where it all began...

hello! i am starting this blog to document my trials and tribulations as i enter the world of roller derby! i am not the greatest writer and this blog will mostly serve as a way for me to look back on everything that's happened to me. but if you enjoy reading it, all the better! now, let's start at the very beginning (its a very good place to start!):

i had seen and heard about roller derby probably not long after it's modern-day inception (austin, year 2001), but i was only 13 years old at the time and never paid much attention to it; any thoughts involving derby were probably something to the effect of "those girls are weird. i dont like the way they dress!". but over the years, the sport evolved, i grew older, and a little movie named "whip it" was released. i went to go see it in theatres and thought to myself that hey, this was pretty damn cool. i knew right away in my heart of hearts that i would LOVE to play this sport, but didn't feel brave enough. so i went online and found that there was real live roller derby right here in st. louis! the arch rival roller girls www.archrivalrollergirls.com popped up on my search and as luck would have it, there was a bout the very next weekend. so i dragged a friend to come with me, just thinking i would go watch it once and it would be a unique way to spend a saturday night.

i attended my first bout in january 2010. i was mesmerized from the moment i walked in; there were girls rollerskating around the hallways right in front of me! i knew right away this was something very very cool. at my urging, my friend and i picked seats in the splash zone (i was always the little girl who loved to get soaked by shamu at sea world), and as i watched the game unfold i knew i was hooked. the girls were all so self-confident and strong and unique, not to mention totally badass! i knew right then and there that i wanted to be one of those girls. but it seemed really intimidating, so i just poo-pooed the idea. still, i got home and immediately sent recruitment an email, and received a reply shortly thereafter that recruitment was currently closed. i secretly sighed in relief and decided i would just be a spectator for now. this didnt stop me from going to sports authority and trying on a pair of "roller derby" brand skates though, and feeling terrified when i realized i could barely stand up in them!

anyway, time passed, i attended bouts, and suddenly in may 2010, i received an email. recruitment was open! attend one of these nights to learn more about the league and start the tryout process! i was like, "cool! i can go to a meeting"....then i read further. i had to buy equipment. equipment is expensive. REALLY expensive. plus i had already promised work i would attend some late-night function on BOTH of the nights that they had info night. bummer. so i figured i was too poor to do this anyway, so i let the info nights pass. however, i knew i was still interested in roller skating, so i started going to a local rink, rollercade www.rollercadeskating.com and just started skating around in circles for the first time in years. one of the regulars told me there were rollergirls skating there and i thought, oh cool! let me go talk to them! who did those girls turn out to be? teel and brandie, both of whom were trying out for the current round which i had passed over. they were so nice to me and i even exchanged numbers with teel, agreeing to meet up and skate more later.

that was around the time my stepmom called and told me that she could tell i was really interested in roller derby, and that she would sponsor my efforts and help cover the cost of my skates and gear. well....shit. i remember tryouts being a week or so away at that point. my dad said "maybe you can talk to them and see if theyll still let you in?" but i knew it didnt work that way and i would have to wait. i celebrated with teel when she passed tryouts in july, but secretly wished i could've been doing it with her. brandie wasnt so lucky; i had heard she didnt pass. so i solemnly went to a little place called rockstar skates www.rockstarskates.com to go buy my gear.

this is where i met a real rollergirl for the first time! and who better to meet than joanie rollmoan (known as "romo"), who had just opened up her own brick and mortar roller derby shop right by my house. she was very kind and sold me my gear, but i was too scared to say hi when i saw her at one of the bouts. but still, when i get passionate about something, i try to immerse myself in it as much as possible. so i attended all of the bouts (even when i had to go alone and sit alone cause i didnt know anyone), read up about derby online, and scoured the arch rivals website for player bios and any morsel of derby knowledge i could get my hands on. then romo invited me to come watch roller derby regionals streamed live at her shop, and since i was so hungry for derby, i went.  not only did i go, i stayed. all day. every day (being out of work at that moment gave me lots of free time). and i met lots of people from the league! i kept wondering and kept asking about tryouts, and every time i asked it seemed the date had been pushed further and further back. i was starting to wonder if i would ever get to try out!

but the burden of having to wait was also the gift of time. i had many months to practice and feel comfortable on 8 wheels. i even brought my skates with me to the netherlands and skated a practice with the amsterdam derby dames! http://www.amsterdamderbydames.nl/ i slowly assimilated to derby life here in st louis. i met more and more of the girls who skated, and the people who made it all happen, such as NSO's (i found a familiar face in brandie, who decided to bide her time until the next round of tryouts by being an official!), referees, superfans, and the male derby players as well. i started attending the parties and started talking to people and not being afraid to ask questions.

then suddenly, in november 2011, it was time! i got the email! RECRUITMENT WAS FINALLY OPEN AGAIN. the process i had been waiting for, for MONTHS, was finally about to begin....

(tryout process, from info night to tryouts, in my next post. stay tuned!)