Recently I met with a group of derby girls from Seattle, Washington. I asked them about the future of derby.
“It’s the junior skaters,” they said, all in agreement. “They can do all kinds of things we can’t.”
“They fall down and literally bounce right back up. “
“They take chances we didn’t take. They come up with moves we didn’t think about.”
“They are redefining the sport from behind us.”
Seems to me that pretty much sums up life, I thought to myself later.
While we are fretting and arguing and trying to plan the future, maybe we should be looking behind us. To the next generation of chance takers, dreamers and bounce-back-uppers.
They may just sneak up behind us with some answers.
(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.
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.
I love the Texas derby girls! Here’s a great True Derby star.
Lady McDeath, known also as McKay, is an art teacher at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas with a degree in psychology and a Master of Fine Arts. She skates with South Side Roller Derby, one of the only banked track leagues in the area, and also with the travel team CutThroat CupCakes.
You’ll love her story.
When did you start derby and why? Best thing that ever happened to me as an adult. Summer before I discovered derby I suffered a case of clinical depression. An existential crisis. I had heard of roller derby and some of my friends did derby, and even though I couldn’t skate, I thought it was the coolest thing. So when I was given a free entry to a derby boot camp, I thought “What am I waiting for.” I went. I was the worst one there. It was the most humiliating and intimidating thing I had ever done in my life. After the camp, I called my Mom and said, “I hurt, I stink and I’m in love.” I just wanted to keep skating and see how far I could go. I was so bad the first two years, so if I can do it, anyone who can get up on skates can do it. I told my friends who wanted to come and watch, “I’ll be the one on my ass most of the time.”
How did you pick the derby name? I have a theater background working as a scenic artist. We had just finished a production of Lady McBeth as a UIL competition when I started derby, and had it on the brain. It just felt right.
What do people say when they hear that you derby? One of two reactions. The first is “OMG, that’s so cool.” The second is “You look like someone who would do roller derby”. I am 6’ tall with blue hair and tattoos. I look the sterotype.
Favorite part of derby? I love the physical part. Women are taught to be nice, not pushy. Now I can be pushy if I want and set aside the need to be the nice girl. That spreads over into my life. Now I can go for what I want and say what I want.
Least favorite part of derby? I’m smart, but not a quick learner physically. It takes me longer to learn techniques. But I’ve learned to be patient and fake it till I get there.
What about derby do people not know? Most people see roller derby as a girl sterotype, like women wrestling. A burlesque on wheels kind of thing. And some leagues own that for their image. I see derby from its totally disciplined side. It’s a lot of hard work and athletic. Even for someone who is 6 ft tall, has blue hair and tattoos.
There is talk that roller derby may become an Olympic sport. I think we all have mixed feelings about that. On one hand we would love the heightened attention to our sport, but that would bring with it all the things that go along with big sports….the endorsements, the elite training and coaching. We don’t want roller derby to lose the flavor that makes it so unique.
Describe the derby community: The derby community is one the best things about the sport. We are all there for each other. If someone gets hurt and goes to the hospital, we are there with her. You are always free to call a team member and just vent, day or night. Same goes for family problems or a need to get out of jail (which so far I haven’t had to do!)
Advice to younger girls—what have you learned from derby? Be patient with yourself. You will never be good at anything if you aren’t patient. You have to be bad before you get good. Also be who you are. And it’s okay to let it all out. People tell me I’m more positive now than before I started skating. More me.
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