How Much is Too Much?

By Davey Blockit

As I sit in my room looking around, I ponder the things I have given up or let slip away for this sport we call roller derby. I look at the vases filled with dead flowers given to me by ex—boyfriends and wonder if those relationships would have been more successful without derby. I look at my loft bed and remember what it was like to have a bedroom big enough that my bed could sit on the floor because my room didn’t have to be my bedroom, closet, and office. I look at the antiques that remind me how far away I am from my Grandma and that I’m missing precious time with her during her last days. Why have I devoted so much time to this hobby?

I guess partly for the same reason every roller girl has, because we are grown children. We have found something we love and never want to give it up! We are the Peter Pans of the sports community. But the more time we give, the more time we lose. We put off careers, relationships, and most of all, starting families. I said I was going to have kids at 25. {Enter Roller Derby} “It can wait another year.” Well, eight years later I find myself wondering if I will ever start a family.

Not only does derby take time but also it takes money and boy does it take it! If you are one of the select few that are working your dream job, then count your blessings. Most of us are working jobs that we didn’t write essays about entitled ‘When I Grow Up’. Most of us work not to pay for fun things, fancy clothes, or vacations, but live paycheck to paycheck for that dreaded word…bills. There in lie the woes of a roller girl. As of yet, I have not found that tree that grows money or a pot of gold no matter how many Skittles I eat. How much is too much to spend on a hobby?

The average derby trip requires $200-$400. (That includes flights, rental cars, hotels, food, gas, and most importantly, beer!) Is that too much? Even, say, someone gave you the money no strings attached, is that too much for one derby game?

This is the question on my mind because very soon I get the opportunity to play Seattle, Denver, & participate in the Team USA tryouts. This trip will cost around $1,000 due to the $700 flight. Already barely covering the cost of living in NYC, I do not have excess funds for this trip. So, can and should one JUSTIFY this cost for one derby trip?

Should a hobby feel like a financial burden? Do we give everything, live without regrets, charge ahead and our credit card screaming, “YOLO!”?

For more about Davey Blockit, you can find her on Facebook.