I was talking to a teammate at practice the other night and the topic of the Second Year Slump came up. She’s in her second season with the league and is experiencing a bit of this phenomenon right now. I’m in my third season and remember distinctly running into this very problem last year. At the time, a fellow leaguemate who was a year ahead of me helped talk me through it, too, so I get the sense that this is a somewhat universal experience.
So, if you’re just starting out in roller derby and/or heading into your second year, this post is especially aimed at you!
What is the Second Year Slump? Simply put, it’s a mental and often physical plateau that happens once the thrill and exponential growth of your rookie year comes to its natural conclusion. Suddenly you’re no longer the shiny new fresh face on the team, given extra attention and love and leeway because you’re green and enthusiastic and just happy to be there.
Suddenly you’re a veteran and you’re just expected to put your nose down and do the work. Maybe you’re not getting as much one-on-one attention as you used to get. Maybe you’re more keenly aware that you aren’t the hottest shit on the track anymore (this realization sometimes happens rookie year, too), or no longer feel like as much of a special snowflake. You’re a member of a team, one of many, and you’ve got to find a way to keep growing and learning even though the pace of that growth and education feels like it’s slowed down considerably.
Which is all utterly and completely natural. The early stages of learning to skate roller derby are so filled with new information and big leaps in ability and knowledge that anything less than that initial breakneck pace is bound to feel like suddenly skating through wet sand. The gains feel tiny or nonexistent, like maybe you’re as good as you’re ever going to get.
Which is so not true. Not at all. But I get it, I really do.
The trick is to recognize that change and the feeling that comes with it for what it is, and to chart a course through it for yourself. Reach out to teammates and/or captains and ask for whatever kind of direct feedback you need. Set personal goals and benchmarks for yourself, focusing on small things first and building from there, so that every practice includes some kind of accomplishment (even if it’s just “GO TO PRACTICE”). Talk to other vets and ask them how they’ve tackled their own self-care and development.
I also highly recommend cross training, if you’re not already doing it on the regular. A lot of us come into derby without any other kind of physical hobby or gym habit, and we get all of our strength and conditioning from the sport itself. Problem is, roller derby alone is not a balanced way to get fit or strong - it overdevelops some areas (hellooooo derby quads) and under-develops others (hamstrings, core) even though those are areas that we absolutely need to be better skaters.
Cross training can be anything from weightlifting to rowing to biking to climbing, etc. Find something that clicks for you and do it. Doesn’t even have to cost money or require fancy equipment.
I started regular strength training at a local gym shortly into my third season, have made a point to be far more mindful in how I fuel my body, and I’ve noticed incredible gains both on and off the track. It takes just as much hard work and discipline (ugh ugh ugh) as roller derby, but having roller derby as the carrot at the end of my stick has helped keep me on track (yay!).
So yeah, don’t beat yourself up. I suspect we all go through versions of the Slump at all different times in our derby careers (and life, let’s be real). This is a heightened reality we exist in, one with incredible highs/rewards and sometimes equally devastating stumbling blocks. The great thing about it is that you’re not alone.
Reach out. Ask for help. Refuse to stop learning and growing. You’ve got this.
andulkaphoto
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
annaxmalina
pixelskylines
vaporwave
