It's been a while since I've written and a lot has happened. It's been rough and I find that I am now in a completely different spot than I had originally even imagined I would ever be.
I continued working on skills and on skating. Tryouts were June 19th. The stars aligned in such a way that not only would I not be able to make either recruit practice that week but I would also have a 16 hour day two days before tryouts. Fate would also intervene and make it known to me that my skates were too big! (A side note to all new skaters: your skates should be a tight fit! My first pair felt comfortable, almost the same fit as my normal shoes. This was way too loose and caused me all kinds of foot cramping and other problems). Thankfully (or not), one of the other girls had decided to sell off an extra pair of skates she had on hand and they were my size. I managed to get them...the day before tryouts. Probably not the best idea to wear new skates just before tryouts but I wanted to make it through!
The good news is that I made it through tryouts and didn't die. It sure felt like it at times and I've never been able to fully recount what we did as I just can't remember everything. An amazing experience that I'm glad I had, though the emotions of it all didn't hit until well into the next day. I learned that I was an inspiration to other girls as every time I fell down, I got right back up. I wasn't very steady on my skates but they were brand new to me skates and I hadn't had a chance to fully get use to them.
There were 60 girls trying out that day and what a day it was. I woke up relaxed and in a zen state. There was nothing I could do to change anything at that point. I would not worry or regret or ponder what I could have done differently. Instead, I went and got some advice from Betty and then met up with N for a nice relaxing lunch before heading over to the hole.
It was intense and I knew I'd start crying if I did make it, not if I didn't. I didn't expect to make it this year. I hadn't been on skates very long and skating has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Gracefulness isn't my strong point. I've seen new born animals that have better control of their limbs than I occasionally do when I'm *not* on skates. I am very happy and pleased that I made it through.
Then came the next few weeks.
Work picked up with a big show so I wasn't really able to skate but I also didn't want to skate. While I didn't think any of the new skates would treat me differently because they were now on the league and I wasn't, I didn't want to skate with them. My faults didn't need to be pointed out and advice wasn't what I was looking for right then. While I didn't imagine making the league (and maybe that was why I didn't but I know I just wasn't ready), I also didn't imagine the let down feeling I'd have afterwards. Perhaps it's because I came from a small high school and a smaller college but even when I didn't make the cut in an audition, I was still highly involved in the production. I had a part and I could play it, even if it tended to be more backstage than in front of the curtain. But with roller derby, it wasn't that easy. In less than a month, I could try to be a non-skating official but I'd have to go to the referee try-outs. Suddenly people who had no interest in being a NSO wanted to be one just so they could be a member of the league. I didn't feel that need to do something I wasn't interested in just in the off chance that I might get to skate. Not that this is against the girls who did do that but it wasn't the role I wanted to play.
So I found myself in a weird limbo of people who had once been recruits together and then were in different places. I suddenly didn't want to hear about the new skaters needing help with their names or all of the cool things that they were going to be doing. All I wanted to do was to find my little cave, pull myself into it and lick my wounds. But I didn't really have any wounds to lick. I just didn't want to be treated differently even though there was a difference. It wasn't really enough of a one to have caused the changes that I seemed to be seeing.
The life intervened and I found myself home earlier than I thought I'd be for a funeral. The entire time, I just wanted to skate. I hadn't skated at this point since tryouts which had been two weeks previous. Whenever I was asked by my family what I wanted to do, I automatically responded that I wanted to go skating. I did eventually get to go skating again and it felt so good. The skates weren't quite what I was use to and I was at a much higher elevation but it felt right to be on skates again.
When I got home, I started to look into my options. I decided to not try to be a NSO as I had just arrived back from Colorado and I wasn't in the right mindset to even try to be human. I had joined a mailing list for a new recreational league created by MNRG called the Debu-Taunts. This seemed like it was going to be the place for me to skate for the year. Sadly, once again fate decided to shuffle things around and practices are planned to be on Sundays. During the summer this isn't a problem but starting in mid-August until early October, my weekends are taken over by one of my earliest loves and obsessions: the renaissance festival. I work out there so I can't just decide to not go so I could skate. My commitment was already set to this shop. Add into the fact that after the renaissance festival, my real job starts to pick up and so I find myself working a lot of Sundays.
