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I’ve never been especially good at roller skating. I did skate a little bit as a kid, and sometimes I’d go to a rink that was located about 30 minutes from our house. When I was a teenager I attempted to graduate to roller blades. I would borrow an extra pair from a friend and we’d skate outside on the streets around her home. I armed myself with a helmet and protective padding, stuck to the flattest roads I possibly could, and never went particularly fast.
The one time I didn’t stick to a flat surface was a memorable experience. I wasn’t paying attention to the road, and I found myself going down a hill that I hadn’t planned for (I’m sure my version of “pre-planning” would have involved steering myself into the grass and walking down the damn hill). I was picking up speed and didn’t have any idea what to do. I made it almost to the bottom before my feet decided to shoot out from under me, and -- WHUMP! -- I fell backwards, straight on my butt. I was pretty sore for a while after that.
When I was in my late teens I decided to try again, so I bought my own pair of roller blades. I had a few friends who liked to go to a not-very-busy road and skate around, so I did that with them several times. I ended up giving the skates away a few years later, though.
The thing is, I’m not fearless enough to be good at roller skating. I was -- and still am -- afraid of falling. If I decide to introduce a little violence into my cardio, I’ll go pummel a punching bag or something (ha!).
This is why, when I attended my first in-person roller derby match not long ago (yay, DC Rollergirls!), it reconfirmed for me that I made the right choice in not pursuing this sport -- the shoving, and the jostling, and the blocking, and the falling are a huge part of the action. While it certainly makes for an interesting spectacle, I have no desire to volunteer as a participant.
Roller derby is definitely a physical sport, but in the absence of shoving and falling, watching a pack of girls skate around a track can sometimes get monotonous. (Please don’t yell at me -- I’m not denying the presence of rules. I also admit this is the observation of someone who doesn’t know very much about the sport, and doesn’t regularly watch any other sports in-person or on TV. This is the same reason why people enjoy watching fights break out in ice hockey, right?)
Sometimes when a roller-girl would fall, she’d take out a referee at the same time. That was cool!
I think the most fascinating aspect of roller derby is the people who choose to participate. Many of these women have normal, everyday jobs, just like I do. But after work they go to these strenuous practice sessions, and sometimes they have to train for months (including learning the “correct way to fall,” which means falling forward on your protective padding instead of backward) before they’re allowed to play in a formal match.
Is roller derby something you would try?
Related Reading:
A photographer from DCist attended the same roller derby match I did and took photos.
HowStuffWorks: How Roller Derby Works
Jeanne at Periodic Elements of Style fell in love with roller derby after attending her first bout a few months back. She was immediately caught up in it because “I'm super-competitive, love terrible puns, and am all for women doing awesome fun things.”
Meredith Barnhill: The future of roller derby is brats... (12-18 year-olds, that is)
Roller Derby Disorder gives tips on how to protect the toes of your skates. (Many roller girls resort to using duct tape!)
The Long Island Roller Rebels give recommendations for what type of skating gear you may need.
Yo, Yenta! attended a roller derby match and loved it. She also loves rollerblading. So why doesn’t she try the sport for herself? “[N]ow that I’ve witnessed the violent spectacle of roller derby up close, I have realized something important about myself: I am a total wuss. Those chicks would make me cry inside of five minutes.”
New York Times: With Names That Could Kill, Women Rev Up Roller Derby
Daily Herald: Not your mama's rink:
