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I am at home in full gear: kneepads, elbowpads, wrist guards, mouthguard, helmet and of course, the skates. The skates themselves are the root of my home and the center of my belonging. I listen to them and they listen to me. With them, I feel the rush and energy of a burn pace, the excitement of a good hit, and they are with whom I share most intimately the victory of a triumphant jam. This is my place, this is how I live, this is who I have become. This is the person I have embraced, and who I am proud to be.

I am myself on the track, and I judge myself only by my own limitations. I don’t compare myself to others, or think, ‘Why can’t I be more like her? Why can’t I be as pretty or skinny as her?” None of that is relevant. Though I know I could be better, I also know that wishing for it is no way to make it happen. Wishing and dreaming isn’t the same as doing, and I know that the more I push myself and the harder I train, I will reach my goal one day. It will come, eventually, with practice. Hours and hours of practice. A great skater once told me, “In order to have endurance, you must first endure.” I think that could not be more true. Fighting that internal battle of “Am I good enough?” is irrelevant, because I will only ever be as good as I allow myself to be. If I stop halfway through, I am only hurting my ability to endure.

Who am I? I am every skater who believes in herself. I aim to capture the spirit of the ambitious skater. Though I don’t always match up to my highest expectations, I work as hard as I possibly can to improve. The pain I feel in minor injuries only fuels me to skate faster, train harder, and get up quicker from a big hit. If I can improve, even only by a little bit each day, then I am succeeding.

- Lana GetDirty #450

Roller Derby is Magic

I never was one for team sports- as in, I’ve never really played team sports before, so this whole Roller Derby thing was kind of new for me. I love people, though, and I have a positive outlook on almost everything I set out to do, so I figured, what the heck, this might just be for me. I’ve learned a lot since then. Teamwork is hard, being a part of a league is hard- it takes time, effort, and there are plenty of bumps and bruises along the way (literally and figuratively). All of that is superseded by the mere fact that it is the most rewarding sport I have ever been a part of. I am proud to be a rollergirl, I am proud to be a Brawler, and proud to be a Bomber. There’s something about the game that is just too perfect to describe in words.

Spiritually, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned that I CAN be a team player, and that I can interact socially with people. It has done wonders for my self-esteem, my confidence, and my attitude on life. I believe now in myself as an athlete, after almost seven years of being a pretty much sedentary angst ridden, socially awkward teenager.

Physically? I feel amazing. Well, I feel very sore all of the time, and my hamstrings are really tight, and I end up spending fifty dollars a week in copays for physical therapy… But at the end of the day, I feel like I am really making a difference in my life and that I getting stronger and better after every practice… Not all practices make me feel better, just like not every scrimmage was an improvement… Overall, though, I would say that I am feeling myself get just a little stronger. The more I push, I feel small improvements- like I can do one more pushup than last practice, things like that- and that is what really matters.

As SporkofTitan (Potomac Ripper) said, “Roller Derby is magic.”

I know what that means. That means that no matter what, this game is amazing, and this is why we play, and this magical game is what changed my life.

Magic.

- Lana GetDirty #450

Exciting Time of Year

It is officially my favorite time of year - the end of summer, leading into fall is such a wonderful time. The colors start to change, the air gets crisper, you can buy pumpkin flavored things everywhere!, and school is back is session. It also means new fresh meat  and the Bay State Brawlers continuing to grow! We have a great group of skaters that started practice on Wednesday. Here they are after their first night of practice...still smiling.

September 2012 Fresh Meat Class

It also means that our bouting season is nearing its end. April seems so long ago and as a league we've grown in so many ways since then. Our first season bouting as the Bay State Brawlers has overall been a pretty successful one. We've had some ups and downs with all our teams - close wins, big losses, and everything in between. The Petticoat Punishers are looking forward to playing their 2nd team from a WFTDA league this weekend when they take on the Yankee Brutals of the Connecticut Roller Girls. We have played against leagues from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine so far this year!

Punishers showing great teamwork vs. MARD

The Brawlin' Broads are the only team that has ended their season. With a team of almost all brand new skaters they finished the season 3-0. It was a fun season that provided me an opportunity to try my hand at coaching. There is no way I could have done that without the fantastic Ashlee Juggz as Bench Manager. 

