I have written three posts in the last little while that I had to shelf because they were either a touch too personal, or there was a chance they would be misunderstood. People all think that derby girls are tough. The real truth is that while we're strong, we all have feelings, and those feelings can get bruised as easily as our asses.
Winning our first double-header of the season last weekend has put us on one edge of a double-edged sword. When I say "us" I mean the Daughters of Anarchy, and the Lumbersmacks, because I play for neither. I am using "us" as a league reference, because it just makes relaying the information easier. I play for the Reines of Terror, making me the outsider looking in. Confused yet? Welcome to Derby. I was an NSO, doing a fantastic job according to some, and poor according to others. But, either way I watched our teams win both bouts, against challenging opponents from St John.
I keep bragging about how amazing Muddy River Rollers are, and despite that being narcissistic (since I am a MRR), I really believe that there is something unique about this league. At the same time, after reading other derby blogs, and hearing dozens upon dozens of skaters, there is a chance that I've got it all wrong.
Screech…needle off the record time…What? The MRR are not one of a kind?
There are so many new derby teams joining leagues all over Canada and the rest of the globe. PR spins everywhere use phrase in the media like "the Wheel Deal" when writing about this incomparable sport (and don't think it was an accident that I used the word "spin"). It's as if they are trying to be as clever as the team or player names that creative women come up with for themselves. Everybody wants to be aligned with the mystery that is the gumball toe-stop skate world. It's like the newest bar in town that everyone wants to be seen at!
Derby is new to the Maritimes, and every league here is busy learning the ins and outs to a sport that is part business, part entertainment and part sport. There is so much more to being a derby girl than slapping a pair of Scabs™ on your knees and lacing up some Reidell's®. You can't really just skate. You become part of something more. When an event comes to town you will have to learn that a big "X" on a whiteboard means 'crossing the track', or that 4 whistles mean the jam is over. Still confused? That's what makes it a sport!
Nobody has all the answers. No one person can run a league. The person that knows that best is usually the one in charge. At the end of the day, in my mind it should just come down to one single question to every person who laced up, wore a t-shirt to support, carpooled to cheer on, or bought drinks at the afterparty. That question is: did you have fun? The answer is always unanimously "YES"! Because, despite any of the real complaints, "NO" is the one I have yet to hear!
Winning our first double-header of the season last weekend has put us on one edge of a double-edged sword. When I say "us" I mean the Daughters of Anarchy, and the Lumbersmacks, because I play for neither. I am using "us" as a league reference, because it just makes relaying the information easier. I play for the Reines of Terror, making me the outsider looking in. Confused yet? Welcome to Derby. I was an NSO, doing a fantastic job according to some, and poor according to others. But, either way I watched our teams win both bouts, against challenging opponents from St John.
I keep bragging about how amazing Muddy River Rollers are, and despite that being narcissistic (since I am a MRR), I really believe that there is something unique about this league. At the same time, after reading other derby blogs, and hearing dozens upon dozens of skaters, there is a chance that I've got it all wrong.
Screech…needle off the record time…What? The MRR are not one of a kind?
There are so many new derby teams joining leagues all over Canada and the rest of the globe. PR spins everywhere use phrase in the media like "the Wheel Deal" when writing about this incomparable sport (and don't think it was an accident that I used the word "spin"). It's as if they are trying to be as clever as the team or player names that creative women come up with for themselves. Everybody wants to be aligned with the mystery that is the gumball toe-stop skate world. It's like the newest bar in town that everyone wants to be seen at!
Derby is new to the Maritimes, and every league here is busy learning the ins and outs to a sport that is part business, part entertainment and part sport. There is so much more to being a derby girl than slapping a pair of Scabs™ on your knees and lacing up some Reidell's®. You can't really just skate. You become part of something more. When an event comes to town you will have to learn that a big "X" on a whiteboard means 'crossing the track', or that 4 whistles mean the jam is over. Still confused? That's what makes it a sport!
Nobody has all the answers. No one person can run a league. The person that knows that best is usually the one in charge. At the end of the day, in my mind it should just come down to one single question to every person who laced up, wore a t-shirt to support, carpooled to cheer on, or bought drinks at the afterparty. That question is: did you have fun? The answer is always unanimously "YES"! Because, despite any of the real complaints, "NO" is the one I have yet to hear!
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