Category Archives: True Derby

Derby attracts a wide range of skaters. They come from all backgrounds and in all flavors. Each is following her own path. Here are a few of their stories.

Art of the Listen - Bench Talk, True Derby

Falling Down

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(broken bench in France.  Photographer unknown, but obviously he or she got up!)

Yes, falling down is a good thing.

Ask any newbie skater in  “Fresh Meat” derby training.  The first thing you are taught is how to fall down.  And how to fall down correctly.  And how to get back up quickly without making a mess of everything and tripping everyone else in the process.

Oh, I can hear you now saying,” just keep from falling down!”

Or, second,” just stay out of roller derby”, you may be thinking.

But, as it is said on every derby track across the world, derby is a  metaphor for life.  And you WILL fall down in the process of life.  In business, in love, in parenting, in…well just in everything.

So, best to be ready.  Take some tips from the girls on the track.

GET PROTECTIVE GEAR.  In derby that is knee pads, elbow pads, wrist bands., a helmet.  In life it may be a circle of friends, good investment advice, some research, a good book to read on a lonely night, a little in savings, a faith in something bigger than yourself.

DON’T FALL BACKWARDS.  Keep moving forward.  it’s easier to use your arms and legs to get up if you are not flat on your butt.  And also easier to break something really important (like your back or your tailbone) if you are hanging back.  Easier to recover in life if you are looking forward.

FALL SMALL.  This, my dear reader, is the most important.  If you know you are going down, get ready.  Knees, elbows, wrists (all padded) in a tight ball, and presto…you’re back up in no time.  And you haven’t tripped up everyone around you or pulled them down with you.

And my favorite, THE BEST TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT GETTING UP IS WHEN YOU ARE HEADED DOWN.

In the meantime, Skate On!

Darla

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True Derby

Derby Pop Quiz #1

Time for a break in my Bench Talks…enough about what I think.

Let’s talk about Roller Derby.

This highly under-publicized and misunderstood sport is poised to roll out on the international sports stage in a big way.   Best you appear knowledgeable when it does!

It’s Back to School Time, so here is the first of a series of Pop Quizzes, designed to get you up to speed (so to speak).  I’ll take this first answer, then look for some of the officiating pros to answer the next ones.

Q:  “It appears that roller derby is sort of like pro wrestling.  If everyone is just trying to knock everyone else down, how do they keep score?”

A:  Oh, my dears.  Look closer.  While there is a lot of controlled and highly regulated shoving going on, there is truly a purpose.   Think football (although no one carries a ball), and the Quarterback Sneak play.

The Jammer, like the quarterback in football, uses the Blockers on her team to sneak through the lines of the opponent.  The first time she is able to do that, she gets an opportunity to speed around the track and do it again in order to score.  That’s called “lapping” the opponent and where the scores come from (in a pretty simplistic way).

Of course, it gets a little more complicated because each team has its own Jammer trying to get through.  And the blockers on each team are essentially playing Offense and Defense at the same time because everyone is headed in the same direction.

And to add another layer of complication, there are two jammers on each opposing team who can trade off that responsibility to each other during play by changing helmet covers.

But, that’s a good start for the pop quizzes.  And it will give you something to think about during football halftime commentary.

For more detail (and to be ready for the next Pop Quiz) visit the official rules site  for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

In the meantime,

SKATE ON!

Darla

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True Derby

World Cup? Roller Derby’s got one…

While you may be watching soccer or baseball today, this World Cup took place  in the UK.    Not only did teams from across the world compete, but 2018 saw the appearance of Team Indigenous…a group of skaters selected from countries without specific teams.    They used the platform to raise awareness and funds to fight abuse of women in these often unheard of nations.

(Spoiler….USA won.)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/team-indigenous-to-compete-in-roller-derby-world-cup-1.4509232

And you thought roller derby was all about fishnet….

SKATE ON!

Darla

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Art of the Listen - Bench Talk, True Derby, Twinkle Lights Stories

Natalie’s Light

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As you know from the book, in my story I see the twinkle lights when I can’t figure things out.  And they point the way.

When Natalie couldn’t see her way, she took her life.  This nightmare, however, sent a different kind of inspiration to her mother.  The result is this beautiful woman’s path to shed light where other teenagers may see none.

Many thanks to the Augusta Soul City Sirens roller derby club for making Natalie’s Light their charity.

Please visit her website.

Enough said.

SKATE ON, NINA

Darla

(A bench in Big Bend National Park, TX and a light from above was a perfect spot for this blog piece.)

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Art of the Listen - Bench Talk, True Derby

True Derby – Reckoning with the Night Witch

So you reckon you know something about derby?  We caught up with the Night Witch, April, the bench coach for the Sirens at the Augusta regional Low Down Thrown Down.  I asked her when she started to derby…..

Enjoy her story and watch for this sport to go mainline.

SKATE ON, Night Witch!

Darla

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