Feb 25, 2014

Team Sweden 2014 - first practice and first bout

The Team Sweden training group that were in Malmö this weekend
This past weekend the traininggroup for Team Sweden 2014 got together in Malmö, to get ready for the bout we have this upcoming weekend in Helsinki.

A few years ago, in 2010 to be completly accurate I applied to be the HeadCoach of Sweden, at that time Sweden had one full bouting team, and that was Stockholm rollerderby that JUST had bouted their first time. When we held the try-outs in May 2011, a majority of the girls trying-out had only one or two bouts under their belt, but most of them were in their first season and a few had just been scrimmaging. I had NO clue what I was getting myself into, and it was probably one of the hardest things I've done in my life. Having to dissapoint people is the worst thing I know. I didn't have any clue what was coming, and I did my best and I had times really fun, but most of the times I had no clue what I was supposed to do, but all I can say was that I learned a lot from it! I learned how important it is to delegate, how important it is that people show up on time and that we are all human and here to help and support each other. But I did learn this the hard way.

Being a coach this year, I'm in a completly different position, we have a few coaches working together, we have the Swedish Skating Federation helping us. And I have said that this time around I mainly want to do the on-skate training, I also want to progress as a skater, I don't want to be stuck in admin or telling people that they are not good enough, I don't want to worry about what shirts we are bouting in or if people are in time. I love seeing the game evolve and I love pushing forward, I just wanna be one of the players, one pwersaon on the team, a part of this amazing team that I know we can become.
I am so proud of what we, rollerderby players of Sweden have accomplished, that we together have multiple bouting teams, that we have arranged a Swedish Championship, that we have pushed forward and upward, we have two leauges that are full members of WFTDA going to US this year to compete beyond the level most had even seen four years ago. We have so much talent and we have so much drive, and I love it!

I love playing rollerderby, it really makes me happy, I work out because it makes me a better derbyplayer, and I love the girls I've become friends with in rollerderby. I love my homeleauge Stockholm Roller Derby soo much, all the girls are soooo hardworking and developing fast. I also LOVE that we have a National Team, I have such a great time to see everyone on the track pushing themselves, I love explaining a drill, and everyone understands why and how it's done in no time. I love that we have so many high level players in Sweden! And it makes me feel a tiny bit old, that i remember a bunch of those girls from when they JUST began rollerderby!

I love how we just can line up next to each other,  all from different leauges and we already know what to do, what to look for and how to act and react together. I love that we can do this together, that we can travel to finland and feel confident that we are a great team. We are made up by induviduals but with a great goal to push ourselves together, because it's all about making the team look good, let our jammers shine, let us all work together. And most of all, let us all just have freaking FUN!

Can I tell you I'm SOOOOO excited to play Team Finland this Saturday in Helsinki, and the next day we get to scrimmage against Helsinki Rollerderbys A-team. This is going to be epic, and I love rollerderby and being a part of this.

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