Rock & Roll

Didn't feel like going to practice tonight..
I was tired when I got up this morning
and even went back to bed for a half hour.
Very unusual for me.
Am I still recovering from the BRC in Roanoke,
or have I just been busy and it's catching up
with me?
Of course, I did go to practice, feel like it or not,
and because I hadn't skated since Saturday,
my feet complained about the constricted quarters
I was putting them into.
Protesting feet or no, I'm still in love with
my Bont 3-points.
One of the best moves I've made was spending
the money I did on these custom boots and I've
never had one trace of a blister or any major
discomfort.
Jumping from 84's to 100's was a snap and I
haven't even begun to get the most I can out of the
set up.
Thursday nights we only have an hour, 8:30-9:30,
but we get a pretty decent turn out for that
late of a practice.
As is done now, we began with skating to
the right.
Disconcerting as it was when we first started
doing it, I like it now and believe we really
will end up having normal paceline drills
going in that direction, just like coach told us
we would.
Not yet though :)
Catch the pack was next and I worked to keep
as close to my competition as I could when we
were called out together.
Imagine, me feeling competitive.
Never thought I would "want" to be ahead of
someone.
Previously I preferred to play nice and let everyone
go ahead of me.
Passing?
Forget about it!
Can't tell you how many times I heard my couch
yell out to me, "Joie! Pass! Pass Now!"
And I would just sit there behind, whoever,
happy where I was.
Over time that position wasn't satisfying anymore.
Then it became a matter of wanting to pass, but
having to learn how to do it.
I was scared out of my mind..
Fast forward over 2006 and I'm not afraid anymore,
on the whole.
If I see the chance I'll take it.
Like tonight when we were doing starts.
I've learned that anything goes once the whistle
blows and before the first turn.
More and more I'm taking advantage of that
knowledge and when I had the cone tonight on
the start line, I didn't let the faster guy to my
right get to the first turn ahead of me.
I squeezed in and took it.
Too bad I fell on my butt coming out of the next corner..
and then he along with everyone else in our group
passed by where I was sprawled up against the wall.
It was great though because the woman who would
never take a chance on the floor is starting to take some,
and in time it's going to pay off.