Some people bowl for fun. Some people play softball for fun. Me – I play roller derby. Never in a million years did I imagine that I would one day don my ancient skates and roll around an elevated track hitting people. But I do. And I love it. I remember watching roller derby on Sunday mornings while my parents were still asleep. The Bay City Bombers and the T-Birds would go head-to-head flying around the track. What I didn’t know back then was that it was a staged production. Fast forward to current times and let me say – it is definitely not staged. My league, the Arizona Derby Dames, was founded as a flat track league, but we built a banked track in 2010. It was an amazing time for us as the bulk of the league had never been on a track before. We were given a weekend of training by our sisters in Los Angeles, the LA Derby Dolls, and came home armed with so much knowledge and quite a few bruises. In 2013, I decided to retire because my body was exhausted and the game had evolved into a more competitive sport requiring a lot of time and dedication. I focused on my role as manager within the league, but it was painful to watch my former team skate because I missed the game so much. In late 2015, I decided to come out of retirement and return to my former team, the Schoolyard Scrappers. It was like coming home again. This sport, as rough as it looks and really is, truly empowers me. It has given me confidence that I was sorely lacking. It has introduced me to a sport that I love and embrace. It has allowed me to make lifelong sisters that I probably would have never met had I not joined. Most of all – it has allowed me to find out who I really am. (Thanks to Josh of Heyo oo oo Photography for the pics)
2016 Schoolyard Scrappers
Nashty #2.0
Nashty #2.0
