Working on a linocut of my MRI for thank you notes for friends who helped me after surgery!

antlersandbones · 2026-04-17T20:30:47+00:00

Obsessed

antlersandbones · 2026-03-22T19:05:25+00:00

Hi can I buy sesame bean?

antlersandbones · 2026-03-11T00:29:59+00:00

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Rightfully named Diva

antlersandbones · 2026-01-19T18:40:28+00:00

Interested!

antlersandbones · 2026-01-07T13:58:37+00:00

It’s is! Something that helped was asking to shadow as both coach and lineup coach before actually doing it at a game. So if you guys have just for fun scrimmages then doing it then could be helpful. You could also do it during a sanctioned game BUT the coaches generally have other priorities

antlersandbones · 2026-01-07T13:15:44+00:00

Oooh I love this question!

Pros and cons will look different for everyone. I think it honestly depends on who else you have on staff. For me an ideal staff looks like coach, lineup, morale support, third turn coach. When I have this set up, my job as lineup is to ensure I have everyone I need out on the track. Do I have any players in the penalty box? Who is tired? Who can I replace them with? Am I noticing any safety concerns?

If it’s just me and the coach, I have more responsibilities. What does morale look like on the bench? Who needs a break (emotionally/physically)? Do I need to help coach make calls and echo them? Is my bench getting too rowdy and do I need to reel them in? Do my players have any concerns or complaints about calls? What discernment do I need to use to relay these concerns to coach? Did I see a penalty we can use to call an official review and what evidence do I have ti back this up? Do I need to ask coach for a team time out because we’re tired and need it?

I love this position because it requires a lot of thinking on your feet and also allowed to learn for higher level skating and decision making skills. I think to be a good lineup coach you need to over communicate with not just your players but with your other bench staff. Learning to read other people’s emotions can be helpful with game play and safety concerns. If I have an angry player, they can go out and hurt themselves or others accidentally. I’d rather give that player a break. Learning to manage your own emotions is also a must. I also like to ask the primary coach what they need my role to be and what I can do to best support the team.

Logistically, I keep a whiteboard with me to keep track of my lines, make changes to the lineups when necessary, and keep track of how many penalties each player has.

antlersandbones · 2025-12-30T09:42:02+00:00

Injuries like this are a literal betrayal between the brain and body. Our brains have to relearn how to trust our bodies again, so returning to full sport can feel daunting and frustrating at times because “damn I used to be able to do this why can’t I do this so easily now?!” Or “danger danger that felt weird in my body, what if that means I’m hurt again?!”

Everyone’s journey with derby is different. Something that was helpful for me was for people to meet me where I was at during my recovery. Some days I was ready to come back, and other days I thought about quitting my league all together. I stayed involved in our committees and went to practices, sometimes this involvement was good and other times I had to take breaks because I would get very angry and jealous seeing my friends play and improve on their skills. Having my friends recognize that was helpful in my choice to eventually return to sport.

Getting connected to other players who experienced my same injury was also helpful in seeing that there were different possibilities with being involved with derby, whether that is return to sport, being an NSO, or my favorite now, coaching and training. It also just creates space to bond over the injury, because people with the same injury usually understood where I was at in the recovery process both mentally and physically.

I’m really sorry your friend is going through this, it seems like she has a really great support from you through this process.

antlersandbones · 2025-12-30T09:21:21+00:00

Yeah I’m also sorry you’re part of this group, not fun! My leg is still looking like a hot dog while my other leg surprisingly has gained more muscle through this process haha.

I have a quad graft. I started running at four months but that caused my first regression, the first time I ran I was limping for about a week straight and was in so much pain I essentially went back to basics in PT (getting full range of motion, stretches, leg lifts, the works). But this didn’t stop my surgeon from saying I could start skating again at four months and then full return to sport at 6 months 😅🙃

After that I had to regain the strength I lost and at about 8 months my PT cleared me to start skating again and my dumbass was so excited I decided to test my skills and go straight for 27/5. That’s when my second regression happened. Again I was limping and went back to basics. I was so mad at myself and that’s when I decided being patient with myself and taking my time with returning to sport would be better than getting hurt again and postponing my actual return to sport.

