Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Started Derby

• Don’t complain. We look for the strongest, fastest athletes. More than that we look at the skaters with positive attitudes.
• Don’t ever drop out of a drill. Unless you are injured (not hurting- injured) do not stop during a drill. As a fresh meat, I was one of the slowest skaters. I could barely keep up with the paceline. My lungs and body burned the entire time. I occasionally dropped back and skated along the inside of the track. No body ever told me to suck it up and get back. As a current skater, I can see why. People want to see your natural work ethic. When you drop out of drills, skaters assume you’re lazy. No one wants a lazy teammate.
• Come to every practice. Sometimes you have family stuff, work late, or even don't want to come to practice. It's understandable that you can't make every practice, but in the end you will always feel good about going and always feel guilty about skipping.
• You are going to fall..A LOT. There is not getting around it, you are going to fall on your bum, all the time, and you get right back up and TRY TRY TRY again! 

            

• It's OK to spend time pick out your boutfit! The first bout I spent an hour deciding what I was going to wear! It's OK! Now I have a pretty good idea what I am going to wear depending on what color my jersey is for that bout. 
• Practice skating outside of practice...WEAR ALL YOUR GEAR!!! On a nice day go out and take a skate- yeah the sidewalk is bumpy but that will help with your all around skills! ALWAYS wear your gear. I never used to wear my helmet until I had a nasty fall outside and it scared me, I always wear my helmet now. AND be CAREFUL about taking your cell phones on skates- when you fall you can crack your screen (o_O) I have lost about 3 phones due to falling :(
  
• No one wants to hear why you “can’t.” Excuses are, by far, the most frustrating things to hear as a teammate. 99% of the time, whatever your reasoning is for not being able to do something is bull. Think about what you’re going to say and really consider if it’s possibly in that one percent.
• Don’t date in derby. I could (and will) write an entire blog about what a terrible idea this is. For now, just trust me. I have seen it destroy a team.
• Volunteer. Sign up to work bouts and events. It shows us your commitment to the league. 
• Derby is 50% fun and 50% work.Sometimes you have to treat it like a job. Once you become a derby girl the league expects you to take on jobs and perform them professionally. We depend on each skater to make a league run smoothly.
• Make time for your non-derby friends. Derby will take over your life in the most exciting ways possible but it will also take time and attention from your family and friends. Just like you must make time for off-skates training, your 9 to 5 and sleeping, you must make time for your old friends. I barely saw or spoke with my old friends for the first 2 years of my derby career and I wish I had been better about giving them attention.                                                             
• The game is infinitely more mental than you could have ever predicted.Physical exhaustion pales in comparison to the emotional ride derby will give you. Stay strong and remember why you wanted to skate in the first place. I’ve seen women with so much potential turn into ineffective players because they let negative self-image destroy their dreams. I’ve, also, seen women that looked hopeless turn into amazing athletes through perseverance and a positive attitude. Nurture yourself and the women around you.
• Exercise outside practice. Practices will only take you as far as your muscles can. If you don't work out outside of practice- you won't get any better.
• Never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough or strong enough. Prove them wrong every time.
• Don’t let anyone dictate what position you can play based on your size. "Sizeism" exists in the derby universe. There’s no getting around being typecast based on your build. Having a tiny body lends itself to speed and jamming. Thickness lends itself to stability and blocking. That being said, we all play derby because we love it. Why play a position that you hate? Built like an amazon and want to jam? Have fun watching an opposing blocker try to knock down or push out your thickness. Tiny girls, next time someone implies you are somehow inferior based on your size ask them if they’ve ever ran into a pole before :)                                                                     

• Most importantly, believe you are an athlete others will too. If you do not train and behave like an athlete you cannot expect others to treat you as such.

~Thumpy