The final round of newbie testing was Tuesday night (following a grueling endurance night of ominous exercises like The Gauntlet, Speed Skate Drill, and Sprints). Although nerves were so intense the practice space seemed to tingle with them, everyone was able to pull it together and give it their best.
Just two and a half weeks ago we had our first round of scrimmage testing. Just two and a half months before that, we all go on the rink for the first time. For some of us (like me), that meant strapping on skates for the first time since elementary school. For some, it was a return to skating after a long break, but with experience in some sort of organized skating in the past. We started with 40 some odd girls (and a handful of boys who wanted to be refs and skate like us). We ended with around 25 who stuck through everything and completed bootcamp.
We avoided major injury (thankfully!), but there were skaters who had to miss a week or two (or sometimes a month or two) to get back on their wheels. We avoided, for the most part, the major drama that can arise from having 40-some-odd girls together for six hours a week + extracurricular partying.
I guess, when I look back on it, the thing that sticks out the most, the thing that is most important to me, is the fabulous family of girls I've gained because of derby. My (and everyone's) derby mom has become a dear friend. I don't have a derby wife yet, but being in the market isn't so bad. :P I've met girls that I love to dance and party with, girls that I love to have over to knit and watch a movie, girls that are fun to go shopping with and have a day (or night) on the town with, and girls who I know I can call at any time and they will be there for me, even when I'm a sobbing mess. You just don't get the opportunity to have this type of community very often, especially once you're a grown-up. And I am so very, very grateful.
To sum things up with some time-tested yearbook wisdom, what a long strange (but amazing, derby-licious) trip it's been.
