Another question I get a lot goes along the lines of "do you get paid to do what you do"? And my answer is always the same.

"I wish".

Well folks, wishes do come true!

As of Monday afternoon, I am now a writer for an online site called The Examiner. And yes, I am getting paid for it. I'm sure the bulk of the money I make on there will go towards my derby travels. Believe it or not, it does cost money for me to travel places (lol). But at the same time, I seriously doubt it will be enough to make a living off of. Although...you know...that would be kinda sweet, too!

The first article I wrote for them was a preview of Saturday's Dockyard Derby Dames championship bout. You can read it here. Since this is the first article, it has yet to be released to the general public. However, it can still be read by you if you so choose.

You can even comment on it if you like. As far as I know, all you have to do is click on "Subscribe" and you should be good to go. Granted, I haven't tried subscribing to it since it's my own site (lol). But a few others I have told about it yesterday already have and have left comments, too. Anyway, when you do subscribe to the page, you will also get emails sent to you whenever I post something new on there.

Now, don't worry one bit about this Myspace page here. It's not going anywhere. In fact, for now, I'm planning on using this blog as a portal to the new site for those who either don't read this blog or don't feel like signing up for the new one. Plus this site is still where I do the vast bulk of my derby networking. So it isn't going anywhere in the near or distant future.

One of my biggest goals with this Myspace page has been to help spread the word around about roller derby. And as I've said before, I think it has worked for the most part. Consistantly finishing in the number one slot on the Myspace sports blog rankings and even cracking the top 50 overall blogs a few times tells me this has been a success. I do know that even though the vast bulk of my 2500+ subscribers are people in the derby community, there are also a number of people who...as far as I know...aren't involved in the derby world at all. For me, this is also a success.

Now I know with the Examiner, there aren't nearly as many ready-made readers as there are here on Myspace. To a certain degree, this is also why I really hope that all my subscribers still click on here whenever I do post a link to the new site just to try to keep those numbers up. Maybe leave some "kudos" or something like that. Even though I do expect the numbers on here to drop, I also hope that we can still keep this derby boat afloat in the Myspace world. Afterall, we're still trying to spread that derby word, aren't we?

Although this is another area in which I hope to be successful on The Examiner. There are a lot of subjects on that site. And in the Seattle portion of it (there are numerous cities and areas to choose from on there), there are your usual Mariners, Seahawks, Storm, Sounders, Huskies, Cougars and high school sports pages. And as is my competitive nature, I really hope to overtake those other sites as the number one sports blog not only in the Seattle section, but the overall site of The Examiner. And I'm thinking that with your continued support, we should be able to accomplish that quite easily

Now I'm going to be posting quite a bit on there. Of course, there will be the usual bout recaps (which I'm slowly getting back into). I'll also continue to write about different things here and there as they pop into my mind. But with this new crowd I am going after on The Examiner, I'm also quite keen on getting the word out not only about the derby leagues here in the Puget Sound area, but also throughout the northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia). So I will definitely not only be scouring the various league websites for information, but also hoping to establish a go-to person to get some extra info out of (such as bouts, fundraisers, special events, etc).

For now, that focus will be on the northwest. But as time goes along, I will probably extend it out across the derby world. Chances are I'll start out west here (California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) once I do decide I can handle that load. But for now, if there are events in other parts of the country (or the world, for that matter) that you want me to promote on this Myspace page here, let me know about it and I will be more than happy to use this blog to help you out the best I can!

Another thing that has been swirling around me lately is the coaching thing. Yes, I am VERY interested in coaching my own team. As I've always said, the Dockyard is my first choice since they are here in my hometown. However, if there isn't an open head coaching job there, I am looking other places. So far, there have been a few different teams/leagues who have asked me to go coach them. One league outside the state of Washington is even in the process of trying to find a job for me so I can move there more easily. And I won't lie to ya...it's nice to be in demand like that (lol).

Still, the next question that pops up is "if you do start coaching, what about the blog"? Well, the blog will still continue. I will still do my recaps and all the other stuff (perhaps minus the stronger opinions since I wouldn't want my team/league to get into trouble with anyone). I just won't recap the bouts I actually do coach in. So things won't change much that way. Which means there isn't a whole lot for you to worry about on that front.

Anyway, I'm very, VERY excited about this opportunity that The Examiner has given me! Another cool thing is that along with getting paid to write on there, my email is wide open for anyone to see. So the more successful I am, hopefully maybe other, more profitable opportunities will come along other places. At least that's my hope. Hell, ya gotta start somewhere...don't ya?

And when things like this happen, I have my usual round of "thank you's".

First off, I want to thank Sonoma County skater/coach Killer Vee for turning my attention to The Examiner! She first told me about this a few months ago. At the time, I had some other things simmering. But as time rolled along, they kinda fizzled out. So I finally decided to bite the bullet and go for it. And low an behold, they accepted me! Killer Vee also writes for them. And on the new page, I will be more than happy to pimp her site out as a "thank you".

Of course there is former Rose City skater Vominatrix. Her telling me one time to "keep spreading the derby word" is what initially sparked the idea for "All Bout Derby". Although I may very well have started doing this anyway, it was Vom who first stuck the idea in my head. I have no clue if she still reads this page anymore (she tells me she does, though...lol). But I want to thank her again for putting that idea in my head!

When I ran the idea of this Myspace page past Pia Mess, she said I should definitely do it. So I did. Pia has been a solid friend for me throughout my derby life. She was my first derby friend, and still my best derby friend. Thanks Pia!

The first two people to friend this Myspace page were Baby Fighterfly from Providence and Dez Asstris of the Sacred City Derby Girls. I still can't remember which one signed up first (lol). But they were the first two to take a look at this idea and say "hey...that looks pretty cool". So thanks Baby and Dez!

The very first subscriber to this blog was Rat City's Holley KnockHers. I have no idea as to why she was the first one (lol). But she has been a loyal reader ever since the page started. Thanks Holley! And I hope you follow it over to the new one!!!

And whenever I end these "thank you's", I always finish with Lindsay in St. Louis. She has read everything I've ever written online as far as these types of things go. From that very first one in 2003 that featured me in a hotel in Kennewick, WA flicking rubber bands into a garbage can to this one, Lindsay has been there every single step of the way.

Earlier tonight while I was IMing Judy Asa Punk about all of this, Lindsay's name came up somehow. And as I thought about it...believe it or not...I actually shed a couple tears over it. For about a minute, all I could think about was telling Lindsay "I did it! I'm a pro writer now! Maybe not the best paid pro. Or anything major. But I'm finally getting paid"! Odds are most of you could probably care less about that part (lol). But I know Lindsay does.

So thank you Lindsay! Even if you do live on the other side of the country, I honestly don't know what I would be had you never come into my life. Thank you for reading everything. And thank you for being an awesome friend!!!

Okay folks! Head on over to my NEW PAGE and start reading, subscribing and commenting away! Let's spread that derby word a little more!!!

(and I'll be honest with ya...also to get some extra moolah in the bank for me (lol). It certainly eases the burden of me traveling to your bouts...no matter where you are!)