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Want to contribute?
Hey All,
It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten any submissions :(.
If you’d like to contribute or know someone who would might; help out a fellow roller girl and pass this along! I really love all of the submission so far and I’m so thankful such wonderful people shared their stories. I’m hoping this blog becomes an archive for new skates to learn and veteran skaters to remember how we all got started in this crazy and life changing sport.
“First photo manipulation. #rollerderby #rollergirl #areyouderby”
Are You Derby Enough finally got an instagram!! Take a look at this awesome photo-more coming soon!!
Hello! Im Rogue Sam-urai from the CT Rollergirls, they call me rogue. im what they call "Freshmeat or Freshie" but most know it as a Rookie. I started skating five years ago when i met one of the current Yankee Brutals five years ago and she madeit sound awesome so I saved up bought skates and pads and gear and started going to open skates. Right as I was about to try out I broke my foot so I had to take a hiatus but back in October I started going to open skates again and in January I was approached by one of the girls on the All Stars and was told to come to practice and Here I am. it has changed me because I suffer from anxiety and depression, but this gives me self esteem and make me feel like I have something to work for. I loved her before the same reasons as well as it's an awesome outlet for aggression and stress. thank you for your time, Rogue
How did you start playing?I heard about it from a nurse when I was doing acute CNA clinicals at the hospital. I didn't even know roller derby teams existed but I knew that would be a fun sport I would love.
How has it changed you?I've become more confident, made friends, more active in the community. Why do you love it?It's great exercise, I'm always seeing an improvement in myself, met interesting people I would never have before/role models, I'm involved in the community which is important to me, it's fun. Ava Sinnott
How did you start playing? To give the complete back story … I have to say that I owe it all to Papa Brains … my father and my biggest fan. He used to take me to the rink every Sunday when I was little and taught me to skate. He worked a lot and I rarely saw him so Sunday skate dates were very important to me. From there I fell in love with skating and when I found out that there was actually a sport that involved being on roller skates … I knew instantly that is what I wanted to do. The universe seemed to agree. A couple girls came in to my second job one night passing out flyers for a league they were starting (the DuPage Derby Dames) and everyone at the shop remembering me speak about my love for derby and how I wanted to play saved a flyer for me and the next time I came in to work they said “you need to do this” and so I did. After all, how often does something you love end up finding you? I consider it meant to be.
How has it changed you? I am a much better person because of derby. (I’m sure you’ll hear this from a lot of players.) It’s given me a more positive outlook on myself and others. It’s boosted my self-esteem, taught me weakness is only in the mind and it’s given me a whole new support system in my life. Roller derby has proved me wrong so many times and because of that its only made me stronger and allowed to become more open minded. My thoughts of “I can’t” have turned in to “I can” or if nothing else … if I am still feeling scared … then I at least reassure myself to at least give something a chance and “try.” There’s been so many things I’ve discovered that I can do that I would have never thought possible all because I’ve allowed myself to take a chance and try. So now I’m wondering what else in life I can apply that towards. I have a whole bucket list of things I want to try! It opens up opportunities and experiences and shows you that you never know what you can do until you at least give yourself the opportunity to try. Roller derby has also inspired me to take all the good qualities I see in others and practice them myself. I’d like to think I was a pretty good person before derby … but I KNOW I am a much better person because of derby.
Why do you love it? I love roller derby because it constantly challenges me mentally and physically and reminds me of all the things that I CAN do. It’s redefined my definitions of strength, beauty, what an athlete is and why it’s important not to judge a book by its cover. It also challenges society and the public’s view of what these things are and look like. I don’t have to be a size 2 or 4 or whatever and covered in muscle to be strong, play well and fit in to what others think a female athlete should look like. This sport accentuates everyone’s different strengths and not their weaknesses. I find beauty in the girl that is always working hard and never giving up, I find strength in the girl that can’t bust through the wall of blockers in front of her but doesn’t let that get to her head, I find true sportswomanship in the girl that is injured but is still sitting there with an ice pack and doesn’t want to leave her teammates side until she has to. I love roller derby because it’s such an accepting community and unless you’re just a pretty rotten person then there’s always a spot for you… whether you are there to participate on skates or otherwise. We’re a great big family and an awesome community of people helping each other and others and trying to pass that on to the world.
