Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with rollerderby

How can I get rid of this horrible knee pad rash?

capnsue — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:47:07 -0800

Horrible rash on my knees from roller derby knee pads, what can I do? I play roller derby for the Charm City Rollergirls in Baltimore. If you're on the east coast, you'll know that it's been HOTTTTTTTTTTTT these past few days. On Monday night we had a 3 hour practice in our minimally-air-conditioned home rink. Needless to say, it was about 97,000 degrees in there. The heat, the sweat, and some extended falling drills led to my knees feeling a bit grosser than usual when it finally came time to take my pads off. There was a little redness on my knees and the skin around them (front, back, above and below) but nothing too awful.

However, when I woke up Tuesday morning, my knees and the surrounding area were covered in an extremely itchy, painful rash. I'd apparently been scratching in my sleep and there were even some bloody gashes from my fingernails. i know, EWWW. I put some neosporin+pain on, but the itching and burning continued through the day.

Last night I slathered them with Bio-Freeze (which actually made them feel better due to the numbing effect) but there is still a raised, itchy, painful rash on my skin.

I'm not too familiar with babies, but is this basically diaper rash on my knees?

I have another 3 hour practice tonight, and would like to not aggravate this any more than I have to. I've been wearing these pads for about 5 months, so i don't think it's an allergic reaction to the pads, i think it's more sweat/heat/friction. Does anyone know what kind of, like...lotion, ointment, slave, whatever I could use to lessen my agony and help this heal? Do you think neoprene knee gaskets might help?

also, my pads are Six Six One DJ Knee.

ps OUCH!

Is roller derby good for teenagers?

vilcxjo_BLANKA — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:36:25 -0800

Is roller-derby likely to be a fun spectator sport for teenagers? I have two sons, one 15 and one 11. They both show an average interest in athletics. I see that Boston has a Roller Derby team, and I'm wondering if it would be a fun thing to take them to. I see they have a rock band, and that they have some parties involved. I'm not concerned that it's somehow age-inappropriate. There seems to be a lot of scatological humor in their advertisement, but I don't mind that especially. I'm just concerned that it will be filled with 20ish kids, and that 1 really old guy (me) and 2 teenagers will not fit into the crowd.

How fat is too fat for roller derby?

cuddles.mcsnuggy — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:45:41 -0800

So a new roller derby league just formed in my town and I'm intrigued. It looks like a lot of fun in a badass kind of way that speaks to me. But what about my butt? Or at least the size thereof, and the rest of me for that matter. I'm 5'4", about a size 22. I'm not going to translate that into pounds (a girl needs some secrets) but no bones about it, I'm fat. Quite fat.

I lost about 130 lbs 4 years ago, but quite a bit has come back on this past year. I had been going to the gym 3-5 times a week, but since the gain I've stopped going out of embarassment. It's been since last spring since I had a gym habit. I'm interested in trying out for derby, but I haven't been on skates since I was about 13 (though I understand it's pretty easy to pick up again). And if I were 50 lbs thinner I'd be on it in a heartbeat. I see it as a potentially decent fitness regimen (the team has 3 2-hour practices a week). But at age 33, I'm old in terms of derby chicks. I see those fit, tough, young 20-something grrrzl out there and it has me feeling pretty self-conscious and tentative.

Any bodacious derby girls out here in MeFI land? Can an old fat broad manage it? I'm aware of the basic requirements of great pads, helmet, good skates, etc. but what I'm looking for is more guidance in regard to how physically feasible is it for a large person to be speedskating and manage to stay upright without spending the whole bout tripping over myself and crashing every few seconds? How much does large size affect balance & agility? What can I expect for severity and frequency of injuries? Where would I find equipment to fit a size-gifted person, and any special equipment needs I should consider? And finally, what about the social dynamics of being in a contact sport with people who are much younger and fitter? Anything else I'd need to keep in mind before moving from idle speculation into action?

Traffic whistles in Chicago?

ab3 — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:47:15 -0800

What kind of whistle do Chicago traffic-control officers use? Just came back from a vacation in Chicago. One thing that really caught my attention was the incredibly loud, clear whistles used by their traffic control personnel - TMA officers, I believe - while directing traffic on the streets downtown.

I'm a rollerderby referee, and our events can be very loud, so having an commanding, clear whistle is important. I currently use a Fox 40 Classic and a Storm, and this was, to my ear, louder and clearer than either of those. Anyone know what brand of whistle they use, and if so, where to get one?

HIS rollerderby names

ab3 — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:03:21 -0800

Suggestions on rollerderby names for guys? So I've recently started refereeing for the local WFTDA league here in NOLA, the Big Easy Rollergirls, and I need a good (properly badass/bragadocious) skate name before the first match... We've previously covered this question for girl's names... but any ideas for a guy? I've tentatively come up with "Henry Roll-ins" (punk icon, has "roll" in the name) but I'm convinced there's got to be something better out there i'm missing... so, hive mind, what have you got for me?

(incidentally, here's the roster of currently registered skate names, male and female, if that's of any help...)

Good roller derby names?

deafmute — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 12:31:10 -0800

My friend is trying out for roller derby, and she needs a good nom de plume. It should be something cute, clever, and mildly sophisticated/referential. So far we've got:

-Punky Bruiser
-Eleanor Bruisevelt
-Sandra Day O'Clobber (my personal favorite)
-Harriet Clubman
-Rosa Sparks
-"Gore"ia Steinem

The civil rights ones are out, because she's little and white, and we don't want to be TOO offensive (even though one girl's name is Chainsaw Buttfuck), although some good catchphrases might be "Take THIS underground railroad!" and "Get to the BACK of the bus!"

That's right, we're also looking for catchphrases and signature moves. For Sandra Day O'Clobber I've got "Retire THIS!", "This is my DISSENTING OPINION!", "Take this DECIDING VOTE!", and several others, including moves like "The Gavel" and the "Court Brief".

Be as clever and as silly as possible; I know you mefites can do it.