Things I love #1 - Roller Derby

Roller Derby. I’d never heard of it before April of this year. Then one Sunday afternoon my boyfriend and I took a trip to the cinema to see ‘Whip it’. I didn’t really know what it was about, but Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore were in it, and having adored ‘Juno’ and having a lady crush on Ms Barrymore, we gave it a go.

I came out of there two hours later literally buzzing. And it’s pathetic to admit that a film had such an effect on me but it did.

It hasn’t been the easiest of years. In some respects it had been amazing but something was missing from my life. One of those situations whereby I should have had enough to be happy, but I didn’t.

I’ve lost a lot of friends in the past few years, some friendships fell victim to growing up & some went by the wayside after a split with my ex. I have some amazing friends, but I don’t see them as often as I like, and they’re not a group of best friends like I’d been used to before, they’re scattered all around the place. I have a gorgeous boyfriend, but socially, I get lonely sometimes. I felt as if I had a hole in my life that these lost friendships used to fill and I didn’t know what could replace that.

Perhaps that’s why the film spoke to me. Not only did Bliss find something she was good at, she was part of something. I wanted to be part of something. Growing up, I’d never been into sports. I was the stereotypical ‘last kid picked for the team’  I had a weight problem until very recently & didn’t really have confidence to pursue anything sporty. But losing weight removed that excuse and in order to maintain this weight I needed to get more active and Roller Derby, as well as providing the benefits of being part of a team, burns some wicked calories.

The next day, still brimming with enthusiasm, I googled ‘Roller Derby Cardiff’ and started doing some research. Roller Derby, for the uninitiated, is a full contact woman’s sport. The game is based on formation roller skating around an oval track by two teams; points are scored as the designated scoring player  ‘the jammer’ of both teams each laps members of the opposing team. These members are called Blockers and it’s basically their job to prevent the jammer breaking through the pack and scoring points. It started back at the beginning of the 1900’s and in the last ten years is experiencing something of a resurrgance.

                                                Old school Roller girl!

Nowadays it’s got kind of a punk image and true to form, a lot of the girls are alternative and have lots of tattoos etc. But look deeper into it, and there’s girls of all shapes and sizes skating and that’s whats so brilliant about it. If your small and nimble, you’re going to be a wicked Jammer. Got a bit of booty? Then you’ll be a kick ass blocker.

 My research threw up a news article regarding the Cardiff Dragon Dolls. I was a bit stunned to find a team, thinking it would be a very underground sport. Turned out that the dolls had already held a recruitment day two days earlier which I had missed. Not to be deterred, I looked them up on facebook, left a message and made plans to show up next Saturday. That gave me a week to stew and talk myself out of it – which I very nearly did. But I remembered how inspired I was after that seeing the film and Saturday morning I drove myself to the Star Centre in Splott, not knowing what to expect.

Upon arrival, I found two other obvious newbie’s loitering around. I clung to them and together we went into the main Hall. I was handed some skates, a variety of pads and a helmet. After about six hours I was padded up and like a retarded Bambi on ice made my way across to a corner where the other fresh meat was lined up against the wall.

For the next hour I threw myself at the floor in a variety of interesting ways and played some playground games on skates. I was hooked. I spent the next week in agony with my jelly legs (A side effect of not wearing roller skates in over ten years) but I soon adapted.

Fast forward to today and my skills are growing. For the past few months we’ve had a brilliant coach and I feel like I’m really starting to progress. Because I’m a big girl, I’m learning to play as a blocker, trying to put politeness aside and just deliver good hits and be ruthless.

I’m still with the Dolls. Some of the members are forming a new team because the management sucks and I’m giving that a go. We’re not a very ‘together’ team at the moment but I’m hoping the new team really get their act together and make it feel more like a collective. I think once we start playing bouts it'll take off then.

I don’t know if it’s filled the gap that I once felt I had. But if nothing else, it’s given me a new passion and a skill and I’ve met some brilliant people even if it’s not the ‘Go Team!’ ethos that ‘Whip it’ sold to me. I love dressing a bit more punk, obtaining a stupid amount of tube socks, having an alter ego to blame to fouls on & actually enjoy falling on my ass so I can have a bruise (or derby kiss) to be proud of. I love the adrenaline and the feeling of accomplishment – of mastering a new move and perfecting it. The teams not perfect but I like the support that we give each other, the cheers when someone delivers a particularly good block and the high fives when another girl does a particularly radical jump.

I don’t know what my derby future holds, but I’m determined to continue and be the best skater I can be :D