IEATA BRAINS, #L4D, DuPage Derby Dames
How did you start playing? I’ve always loved being on skates. As a kid, I used to figure skate, but especially loved tooling around the neighborhood on quads or in-line skates, making up stories as I went. I can’t remember how I meandered into Derby Lite, but I skated with DL for 2.5 years, and absolutely loved it. Then my best friend from grade school came to town. On a years-overdue coffee date, she raved about her derby experience with the Santa Cruz Derby Girls. She and I had always been “academics,” not “athletes.” (We both now realize this is a false dichotomy, but middle school gym class really traumatized us.) We laughed about how, thousands of miles away and without ever talking about it, we had found the same unlikely activity.
She planted the seed.
As my wedding approached, my stress levels skyrocketed and I needed an outlet, something intense and all-consuming. I did a random search to see if any local leagues were recruiting and my DuPage Derby Dames were having a boot camp the following week! It was insta-love, and I now realize how serendipitous the timing was. I feel incredibly lucky to have found this team.
How has it changed you? Derby has made me stronger in every dimension of my life. I was incredibly ill during boot camp; I was five weeks away from getting married, and wedding stress threw my immune system into chaos. I pushed through it, though, and was totally shocked that I was capable of that level of effort. I saw a new side of myself—one that saw what she wanted and just went and took it. There are things in life that have come easily to me, but athleticism has never been one, and I am proud of myself every day for achieving something so far outside of my natural talents.
As an only child and an introvert, I’ve always seen myself as a lone wolf, someone who does better one-on-one or in small groups. Big social groups used to give me major anxiety. Being part of a large league has made me comfortable with big groups, and I’ve come to love the easy camaraderie of gearing up and chatting with whoever’s there, or getting to know other skaters and officials better when we meet up for volunteer events or parties. I’ve never been a “team player” before, and it feels really good!
Sometimes when I have to do something really hard—like get a spinal injection, or discipline an employee, or stand up for myself—I remind myself that I’m Arya Stark Ravin’, and like my namesake from the A Song of Ice and Fire series, I am capable of doing and enduring anything. If I can push through a wall over and over, dance around the outside, hold an amazing jammer back by acting in perfect concert with my teammates, or do jumping jacks on my toe-stops (the single most terrifying thing I’ve had to do in practice), I can do anything.
Why do you love it? I love the presence of mind. When I’m doing derby, I can’t think about anything else—the bills, work drama, the news, the bad day I had, etc. It all just falls away. Lining up to scrimmage, or practicing a tough drill, I feel both the greatest adrenaline rush and the greatest peace I’ve ever felt. I have never been able to meditate, but I think derby is my meditation.
I also love the afterglow. When I get home from practice I’m all atwitter, even if it’s midnight. I suddenly want to chat about anything and everything, and feel so appreciative of my friends and my family and life, and feel excited about the future and ready to take on the world.
I love the community. I love that I have found all of these new friends, and that we are so diverse in our jobs, hobbies, and lives, but understand each other through this passion we share. I love feeling like part of something bigger than me. I love how empowering derby is, and how, as a teammate of mine pointed out, you can literally see the effect of derby in pictures of people before and after they began playing—not a body change, but an edginess, a confidence.
And I love my new derby butt! I mean, I love it. I’ve never admired my own body so much in my life!
Arya, #5M, DuPage Derby Dames
Hello! Im Rogue Sam-urai from the CT Rollergirls, they call me rogue. I’m what they call "Freshmeat or Freshie" but most know it as a Rookie. I started skating five years ago when i met one of the current Yankee Brutals five years ago and she made it sound awesome so I saved up bought skates and pads and gear and started going to open skates. Right as I was about to try out I broke my foot so I had to take a hiatus but back in October I started going to open skates again and in January I was approached by one of the girls on the All Stars and was told to come to practice and Here I am. It has changed me because I suffer from anxiety and depression, but this gives me self esteem and make me feel like I have something to work for. I loved her before the same reasons as well as it's an awesome outlet for aggression and stress. thank you for your time, Rogue
How did you start playing?I heard about it from a nurse when I was doing acute CNA clinicals at the hospital. I didn't even know roller derby teams existed but I knew that would be a fun sport I would love. How has it changed you?I've become more confident, made friends, more active in the community. Why do you love it?It's great exercise, I'm always seeing an improvement in myself, met interesting people I would never have before/role models, I'm involved in the community which is important to me, it's fun. Ava Sinnott