Frustrated that I just wouldn't be able to do derby, I started searching the web. There must be another league that was closer than Duluth. Sure enough I found one. Based out of Eau Claire, the Chippewa Valley Roller Girls were looking for skaters to join their league. It seemed simple enough. Contact them, come out to a practice, fill out some paperwork and pay dues and I'd be a member. As they are so new, they only have one bouting team at this point. Excited and curious if they'd really take a girl from Minnesota, I sent them off an email. Sure enough, so long as I could make practices, I was more than welcome to join them.
A week later found me driving out to Eau Claire. A bundle of nerves, I was excited and scared. Here was a bunch of girls I'd never met who were going to let me come join their league. Would they be so much better than me that they wouldn't want someone at my level? Would the fact that I was running late because of rush hour traffic and orange cone season count so horribly against me that I couldn't be involved? Would they all hate me? (Ah, middle school fears always like to pop up whenever they can.) Would I fall more than I normally do? (I think I actually managed to fall less than I normally do and I hadn't had a chance to change my outdoor wheels out.)
Silly fears pushed aside, I found myself skating with a wonderful group of women. Whenever we worked on a skill, one of them would glance over at me and ask if I knew what they meant. It's amazing how you eventually start to understand what people say through a mouth guard. The next two weeks were full of shows so I'd miss practice but I'd join them again last night.
Once again my life had it's own weird explosions and I wasn't able to skate from that first practice I went to until I strapped on my skates last night, three weeks later. To my surprise, skill tests were starting. I was nowhere near prepared! I had no idea, though I know I wasn't the only one. While I'd managed to have the right wheels on, I had a hard time skating at first. Three weeks of not skating seems to do that to a body. Add in the fact that I was nervous about not passing a simple skill test, I found that I was having all kinds of problems. Shaking, falling and having just a bad time in general. However, the longer I skated, the more I realized that this was for my own safety as well as just seeing where I was in my skills. This didn't mark me as a failure if I didn't pass and it allowed me to reevaluate where I was and what I needed to work on. By the end of practice, I was glad to be there and pumped for the next week, trying to figure out where I could skate to practice some of the things I need to work on. Most importantly though, I was glad to be back on my wheels even if I knew I'd soon hear a chorus of "I told you so".
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A Rose by Any Other Name
It seems that one of the most important parts to new recruits is finding the perfect derby name. It can also be one of the hardest things to come up with. There's a whole page dedicated to derby names. You can then try out a name to see if it's taken and what the odds are of your name being accepted. For many it's hard because all of the "good" names are taken. Derby has been around for a while and most of the clever things have been thought of and been taken by another girl. This doesn't mean that there aren't other possibilities. It just means you have to think harder about it.
What's the deal with the names anyways? For a lot of people, it helps them create a personality to go with them on the track and in their skates. For me, I like the idea of being a little more anonymous. Not everyone in the world needs to know my name. Besides, due to the popularity of my first name with when I was born, I have a hard time responding to my name. Not that I dislike my name! I love my name. It's just not that exciting to have a crowd chant. It also helps give a barrier between the public and me. It's a stage name, a character and a separation in my personal life as well. My derby self can be as naughty or as nice as I want her to be and it isn't me. I'm an actual person while my derby self and image is more of a two dimensional caricature of an idea than an actual person.
Do I have my perfect name yet? I do actually. Managed to think it up (or rather, finish it up) this afternoon. I'm not ready to share the whole thing with the internet yet but it will involve the name Ferret (a name I use out at the Renaissance festival and seem to respond to better than my given name). I've managed to not only find a name that has a good chance of being accepted, it's also a play on who I am in real life as well.
It makes you wonder about the story behind the names of the other girls.
What's the deal with the names anyways? For a lot of people, it helps them create a personality to go with them on the track and in their skates. For me, I like the idea of being a little more anonymous. Not everyone in the world needs to know my name. Besides, due to the popularity of my first name with when I was born, I have a hard time responding to my name. Not that I dislike my name! I love my name. It's just not that exciting to have a crowd chant. It also helps give a barrier between the public and me. It's a stage name, a character and a separation in my personal life as well. My derby self can be as naughty or as nice as I want her to be and it isn't me. I'm an actual person while my derby self and image is more of a two dimensional caricature of an idea than an actual person.
Do I have my perfect name yet? I do actually. Managed to think it up (or rather, finish it up) this afternoon. I'm not ready to share the whole thing with the internet yet but it will involve the name Ferret (a name I use out at the Renaissance festival and seem to respond to better than my given name). I've managed to not only find a name that has a good chance of being accepted, it's also a play on who I am in real life as well.
It makes you wonder about the story behind the names of the other girls.