2012 Broads

Our 3 home teams have also had a great season playing each other throughout the season this year. The Switchblade Sallies are 2-0 on the season and have an automatic bid into the championship game on Oct. 27th. The Bluestocking Bombers and my team, the LumberJackies, will be competing on Oct. 12 for the opportunity to face the Sallies for the home team championships (and bragging rights for the whole off-season).

It has been an amazing first season as a league and we still have 3 bouts to go. Hope to see you in the stands for at least a one of the last bouts. Tickets are available online so get yours and come cheer on your favorite BSB team!

-Sandra Mean

An Incredible Year

One year ago, March 2^nd to be exact, I took the plunge and joined the Fresh Meat class offered by what was then CMRD. Wow has my life changed dramatically since then. In the past year I went from learning basic skills and struggling to pass my assessments, being teamed and my first bout, to being on the BSBRD board and being named to the Punishers, and making some of the most amazing friends a girl could have in her life. 

Let’s back up a little bit to the start of my “derby career”, I had known I wanted to derby since I was quite young – for me it was way before seeing “Whip It” or watching “Rollergirls” on A&E. I remember watching banked track derby on TV in the late 80’s when it would come on after American Gladiators. I would watch and think, that is a sport I could LOVE! I was never most athletic person–yes, I played sports in jr. high, threw shot put in high school, but no one was ever going to call me an athlete. Always in the back of my head was this crazy sport where being a “big girl” could actually be an advantage. 

The start of my derby career – at a BDD Clinic  

When I moved to Boston in 2006 I did some research and found the Boston Derby Dames. After a number of years of health issues, I finally felt ready to give this crazy sport a try in the fall of 2010. I went to a few BDD clinics, bought my gear at Bruised - fell a couple times just trying on my skates - and went to the BDD tryouts in October. I knew there was about zero chance I was going to make their league that year, but I wanted to at least give it a try. Once I didn’t make it and assumed that I would try again next year until my fabulous friend Arrow introduced me to BA and the new fresh meat program she was going to run. I decided to take the plunge and join the league.

 My fresh meat class

While some of my fresh meat mates sailed through the beginning of our class easily, I struggled a fair amount. I wanted it badly and worked my ass off (quite literally) at practice and open skates. It took me 2 times to pass my level 1 assessment which made me want it more. I knew that roller derby was something that I loved and was determined that I would be successful at it. I knew I would never be the best on the track, but I was going to be the best I could be for my team. After I passed my level 1 assessment I was able to move on to the “hitting” phase of our training my love for derby was reaffirmed. I’m not sure what it says about me, but I really love hitting and being hit by my friends on the track! I picked up some AWESOME bruises along the way and gave a few too. Again, a number of classmates assessed for their level 2s and passed while I still had work to do to be safe on the track. Luckily, I had Kenya going along at the same pace I was. While I cheered them I kept skating and working on my skills until I passed in late June. I was super pumped to be able to scrimmage, but even more so to officially make shirts with my name and number.

My name honors my late mother-in-law who would have loved this sport and my number is is my telephone prefix growing up in MN.

It was then time to start scrimmaging and have the opportunity to be drafted on to a home team before the 2011 season was over. I had no idea how quickly that would happen! I started scrimmaging and generally felt like a waste of space on the track. I often could see what was happening or going to happen, but couldn’t get myself to the spot I needed to be. It was very frustrating, but I could feel myself getting a little more helpful to my teammates with each scrimmage that went by. In mid-July I was informed I was drafted – I was officially a Bluestocking Bomber…and I would be playing in my first bout in a week! That meant a quick call to Derby Skinz to get my shiny gold skirt and thankfully not too much time to freak out.

 Pumped to be a Bomber!

I was able to bout with the Bombers twice in 2011 which apparently makes me a vet now. It is pretty crazy to think that other skaters in our league look at me like I looked at all those other skaters a year ago. Somehow, through this crazy journey of the last year, I’ve learned how to hold my own on the track, but still have a ton to learn about the game. Derby has given me one of the best years of my life – and I know this year is going to be even more incredible.

 

Look forward to seeing you on the track.

Sandra Mean