Be Your Own Hero

Know what's amazing about derby? Well, everything. But largely, it's women following their dreams. We are a diverse group of women and men (only because the boys saw how much fun we were having) who come together united by a single purpose. Ask your leaguemates why they play derby sometime. Some of mine say it's the fitness or the camaraderie. Others say it's their Midlife Crisis. I just felt this draw to it.

So I started with the Charlotte Roller Girls in August of 2010. I was 18 at the time. I read the rules. I knew the minimum skill assessment items. I was excited and informed. I was all, "I wanna be a jammer!" And then I did my first 25 in 5 and saw the grannies skate and said, "I wanna be a blocker!" I had kind of a reality check. I thought, I'll pass assessments and get good at blocking, then maybe I'll get fast enough to jam.

So I pass assessments and flail through my first practices and scrimmages as a granny. I overwhelmingly have no idea what is going on in derby. Though I did have excellent awareness of not cutting the track.

Well I took some excellent advice from my dear derby wife once I passed assessments. She told me, "Always volunteer to jam during scrimmages." It was good advice. Most people will not take the star. They see themselves as blockers and hate jamming. Jamming helps you become a better blocker because you see the other side of things. It helps you with endurance. It helps you learn to fight through walls in high-pressure situations. Following this advice, I was sure to always hold my hand out for the panty.

And it has wound up with me being considered one of my team's jammers. But I'm not your average jammer build. I'm not a tall, thin jammer with mile-long legs who'll jump the apex. I'm not a small jammer who's so fast and tiny, anybody who manages to see her can't do anything. I'm actually a jammer who occasionally plays power blocker. I'm steadier on my feet than some. I can absorb blocks well. I do find myself hitting players out of my way (I'd like to develop that ability more). So now I've become somewhat of a valuable player to my team in that I can effectively block and then turn around and jam.

This story is just to remind you to follow your dreams. Some of us come to derby from an athletic background. That's great, grab some skates. Some of us are decidedly unathletic. You too, grab some skates. I haven't had much luck with sports in the past, I did some dance, I played disc golf...but I have put my all into derby and it has rewarded me. So now it's time for you to put on some skates and follow your dreams.