Week 4: Skate It Off

After last week's fall and irritating it again later on in the week, I was still in pain. My coccyx still ached and my nerves still twinged. I was really nervous this week and terrified of falling but I took a painkiller and strapped on my skates.

I was very shaky, but I knew I'd be. I'd had a pretty bad fall and my body did not want it to happen again! It doesn't help that I was still pretty tense and, even after my painkiller, I was still in pain. I did a steady warm up this time. Not getting too cocky and still holding onto the rail until I felt comfortable enough to let go. Every time I got to the bit where I fell over I felt a flash of fear and became over careful. I did get more confident, though. I stayed near the rail but didn't hold on and skated slowly but surely.

We stretched and then started practising falls. As soon as I did my first one knee fall, the pain all came back. My coccyx was now throbbing and it felt just as bad as before but I wasn't going to let it stop me! Last week, I was told "Falling over is just like falling off a horse when you learn to ride, you've got to do it a few times before you get used to it." Unfortunately, I fell off a horse, broke & dislocated my elbow at the same time and never rode again, so that snippet of advice was not well recieved. However, this time I appreciated it. It was true, I just had to get used to it and to learn that it's nothing to be afraid of. So I decided to skate through the pain.

Fall after fall, my coccyx was still killing me, but I pushed on through. (I'm such a trooper! Haha!) By the end of the session the pain was gone. I'd skated through it and it ended up helping. I now knew that it wasn't so scary afterall!

My 1st NSO Role : Line-up Tracker

Roller Derby isn't all about the skaters. You have lots of people who help out who aren't on skates (although, most of them are usually Derby skaters who just aren't playing in that bout) and these people are called NSOs or Non-Skating Officials. It is their job to record what is going on throughout the game whether it be score-keeping, timing, penalty tracking, etc. I've heard it described rather poetically - "The skaters are the people creating the story but somebody needs to be able to write it down".

My first NSO role was Line-up Tracker Assistant at a closed-door bout (not open to the public) and it was my job to assist the Line-up Trackers who have to record the skaters who line up to play each jam and to keep track of when they get sent to the penalty box, etc. I was very nervous as this was my first time at any kind of NSOing but as I was just an assistant, there wasn't too much pressure. The Head NSO came over to explain to me and the two Line-up trackers what we needed to do and we were then given a few minutes to go over it in our heads before the game started.

Unfortunately, one of the Line-up trackers was unable to make the game, so it was my turn to step up. I was terrified; during the time before the game a few people had come up to me and mentioned that I had one of the hardest NSO roles but then I told them I was an assistant and they said that wouldn't be too bad then. However, I now wasn't just the assistant, I was an actual Line-up Tracker. I was a little excited, though, as I do get some thrill from being thrown in at the deep end and, as it was a closed-door bout, it didn't matter too much if it went a little bit awry. I held tightly on the my clipboard while the other Line-Up Tracker quickly went over what I had to do. I felt ready.

It was handy that I was tracking my own team so I knew some of the players already which made recording their numbers a lot easier. Even so, the 30 seconds of line-up went super quickly and I'd missed a couple of players. I also had to keep track of the other teams Jammer in order to record laps but a couple of my team members had been sent off so I was getting in a muddle! Fortunately, the other Line-up Tracker helped me out and told me that was a very complicated start for me. As the game went on, I got in to the rhythm of it and, apart from a couple of illegal Star Passes, I was able to record the game pretty accurately!

Hooray! I'd successfully done my first ever NSO role and I'd loved it!

Week 3: Oh Bum!

After last week, I was ready to go! One of my friends was unable to make the previous week so I was ready to show her how much better I gotten! I'd been unable to practice with my mum in between sessions but I wasn't phased. I knew I could skate!