I'm not unapproachable, I'm just shy
Before the North Star Roller Girls clinics started, there were some meet and greets. I sadly wasn't able to make any of them for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, one of the reasons was do to how shy I can be. Those who know me well are probably laughing at that statement but I am truly shy. Get me into a situation where I'm not in my comfort zone and don't know a lot of people and I get really shy. Not horribly anxious about it but I'll either get really, really, really, really chatty or I'll not say much. I've been taken as being too serious before because I didn't join in and joke but it wasn't being too serious. No, it was a cause of being too shy.
So now we're into clinics. The first two were cancelled on account of Mother Nature thinking it'd be fun to give us March weather in May. The first one to happen was on a day I had to work in the evening (downside to working in theatre is having to work events; it sometimes means passing on things I'd rather be doing.) So I finally make it to the second one, last Thursday. I had the day off, so I was able to relax and have a good day before heading over to the Oval. It was a good time and I knew a handful of the girls there but I didn't really talk to a lot of other people there. Not that there is a lot of time to be talking but I didn't.
This past Monday there was a clinic. I felt the familiar knot of fear in my gut that people wouldn't like me or that I'd look like a fool or that I wouldn't just fit in. There is a long history to this knot. The joys of middle school. It made me terrified to go to pretty much anywhere new as I feared everyone would outright hate me even without knowing me. Of course they *didn't* but it seems that this idea is still planted in my head. So Monday I got to the Oval feeling nervous which probably did lead to some of my less than stellar skating. My skating buddy (we started skating together back in February) wasn't going to be there and while I knew/recognized some of the girls, there was that fear that they wouldn't want anything to do with me. There was also the fear that I wouldn't be able to skate. The first month of skating was met with a weird mix of fear and exhilarated at the idea of putting on skates. Would I fall down? Would I be able to move forward? Would I get onto the floor without anyone killing me?
Today's clinic once again found me feeling nervous. I don't know what to talk about with people other than derby as that's the only thing we currently have in common. Does everyone want to keep talking about derby or would they rather talk about something else? Thankfully not only are most people interested in getting as much time in skating as possible. It also helped that not only was my skating buddy there but the people "responsible" for getting me hooked also came out to skate. Knowing even a handful of people and actually *knowing* them put me much more at ease.
I keep meaning to go out and spend time with some of the other recruits but with tryouts fast approaching (6 more clinics until tryouts!), everyone wants to be skating as much as possible. I should be skating more than I am but I just don't have the time right now. Add into the reality that skating at the rinks starts to add up after a while, and I'm just not able to do it. I want to do derby though. Maybe not skating this season but hopefully next season. This isn't even taking into consideration whether or not I'd fit into the league and have the skills they need.
I wonder how many of the other recruits feel the same way I do? Maybe they all do and they just have a better facade.
So now we're into clinics. The first two were cancelled on account of Mother Nature thinking it'd be fun to give us March weather in May. The first one to happen was on a day I had to work in the evening (downside to working in theatre is having to work events; it sometimes means passing on things I'd rather be doing.) So I finally make it to the second one, last Thursday. I had the day off, so I was able to relax and have a good day before heading over to the Oval. It was a good time and I knew a handful of the girls there but I didn't really talk to a lot of other people there. Not that there is a lot of time to be talking but I didn't.
This past Monday there was a clinic. I felt the familiar knot of fear in my gut that people wouldn't like me or that I'd look like a fool or that I wouldn't just fit in. There is a long history to this knot. The joys of middle school. It made me terrified to go to pretty much anywhere new as I feared everyone would outright hate me even without knowing me. Of course they *didn't* but it seems that this idea is still planted in my head. So Monday I got to the Oval feeling nervous which probably did lead to some of my less than stellar skating. My skating buddy (we started skating together back in February) wasn't going to be there and while I knew/recognized some of the girls, there was that fear that they wouldn't want anything to do with me. There was also the fear that I wouldn't be able to skate. The first month of skating was met with a weird mix of fear and exhilarated at the idea of putting on skates. Would I fall down? Would I be able to move forward? Would I get onto the floor without anyone killing me?
Today's clinic once again found me feeling nervous. I don't know what to talk about with people other than derby as that's the only thing we currently have in common. Does everyone want to keep talking about derby or would they rather talk about something else? Thankfully not only are most people interested in getting as much time in skating as possible. It also helped that not only was my skating buddy there but the people "responsible" for getting me hooked also came out to skate. Knowing even a handful of people and actually *knowing* them put me much more at ease.
