Go Big Or Go Home

By: Luciana Pulverotti

So we’re three games into our season with a 1-2 record (bummer) and I received an email from Bonnie Thunders of the Gotham All Stars asking the entire east coast to help them reach their 2 in region minimum. My honest first reaction was, “Hell yeah!” What a great opportunity to play the number one team in THE WORLD. (Literally!)

I have been captain of the Stepford Sabotage, Connecticut's All Star team for three seasons running. We’ve had our share of epic moments and downright heartbreak of slowly slithering down in the rankings, but I had NO doubt that my teammates would share in the same excitement (did I also mention panic?) of stepping up to the challenge. We had nothing to lose, but SO much to gain from this experience.

What would our strategy be, stepping onto the floor? What were we looking to gain? What was our goal? ....Holy shit, we were going to be playing against Suzy Hotrod and Bonnie Thunders!!!! I didn't know the answers to those questions, but we had 3 weeks to figure them out. Surprisingly the team seemed rather somber as the weeks trudged along.

GAME DAY! Let me just tell you, every minute derby detail exists within the Crash Pad. We were floored by how well their league runs (kudos to them). That alone was an eye opener to the room our league has for growth. It was apparent from the instant the All Stars huddled that they only existed as one (extremely solid and intimidating) unit. Their warm-ups were fast, precise and done at 100%. The room roared at the sound of their wheels hitting the floor. You can’t help but be fascinated by their strength and focus. It was very inspiring, and that was just their warm-up! I could feel the anxiety building as the minutes wound down to the first whistle. I mean seriously, what was about to happen to us?!

Nothing, of course! We played derby, and we all survived it. All I can tell you is that I am SO proud of my teammates, and it was worth every heart flutter or skipped beat. We never gave up and we fought until the last whistle. To walk into that game thinking we would win would just be crazy talk, but I can tell you that we learned so much from it. To be the best you have to play the best, right? (I'm sure someone a long time ago said that for a reason.) It never really clicked until now. Watching how quickly they recover and re-engage will only make me push myself that much harder at practice. Seeing how unstoppable they are TOGETHER will help us focus on our teamwork.

Moral? Don’t sell yourselves short. Don't downplay your abilities. You are better and more capable than you make yourself out to be. Playing bigger and better teams will only make you bigger and better. It's really that simple (minus all of the grueling hours and hard work in between). It's one thing to watch higher ranked teams duke it out, but it was a completely different experience living it first hand. So, whatever region you live in, wherever your league sits in rankings, get out and challenge yourselves.