My first few practices, Part 1

Hi ya'll! I am Fresh Meat, or a freshie as the vets like to call us. I've been with ACRD, Apple City Roller Derby, since the first week of February, 2012. From the moment I saw a bout August 2011, I fell in love with derby. It was the way the women played, the strategy and the sportsmanship of the game. I was mesmerized. I pictured myself in a badass outfit, puny name and a ton of fans cheering my awesome derby name. Hell yes, this sport was for me.

So when I saw that Fresh Meat was opening up, I asked my husband if he would be OK with me trying derby. He said, go for it babe. (BEST HUSBAND EVER!!) He also says to me, " I love you but did you forget how accident prone you are? Oh sh*t, maybe it won't make a difference? I went to a recruitment seminar and it just made me want derby even more. I paid my league fees and signed up. No turning back now.

The night before my first practice, I barely got any sleep. Nerves, excitement and fear all in one emotion. The place where we skate is 15 minutes away. My stomach was in knots the entire drive. It was enough to make me want to puke. I walk in and was greeted by our coach, Coach D. She lined us up and says to us, lets warm up before we gear up. Huh? OK, I thought, how bad could it be? 20 minutes later I was already spent. Lunges, endless squats, heel/toe walks, grapevine, ins and outs, planks, jumping jacks, run around the track....WOWZERS. Reality check, my ass was NOT as in shape as I thought. 

As I sat there panting, I pulled my gear out of my bag. How the hell does this stuff go on? After a few minutes I was able to get geared up. As soon as I stood up I realized, I don't know how to skate. I skated a few weekends here and there as a kid. I even owned a pair of old school Care Bear skates at one point. That was when I was 10. As I attempted to roll, I started wobbling. I bet I looked like Bambi when he first took his first few steps. I hear coach say, everyone to the middle of the track to stretch. Ok, I can do that. I don't remember how I got there, but when I did I fell......hard. I am pretty sure I fell on my skate. After stretching, those of us who didn't know how to skate were told to go outside the track and skate. SKATE??!! I didn't know how. I watched a few girls roll, but not pick their feet up. So, I coasted that entire practice. I was so proud of myself. Little did I know that coasting would be one of my biggest "bad habits" to break. Stopping consisted of  falling MANY times.

1 1/2 hours later, it was over. I took a beating, but I wanted more. I'd have to wait 2 days before I could roll again. Trust me, that is enough. The next day I could hardly move. Small tasks like walking, sitting, coughing sucked. It was like that for weeks.

Here is where my adventure begins. I will try to bring ya'll up to speed.