I put on my skates and made my way on the rink. Oh dear... My feet had clearly forgotten about last week and the slipperiness of the floor was scary once again. I knew I just needed to get used to it again, so I edged my way up the rink, using the rail, until I got to the end. "This is silly!" I thought, "I could skate last week! I don't need this rail!" so I started off not holding on and made my way back again. I'd noticed the dreaded gap and a flash of fear went through my mind. I tried to forget it but suddenly my feet were rolling a little quicker than I had liked and they were heading towards the slope out of the rink. "No, no, no! Not that way!" I tried to lean the other way but it wasn't working, I couldn't stop, there was nothing I could do! I panicked, I straightened my posture and could suddenly feel myself falling backwards! I flailed my arms but that didn't help. I landed SMACK! right on my coccyx.

It took a second for the pain to reach my brain but as soon as it did I was in agony and, with a "Fuuuuck!", I rolled on to my side. Our coach for the day skated straight over to see if I was okay. I explained what had happened and sat up. She asked me to get up, but I couldn't. There was no way I was going to get back up onto those devil skates, especially with pain radiating through my entire bum, so I started to cry. The coach gave me a big hug and told me it was fine. I'd fallen, very gracefully apparently, and I was in pain, crying was totally understandable, especially as it was the first time I had fallen properly! But, on the bright side, I'd have an awesome bruise to show for it! I took my skates off on the rink and tried to save some pride by refusing an icepack. I sat on the bench, still crying while the friend I was trying to impress rushed over with some tissues. I was embarrassed, I was pissed off and I was just....grrrr! I eventually accepted an icepack as the pain was awful and, after a few more tears, decided that I wasn't going to give up so put on my skates and made it back on to the rink.

My confidence was shaken. I could no longer trust my feet so I had reverted and spent the rest of the session moping and slowly skating up and down the rink by the rail. My friend, who had previously broken her ankle, came over to talk to me and told me that I was very good for getting back on my skates and not giving up after a fall like that. It made me feel a bit better but I was still upset and had to stop every now and then so I could have a little sob. At the end of the session, I took my skates off on the rink, begrudgingly stretched, and spent the journey home in silence. I'd sent the boyfriend a text explaining what had happened and, when I arrived home, he'd run me a bath and gave me a hug. I just said "I fell, spectacularly, on my bum" to which he just laughed. After he'd laughed, I laughed. I was being ridiculous! Yeah, I'd fallen. Yeah, it'd hurt like hell. But Roller Derby is a contact sport and people fall all the time! I was going to have to suck it up and get used to it!

I was in pain for a fair few days, but I laughed it off and decided to have another practice with my Mum to get my confidence back. We went to our usual spot and I focused. Derby stance? Check. Looking forward? Check. I was back to normal. I was shaky to begin with but I soon got back into the swing of things, even if a nerve in my bum/leg was twinging. By the time I got home, that nerve was inflamed and I was in agony once again so I spent the rest of the evening with an icepack down the back of my pants.

I was ready for next week, but I expected I would still be in pain (and I never got that awesome bruise!)

Week 2: I Think I May Have Cracked This!

I now had my very own pair of skates and, thanks to a work colleague who used to play Derby, some better, comfier knee pads and wrist guards! I knew it wasn't going to be scary as I had practised and knew what to expect.

I proudly put on my skates and headed, still shakily, onto the rink. This week we had a guy from the Merby (Mens' Roller Derby) Team as our coach and he asked us to skate up and down so he could assess how confident we were. I still clung to the rail for dear life, edged my way across the gap and made it to the other end. He looked at me, and another lady who had joined me on the rail, and said "You two are obviously going to need some help".

Before we stretched, we had a warm up of skating up and down (now I was no longer holding on to the rail but still very close to it) and then we practised some falls. The first fall I did, I felt a very painful twang go up my thigh. I had pulled something and it hurt. I couldn't believe we'd practiced falls before stretching, so I decided I was just going to skate instead. We finally stretched (the others going over to the track while I stayed in the newbie area) and I was told that I could focus on just skating, rather than the other skills, until I got more comfortable in skates. This is another thing I love about the training sessions; you are never forced to do anything you're not comfortable with.

