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By Violet KnockOut

It's one thing to go into Gotham tryouts with your given name, new to derby, starry eyed with low expectations. It's quite another to go in there with three years under your belt, having just left your beloved league with mixed emotions with the realization that if you don't do well, you will not play derby this year. That was me, Violet KnockOut #4, formerly of the Long Island Roller Rebels, now Gotham Girls Fresh Meat class of 2012.

Immunization: just kids’ stuff, eh?

No, my daring derby devastators, protecting yourself from disease is not just for kids. Adults never outgrow their need for vaccines. I have found many of our skaters do not know what they have had or what they need to have.

Think - you get an open wound on the track - when was your last tetanus shot? If it’s a normal, not-too-dirty injury, it could be up to 10 years ago and you'll be alright. If it’s a really dirty wound, only five years should have elapsed.

There comes a point in every derby girl's career where she begins to play derby with and against the very women who taught her how to play derby. It’s a terrifying moment. It seems like such a short time ago that we were being taught to duck walk (back when duck walks were hard) and now the woman who taught you how to duck walk is salivating at the opportunity to run your ass all over the track.

For two reasons, shoulder injuries are common in derby: 1) derby is a full contact sport often involving trauma to the shoulder and 2) the shoulder is a complicated, somewhat delicate joint. A brief overview of the some commonly seen injuries follows.

4:09. I was pretty proud of that. 25 laps in 4:09. That was my time after five months of skating and it allowed me to believe that speed wasn’t necessarily a skill on which I needed to spend a great deal of time. After all, if the goal was to be able to skate 25 in 5:00, I was smoking it. I believed that right up until the day at practice we were working on skating 10 second laps in a pack.

It’s that time of year again. You know the one I mean. You’re innocently watching TV when an an annoyingly cheerful skinny person tells you that it’s only six months ‘till bikini season! Suddenly there are photos of a chubby version of this individual and promises that this pill or that diet plan are all you need to make your dreams of a banging’ body come true.

It's getting to be that time of year again. There's a chill in the air (or not, if you happen to be in New York City right now). Stores are being decorated, and those annoying guys with bells are asking for money on every street corner. Santa's making his list, and so am I.

Open Skate. Adult Skate Night. Derby Night. No matter what you call it, this is your time by yourself to work on skating - so what do you do with it? Presumably, you can already skate in a counter-clockwise circle and time spent doing only that is time you could have spent catching up with those friends you used to have before derby or doing the long neglected dishes. Instead, go to your open session with a plan.

Q: "Howdy! I know that you guys have articles often about gear, skates, etc., and I had a request for topic. I feel very strongly that every skater, no matter their skill level or experience, should be educated about their skates (bearings, wheels, pivot cups, boots, etc.). I've done tons of research on pretty much every part of the skate, but I have trouble finding detailed info about bushings.