Yes, ramblings…the term sounds a bit self deprecating but it couldn’t be more fitting. Anyone that has ever worked with me and had to receive routine emails from me can verify that I tend to have a lot to say…in writing.
It was at the Muddy Water Tattoo Convention that I was approached by a young man selling raffle tickets in a Quad City Rollers shirt. This kid blatantly asked me if I wanted to play roller derby. “Are you kidding? How?” He would point me to two ladies on skates with fishnets that went by Slamazon and QC Banshee. Pretty sure I asked them some totally lame questions. You see my prior derby knowledge came from watching “Roller Jam” in the 80s. It followed Hulkamania if that gives you any idea about the sort of roller derby they played on that show. Let me just say, “alligator pit, center track” and leave it at that. ;0) Anyway they were nice enough to look past my ignorance and politely answered my questions and handed me a flyer, encouraging me to come by practice any time. The Afterdarks played at the convention that night and even one of them told me I should do it!
I attended at least two practices as an observer to see what this flat track revolution was all about. There were about 7-8 people on the league at the time, including Slamazon who was pregnant. She was off skates of course but it always amazed me, her level of involvement and interest and her ability to teach new girls things just by hanging out in the middle pointing things out to us. After lots of thought and dragging my family to open skate, my husband and daughter literally told me to, “Just do it already”. So I broke down and purchased my gear and skates and showed up for my first active practice on November 11, 2008…I’ll always know it as my derby-versary.
Sassy Smalls started at the same time and together, Sugar N’ Slice showed us falls and stops. I know I was far from stellar in those early moments but was totally taken with how much fun I was having just falling on my knees repeatedly (must have good knee pads!) Within my first week, I had earned my first “badge”, a big purple bruise on my right hip which resulted from toe stop running. I had contorted my body pretty good to keep from landing on my tailbone.
It would be a little over 3 months before I would skate in my first bout. Sassy Smalls, Diamond Dust and I all had a *ahem* "wonderful" first bout experience together in Sioux City. That first experience fell pretty far short of my expectations and I actually had to re-evaluate at that point if this really was for me. Suffice it to say I hung in for the next bout which totally delivered on the fun & excitement I had been looking for. I was here to stay from then on.
So about rambling…after several months or so in roller derby, my husband & I were out to dinner one night and all I know is that I was carrying on and on. Derby this, and derby that. Derby, derby, derby…when I suddenly noticed this blank stare on Meat Puddin’s face. It was then that I realized just how much time, energy and thought I gave to derby and that I had truly made a derby widow out of my husband.
Me: "I talk too much about derby don't I?"
Puddin': "YES!"
Don’t get me wrong, Puddin’ is supportive of me in all this but he has big hobbies of his own. He had one band at that time (two currently) so he didn’t personally wish to jump into my hobby as a volunteer of any kind. But it became very clear, very quick that I would need to learn how to dial it down and reassess my time management. This blog is probably long overdue but might just be the perfect outlet for when I feel the need to ramble on about derby. I doubt that I will stay focused on any one single aspect of derby but think of this as a way to collect memories, opinion pieces, bout caps and whatever happens to trip my derby trigger at the time. If anyone else is amused along with me, or learns anything from this, even better!
