a pic of you showing your 2N1 pride on the 2N1 Skate Shoppe FaceBook page and you may be carrying around all your derby stuff in style!