Lots going on!

So, I was reprimanded by one of my new teammates for not updating my blog with new and current information... Remember my last blog post about my excitement over the roller derby draft? Yup, that's me below- I was drafted by the Break Neck Betties! And I got to play in our season Championship bout!

( Here I am receiving a gentle reminder from my teammate Scrappy to stick with her.)

(thanks to Masonite Burn Photography and Continuum Photography for the pictures)

AND, WE WON!!! Break Neck Betties are the Season 6 Champions! Pretty crazy for my first-ever bout. I have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do during our off-season. To remind myself of the ferociousness I want to show on the track, I did some illustration visualization:

I will look at this illustration whilst doing my biceps curls and drinking my protein shakes.

In other news, today I did something fun: I volunteered at the Oregon Special Olympics! It may come as a surprise to you, but I am a big fan of the Olympics.

Since I am not a bajilionaire and may never achieve my dream of attending an Olympic Opening Ceremony* (*although, dreams DO come true- see paragraph 1)-- I figured the next best thing would be to volunteer at my local Special Olympics!

I have a special knack for making exciting things look boring in photographs. But above is the nail-biting bocce competition. My job, however, was keeping score in the softball competition. I got to update the big electronic scoreboard! I bet you're jealous.

The summer state games take place in July- I'm hoping to go back! And if you're looking for a fun volunteer experience, I highly recommend.

Lastly, my week-long children's book intensive course starts tomorrow at Pacific Northwest College of Art! I have been busily preparing my notes:

This week should be a lot of fun. We're having highly acclaimed guest speakers each day... Who??? you ask? Check back later this week for my Guest Speaker Roundup!

Draft Day!

Why yes, it is time again for another roller derby post! For those of you keeping tabs, my derby career is coming along. I've talked about my failed tryout attempts in the past- and finally, in January I made the Fresh Meat team! The beauty of derby, however, is there's always a new goal to reach. Next goal: get drafted to a home team. And guess what- today is draft day!

I think these pieces adequately express my feelings about this! I am doggedly determined to get drafted tonight...

... all the while knowing it's a pretty slim chance. I can't talk enough about the benefits derby has given me. It has been great having something really hard & scary to strive for that is completely non-career related. And the lessons of getting knocked down a billion times, and still getting up- and of facing bitter rejection, only to shake it off and try again... there may be SOME VERY SMALL similarities to making a living as a children's book illustrator.

And if you haven't done so already, check out your local roller derby league to see a bout! Chances are there's a team near you- it's the fastest growing sport in the nation!

Ok, and here's a picture of me on the track. That's me, Winnie the Pow!

(Photo courtesy of Timothy Murray. See some more of his Fresh Meat action shots here!)