I keep meaning to go out and spend time with some of the other recruits but with tryouts fast approaching (6 more clinics until tryouts!), everyone wants to be skating as much as possible. I should be skating more than I am but I just don't have the time right now. Add into the reality that skating at the rinks starts to add up after a while, and I'm just not able to do it. I want to do derby though. Maybe not skating this season but hopefully next season. This isn't even taking into consideration whether or not I'd fit into the league and have the skills they need.
I wonder how many of the other recruits feel the same way I do? Maybe they all do and they just have a better facade.
Falling
When I first started skating, I didn't use any safety equipment. No wrist guards, elbow or knee pads. Albeit, at that point, most of my falling was onto my backside. However, I think I could have pushed myself harder if I'd had those pieces of equipment. To know how far you can go, you have to push past that point. When pushing past that point means falling, you're less likely to try it.
At the end of March I finally got all of my gear. The difference was amazing. I could fall and it didn't hurt! It's not perfect but I could fall on my knees and not really feel it. I decided to buy 187 knee pads which have a lot of padding on them. To quote one derby lady I know, it's like "falling on baby Jesus kittens." In a way, it's pretty much like that. It also gave me more confidence. I was willing to push harder and found that I was much more likely to fall forward than I had been.
Monday was a brutally hot day. A large group of us showed up for the NSRG clinic. I don't know if it was just one of those days or if the hot weather had anything to do with it but I didn't seem to be able to do anything properly, even falling. I had a couple of "good" falls (forward, on my knees, pulling myself in) but then I just started to fall. I actually had to adjust my knee pads as I fell hard enough to knock it off center. I fell when people passed me, when I tried to work on crossovers and once I think I just fell while standing still. The place that the clinics are held is outdoors. This is not as nice of a surface to fall on and I'm even more grateful that I got the 187's with their extra big padding. The ground doesn't give as much as the skating floors. I left Monday feeling rather sore from all the falling, even with my "Baby Jesus Kittens" knee pads. I went home and iced my knee.
Today I still managed to fall (knee taps are harder than they appear; I need to work on control and not just let myself fall to my knee) but they were better falls. I feel once on my backside but it didn't feel as bad as the multiple times I did that on Monday. The really encouraging thing is not only do people check with you to see if you're alright (which makes me a little embarrassed especially when it's something really stupid that caused me to fall) but they also tell you that you're trying.
Sometimes falling means you're not balanced right or you're spending too much time looking at your feet. Sometimes it's just a sign that it's an off day. The times that I like falling are when it's because I'm pushing myself. I'm working on a new skill or trying harder to master one that I've been introduced to. This sort of falling is almost encouraged because it means you are trying. It's not the reckless showing off that some members of society like to do (I'm currently reminded of a group of young men who tried to out do each other on rental skates at one of the local rinks).
It'll be interesting to see what it's like to fall because someone got a good check on me...
At the end of March I finally got all of my gear. The difference was amazing. I could fall and it didn't hurt! It's not perfect but I could fall on my knees and not really feel it. I decided to buy 187 knee pads which have a lot of padding on them. To quote one derby lady I know, it's like "falling on baby Jesus kittens." In a way, it's pretty much like that. It also gave me more confidence. I was willing to push harder and found that I was much more likely to fall forward than I had been.
Monday was a brutally hot day. A large group of us showed up for the NSRG clinic. I don't know if it was just one of those days or if the hot weather had anything to do with it but I didn't seem to be able to do anything properly, even falling. I had a couple of "good" falls (forward, on my knees, pulling myself in) but then I just started to fall. I actually had to adjust my knee pads as I fell hard enough to knock it off center. I fell when people passed me, when I tried to work on crossovers and once I think I just fell while standing still. The place that the clinics are held is outdoors. This is not as nice of a surface to fall on and I'm even more grateful that I got the 187's with their extra big padding. The ground doesn't give as much as the skating floors. I left Monday feeling rather sore from all the falling, even with my "Baby Jesus Kittens" knee pads. I went home and iced my knee.
Today I still managed to fall (knee taps are harder than they appear; I need to work on control and not just let myself fall to my knee) but they were better falls. I feel once on my backside but it didn't feel as bad as the multiple times I did that on Monday. The really encouraging thing is not only do people check with you to see if you're alright (which makes me a little embarrassed especially when it's something really stupid that caused me to fall) but they also tell you that you're trying.
