Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams - Part 4

My least favorite idiom is, by far, the concept of the double-edged sword. Why can't someone ever just wholeheartedly enjoy something? There always has to be downside. Well, this whole roller derby thing has officially developed into a double-edged sword. I'm still obsessed and having a blast, but I just found out that the tryouts are capped at 100 girls and no more than 15 will make it. Shit. I think I'm good, but I don't know about that good.

The second skills night went pretty well. I've got the basic skills down – crossovers, stopping, power strides – but now they're throwing in derby skills, namely blocking. I'm skinny but it's not the force that overtakes me, it's this whole skating low thing. Skating low is the key to roller derby. It helps in every facet: speed, stability and, most importantly, blocking. If you stay super low, odds are, another girl will have a much harder time knocking you over. On the other hand, if you're standing tall, you're practically a rolling target. When it comes to throwing a block, you'll be way ahead of the competition in a lower position. You don't block someone with your arm alone; you're blocking your opponent with your entire body and that requires the power to forcefully pop up from the low derby stance. The lower you are, the more power you'll have.

Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams - Part 3

The mere concept of something can be thrilling, but when the day actually comes to take part in that event, all you want to do is run the other way. When I woke up the morning of the first official skills night, I was unenthused to say the least. I didn't completely dismiss the idea of going, but I was, well, scared. I didn't know anyone, I didn't know what the experience was going to be like and I didn't know if I'd be any good in comparison to the other girls. On top of all that, the practice area was in some obscure location that I was awfully hesitant to park my car in.

As the day progressed, my family and friends were far from encouraging. My friends were still skeptical of the sport all together and, naturally, my parents were freaked by the idea of me waltzing off to a sketchy area to meet people I didn't know. To be honest, the only thing really driving me to go was the fact that I just dropped a wad of cash on equipment.

Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams - Part 2

Naturally, my new hobby comes at a price. First off, the roller derby league highly recommends participating in their skills nights. Fine, that makes sense. I don't really know what I'm doing and could definitely use some pre-tryout training. But, of course, these sessions aren't free. On top of that, I actually have to purchase a pair of skates. I did some thorough research - Googled "roller derby skates" - and checked out the top hit's bestseller list. Of course, the skate at the top spot was the cheapest. I didn't want to go for the bottom of the barrel but didn't want to start spending hundreds of dollars on quads when there's a possibility I might not even make it past tryout day. After much deliberation, I ended up purchasing the moderately priced Riedell R3 Tuners.

My next derby venture was going to require some cash as well. I didn't want to walk into the first of four skills nights without any experience. The league's website suggests training with a local instructor. Fine, but I’m not embarrassing myself in any class. I inquired about arranging a private lesson and after some brief correspondence was all set to meet with the trainer later that week.

Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams - Part 1

One of the many reasons I love watching movies is to get out of my own world and experience something new. The great thing is that if you’re not really feeling this new adventure it’ll be over soon. Sometimes a movie really strikes a chord and inspires you to make the characters' experience your own. Since I was a kid I've dreamed of visiting Jurassic Park and saving the world "Will Smith in Independence Day" style, but, odds are, neither will happen anytime soon.

Luckily, one of the most recent films I’m itching to bring to life is actually feasible. I read Shauna Cross' Derby Girl and couldn't stop thinking about roller derby. My sudden interest didn't really surprise me. I've always strived to be different. When I was little, while most of my friends took gymnastics and dance classes, I was fighting with the boys in a karate dojo. When it came to a musical instrument just playing the saxophone wasn’t enough; I had to play the bari sax. Well, my attraction to eccentricities continues and now I’m onto a new hobby; roller derby.