“No way we can scrimmage now” was pretty much all that went through my head after I passed my basic skills test this June. Derby has been part of my life for quite some time now but it took me a while to get where I am today…
Last season I signed up to be fresh meat with the Hudson Valley Horrors. My love for derby started in Philly when I used to volunteer with the Philly roller girls there but when I moved back to NY I knew I had to actually skate…or learn how to skate at least. So I tried out, and found out a few days later I needed surgery. So I spent a month on a bench watching every practice absorbing as much I could, dying with anticipation to actually skate. At six weeks my doctor cleared me to finally skate! I skated my little heart out but when it came time for basic skills test I just couldn’t pull off the infamous 6 laps in 1 minute. My endurance just wasn’t there…which meant I needed to come back to tryout again months later.
Although this bursted my derby bubble, my teammates were so amazing and encouraging I came back with a vengeance and started fresh meat round two. This time I was ready but when I realized I had actually passed my test this time I was busting at the seams. And from that point on all I wanted to do was scrimmage!
We started off slowly scrimmaging with each other, then mixing in the vets amongst us at practice and I realized I was finally playing derby. Every practice I was excited to learn new things and have people hit me as hard as they could. Soon came time for our first “meat grinder” where we played all the new fresh meat graduates against each other for friends and family. It finally sank in, there is so much to remember! No matter how often your teammates explain to you this idea of “blender head” when you first start to play you don’t realize what that means until you have to keep an eye on the jammers, other blockers, pull off hits and try to help out your teammates. Although I was out of my element I knew I wanted more!
Recently I had my first scrimmage against another team and that was a totally different experience in itself. We went up to Troy to play the Hellions and I was nervous but ready to go. Skating in a different location against teammates that weren’t my own was all new to me. I was unsure what to expect but once game time started there wasn’t very much time to over analyze it. I played as best I could trying not to question my abilities but letting my teammates guide me through strategies.
The more I scrimmage the more I realize in derby you need to adapt…quick. There isn’t much time for you to get comfortable. You need to be able to adjust to new environments, different strategies, different teams and be confident in your skills and your teammates.
I am so lucky to have derby in my life and I can’t wait to experience the next chapter in it’s ever changing stages…September 22nd I get to skate in my first official bout with the zomBsquad in an away game. I am so thrilled to have my teammates and managers talk me through my first bout and be a part of a team like the Hudson Valley Horrors, derby really does change lives.
– Bonnie Black Block #1999
