TEAM DERBY LITE: CHICAGOLAND GEARS UP FOR THEIR 6TH ANNUAL WALK & ROLL!

For the sixth year in a row, skaters from Derby Lite locations throughout Chicagoland are joining forces to take a stand against cancer. On April 27, nearly 70 women will lace up their roller skates, strap on their gear, and skate 10K along Chicago’s lakefront for the 2013 American Cancer Society Walk & Roll.

The annual Walk & Roll event brings together thousands of people in the fight against cancer for a 5K walk, 10K skate, or 15K bike. Beginning in Chicago in 1971, the Walk & Roll now takes place in three locations throughout Illinois, raising funds to support the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving work in research, education, advocacy, and patient services.

Over the past five years, the Chicago-based Team Derby Lite has raised over $133,000 to support the programs of the American Cancer Society. This year, their biggest Walk & Roll team ever is aiming to add another $30,000 to its total.

2013 Team Derby Lite is proud to have members from all four Chicago area locations, as well as Cedarburg, Wisconsin, collaborate in a day of celebration and solidarity.

You still have time to join the Derby Lite team!
For more info, please contact:
Erin Ransford (AKA Kit Cat)
erinransford@gmail.com

For updates, check us on Twitter: @Derby_Lite and our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DerbyLite

Be a Unicorn. Be a Ninja.

We are what we repeatedly do.

This is the first line of one of my favorite quotes. So simple, and so true. It inspires me ask myself, What do I want to be? Do my actions reflect my desires?

I want to be a Unicorn.

I want to be a Ninja.

I want to be light on my feet. Agile. Athletic. Fit. Mystically, magically talented in my physical pursuits.

How can I achieve my unicorn and ninja aspirations? The same way we should approach all of our desires for physical fitness or athleticism – by Just Doing It, all day, every day. The opportunities to enhance our physical capabilities present themselves constantly. We can train ourselves to approach the world through a lens that calls us to be active as second nature.

HOW TO BE A UNICORN/NINJA*

• Why walk when you can leap, skip, jump? Be light on your feet, always- put a spring in your step, and hop your way through your day.
• Walking the dog (or walking anywhere, anytime): Balance on the ledge of the sidewalk while walking, without stepping off for as long as possible. I walk for 30 minutes on the sidewalk ledge each day without losing my balance. This translates to balance in all of my other physical endeavors.
• You always take the stairs: Now, climb two at a time: Walking lunges on an incline. Push through your heel, feeling your glutes and hamstrings engage.
• Juke & Weave at every opportunity: Walking down the street? Walk straight up to a street lamp, a tree, a mailbox… and just before you make contact with it, take a quick lateral leap to get around it.
• Shoveling snow? Fire up your iPod. Every time you load a scoop of snow, do a squat, and then toss the snow forward (not over your shoulder). After 15 to 20 “reps”, switch your hand position so that the other hand is “leading” and you achieve balance and avoid injury. This is an amazing workout!
• Balance on one leg every time you have to stand still: In the checkout line at the grocery store, while brushing your teeth, etc.

* This list is for how to be a unicorn/ninja as you navigate your day. It is recommended that you pursue vigorous activity, such as Derby Lite fitness skating classes, to reach your full unicorn/ninja potential.

You get the idea: In order to live our best life, we need to weave the thread of fitness throughout each and every day, whether we are formally exercising or not. This enhances our mind/body connection, helping us to feel vibrant and alive. If we are inhabiting our bodies, if we are bodies in motion, we are less likely to experience the disconnect that allows us to accept a sedentary lifestyle.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

                                                                                 ~Aristotle

Garnished with an Olive: A Little Mantra Goes a Long Way

I believe that the only way to approach our physical endeavors is with passion. Like we mean it.

Many years ago, before I ever laced up my skates to play roller derby, I began the pursuit of trail running. With gusto. For like, the first five minutes. And then, my passion starting morphing into defeat. Things hurt. I was breathless. Why wasn’t I good at this simple thing, running? What a loser.

Since giving up was not an option, I decided right away that I wasn’t going to let this negative self-talk infiltrate my trail running dreams. I began using mantras: short, sweet, encouraging phrases I repetitively said to myself (usually silently, in rhythm with my exhale breaths) during my workouts.

Guess what? They work. Mantras have added miles to my runs, speed to my skating, strength to my training, and confidence to all of my fitness (and life) adventures.

Fake it until you make it

Give yourself the gift of encouragement. Cheer yourself on, whether you believe the words you’re saying or not. You’ve put on your workout gear. You’re doing it! You have a plan (whether it is your Derby Lite class, your power walk, your strength training day), and that plan does NOT include self sabotage.

Tell yourself you are awesome. Tell yourself, “I’m moving. I’m perfect.”

If you say your mantras enough, they will become your truth.

One of my favorites, which is incredibly simple and effective, is “Yes. Yes. Yes.” with each exhale during a challenging portion of my workouts. When repeating this to myself, I access more energy, more strength, and more capacity for accomplishing the tasks I am attempting.

By virtue of being human, we are equipped to take on physical challenges and survive and thrive. We are built to move. Most often it is our mind that truly holds us back during our physical pursuits.

Eliminating self defeating, negative thoughts from your mind’s vocabulary will unquestionably reveal the athlete in you.  Yes, you. There is an athlete inside every single one of us. She may be hidden beneath your self doubt, but she is THERE, and you will get to know her well when you treat yourself with the kindness and support that your inner athlete needs.

My go-to mantras during training:

Breathe. Believe.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I’m an athlete!
Of course I can. Of course I can.
I’m moving, I’m perfect.
Impossible is nothing!

Lisa “Olive Spankins” Bassett is a roller skating, mountain biking, wine drinking, good-food eating animal lover who lives in beautiful Durham Maine with her two dogs, two cats and Chef-Husband. She is the Derby Lite: Portland Maine Pivot Partner, former Maine Roller Derby Training Head & competitor, and is AFAA certified in personal training and group fitness. 

Happy Birthday, Derby Lite!

Derby Lite celebrated our 5th Anniversary on Nov. 17th.

Our first practice ever was November 13, 2007 in Oak Park, Illinois with 13 women in attendance. Five years later, there are about 300 members in Chicagoland, and a couple hundred more in five other locations nationwide.

We’re thrilled to be bringing the Fun & Fitness of roller derby-style skating to women from coast-to-coast, and to celebrate the success of our program and the awesomeness of our members with cake and champagne.

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Derby Lite Instructor Profile: Meet Olive Spankins

Lisa “Olive Spankins” Bassett

Meet Lisa “Olive Spankins” Bassett our Derby Lite Pivot Partner who runs the Portland, Maine program. After retiring from Maine Roller Derby, the competitive league in Portland, Olive found herself missing the thrill and exercise of skating. She heard about Derby Lite and knew creating a program in her hometown was the perfect addition to the community.