Important Lessons for Roller Derby
Before I posted weird lessons. Now, let's talk important lessons. Some of these lessons are personal, some fall into the global category.
Cross training is NOT an option.
It is, in fact, a requirement. As you progress you are going to find you want to do better, be better, and something needs to be different to make that happen. Most of the time you need to cross train. Talk to your top skaters, find out what they do, work with your coaches and captains to get some things you can do at home or your gym. I also highly recommend checking out Roller Derby Athletics. For years I have sworn by Booty Quakes methods.
Do NOT put duct tape on your skates!
For the love of all that is holy and righteous, do not put duct tape on the toes of your skates. Get toe covers/toe guards instead. Why? Duct tape will stick, forever, and you will regret everything. It ruins leather and you'll likely be sad.
Buy a good helmet!
You are going to get a concussion no matter what if you knock your noggin on the ground hard enough. But, the right helmet will help you lessen the effects and save some of those brain cells. Wherever you get your gear, they should be able to talk you through getting the right fit for your brain cage.
Pack both uniforms for every game.
Sometimes you read the away package or the home game schedule, and sometimes you misread them. Sometimes you show up wearing black when you were supposed to wear white. No worries, you now know to bring both of your jerseys to every game. You could also get the league to go in for reversible jerseys!
Your Team is Your Support.
No really. You will find as you keep skating that your teammates and league mates are your main support system for everything in your life now. Sure, your old friends are there for you, and family is as well. But, this new group of folks are at your side 2-5 nights a week, and they know everything about you and will drop everything to help you when you ask.
You will not always get to play.
Plain and simple, you will ride the pine. You will sit on the bench and stew about "why am I sitting and not her?!" and you will beat yourself up and you will blame the coach and your team and yourself. But, you need to remember that sometimes you need to sit. Sometimes someone else needs that track time. Watch your team, be a good teammate by cheering and taking notes; at the half you can hand your observations to the coach and they can talk shop in the locker room with the team. It's what teammates do.
Not everyone will be your friend.
Ah yes, the "why doesn't she like me?" syndrome! Not everyone in this sport, or on your own league, wants to be your friend. It hurts, it sucks, but you have plenty of others who want to be around you. Again, I say be a good teammate; still encourage, and work to be a good partner on the track. On the track, you rely on each other, off the track doesn't matter. It's okay.
Retirement is hard, but sometimes you need to hang up those skates.
My latest lesson; this sucks. Coaching is great, I am working with some awesome people, but I miss skating. Still, I have not put any hard thought into going back full time. I have toyed with the idea, but I know it is not for me right now. I miss seeing my teammates for 30+hours a week, I miss the physical activity of skating, and I miss the in-jokes we shared. But, I am loving not feeling swollen and sore all the time. I love that I do not have to protect my left arm with the fresh tattoo from the big hitters. I love that my PTO is mine again and I can take TWO vacations this year! I love that I can go back to skating whenever I want, but I do not have to.
Roller derby, in the end, is a shared experience that we each go through differently. Some have a terrible time from the get-go, some never learn to be part of a team, still some become better at their daily lives, more confident, and make friends that will be with them until they are old and grey. And some, like me, find that derby changed them completely; taking them from caterpillar to butterfly.
Cross training is NOT an option.
It is, in fact, a requirement. As you progress you are going to find you want to do better, be better, and something needs to be different to make that happen. Most of the time you need to cross train. Talk to your top skaters, find out what they do, work with your coaches and captains to get some things you can do at home or your gym. I also highly recommend checking out Roller Derby Athletics. For years I have sworn by Booty Quakes methods.
Do NOT put duct tape on your skates!
For the love of all that is holy and righteous, do not put duct tape on the toes of your skates. Get toe covers/toe guards instead. Why? Duct tape will stick, forever, and you will regret everything. It ruins leather and you'll likely be sad.
Buy a good helmet!
You are going to get a concussion no matter what if you knock your noggin on the ground hard enough. But, the right helmet will help you lessen the effects and save some of those brain cells. Wherever you get your gear, they should be able to talk you through getting the right fit for your brain cage.
Pack both uniforms for every game.
Sometimes you read the away package or the home game schedule, and sometimes you misread them. Sometimes you show up wearing black when you were supposed to wear white. No worries, you now know to bring both of your jerseys to every game. You could also get the league to go in for reversible jerseys!
Your Team is Your Support.
No really. You will find as you keep skating that your teammates and league mates are your main support system for everything in your life now. Sure, your old friends are there for you, and family is as well. But, this new group of folks are at your side 2-5 nights a week, and they know everything about you and will drop everything to help you when you ask.
You will not always get to play.
Plain and simple, you will ride the pine. You will sit on the bench and stew about "why am I sitting and not her?!" and you will beat yourself up and you will blame the coach and your team and yourself. But, you need to remember that sometimes you need to sit. Sometimes someone else needs that track time. Watch your team, be a good teammate by cheering and taking notes; at the half you can hand your observations to the coach and they can talk shop in the locker room with the team. It's what teammates do.
Not everyone will be your friend.
Ah yes, the "why doesn't she like me?" syndrome! Not everyone in this sport, or on your own league, wants to be your friend. It hurts, it sucks, but you have plenty of others who want to be around you. Again, I say be a good teammate; still encourage, and work to be a good partner on the track. On the track, you rely on each other, off the track doesn't matter. It's okay.
Retirement is hard, but sometimes you need to hang up those skates.
My latest lesson; this sucks. Coaching is great, I am working with some awesome people, but I miss skating. Still, I have not put any hard thought into going back full time. I have toyed with the idea, but I know it is not for me right now. I miss seeing my teammates for 30+hours a week, I miss the physical activity of skating, and I miss the in-jokes we shared. But, I am loving not feeling swollen and sore all the time. I love that I do not have to protect my left arm with the fresh tattoo from the big hitters. I love that my PTO is mine again and I can take TWO vacations this year! I love that I can go back to skating whenever I want, but I do not have to.
Roller derby, in the end, is a shared experience that we each go through differently. Some have a terrible time from the get-go, some never learn to be part of a team, still some become better at their daily lives, more confident, and make friends that will be with them until they are old and grey. And some, like me, find that derby changed them completely; taking them from caterpillar to butterfly.
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