Sometimes falling means you're not balanced right or you're spending too much time looking at your feet. Sometimes it's just a sign that it's an off day. The times that I like falling are when it's because I'm pushing myself. I'm working on a new skill or trying harder to master one that I've been introduced to. This sort of falling is almost encouraged because it means you are trying. It's not the reckless showing off that some members of society like to do (I'm currently reminded of a group of young men who tried to out do each other on rental skates at one of the local rinks).
It'll be interesting to see what it's like to fall because someone got a good check on me...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Injuries and Illness
The past two weeks have been very tough. Ignoring the fact that where I work can be very demanding at times and that the past week was no exception to that truth, I've skated once in the last two and a half weeks. While this has been amazingly frustrating, it's given me some time to think and it's probably been better in the long run.
In any given sport, injuries are a given. Derby is no different. I've been to bouts where I've witnessed girls getting hit hard and landing even harder. The lucky ones spring back up and are fine. The not so lucky ones find themselves with broken bones or bloody noses. Given that I'm not a fan of pain, I occasionally question why I want to do derby so badly given how real injuries can be. Honestly, I'm not sure I can put down on words what it is that is driving me. However, I can say that it is a drive. This is the first time I've truly wanted something and pushed for it in years. I find myself dreaming about derby. There are certain songs that are songs that I feel the need to skate to, even when I'm nowhere near a skating rink.
Knowing that injuries are a reality means that they can be prepared for or at least lessened. This means skating in proper form and falling in proper form. It also means not skating when breathing is difficult hence my lack of skating recently (it seems that the most stressful week of the semester means I should also catch a virus going around that turns out to give nasty secondary infections; hello sinus infection, good-bye good health.)
Pushing through the pain is sometimes a good thing as you are trying to push yourself. Two minutes doesn't seem that long until you're in a jam that could win the game. You can't slow down and you can't just "sit it out" until you've got your breath. (I did see a girl leave a jam after she'd been landed on by a few blockers and she had a bloody nose; no, the jam didn't stop for her.) However, there is a line there. If you can't sit up on the couch without having a 10 minute coughing fit, then maybe you shouldn't be skating. It's frustrating and feels like quitting but the reality is that the body needs to heal.
The same is true of muscle aches. There's been talk on the recruiting message boards about how much is too much and how much of a break should you give yourself and your muscles before pushing forward. It's been interesting to read and helpful. The most repeated thing is that rest is good as it helps the body actually build the muscles that it suddenly finds itself using. Hydration and stretching have also been emphasized greatly.
The last time I was skating, I took a couple of falls, mostly to avoid small children who seem to believe that you'll stop and not run over them because they are small children. A few times, the safest thing to do was to fall. Most of my falls, while not forward, which is better, were at least to the side and not straight onto my back side. However, one of them was really impressive and made me realize I was pushing too hard and no longer had the strength to keep going. Was I good and did I stretch everything out really well? Nope. I was tired and hungry and had to go pick up some bird cages. I felt my left hamstring start to tighten up but I still ignored it. I then spent the week slowly stretching it while applying heat when I could. I was lucky that it wasn't something worse; that I didn't sprain or pull it though maybe I did and I just knew I didn't have the option to stay off of it due to work so I figured out how to work around it. I have sprained a muscle before and so I'm fairly certain that this wasn't the case with the hamstring but boy did I spend the week wishing I'd actually stretching it out nice and good at the time! Just over a week later and I'm finally feeling completely comfortable again.
These are all tools to help us maintain and improve our bodies so when we do go down, it's not for the count. Hopefully it's in a "really cool one knee drop and get back up without loosing speed" sort of way. We aren't always that lucky but at least by learning how and training in the right way, I can avoid future major hurts. It's better to sit out and take a breather now than find out I can make it to try-outs because I pushed too hard or fell the wrong way because I was in too big of a hurry to get better.
In any given sport, injuries are a given. Derby is no different. I've been to bouts where I've witnessed girls getting hit hard and landing even harder. The lucky ones spring back up and are fine. The not so lucky ones find themselves with broken bones or bloody noses. Given that I'm not a fan of pain, I occasionally question why I want to do derby so badly given how real injuries can be. Honestly, I'm not sure I can put down on words what it is that is driving me. However, I can say that it is a drive. This is the first time I've truly wanted something and pushed for it in years. I find myself dreaming about derby. There are certain songs that are songs that I feel the need to skate to, even when I'm nowhere near a skating rink.
