When I went to my first bout I had no idea what to expect. I’d never heard of roller derby before but when we got there it all seemed very exciting. I spent the first half an hour frantically reading the rules in the programme, hoping to understand them before the game actually started………. I think by the end of the bout I sort of had them!
At the afterparty, when someone asked me if I wanted to give it a go, I got caught up in the excitement of the day (or was that the beer?) and said yes. A couple of people held me to my word and I ended up at practice a few weeks later.
I’ve never really been a sporty person, the closest I got was throwing a javelin through the PE teacher’s trouser leg on sports day so I was really nervous, (plus the fact that I hadn’t been on roller skates for about 15 years!) but I shuffled into the sports centre and was handed a pair of skates. The first session I spent wobbling about like a weeble only without the ability to keep upright. I went home and thought that I’d never be as good as the dolls, so wouldn’t go again, but thankfully I had someone to tell me to “shut up and carry on going”. So I did!
The dolls were (and still are) so supportive, encouraging and friendly which is really comforting, especially when you’re starting something new and don’t know anyone. I was soon buying all my own stuff and actually looking forward to Sundays. There’s nothing like a 3 hour practice to banish that Sunday feeling!! Now several months on and the amazing training from everyone means I’m improving all the time. I can’t thank the dolls enough, I’m so proud to be part of LRD, and would recommend it to anyone. No matter how awful you think you’ll be, just remember that loads of the dolls were rubbish at first, so stick with it!
Shere Carnage, #209, skater
