i need roller derby related icons
It’s impossible to describe my first, public bout (the Fresh Meat Scrimmage) as a Savannah Derby Devil. I mean, really capture the feeling of it, the anxiety, the exhilaration, and the burning in my lungs so that you, dear reader, get the perfect picture. I want to give you the Kodak moment but instead you’re going to wind up with a Polaroid picture that wasn’t shaken hard enough so you’re going to think there’s some ectoplasm in the background and have fodder for “My Ghost Story” on the Biography channel. (Just let me know what episode you’re on because I’m addicted to Bio’s ghostly programming. My latest obsession.)
It was a hell of a lot of fun. It was in good spirits that we split our team into two with both teams having a mix of noobs and vets (the women who’ve been on the team): the reds who decided on the name “Satan’s Sisters” and the blacks who settled on “Hard Hearted Hellions.” I was on the black team. We all arrived at our venue at 4pm, to help set up, finish or touch up our derby faces, gear up, and eat a little something.
Nerves were high amongst many of the girls. From arrival through to warm ups and up until the bout began at 7pm. I for one wasn’t nervous at all. Even when the doors opened and attendees took their seats. The spectators were just part of the game for me, part of the background, just as intimidating as the weird netting on the ceiling, or the tape that makes up the track. I only got butterflies when they announced my name (all players were introduced one by one and did a lap around the track) and as soon as I found my slow stride and was confident that I wouldn’t fall on my face during my lap, they were gone. My biggest fear, embarrassing myself from the get go, was over and done with. It was time to play some derby.
My favorite position is jammer (the girls who score the points) and I got to jam three times (started one of my jams from thepenalty box though. Ha). My first go around was tough. I got knocked down a lot, but I don’t mind it much at all. Pretty pervy but I love a good hit and as long as I can get back up and keep skating. I don’t even know if I scored points. The third time I fared much better with the help of my pack doing a kick ass job at assists and clearing a path for me. I definitely scored some points and was lead jammer for that jam.
Idiot moment of the night? Forgetting to put in my mouth guard and getting sent to the penalty box. It could have been worst.
Both teams played amazing well. We kicked so much ass that we were tied by the end of the second period clock. Overtime. The record crowd (over 900 people) was on their feet, literally. We tied again. We went into a second overtime, and it was intense. Our jammer got sent to the box first and it felt like the black team was sure to lose. And even though there wasn’t much of a rivalry and winning didn’t matter, my heart sunk. When one jammer is in the box, the other jammer can just keep going through the pack, racking up the points. And for a while it looked like the power jam was going to last until the end of the longest two minutes (and that sounds cliché but time felt agonizingly slow) but one piercing whistle was blown. The opposing jammer got a major penalty and our jammer was back out on the track.
We were screaming, yelling at our teammates to block, to hit someone, to help our jammer through. I’m sure it all sounded like a garbled mess.
We won by one point. 114 to 113.
Like I said, all in fun, but goddamn it felt awesome skating our victory lap. I had a huge grin all over my face and felt so proud of myself, my girls on the team. I felt like I could do this again. As in, right now, let’s get back on the track. Red team, you want a rematch?
I’m really looking forward to getting better and taking on another team. I’m never been so motivated to be an incredible jammer. Tonight we have this great opportunity to improve our skill because this week we have at our disposable famous roller derby coach Coach Pauly. I cannot wait to sweat, work hard, and really hate my life by the end of this week. It’s going to be brutal, but that’s the only way to get better.
It was a hell of a lot of fun. It was in good spirits that we split our team into two with both teams having a mix of noobs and vets (the women who’ve been on the team): the reds who decided on the name “Satan’s Sisters” and the blacks who settled on “Hard Hearted Hellions.” I was on the black team. We all arrived at our venue at 4pm, to help set up, finish or touch up our derby faces, gear up, and eat a little something.
Nerves were high amongst many of the girls. From arrival through to warm ups and up until the bout began at 7pm. I for one wasn’t nervous at all. Even when the doors opened and attendees took their seats. The spectators were just part of the game for me, part of the background, just as intimidating as the weird netting on the ceiling, or the tape that makes up the track. I only got butterflies when they announced my name (all players were introduced one by one and did a lap around the track) and as soon as I found my slow stride and was confident that I wouldn’t fall on my face during my lap, they were gone. My biggest fear, embarrassing myself from the get go, was over and done with. It was time to play some derby.
My favorite position is jammer (the girls who score the points) and I got to jam three times (started one of my jams from thepenalty box though. Ha). My first go around was tough. I got knocked down a lot, but I don’t mind it much at all. Pretty pervy but I love a good hit and as long as I can get back up and keep skating. I don’t even know if I scored points. The third time I fared much better with the help of my pack doing a kick ass job at assists and clearing a path for me. I definitely scored some points and was lead jammer for that jam.
Idiot moment of the night? Forgetting to put in my mouth guard and getting sent to the penalty box. It could have been worst.
Both teams played amazing well. We kicked so much ass that we were tied by the end of the second period clock. Overtime. The record crowd (over 900 people) was on their feet, literally. We tied again. We went into a second overtime, and it was intense. Our jammer got sent to the box first and it felt like the black team was sure to lose. And even though there wasn’t much of a rivalry and winning didn’t matter, my heart sunk. When one jammer is in the box, the other jammer can just keep going through the pack, racking up the points. And for a while it looked like the power jam was going to last until the end of the longest two minutes (and that sounds cliché but time felt agonizingly slow) but one piercing whistle was blown. The opposing jammer got a major penalty and our jammer was back out on the track.
We were screaming, yelling at our teammates to block, to hit someone, to help our jammer through. I’m sure it all sounded like a garbled mess.
We won by one point. 114 to 113.
Like I said, all in fun, but goddamn it felt awesome skating our victory lap. I had a huge grin all over my face and felt so proud of myself, my girls on the team. I felt like I could do this again. As in, right now, let’s get back on the track. Red team, you want a rematch?
I’m really looking forward to getting better and taking on another team. I’m never been so motivated to be an incredible jammer. Tonight we have this great opportunity to improve our skill because this week we have at our disposable famous roller derby coach Coach Pauly. I cannot wait to sweat, work hard, and really hate my life by the end of this week. It’s going to be brutal, but that’s the only way to get better.