Getting There

It was my first time watching a roller derby game on Saturday.

Let's start here... I pulled up in the parking lot of the westerner, only a couple dozen cars were there so far, feeling a little overwhelmed. I was arriving alone and I didn't really know who to talk to when I went in. I walked up to the main doors praying that I would see someone I knew and they could point me in the right direction.I'm getting pretty good at confrontation with strangers, so I wasn't as nervous as I used to get in these situations. When I walked into the area where the derby was happening, I didn't see anyone I knew right away. I panicked a little. The nightshades were in the middle of the track, in a loose huddle, getting ready to do their warm up. Feeling like a dumb-ass, I wondered around for a few minutes waiting for someone to notice that I was lost. With no success, I then slowly walked up to the semi-huddled pack. Finally, one girl noticed and walked toward me. I asked her where to go if I was here to help. She confidently pointed me to The Jester (One of the ref's). After a bit of scrambling, because I wasn't on the NSO list (I don't even know what that stands for yet), they found me a job. I was to do outside white. I had no idea what that was or how to do it, but after a brief review of my job description I was on my way. Seemed simple enough: stand on the outside corner, write down the penalties, and hold them up for the people on the inside of the track. Luckily I was in charge of that for the second bout only, so I got to watch the girl in charge of the first bout do it first.

After that i started to run into a few people I knew and people I didn't know so well... All the girls friendly and easy to get along with so far. In addition to the people I have already mentioned, I met a few more awesome (and interesting) people. The first people I would like to talk about are the guys. These are the guys on the men's team. Some of them are referee's... The ones I have met so far are all ref's, The Jester, General Thruster, and Nomad. Now, let's get one thing straight! Not anybody can be a ref! There is a process involved, rigorous testing, and demonstrating perfect skill. These guys can skate!! I can't wait to see the men's team in action! When do you play?

Then I started to meet more of the girls... some still rookies and NSOing like me... Amanda, Scourge Her, and Julia (not sure if she is a rookie or not). Also Flux, who was out due to an injury. These girls are my future teammates. Then the Nighshades and Belladonna's... Naomi (Not sure what her derby name is), Fatal Fantasy, Razor Wrecked It, and Stitch Rip Her. All awesome ladies so far.

Finally the first bout was starting! I sat down in suicide seating and got my camera ready. The Belladonna's are in the purple.

That's what I got to see... very up close and personal! I have to say, although this was a very entertaining experience I learned way more than I thought I was going to just by watching. I learned that a scrimmage and a game are the same thing except a scrimmage is with your own team. I seriously thought they were different. It's okay, go ahead and laugh. I learned what the blockers do, what the jammers do, and how it all works together. I can't wait to get on the team and really learn the game.

I have so much more to say about Saturday, but I will leave it at that for now so I can get this post out.