WLB4: Roller Derby Adventures and More

Welcome to the final and last week of WLB Season 4! Wow, it has been one heck of a seven week ride hasn't it folks?! I am happy to announce I made some stellar life long friends through this process and have learned a lot more about myself as well as how to stay motivated during a weight loss journey! My hope is that by keeping track with my journey the last 7 weeks kept you inspired to start your own healthier lifestyles too!

But DO NOT WORRY! I hope to come back to WLB as a guest blogger AND we can always keep in touch in various ways:

Maureen "Mo" De Nieva
Facebook: /MOtastic145
Personal Blog: www.MOtastic145.blogspot.com
Facebook Fan Page for Fierce Fat Filipina Divas: /FFFDivas
Facebook Fan Page for Dominican Radio Show: /TwithnickyP
Twitter: MOtastic
Email: maureen.apa.yli@gmail.com (I also g-chat too)

AND if YOU are living in the Bay Area in California we can always meet up and have coffee! I mean it! Or better yet a cool walk or a stellar hike! =)

New news and updates:

So unfortunately, because of unexpected expenses I couldn't afford to come back to Operation Boot Camp's June session. BUT DO NOT FRET for I will be back for our July camp! What's cool about my OBC family is that THEY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR ME. So, what will I do to keep me fit and accountable until OBC starts?

Two things:

1. I will be doing a hydrostatic water dunking weigh in to see how much fat % I need to drop. Healthy fat % for a woman is 22% body fat. Yeah, last time I checked I was around 42% give or take, pretty good considering the first time I took it 4 years ago and it was closer to 50% body fat! Yikes! Now you may ask: WHY? BODY FAT TESTING? Well it's a more accurate way to measure your journey versus weight on a scale. See, muscle weighs heavier than fat. So for me I like to measure my journey through metrics: 1) hydrostatic dunk 2) measure inches 3) weight on scale. This makes me feel MUCH MORE positive about the whole weight loss process.
For more information: http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/underwater.htm

2. I signed up for beginner's girl's roller derby boot camp with the Silicon Valley Roller Girls! I just started a week ago. I haven't touched a pair of skates since I was 12 years old and I could barely skate in general. But yesterday at our second practice I was already skating laps and doing basic skating drills. Win status! Now that's progress! Here's to the next 10 weeks! Hopefully I can pass my minimum skating skills test in order to try out for the league, but first thing's first: DO NOT GET HURT MO. HAHA! For more information: http://svrollergirls.com/about.php


FFF Diva Mo on the start of her girl's roller derby journey

The Rules of Roller Derby

You can find the Official Rules at the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's website.

How to Play:

There are two teams on the track at once.
Each team can have no more than five skaters on the track at one time.
Each team is made up of one pivot, three blockers, and one jammer.
There might be fewer girls on the track at once, depending on if any girls are in the penalty box.

Positions:

Pivot - Skates in the very front of the pack, controls pack speed and serves as a last line of defense against the opposing jammer. The Pivot has a solid stripe on their helmet cover.
Blocker - The blocker's job is to make sure the opposing jammer never gets past them. They work together with other blockers and her pivot to help her jammer through the pack while stopping the opposing jammer. They can help their girl out by whipping them through the pack. Blockers do not wear helmet covers
Jammer - The “money maker“. They score all the points. Jammers starts 30 feet behind the pack. They have to skate through the entire pack once and lap the pack before she can begin to score points. Every girl on the opposing team she passes is a point. That includes girls in the penalty box and girls on the floor. The Jammers have a large star on each side of their helmet cover.
Lead Jammer - The first jammer to get through the pack passing all skaters legally and in-bounds. The lead jammer can call off the jam anytime she wants after lead jammer status has been earned. Referees will signify lead jammer status with two rapid whistle blasts and by pointing at the jammer.

The Game:

A bout is 60 minutes broken into two 30 minute periods. Each period is composed of an unlimited number of jams which can last up to 2 minutes. After each jam, the teams have no more than 30 seconds to line up for the next jam. If a skater is not on the track when the whistle blows, her team must skate short.


One long whistle blast signals the beginning of a jam and for the pack to begin skating.
Two rapid whistle blasts are blown to signal the jammer start.
Four whistle blasts signal the end of the jam, which can happen because the two minutes have elapsed or because the lead jammer called off the jam.

Penalties to watch out for:

Pushing, shoving, punching, grabbing or holding
Hitting or jabbing with the elbows
Hitting from behind
Tripping, kicking, or blocking with skates or legs
Blocking or assisting a jammer while twenty feet ahead or behind the pack
Blocking or passing skaters out-of-bounds

For more check out this video of '09 highlights of SVRG:


Yeah, this is going to be an interesting summer, but hopefully after my time here at WLB4 you can still follow my journey at my personal blog:

www.blogspot.com/MOtastic145

Anyways, rounding out this week...how have all of you been?! Has the weather been beautiful or absolutely dreadful? Have you been able to sneak in workouts in between? Let me know, I'd love to know!

Dedicated to health,
FFF Diva Mo <3