Speed Trials

My friend Mel had been to a few practices, and I had been intrigued with the new Roller Derby league in Ottawa since the summer. But somehow, I just let it slip by, always finding some reason not to go. Truth is I was shit scared to put my ass on the line in front of a bunch of girls I didn’t know. But I finally grabbed my courage with both hands and went last night.

Yes, I was nervous, and yes, there were awkward moments, but not nearly as many as I thought there’d be. It was just super fun. True enough, all I did was skate in a circle for two hours, while the other girls whizzed past me doing real drills and even doing a little jamming, but it gave me such confidence on my skates, and I’m super eager to do it again, and again!

The girls themselves were so fun, too. It certainly adds to the whole evening. I’ve only ever been on one sports team in my whole life, and it’s something I think I’ve missed out on a little. I ran, I played tennis, I skied. All solo sports. And even on my softball team, I was an outfielder, meaning I didn’t really have the collegiality that comes from more combined offense/defense players like hockey or soccer. So I was really quite touched when girls I had never spoken to or seen before were coming up to me, pulling me aside, and taking time out of their practice to show me a specific technique or drill. How very inclusive. How wonderfully fulfilling.

I wore my Bike Polo t-shirt to the practice. It’s sort of my own little ode to why I tried it out. I am forever jealous of Angelo’s dedication to bike polo. He gets to travel all over Canada and the US to play, and last year his league hosted a great invitational. I got to watch, and take part in the festivities, but it wasn’t “mine”. I want something that I can make mine.