But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility... Eph. 2:13-14

Sunday, December 4

Um... Jammer Lammy?

Saturday night I went to my first Roller Derby. You may wonder how I of all people ended up at a sporting event known for tough girls and bruises. Or maybe you're wondering why this is my first. Or maybe you're wondering how you even ended up on this blog. I can't help you with that last one (welcome, by the way!) but I can tell you how I ended up cheering for The Smashinistas.

A long time ago (May 10th, 2010, to be exact) I read a nifty article by mental_floss. I wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about, but this ancient skating sport sounded pretty rad. Then I read a few comments, and decided that Roller Girls had to be some of the most adventurous, exciting people alive. I thought to myself, "Wow, I'd really like to see that someday," then closed the browser and went back to writing a paper that had nothing to do with skating.

After that I came very near to forgetting that Roller Derby even existed. Until one day not too long ago when my father told me something amazing. He said that his workplace is a Roller Derby sponsor, and that are rather frequent drawings for tickets to bouts. After telling him about my year-long (albeit dormant) desire to see one in action, he agreed to enter the next drawing. Not many people typically enter that drawing, and so Saturday night saw dad and me on a Father-Daughter date to see the Arch Rival Roller Girls do their thing.

At first it was a little overwhelming. I hadn't thought to go back and look up the rules and system of the sport. Honestly, I was just expecting a race. Thankfully the program explained how everything worked, and about halfway through the first bout I was able to understand enough to know when my team of choice was doing well and when they were being crushed.
I had a blast, and my dad had fun, too. I had been afraid that there would be too much promiscuity to enjoy myself, but besides the Roller Girls "uniforms", it really wasn't too bad, for which I was extremely thankful!

I know I could never be a Roller Derby Girl myself, but I am fascinated by the whole thing. I haven't skated in years, and now I'm dying to go to the roller rink. I've even started creating a sort of Roller Derby Girl Alter Ego. Is that creepy? Maybe. And I'm not sure how it jives with my hippie-ness. But hey, if it motivates me into getting some exercise, I'm more than happy to be Princess Slaya!

Peace,
Sarah