Sk8 the State for MS Takes on Nebraska

This is the article I (Skinnerella) wrote about the Sk8 experience.

During the final week of August, the last of the dog days of summer, three roller derby teammates undertook the second annual Sk8 the State for MS. The trek across Nebraska was a grueling 216 miles from the Kansas border to Yankton, South Dakota, where the skate across South Dakota ended in 2010. After I helped out with last year’s fundraiser, the skaters invited me to be a full-fledged member of “Team Ironfeet” and skate with them this year. I was thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful event, and determined to make this year bigger and better than last.

Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a widespread central nervous system disease which can affect people of any race, age or gender, regardless of health or family history. Most commonly, MS sufferers lose control of their movements, sometimes losing the ability to move altogether. The mission of Sk8 the State for MS is to keep moving, skating across a different state each year, in an effort to bring greater attention and funding to the National MS Society.

In 2010, the inaugural year of Sk8 the State three Sioux City Roller Dames, Dani “Dubbs” Bock, Melissa “Mo Payne” Dittberner and Libby “PBR” Claeys skated across South Dakota. The 266-mile journey took eight days of hard skating across the low hills (though they don’t seem so low when you are skating over them) of Eastern South Dakota. The trip took a toll on the skater’s minds and bodies as well. 

“I had chunks missing from my heels by about day 3,” says Dubbs, “Every morning we had to get up two hours before we actually wanted to skate just so we could bandage up our feet.” 

Even with all of the prep, Dubbs’ feet bled through her bandages after the first ten miles.

“We learned how to take care of our feet,” says Mo Payne, “We had really nice skates from Vanilla, but didn’t realize that if you sweat through your socks, your feet are going to blister, no matter how comfortable your skates are.”

They also learned the importance of physical training and nutrition before the skate. For 2011, we took up a rigorous training regimen, which included group skating sessions on the very roads that we would skate during the fundraiser.  This was particularly helpful for me; since I didn’t skate with them last year, I really had no idea how different skating on a highway shoulder was from skating on a nice, shady trail. The asphalt radiates heat, making it feel 20 degrees hotter than it actually is. And shade is nowhere to be found.

 Potholes and gravel were expected hazards, but I didn’t know–until I hit one–that a tar patch will immediately stop your wheels, while your body keeps moving. I learned early on not to try to jump or step over every crack in the pavement; this breaks your stride and can hurt your knees and hips. We were incredibly lucky to have Atom as our wheel sponsor. They gave us all Pulse’s and their new outdoor wheel, Road Hogs, which are large enough to roll over cracks that would swallow a smaller wheel. 

After six months of training on roads, trails, in the gym, even in my bathroom, doing squats every morning while I brushed my teeth, I felt ready to tackle the highways of Nebraska. Then three weeks before the skate, after a night of strength training, I found that my left leg wouldn’t bear any weight. My doctor told me that I had torn my quadricep and would not be able to lace up my skates for four to six weeks. 

I spent a couple of days feeling stupid, thinking back over every weight, every exercise, every skipped stretch, and regretting not taking better care of myself. After some words of encouragement and support from my wonderful teammates, I resolved to remain active with Sk8 the State, going along with the other skaters as a support driver, pep-talker, blister bandager, foot masseur and anything else that they might need. It was heartbreaking watching them skate and struggle from behind a windshield, and wanting nothing more than to be out on the 113-degree road with them. But being there to support them, being ready with a snack, a band aid or a hydration drink before they even knew they needed it, helped me feel like I was still part of the team. 

 Mo, Dubbs and PBR skated  50-60 miles each day, splitting the skating into two or three long sessions to avoid the worst heat of the day. Instead of crawling into an air-conditioned hotel room and passing out after their long days of skating (which is what I would have done if I had been skating), we went out fundraising and spreading the word about the MS Society and their good work. Roller derby teams in Omaha, Lincoln and Norfolk, NE, who are usually our rivals on the track, organized fundraising events for Sk8 the State as we worked our way across Nebraska. These fundraisers accounted for some of our biggest donations, and we can’t thank our derby community enough for stepping up to help us fight MS.

The North-South skate was finished in 4 days, but we wanted to skate across our “home” bridge and right into Sioux City. We found a 5-mile trail from South Sioux City Nebraska to the bridge across the Missouri River and into Iowa. For the last 5 miles of the journey, we  invited members of our roller derby team, the men’s team, the Korn Stalkers and other skaters to join us. A dozen skaters rolled into Sioux City where we met our friends, family, teammates and many of the wonderful people who we came to know through the fundraiser. After an afternoon welcome home block party, Mo, Dubbs and PBR suited up for the Roller Dames’ home opener–a bout against the Norfolk Bruizin’ Bettys. After skating 216 miles, these three ladies were the first to take the track, with Dubbs and PBR blocking for Mo Payne, who was on the jam line. Tired and sore, they still owned the track and the Roller Dames won with a final score of 31-259. 

We have already started planning for next year’s skate, which will be across our home state of Iowa. When asked if they were going to skate across every state, PBR replied:

“Ask me again when I’m 70.”

For more information about next year’s skate and 

what you can do to help, you can follow us on Facebook (Sk8 the State for MS), Twitter (@Sk8theState) and our blog (sk8thestate.blogspot.com).

We stopped in Madison, NE for a rest, where we met Niko Gronenthal

 of the Madison Star-Mail, just one of many wonderful people we met on our journey.

 

 

 

 

 

Mo, PBR and Dubbs lead the way across the border into Iowa.

1-2-3-LEAP!

 

 

And PBR still has the energy to breakdance in the street.

"What? We're doing this AGAIN next year?!"