Knowing that injuries are a reality means that they can be prepared for or at least lessened. This means skating in proper form and falling in proper form. It also means not skating when breathing is difficult hence my lack of skating recently (it seems that the most stressful week of the semester means I should also catch a virus going around that turns out to give nasty secondary infections; hello sinus infection, good-bye good health.)
Pushing through the pain is sometimes a good thing as you are trying to push yourself. Two minutes doesn't seem that long until you're in a jam that could win the game. You can't slow down and you can't just "sit it out" until you've got your breath. (I did see a girl leave a jam after she'd been landed on by a few blockers and she had a bloody nose; no, the jam didn't stop for her.) However, there is a line there. If you can't sit up on the couch without having a 10 minute coughing fit, then maybe you shouldn't be skating. It's frustrating and feels like quitting but the reality is that the body needs to heal.
The same is true of muscle aches. There's been talk on the recruiting message boards about how much is too much and how much of a break should you give yourself and your muscles before pushing forward. It's been interesting to read and helpful. The most repeated thing is that rest is good as it helps the body actually build the muscles that it suddenly finds itself using. Hydration and stretching have also been emphasized greatly.
The last time I was skating, I took a couple of falls, mostly to avoid small children who seem to believe that you'll stop and not run over them because they are small children. A few times, the safest thing to do was to fall. Most of my falls, while not forward, which is better, were at least to the side and not straight onto my back side. However, one of them was really impressive and made me realize I was pushing too hard and no longer had the strength to keep going. Was I good and did I stretch everything out really well? Nope. I was tired and hungry and had to go pick up some bird cages. I felt my left hamstring start to tighten up but I still ignored it. I then spent the week slowly stretching it while applying heat when I could. I was lucky that it wasn't something worse; that I didn't sprain or pull it though maybe I did and I just knew I didn't have the option to stay off of it due to work so I figured out how to work around it. I have sprained a muscle before and so I'm fairly certain that this wasn't the case with the hamstring but boy did I spend the week wishing I'd actually stretching it out nice and good at the time! Just over a week later and I'm finally feeling completely comfortable again.
These are all tools to help us maintain and improve our bodies so when we do go down, it's not for the count. Hopefully it's in a "really cool one knee drop and get back up without loosing speed" sort of way. We aren't always that lucky but at least by learning how and training in the right way, I can avoid future major hurts. It's better to sit out and take a breather now than find out I can make it to try-outs because I pushed too hard or fell the wrong way because I was in too big of a hurry to get better.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Baby Steps
My first time on skates was when I was about 9 years old. I think. I can't actually be sure as my memories are sometimes sketchy. Besides, I doubt it really counts as being on skates as I believe I spent most of the time on them on the grass or on my butt. Balance and I have never really been good friends. My Gramps use to tell me how he believed people had a sliding gene which allowed you to be able to glide along. If you didn't have it, you spent most of your time falling. Gramps also believed that I didn't really have a sliding gene as I spent most of my time falling when attempting to ski. Side note: Gramps was a skier and ski instructor for years and years so I'm sure he had some idea what he's talking about and getting up onto skates has been a challenge. This has me rather nervous about skating but hey, it looked easy. How hard could it really be?
On Valentine's day, N, my friend who is also an aspiring derby girl, called me up to see if I was interested in going skating. As I had no other plans, I agreed. We met up at Cheap Skate in Coon Rapids. I brought in the set of skates that had been loaned to me. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be but I quickly found out. Standing up was nearly impossible. N, while trying to not laugh, went and got me rental skates. My loaner skates were so good that I couldn't stand! Well a half hour later, I was wiped out. I managed to make it around the rink 3 times though it was hard. Falling happened a lot though I was determined to learn.
This first attempt at skating taught me quite a few things. First of all, I was way too tense on skates but I think this mostly comes from liking to be in control (I am a stage manager/lighting designer in my day job). Second, I don't like bending my knees. I blame this on drum corps. Third, I apparently have enough muscle memory from my few times skiing that my attempts to go forward led me to turn my toes towards each other which resulted in me falling. Most importantly was the fact that no one was laughing at me, well besides myself and N. Complete strangers were stopping and giving me advice and encouraging me. I've found that this is the most amazing thing about skating in general. Part of me expected to be looked down on and even mocked for my lack of talent on skates but I haven't been. I think this is largely due to the fact that skating isn't as easy as it looks and that it's all about baby steps.
