Diary of a Derby Girl: Contact

So it has now begun. The Freshies have begun contact. Before, the only time we fell was because it was our own fault. Now there could be a hit coming at any time – paranoid much?
The very first contact we did was with a wall. In a controlled manner this time. We stood with the wall beside us, got into derby stance and used our hips to hit the wall. “Hit it like you shut a car door when you have your hands full!”
I can do that! This contact thing may not be as scary as I thought! Well let me tell you a story.
After we moved on from using the wall as target practice we partnered up and started hitting each other with our hips. After we apologised profusely after every hit and missed-hit, the adrenaline kicked in. Somehow I got partnered with Punch – one of our awesome dimpled coaches. She was complimenting me on my hip checks and then she checked me back. The first time was fine, it hurt a little but I didn’t go flying. Then all of a sudden WHAM! I lost my breath and my balance and let out a huge OW! (I stayed on my feet though!) I look over at Punch and she had a cheeky smile on her face and she said, “Ok, now I know how hard I can hit you!”

 Say what! She was going easy on me the second time even! I have got a lot of work to do to be able to give and receive these hits. As well as be hit while concentrating on a million other things going on in a jam.
One of the things we get taught is not to apologise when we hit someone. It is part of the game, plus it ruins our tough-girl image! But when you send a teammate sprawling on the floor it is hard not to yell SORRY!! I am sure I will get used to it, as well as be the victim many, many times
Looking back on my last post, I didn’t quite pass my first round of skills testing – all the ‘hard’ stuff I was worried about I passed, it was the basics that failed me! My un-fitness is catching up on me and my challenge is to get low and stay low. Endurance is my downfall and after 20 or so laps my legs are burning and my back is complaining, so I am getting my core strength up so in a week or so when we re-test I will hopefully pass and be able to train with the Big Girls or ‘Old Meat’ as we affectionately call them.
In other derby news – ‘my’ derby name that I had so carefully chosen has popped up on the International Rollergirls Roster so it is back to the drawing board for me. My life has been consumed with coming up with a witty, punny derby name.

Summing up:
Hit hard. No apologising. Get lower. Engage core. Be tough.
xx