On Not Making The Team

This month marks my first year anniversary since joining derby.
 
I’ve had a relatively smooth ride as a roller girl. Since I’d skated as a child, I didn’t have to climb that mountain. I was bumped up to intermediate practice without having to formally take the basic skills test and I’ve made every roster that I’ve been eligible for.

Things have come easily to me, and many times I’ve wondered how well I’d deal with bumps in the road.

When I found out I hadn’t made the team for Tattoo Freeze, I went through three phases.

First I felt depressed.

“I suck, I should just quit roller derby,” I thought to myself. About three milliseconds after that thought had been voiced, the rational side of my mind was laughing at me. “Yeah, right. You wouldn’t last a week.”

Fair enough. That was self-pity out of the way.

Next came anxiety. Everyone knew I'd been hoping to get on the team. Were they feeling sorry for me? Were they relieved? Was that why they were being so nice to me? Were they watching everything I did and analysing it to see if I was bitter? I forced a smile onto my face. It probably looked like a grimace.

After about five minutes of that, I remembered that other people’s lives do not, in fact, revolve around me, and my not making the team was a tiny blip on their radar. They  probably gave it half a second’s thought, if they actually noticed at all.

And so anxiety too was set aside.

That allowed rational thought to be heard. Once the emotional cloud had cleared, I came to to a realisation.

Here’s the thing: making the team does not prove my worth as a skater. Sure, only good skaters make the team, but not making the team doesn’t make me a bad skater. It’s not a test where if I work really hard I’ll definitely pass. Whether or not I get on the team is dependent on a lot of variables, many of which I have absolutely no control over.

A roller derby team needs different kinds of players. It needs a certain ratio of blockers to jammers and of hard hitters to dodgers. Some players are able to pull off a particular tactic flawlessly, some players work better together than others.

Sometimes my particular skills aren’t going to be what the team needs, and that’s okay.

In the end, I don’t want to just ‘make the team’. I want a skater that makes the team better.

So here are my tips if you don’t make the cut-off: indulge your bad mood for a little while. Wallow in your own self pity. Then get over it. Stay clear-headed and try to improve.

And if that doesn’t work? You know what to do.

Birmingham Blitz Dames' 2011 in Review

I wrote this for the Birmingham Blitz Dames' Blog. It was not requested and I gave them little choice in posting it.


Lost in weekly practices, the run up to bouts and the signing up for bootcamps, it's hard to believe the year has passed so quickly. 2011 draws to a close on a very different Blitz Dames than it welcomed it, but while we've made a lot of changes, our spirit remains the same! Here's a rundown of this year's achievements.

Just Awesome proves Outstandingly Awesome
Being off skates for an injury is an unfortunate aspect of derby no player looks forward to. This year the very lovely Just Awesome had to take time off to rest her knee, but in the meantime took on the demanding and stressful role of line-up manager. This requires indepth knowledge of tactics, skaters' abilities and how not to fall apart when faced with fourteen adrenaline-loaded rollergirls.

Claiming New Territory
Halfway through the year we made the transition from spreading our three practices across two venues, to our new home, the Birmingham Futsul Arena. At first we were uncertain of the sports tile floor, but we soon realised that our wheels on the tiles sounded like a helicopter. The only problem is the excess of blue gives one an urge to do the breast stroke while skating in a pace line.

A New Drill Sergent
Previously the strange guy who skated so fast he was often called for a multiplayer block on his own, the Blitz Dames voted Rex Tangle in as their coach and he's stepped up to the challenge admirably. The hardest part no doubt is to get us to shut up and do the damn drill. About six months after he was appointed, I finally figured out what his name is about. Rex Tangle. Rectangle. Get it???

Supplies
We are proud to announce we finally have our own online store, where you can buy merch to support us and look mighty fine at the same time. Coming soon, sweat, blood and tear stained items from our top skaters! (Subject to availability.)

Bouts Hosted
Although this year had its share of away bouts, we also hosted a handful of at home double headers, giving our B team skaters a chance to show their skills. The Bout production team had a lot of new members this year, but they functioned professionally and pulled off several stellar events.

The World Cup
This year there was a little thing known as the Blood and Thunder, First Roller Derby World Cup ever, held in Toronto, Canada. You might have seen that Violet Attack's hot pants were there! Infact, Violet Attack were also there, representing Team England, while Roisin Roulette represented Team Ireland. To celebrate we made an Attack of the Rollergirls tshirts. We offered to make a similar shirt for RR, but she just gave us an unnerving stare and asked if we were feeling lucky.

Pretty good work for a year! Roll on 2012!