While I was skating, I made a friend who was a member of the team but had broken her ankle while at practice, before her first bout! She was now practicing the skills again as she had been off skates for a long time. It was nice to talk to someone on the team and she, also, told me that she had been at the level I was at. Skating with her had helped boost my confidence and I was soon asked to join in with the other drills. The lady coach from last week joined us again and talked us through stepping, weaving and 4-point falls. Stepping was very hard as I could barely stop myself from rolling and I was constantly told to "Look Up!" as I have a habit of watching my feet, which does nothing for your balance!

After a while, I was skating round a mini circular track, slowly, but I was doing it and I no longer needed the rail! I had wobbled many a time but had managed to correct myself before I fell. Hooray! I could skate! We finished the session practising 4-point falls where I fell on my bum a few times, but I was so close to the ground it didn't hurt. I had a little skate at the end, again far away from the rail, where another member told me that the wheels on my skates may prevent me from doing certain techniques as they were outdoor wheels, so I made a note of that. We stretched and I was now happy that I could now skate, I made my way out of the rink before loosing my footing on the slope and landing flat on my back! My friend rushed over to see if I was alright but I just beamed and started laughing. I was happy! The fall didn't hurt that much and if that was the worst of it then I would be fine! I was loving it and I couldn't wait for the next week! I returned home victorious.

Week 1: What Was I Thinking?!

Now, for my first week, you'd think that I would be most worried about my ability to skate. Wrong. I spent most of the day freaking about what to wear! If you've ever seen Roller Derby then you will realise that all the girls are smoking hot and all wearing awesome outfits! Admittedly, it was a training session so my outfit really shouldn't matter and I knew I just needed something comfortable. But I wanted something comfortable, cool and good looking! After spending my whole lunch hour painstakingly looking for an outfit, I settled on a white t-shirt (I now prefer black), black baseball shorts with a white trim, black leggings and black & white striped thigh-high socks. Oh, and I purchased a cheap and cheerful set of basic skating pads.
It turned out I wasn't the only one freaking out about my outfit and one of my friends had even tried on numerous different ones before she was happy!

We picked up our two other friends and headed to the skating rink while discussing how none of us could actually skate and how nervous we were getting! We walked into the venue, were introduced to some of the members of the team and were shown where to get skates and protective gear if we needed any.
As soon as I put on my pair of skates I realised I'd made a terrible mistake! My feet had wheels and the rest of my body did not like it! Thankfully, we were on carpet so I managed to shuffle my way to the rink then, clinging on to the rail for dear life, I edged my way on to the maple-wood flooring. My three friends, who claimed that they couldn't skate, edged on nervously, got used to the surface and were off! Psssh! They could skate! The filthy liars! I pulled myself along, still clinging to the rail for dear life, and tried to get to the other side. Then there was a problem. A gap. Obviously you have to be able to get on and off the rink but I never considered what to do when the rail ran out! I took a deep breath and gradually shuffled my way across. I was hating this.

I finally made it to the other side and was approached by a very lovely lady who turned out to be our coach for the evening. At our training sessions, we have two sections. On one half, a small Derby track is marked out in tape where more experienced members skate (usually team members who are there to help out and practice and fresh meat who haven't been signed off on their minimum skills yet) and the other half is dedicated to fresh meat who feel they aren't ready for the track yet and are just learning the skills they need to know. I was very glad to be in this second half, even if I did want a hole to swallow me up right there, right then. (We must've stretched at some point, but I can't remember exactly what happened.) The coach noticed that I was very obviously having problems and while the others were shown skills to practice, I was introduced to two other team members who were there to help me.

