My derby journey started just over a year ago when a woman tentatively approached me after a fitness class I was instructing, and asked if I was interested in helping her start a roller derby team in our small community. I can honestly say that that thought had never crossed my mind. I was intrigued though. As a person who has always appreciated athleticism and strength (having been a personal trainer for many years with a great love of weight training and pushing athletic boundaries, especially for women) the thought of a sport that required strength, balance, and toughness along with some quick thinking game strategy was definitely interesting to me!
I soon found myself a pair of trad. roller skates at the local thrift store for under $5 and got rolling. Skating on these was an adventure! People down the block could probably hear me coming—the bearings were completely shot and the wheels, well, let’s just say you won’t find those on anyone’s wish list. When I tried on my friend’s derby skates to compare, there was no going back—I pooled my pennies and got the best pair I could afford as soon as possible and was completely hooked!
But now what? I loved skating, but, after watching a couple of bouts with established teams, and after a couple of near-miss falls myself, I had to stop and think about what I was really going to do with this new love. I consider myself pretty tough—especially after instructing boot camps and other classes for many years—but, in order to keep teaching, I had to continue to not be injured and, and at the ripe old age of 52 (and old enough to be some of my team-mates’ grandmother), I have to admit, healing takes longer and becoming a player seemed a bit ridiculous (though in the back of my mind, I’m still considering it ;-).
Watching bouts, I realized there was more than one way to participate—there was even more than one way to skate and still participate! I noticed that refs got a LOT of skating time… check out the jam refs and outside pack refs at the next bout! Not only do these positions require great skating skills and stamina, they require a thorough knowledge of the rules, a keen eye and cool demeanor!
I attended a reffing workshop at a derby boot camp given by one of the nearby leagues and decided to get involved with a bigger league close by. At the earliest opportunity, I joined The Terminal City Roller Girls Authority Figures. Along with other newbie “reflings” for the past few months we’ve been busy working on our skating skills, learning rules and getting to know each other—we’ve just gone through our first round of skating skills testing and I’m happy to say I passed with flying colors and am on my way to becoming a WFTDA Certified Ref! I’ve loved every minute and each and every one of my new extended derby family! I’ve been a Non-Skating Official (NSO) at a few bouts now and, in the last couple of days, decided on my derby name.
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| Terminal City Authority Figures (I'm left of the giant tape ball that was the track for the bout the night this pic was taken) - Photo: Linda Bandiera |
Rulz Vix'n reporting for duty. See you on the track—and watch those elbows!
I'll be sharing more of my views on the ups & downs of derby life --including gear, training, rules, drama-- in this blog in future posts.
I'll be sharing more of my views on the ups & downs of derby life --including gear, training, rules, drama-- in this blog in future posts.
