Derby Little Secrets

There will come a time when something or someone in the derby world will rock your world so hard you will feel like you just got back blocked, hit in the face, and baseball tackled by the entire Gotham team at the same time (only using them as an example because I just watched them dominate at Regionals recently). People love to hold this lofty view of derby, full of wonderful supportive people who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Maybe you’re lucky enough to come from a drama-free league.

“Stop thinking and just skate!” That was some of the first advice my coach ever gave me when I started jamming six years ago. I thought, “Hey, I can do that!” But I soon realized it's not as easy as it seems. I would find myself on the track over-analyzing what I was doing and becoming frustrated. That is when I started making mistakes. Maybe it's a credit to my skating skills that I have some innate talent for getting through a pack, dodging hits from all sides, and managing to stay upright. Or maybe I wasn't smart enough in derby to use my brain yet.