Lunachic Reports - Meat Kris

“So what if you ARE the worst skater?” retorted my husband after listening to me vocalize my apprehension about committing to OPCDG’s January recruitment for the nth time. “Would you let that stop you from doing something you want to do?”  I stopped whining for a second and definitively answered, “No.”  That settled it; I was going to do this thing.

The derby deck seems stacked against me: I’m not athletic, never been on a sports team, I just turned 37, I’m a desk jockey by day and horribly out of shape, I haven’t spent a significant amount of time on skates since the 8th grade, and yet, I hear the siren’s call.

At orientation, we get to watch the league members practice.  The drills include carrying equipment bags while speeding around the rink, and weaving in an out of a line of skaters.  Instead of being intimidated, I’m inspired, since most of them have been skating for a little over a year.

The first thing they do is teach you how to fall, something I CAN do.  You learn to trust your equipment, and keep your splayed fingers off the floor.  Then, we work on stopping and slowing down.  I’m tired and ravenous at the end of the 2-hour practice, but pleased to recall that my nervousness quickly disappeared, and was replaced with determination and fun.