The derby season is starting up and fresh meat intakes are being advertised around the country. You may have been eyeing out the game for a while, attended a few bouts or even strapped on your old dusty skates for the first time in over a decade. But are you truly ready to become a derby girl?
When Holly Not-Likely and I signed up for Fresh Meat with the Western Sydney Rollers in October 2010, we had almost three months to prepare for our first training night. We had all our gear and were hitting Penrith Skatel and public outdoor courts whenever we could. Neither of us had skated in years and openly considered ourselves non-skaters. Doing our own research the message was clear: the most important thing we could do was get on our skates whenever we could! As our first training night approached we were feeling slightly more confident on our skates. Things took a turn about three weeks in when I received my first derby injury…
Starting our five minute endurance, I lost my balance within a metre off the mark and hit the polished sports court knee first. Padded up in my 187 Killer Pads I got up, continue the whole night without a second thought. The next day I got off the train and felt a strange feeling in my knee. Though uncomfortable, I managed to skate on it up to five days a week for the next month, until I could barely walk on it. It was devastating to take the time off, but there was no way I could physically skate anymore.
Resting up for the next 4 weeks, I thought I was good to go. Three sessions back, I tapped it slightly and the pain as almost instant. Stupidly, it was only then I started to take the problem more seriously. I’d been to the doctors about it a few times since it happened, but now it was onto physio.
Two months later, I was back on the track with the latest batch of WSR skaters. It wasn’t long before I passed my yellow star and began training for my very first bout with the girls I started with. Three weeks to go and counting, I hit the ground and tore a ligament in my other leg. When my doctor told me I would need to take at least three weeks off, I walked home crying. I was out of the bout….
Three weeks turned out to be a couple of months before I could get in to see a specialist to get an mri, so I got both knees looked at. I started physio and once again the road to recovery. Two weeks in (and hopefully only four to go), I try to stay focused on my own situation and try not to think that everyone continues to improve while I can’t even skate. It has however, given me a lot to think about and if I was just about to start derby, there would be a few things I would be focusing on.
Get the right gear: Your body is worth the investment in proper protective gear. The price for a good set of kneepads is nothing compared to the price of being injured. Sure, you may want to test the waters first, but inexperience tends to equal a greater chance of injury. Don’t risk it!
Skate when you can: Just because it’s called fresh meat, doesn’t mean everyone will be complete beginners. You may be in a group with people who have skated all their lives. This can be intimidating and may affect your self-confidence as a new skater. Try to focus on your own goals and don’t be afraid to ask them for help or advice. Remember: they were beginners once too.
Learn the Basics: Check out youtube and learn your stops, crossovers and skating techniques. There is a WEALTH of information out there and other derby girls are always willing to help. If you don’t have anywhere out of training to skate, then study the videos and watch as many games as you can. It’s an excellent way to begin visualising what the trainers are trying to teach you.
STRETCH!!!! For me, this is one of the most important things. According to the last WFTDA Demographic Survey, the average age for derby girls is 25-34. In my early twenties, I was spending a minimum of three hours at the gym or walking at least five days a week. But since then I have had a baby, studied off-campus (on my bed every night) for four years and gained about 20kgs. Although my core fitness was still ok, my flexibility had suffered. When I started, I could barely get through endurance without having to skate off and stretch out my shin splints several times. Many girls enter the sport without prior athletic experience – derby is physically demanding – inflexibility may contribute to pain or injury.
Strengthen: Knowing how to skate is only the beginning… Derby takes great strength, focusing on stretching and strengthening your body NOW may save you from having time off in the future. Start knee strengthening exercises and core strengthening exercises, if you have had a prior injury, visit your physiotherapist and ask them to cater an exercise program for your needs. Derby is hard on your body, you must prepare yourself.
(If you get injured you will go back to stretch and strengthen exercises to prepare your body for the game. Don’t wait for an injury to prepare your body – DO IT NOW!!!)
Know what you have got yourself into: Derby is a full contact sport – those girls you see bouting make it look easy – but it is HARD work! You may fair well with other girls at your level, but try scrimmaging against a more experienced team – it’s a wakeup call (even when they are going easy on you!). You will be hit, you will get knocked down, and you may not get back up at some stage: this is the reality of derby.
PROTECT YOURSELF: Your knee pads are designed to slide, if you need to cover them because your training venue has a nice new polished floor, invest in Teflon. I still maintain that felting my knee pads was a MAJOR contributing factor in my first injury. Sudden jointing movements will damage your knees. So find an alternative to felt or waxing polar fleece that will allow you to slide. Ligament damage is complicated and sometimes difficult to repair, knees aren’t designed to play derby – so look after them.
You may also like to look at person/income protection insurance like Hotrod’s Derby Insurance. If you require time away from work, physio treatment, support braces etc, these things quickly add up.
Get a second opinion: If you get hurt, stop skating, apply basic first aid and find out what’s wrong immediately. If things aren’t improving and your GP still just wants you to rest, demand further action, the quicker you get to the bottom of the problem, the faster you can begin your recovery.
Support each other: Everyone has different strengths and weakness: this actually contributes to an awesome derby team. Ask for help (even if you are the only one struggling), and never pass off the opportunity to help someone else.
Have fun: Derby is an excellent social and physical outlet, but it is also fun! Don’t beat yourself up if you’re the last to nail a T-stop, focus on the positives, and measure yourself by your own achievements. Derby takes confidence, determination and commitment – believe in yourself and you will get there!
Finally..
Derby is amazing: your life will change when you become involved (obsessed) with the sport. This makes it extremely difficult to deal with if your body prevents you from being involved.
If you get injured, don’t rush through recovery to get back on the track or you may be back off-skates for longer (trust me).
Established leagues are a great big family and it’s common to feel like an outsider until you form new friendships. Don’t expect to get along with everyone; the goal is to work together as a team. In time, you will find your place within the league, with perseverance, you will succeed.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
doom bug
special thanks Lisbeth 
Injury. It’s an ugly word which unfortunately often goes hand-in-hand with a tough, physical, contact sport like roller derby. Unless by some miracle you’ve somehow escaped its clutches chances are most skaters have picked up some sort of injury on their pursuit to derby greatness.