My first issue was propulsion. I couldn't move! I tried but because I was so petrified, my body didn't want me to, so I didn't! This resulted in me being escorted up and down the rink with a skater either side of me, gently guiding me along. After a while, I was able to move slowly along the track so I was introduced to a basic skill: falling. We were shown single knee falls and double knee falls. These weren't too bad. Being on the ground felt a lot nicer than standing up! Unfortunately, my cheap and cheerful knee pads weren't giving me the comfort I was after so I was given an amazing pair of Killer Pads which were like wearing pillows on my knees! This gave me a lot more confidence but my skating still didn't improve and I spent the rest of the session being pulled up and down the rink by the coach and being let go near the end so I glided to the rail. This was so I got used to being on wheels, which did help.

Even so, I felt terrible at the end of the session. I was surrounded by people who could actually skate. It doesn't matter if it wasn't at Derby standard, they could go up and down with some speed and confidence. I felt humiliated and pathetic. It looked so easy! What was wrong with me?!

I tried to stay positive on the drive home but while the others were discussing the techniques they'd learnt, I just felt like I should quit. The only reassurance I had was that almost every team member I'd spoken to had said that they started off exactly the same as me or could recall other members who started off as bad as me yet were now on the A-Team! This was inspiring and this was the cause of the little voice at the back of my mind that told me not to give up. Even so, when I got home that night, I cried to my boyfriend who gave me reassuring hugs and ran me a bath. He's such a sweetheart.

I spent the rest of the week a complete mess. I absolutely love Roller Derby. It is the only sport I have ever been passionate about. Yet I couldn't skate. I was terrible and I was terrified. Yet I didn't want to quit that easily. So I decided to buy some skates. Not Derby skates just a nice pair of beginner roller skates. They're so pretty and I love them to bits but when I got home that day, I tried them on in my kitchen, almost fell over and decided I wasn't going to skate anymore. That was it. I was done... Or was I? Did I really want to quit after one session? My train of thought continued back and forth, torturing me. Until my Mum decided she was going to help me.

I didn't want to go to a skating rink and embarrass myself once again, so we drove around for about an hour until we found a nice spot of smooth-ish tarmac. Fortunately, this area also had a rail that was the perfect height to hold on to! I put on my protective gear, then the skates and my Mum helped me up to the rail. Holding my arm, she helped me up and down the rail a bit. Then once I'd got comfortable with that, she let go but stayed close and I pulled myself along. Next, I practiced letting go of the rail but staying close enough just in case I needed it. I practised my Derby Stance (think peeing at a festival toilet - you don't wanna be sitting on that seat!) and, if still shakey, I was skating! I decided I could do this. I was ready for my second session.

Allow Me To Intoduce Myself.

Well hey!
Welcome to my humble blog!
I'm a Fresh Meat Roller Derby Skater and for those of you who don't know what Roller Derby is then where have you been?!
Just for you, though, I'll provide you with a quick snippet from Wikipedia:

"Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups ("jams") in which both teams designate a scoring player (the "jammer") who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to assist their own jammer whilst hindering the opposing jammer—in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, nearly half of them outside the U.S"

I do encourage you to check it out - it's awesome!

Now, when I say "fresh meat" I mean I'm a complete newbie. It essentially means that I haven't been signed off on my minimum skills and so I can't actually skate in a game or referee I can be a NSO, though (A non-skating official.)
I decided I was going to start a blog as I started really fresh. I had never skated before in my life. (Well that's not entirely true; I had skates when I was about 6 but my parents said they tightened the bearings so much that I hardly rolled in order to prevent me from falling over, which apparently I did. A lot. So I choose not to count this as experience!) I did a lot of research in my first few weeks and found a lot of blogs really helpful and reassuring, so I decided that if I found other people's experiences helpful then somebody might find mine helpful too!

I decided to write this blog round about my third week but my fifth has now passed and I'm only just writing my introduction... (I have changed the post dates so they correspond with the the week I'm writing about. I think it will give a better idea of the time span I was learning in. By week six, though, I will be writing a post on time every week.)


So, join me on my journey through derbyhood and lets enjoy some laughs and, more than likely, some tears too!