It's remarkable how upset I get when I'm not as good as everyone else. I've found that I'm much easier on myself with skating than I have been with other things. This is probably in large part to being surrounded by encouragement. Random strangers at the roller rinks are becoming friends who get excited to see me get a little better every day.
Two days later found the two of us and another friend at the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park. This is a much larger rink. I didn't even bother with my loaner skates but donned a pair of rentals. This rink has a small practice area to one side. Thankfully my friends were willing to help me figure some things out. The first and most important thing was balance. I didn't want to lift my left leg and placed most of my weight on it, using my right leg to push me forward. After much encouragement and urging of my friends, I was able to stand on each foot while lifting the opposite. Balance was hard and I fell but I fell less than the time before. It was a huge improvement but it was a little scary.
At this point, I wasn't addicted yet. I was okay with missing a week of skating as it was fun but it was a lot of work. My two friends and I went to the Roller Garden again but this time on a Friday night. There were larger crowds and the disco ball was in full swing (it was disco night after all), which made it much harder for me but somehow I managed to have not forgotten everything. I was able to shift my weight a little but from the giggles of my friends, I knew I still looked the silly. The next morning N and I went to the skating lessons that they have there. This was the first break through! I finally understood how I was suppose to be pushing off and moving forward.
Shortly afterwards, I realized that I was starting to get hooked. N and I would go skating before our D&D group. I started thinking about where I could skate when I wasn't at a rink. I had my first dream about skating.
St. Patrick's Day led to my next break through as I went to yet another roller rink. This time I was the youngest person by far on the floor and I was trying out my loaner skates. It had been a month on skates in general and I wanted to have something consistent on my feet. Rental skates are a complete crap shoot. I went to Saints North in Maplewood. It was hard to be an anonymous person falling down since there were so few people. It was intimidating as I'm actually rather shy (no really, I am!) and don't tend to like talking to strangers. However, these strangers insisted on talking to me (and feeding me ice cream and cake too). One of them, the staff person on for the night, had been skating for longer than he could remember and he was concerned that I wasn't having any fun (I was having a blast) because I looked so tense. He recommended a few things (to any and all aspiring skaters: BEND YOUR KNEES) and said something that made everything click. Apparently I just needed bending my knees to be compared to a car for me to get it... So I went back out on the floor and suddenly things just clicked again! In fact, the next time I fell it was because I was thinking about how awesome I was doing!
Now I know I'm addicted. And I know it's all about baby steps. There's a lot of stuff I can't do yet but there's a whole lot more that I can that was way out of my league back in February. My mom is thrilled that I'm skating because it's getting me to exercise. My boyfriend is worried that I'm going to hurt myself even more than I currently do. My co-workers and friends can't wait to see me on a team so they can come cheer me on. Me? I can't wait until I figure out how to do cross-overs and can get back on skates again. It's been almost a week now and it's mostly due to being sick and giving my body a rest after pushing so hard for the last few weeks. But the desire is there. Everything is about skating now. Well, almost everything.
On Valentine's day, N, my friend who is also an aspiring derby girl, called me up to see if I was interested in going skating. As I had no other plans, I agreed. We met up at Cheap Skate in Coon Rapids. I brought in the set of skates that had been loaned to me. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be but I quickly found out. Standing up was nearly impossible. N, while trying to not laugh, went and got me rental skates. My loaner skates were so good that I couldn't stand! Well a half hour later, I was wiped out. I managed to make it around the rink 3 times though it was hard. Falling happened a lot though I was determined to learn.
This first attempt at skating taught me quite a few things. First of all, I was way too tense on skates but I think this mostly comes from liking to be in control (I am a stage manager/lighting designer in my day job). Second, I don't like bending my knees. I blame this on drum corps. Third, I apparently have enough muscle memory from my few times skiing that my attempts to go forward led me to turn my toes towards each other which resulted in me falling. Most importantly was the fact that no one was laughing at me, well besides myself and N. Complete strangers were stopping and giving me advice and encouraging me. I've found that this is the most amazing thing about skating in general. Part of me expected to be looked down on and even mocked for my lack of talent on skates but I haven't been. I think this is largely due to the fact that skating isn't as easy as it looks and that it's all about baby steps.
It's remarkable how upset I get when I'm not as good as everyone else. I've found that I'm much easier on myself with skating than I have been with other things. This is probably in large part to being surrounded by encouragement. Random strangers at the roller rinks are becoming friends who get excited to see me get a little better every day.
