Right now Granite State Roller Derby is taking advantage of the small window of nice weather that New Hampshire allows us by practicing outside, at an area the team has nicknamed the "G Zone." The G zone used to be a space for outdoor roller hockey, so the surface is perfect for roller skates. We taped down a bright yellow track, and viola! Instant derby.
I love practicing outside because aside from the beauty of being outside, it reminds me of my derby beginnings. Not too long ago, in August of last year, I had never heard of roller derby, other than that i knew it was a sport full of hitting people while everyone was on roller skates. I had just read this book, called "Going in Circles" by Pamela Ribon (who is an LA Derby Doll) and the main character is going through a hard time in her life and ends up becoming involved in roller derby. I read the book in a day, and I was fascinated by the idea of roller derby. I didn't think about it again, until a few weeks later. I was at work one night looking at the bulletin board and there was a post on their advertising a new roller derby league in Concord that needed skaters, referees and volunteers. "I could do that! I could skate!" I thought to myself. And I sent a text at 1 am to my sister. It said, "there is derby in Concord! we must go."
I was going on vacation that week, but as soon as I got back I emailed GSRD and asked if I could come to practice. I had no gear and no experience, but they wanted me anyway. On Monday I headed down to the G zone. I was a nervous wreck all day. I was queasy and scared and anxious. My sister and I were a half hour early. We got out of the car, and walked around the track. It was a warm day and it smelled like grass. The sunlight glared off my car windshield. My brain was buzzing with excitement.
A trainer arrived, and got me ready. He gave me knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and a helmet. I had to bring my own mouthguard. Then I tried on my first pair of quad skates. I stood up. I did a tentative circle around the track. I fell down. A lot. The trainers taught me how to do a cross over, taking big long strides as they demonstrated a fluid cross and kick motion. I tried to pick up my foot, and fell down again. I kicked myself in the foot. I got blisters. I almost broke my hand. And that was just the first hour.
Practice was hard, but it was a blast, and I was instantly hooked. These girls were strong and smart and fierce and beautiful. I wanted to skate like them, hit like them, block like them, jam like them. For months i didn't know their real names, they were just Taz and Deck'erson and Mistress and Massenkill and Krass, with their beautiful crossovers and strong blocking and quick feet and I wished I could be like them. I practiced twice, sometimes three times a week with them. I wore my skates in the house. I got outdoor wheels and skated in my neighborhood. I watched bouts, in real life and on you tube. I read books about roller derby.
Then one day, in October, I went to a fresh meat practice and there were about 15 new girls there. I stepped on the track and noticed that I could pass them. I noticed that I didn't fall down. I noticed that I could pick up my feet when I did my cross overs. All that hard work paid off and I leveled up and became "ground meat." Now I could officially hit. In all my excitement I failed to realize, the reverse is true. Now I could be hit. I took a few of what seemed like the most brutal hits of all time. Then I lowered my shoulder and attempted to exact my revenge. I didn't knock anybody down, but I sure had fun trying.
Once again, a new skill, and more hard work to get it down. I had to practice footwork. Speed. Timing. Power. After a few months and a ton of practices, I was tested and passed my rotten meat assessments. That meant that I got a derby name, and I was allowed to bout. Bout! Bout?
February was my first scrimmage ever. And I was in the first line up. I was so afraid of puking on the track. I wondered, would I get a minor or a major for that? Body fluids aren't covered in the 40+ pages of WFTDA rules. And when your mouth is dry and you feel like throwing up, a mouth guard only makes it worse.
The first line up went out onto the track. Deck'erson jamming. Taz pivot. Friday, Massenkill and me blocking. I lined up in the back with Massenkill. The whistle blew. I put one foot in front of the other, and skated forward. I turned my head rapidly from side to side, watching out for other blockers who wanted to hit me. There was a big girl right next to me. She wasn't even looking at me. I looked at her. Black shirt? Nope. Not on me team. And with that, BAM! I crashed full speed into her. She stumbled to the floor, probably more out of surprise than anything else. And I skated away, fast, before she could come retaliate. Then I heard tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet. Four whistles. Jam over. Really? I didn't even see a jammer pass me, but they were already gone and calling off the jam.
That was my first taste of fast paced, hard hitting, strategic derby. Since then I have been in 4 bouts, 10 scrimmages, and more practices than I can count. But each time I step out onto the track at the G zone, I remember my first practice ever. The smell of grass. The sun glaring off the car windshields. The smell of my derby gear. The butterflies in my stomach. The excitement in my brain.
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