Random Ramblings
Part Three
By: Carol Poole AKA Cannonball-Z of the Mad Rollin Dolls, Quad Squad
The air knocked out of my lungs, concrete staring me in the face, the audience's collective gasp and the feeling that I'm not sure I'm still alive all confirmed that I was indeed alive and more so than ever. I'm a derby girl! The moment had arrived. I was knocked flat on my face in my first bout in front of nearly 1,600 people, and it felt damn good. In my haste to bring myself to my feet I apparently grabbed the other skaters arm who was lying flat on her face next to me, and was called out to the penalty box for an "arm grab." What the #$%&^&^@?! Confused, and still a little short of breath, I skated merrily off to the penalty box to serve my time.
In the months leading up to the bout I hit a speed bump that threatened to keep me from the season opener, and possibly out of bouts for a couple of months. In the beginning of November I had to be scheduled for surgery on my right foot to remove a Morton's Neuroma (big nasty infected nerve growth) which put me out of skating for four weeks. At the time my team captain told me I would not skate in a bout until March, but I was determined to recover and be in the season opener for my first year as a rookie on the Quad Squad. I returned to my skates one day shy of losing my scrimmage eligibility, and I spent a few practices on the floor doing Pilates, Yoga and strength training just so I could be there and get something accomplished. I must admit that without the encouragement from my teammates, I don't know if I would have been as motivated to do it on my own. That's what derby sisters are for, and I am forever grateful for that push from my teammates.
As the "bout day" approached excitement began to build throughout the league about playing in the season opener, and adding more fuel to the fire was the fact that we had a new much larger venue to compete in. During the week leading up to the bout I practiced three times in order to ensure I was eligible to play, and on the Friday before the bout I was still very sore and stiff which made me nervous about playing the next day. As I awoke the next morning after a good night's rest my body was ready for the "main event." As I modeled all possible tights, socks and panties combinations that I might want to wear with my uniform that evening my excitement level began to build. Before I knew it I was entering the venue three hours before the bout was to begin. It turned out that we had to start 30 minutes late to get all of the fans in the doors!
When our team took the floor we were announced as the defending season champions from the 2008 season, and the announcer called us out one by one as we each took a lap. I was scheduled for three Jams during each period of the bout - #3 Pivot, #7 Jammer and #11 Jammer-all written on my arm so I would not forget. My nerves were bundled as I sat on the bench waiting my turn to go in for the first time, but it came so quickly that I barely had a chance to realize what was going on. Feeling very confused throughout the entire first jam as a pivot, I began to wonder what the hell I was doing out there and how I got myself into this mess! That jam ended and I took my seat to wait for my chance to play as a jammer. During my jams as a jammer I did not score any points, and spent a good majority of the time being knocked down or out of bounds by the much more experienced team, the Vaudeville Vixens. We ended the game with a score of 164-56 in favor of the Vixens, but we still felt like we were on top of the world. We had 12 players on the bench that night, and six of us were playing in our first bout ever. All in all I was just glad to be able to skate off the track and go to the after party in nearly the same form that I began the bout with.
If you had told me seven months ago that I'd be playing roller derby in front of 1,600 fans I would thought you were crazy. Now it is my reality...I am a derby girl.