Two days later found the two of us and another friend at the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park. This is a much larger rink. I didn't even bother with my loaner skates but donned a pair of rentals. This rink has a small practice area to one side. Thankfully my friends were willing to help me figure some things out. The first and most important thing was balance. I didn't want to lift my left leg and placed most of my weight on it, using my right leg to push me forward. After much encouragement and urging of my friends, I was able to stand on each foot while lifting the opposite. Balance was hard and I fell but I fell less than the time before. It was a huge improvement but it was a little scary.
At this point, I wasn't addicted yet. I was okay with missing a week of skating as it was fun but it was a lot of work. My two friends and I went to the Roller Garden again but this time on a Friday night. There were larger crowds and the disco ball was in full swing (it was disco night after all), which made it much harder for me but somehow I managed to have not forgotten everything. I was able to shift my weight a little but from the giggles of my friends, I knew I still looked the silly. The next morning N and I went to the skating lessons that they have there. This was the first break through! I finally understood how I was suppose to be pushing off and moving forward.
Shortly afterwards, I realized that I was starting to get hooked. N and I would go skating before our D&D group. I started thinking about where I could skate when I wasn't at a rink. I had my first dream about skating.
St. Patrick's Day led to my next break through as I went to yet another roller rink. This time I was the youngest person by far on the floor and I was trying out my loaner skates. It had been a month on skates in general and I wanted to have something consistent on my feet. Rental skates are a complete crap shoot. I went to Saints North in Maplewood. It was hard to be an anonymous person falling down since there were so few people. It was intimidating as I'm actually rather shy (no really, I am!) and don't tend to like talking to strangers. However, these strangers insisted on talking to me (and feeding me ice cream and cake too). One of them, the staff person on for the night, had been skating for longer than he could remember and he was concerned that I wasn't having any fun (I was having a blast) because I looked so tense. He recommended a few things (to any and all aspiring skaters: BEND YOUR KNEES) and said something that made everything click. Apparently I just needed bending my knees to be compared to a car for me to get it... So I went back out on the floor and suddenly things just clicked again! In fact, the next time I fell it was because I was thinking about how awesome I was doing!
Now I know I'm addicted. And I know it's all about baby steps. There's a lot of stuff I can't do yet but there's a whole lot more that I can that was way out of my league back in February. My mom is thrilled that I'm skating because it's getting me to exercise. My boyfriend is worried that I'm going to hurt myself even more than I currently do. My co-workers and friends can't wait to see me on a team so they can come cheer me on. Me? I can't wait until I figure out how to do cross-overs and can get back on skates again. It's been almost a week now and it's mostly due to being sick and giving my body a rest after pushing so hard for the last few weeks. But the desire is there. Everything is about skating now. Well, almost everything.
Introduction
Almost a year ago, I saw my first derby bout. My friend, Betty LaRude, had given me a pair of comps to get me to see a bout. At this point I'd known she was involved in derby since 2006 but had yet to see a bout. I'd overheard derby conversation and would just smile and nod. Upon realizing that it was the championship bout, I got my act together and went to the bout.
Wow! It was amazing! Here was something that I started to think might be fun to do. The best part was that I had so many friends who were either in derby or thought derby was cool that they were all encouraging me. My friends Betty and Rink lent me a bunch of gear to start off with but I was terrified to skate.
Just under a year later, a group of friends and I were at another derby bout. One of my girl friends thought derby looked fun and thought we should both try. Now, almost 2 months later, I'm starting to want to skate all of the time but I've also realized that I want to keep track of my progress. I've read other blogs lately about people who are in their first year in derby. While I intend on trying out this June, I'm not sure yet whether I'll make it. I have been told that I shouldn't put myself down as I could make it. I do know that I'll want to look back on this someday and remember what exactly it was that I did. I want to see my process.
Wow! It was amazing! Here was something that I started to think might be fun to do. The best part was that I had so many friends who were either in derby or thought derby was cool that they were all encouraging me. My friends Betty and Rink lent me a bunch of gear to start off with but I was terrified to skate.
Just under a year later, a group of friends and I were at another derby bout. One of my girl friends thought derby looked fun and thought we should both try. Now, almost 2 months later, I'm starting to want to skate all of the time but I've also realized that I want to keep track of my progress. I've read other blogs lately about people who are in their first year in derby. While I intend on trying out this June, I'm not sure yet whether I'll make it. I have been told that I shouldn't put myself down as I could make it. I do know that I'll want to look back on this someday and remember what exactly it was that I did. I want to see my process.
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