--- In rollerderbycoaches@yahoogroups.com, "trishorama"
<trishorama@...> wrote:
>
> she puts
> on her most slipperiest, crappiest wheels while skating at practices
> to really work your core and thighs.

HI, new girl, just lurking and reading all the great advice!!! I'm a
captain for the Neander Dolls in Las Vegas. I recognize a few girls
here, hey hey hey!!!

Just wanted to add:
The Portland girls gave us another really great tip for how they
prepared to play Rocky Mountain at the high altitude in Denver - they
switched for a couple weeks into the softest outdoor wheels they had
for training. We did that for 3 weeks before dust devil - and I mean
78a little softies - and boy oh boy does that work the thighs and hams
and calves. We were slow like skating in wet cement for the first
couple days, but by our game that first weekend, we were almost back
to moving fast, and by the second week, we couldn't even tell the
difference. And when we switched back to indoor wheels we had all
gained speed in sprints (and, though it seems to contradict logic, I
also felt like I had more grip, I think because indoor wheels are
wider and flatter so I had more wheel surface touching track). We
were guarding that as a secret, but I suck at keeping secrets.

The only caveat is that I would recommend far more stretching than you
usually do if you switch. We did two rounds - one after warmup, then
concentrated leg stretches after a couple rounds of sprints and BEFORE
we started any scrimmage drills. We did get some strains and pulls
related to the extra intensity of practice before dust devil combined
with the outdoor wheels, which require that you push a lot harder
because they're so slow.

I switch wheels around a lot because I feel like it makes me less
inclined to get bothered by wheels that aren't perfect... anything
that makes me not notice my gear in a game = good, in my opinion.

- Ivanna s. p. / sin city