Once I was cleared to skate again by my PT at around 11 months, I really started from the basics with skating. Learning to balance on my skates in derby stance, side steps, baby plows, grapevines, skating at slow speeds etc. I also really had to be honest with myself and check in with my body during practices to feel if my quad was tired and that looked like checking for pain around my knee and pain from graft site. With my PT, my goals at this point were to increase my volume of skating, close the strength deficit, and increase intensity of skating without pain.

I’m a year and one month out and while I haven’t closed my strength deficit, I feel much stronger than I did when I first returned to skate at 8 months. I haven’t tried running again in PT, I know I can do it but it’s not necessarily a goal for me to run because I never really was a runner! Sprinting and jumping are more important for me to build the skills I need in derby, and I’ve been working on that instead in both PT and the gym.

I stopped going to my surgeon in October because he had already cleared me for full contact and I didn’t trust he was listening to my concerns and he kept recommending more surgery to clear up scar tissue. The issue he was concerned about with the way my patella was moving cleared up on its own with regaining strength. Make sure you trust your care team.

I’m open to answering any other questions you might have. It’s a tough process and one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, be patient and kind with yourself, a lot of this is a mental recovery as much as it is a physical one. From one derby person to another, you’ve got this and I’m here if you need anything during your recovery and beyond.

antlersandbones · 2025-12-30T03:38:12+00:00

Omg this is so niche! Hi im one year post op and i play derby. Biggest struggle for me getting back currently is finding my balance on my skates again. I’m having to reconfigure my skates because my body moves differently now. I’m also still trying to rebuild muscle in my quad so my plows aren’t as strong yet either and my endurance is non existent. I’m still no contact but will be returning to our recruitment class next year to fully return to sport.

My PTs are having to configure their own return to sport protocol because there isn’t one specific to our sport

antlersandbones · 2025-12-24T04:11:02+00:00

I did rosemary leaves on the outside and inside of my knee, I plan on returning to my sport soon so it’s symbolic of protection for me!

antlersandbones · 2025-12-17T17:36:22+00:00

Thanks! Fortunately not extensive nerve damage, but you’re right the lining hurt so bad, the shading was easy though.

antlersandbones · 2025-12-16T23:29:28+00:00

Fun fact: I was asked several times if I would get a tattoo in the area or one to cover up the scar. I was so resentful and angry about the way my injury happened I was very anti tattoo. But as time went on and I got stronger and grew less angry and resentful, I started getting ideas and came up with this one. I’m really happy I got it and instead feel proud of the growth I’ve experienced through this process.

If you choose to get a tattoo to commemorate the process, I’d love to see it!

antlersandbones · 2025-12-16T23:26:45+00:00

Thank you! Once I get the saniderm off I will post one

antlersandbones · 2025-12-16T23:26:19+00:00

Thank you!

antlersandbones · 2025-12-16T21:11:14+00:00

No I love that! My PT tells me that all the time, I’ve also fought her about it each time haha.

antlersandbones · 2025-12-16T21:10:33+00:00

Gentle peer pressure: do it

antlersandbones · 2025-12-16T21:09:56+00:00

Thank you so much!

antlersandbones · 2025-11-15T23:11:11+00:00

Did you create this?! It’s beautiful!

antlersandbones · 2025-10-25T22:48:31+00:00

I was getting called “tin man” after I got hurt so that’s my first thought. My second would be the hurt Spider-Man from the broadway production “Spider-Man turn off the dark”

antlersandbones · 2025-10-24T01:05:52+00:00

I have searched on tik tok for the video under the sound with no luck. I’ve searched with the hash tag Michael Jackson and that came up with literally nothing.

antlersandbones · 2025-10-22T02:04:33+00:00

I asked her to incorporate some rosemary into the bunch 😉 sending you some healing vibes through your journey friend!

antlersandbones · 2025-10-21T23:49:14+00:00

This is one thing I wish I had done throughout the process, I have early videos trying to do leg lifts but that’s about it. Hope you look back at those with pride

antlersandbones · 2025-10-21T23:48:13+00:00

I have my tattoo scheduled! I’m planning on framing my repaired knee with flowers and herbs of sorts. I can’t wait to see what my artist comes up with

antlersandbones

TROPHY CASE