It's Bout Day

Today is our last bout of the season. I can't tell you how much fun I'm having playing this sport… I mean, I can tell you, but nothing I could say would do it justice. It's just. so. fun. Roller derby is also the most challenging sport I've every played. I've heard it described as Nascar, football, chess, and roller skating all at once. This is pretty accurate. You skate as hard as you can, and in some instances as fast as you can, turn left, and strategically hit the crap out of your opponents. There's an unbelievable amount of strategy and rules. 

Thats me in the middle, Lucky #13, stopping the jammer.

I'm so happy I've been a part of this season. Early on I tore my MCL and had to sit out three bouts during recovery. I felt like I lost months worth of training and preparation. I watched part of my rookie season pass me by.. but now I look back and realize that was time well spent. I became a student of the game. I got into derby knowing almost nothing about the actual game. (Like most people.) Everything happens so fast while you're playing, and while you're on skates!! It's easy to play an entire scrimmage early on and at the end realize you have NO idea what just happened. 

During my injury I continued to attend practices to watch from the sideline and things began to click. I could see the strategy and scope of the game. I think I wrote about that here. It translated to the track once I was able to skate again and I am playing better than ever. Every bout I feel like I grow leaps and bounds. I leave the track feeling successful, and proud, and exhausted, in the happiest and most fulfilled kind of way. 

Me and my teammates slowing the jammer. "2T" is 64 years old!!

I have one bout left and I am so nervous for it… (I always have these nerves until I put my gear on and then I just zone out)…. I wonder if Hotties parents (who are visiting from CO right now and will see me play for the first time) will be underwhelmed by my playing. I'll be skating in every other jam and wearing the star a couple of times (they call this "jamming" and I hope to do it a lot more next season). I worry that I don't have the endurance to play half of the game. I wonder if somehow the strategy will escape my brain. I think about not being penalty heavy like I was last game (oops!) My head is spinning with the anticipation of having wheels on my feet tonight. 

But it doesn't really matter how it goes, if I'm being honest. If I could sum up my rookie season in one word it would be PROUD. I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I took an injury and used it as a learning opportunity. I made the most of my time off skates and it improved my game. I earned MVP in my first bout ever. I worked hard to become a better skater at every opportunity. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. More effective and strategic. Don't get me wrong, I have a long way to go. I have a ton of work to still put in, there are a lot of areas for growth.. but I'm PROUD of a solid start… this is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm just having so much fun doing this thing I've wanted to do for the past ten years! I feel lucky.

Locker room selfie. I was like--"whoa! The other team gave me MVP?!"