Today is my Derby Birthday.
One year ago today I finally got the guts to put my 80's skates in the car and drive down to Hagley Park netball courts. I wandered through the netball girls trying to find a group of strangers on skates and finally found them putting layers of protective gear on. Warbow gave up her pads and helmet for me (she's generous like that) so that I could join in with the others in some basic drills.
I could skate a little already (although it had been years since I'd done any skating) but I was so embarrassingly unfit that I had to stop often to catch my breath. No one seemed to care about that though...they only encouraged me when I would join back in again. We had birthday cake (it was Shiner's birthday) afterwards and Crash drunk her water out of a wine bottle because she couldn't find anything else to put it in at home. And just like that I was hooked.
And changed.
Boy how I've changed.
People often ask me how Iain feels about the amount of time derby takes up. He is an awesome and generous man who knows how important it has become to me (I need to constantly make sure I don't take that for granted and that my family still comes first). He knows the difference it has made and, I hope, is enjoying the benefits of a wife who can cope a lot better with everyday life and with being a Mum.
366 days ago I was on the highest dose possible of my anti-depressant medication, and even that only kept it at bay most of the time. Since my first child had been born 6 years earlier, I'd needed regular therapeutic massage to keep the tension headaches away. I saw my massage therapist again last week when I treated myself to a leg massage (I thought I'd asked a lot of them over the last year and they were probably overdue for a little TLC). She was blown away by the difference in me, she even said I had the legs of an athlete.....oh yes she did!!
366 days ago I had never been called Buzz, had no idea how hard 25 in 5 would be to crack, didn't know what a low block was, had never known the joy of a league meeting.....
366 days ago I had no idea that I would feel so proud pulling on my own printed Allstars uniform last night for the first time. Or that I would be so determined to work hard enough to deserve it and keep wearing it.
But the thing that blows me away the most is that 366 days ago I had never even met Daroll, Hammer, Legs, Unit, Knox, Warbow, Terror, Shiner, Tease, Crash, Karnage, Dizzy, Aggro, Str8e, Bone, Slaughter, Spunky, Munter, Meanie, Fury, Tia, Hoff, Gigawatts, Burger, Slam and Baddy - my derby family that just keeps growing. Each one of you have inspired me, in words and example and I can't imagine not having you all as a part of my life now.
So Thank You - you have all made my life richer.
And let's have another Awesome Derby Year!!!
One year ago today I finally got the guts to put my 80's skates in the car and drive down to Hagley Park netball courts. I wandered through the netball girls trying to find a group of strangers on skates and finally found them putting layers of protective gear on. Warbow gave up her pads and helmet for me (she's generous like that) so that I could join in with the others in some basic drills.
I could skate a little already (although it had been years since I'd done any skating) but I was so embarrassingly unfit that I had to stop often to catch my breath. No one seemed to care about that though...they only encouraged me when I would join back in again. We had birthday cake (it was Shiner's birthday) afterwards and Crash drunk her water out of a wine bottle because she couldn't find anything else to put it in at home. And just like that I was hooked.
And changed.
Boy how I've changed.
People often ask me how Iain feels about the amount of time derby takes up. He is an awesome and generous man who knows how important it has become to me (I need to constantly make sure I don't take that for granted and that my family still comes first). He knows the difference it has made and, I hope, is enjoying the benefits of a wife who can cope a lot better with everyday life and with being a Mum.
366 days ago I was on the highest dose possible of my anti-depressant medication, and even that only kept it at bay most of the time. Since my first child had been born 6 years earlier, I'd needed regular therapeutic massage to keep the tension headaches away. I saw my massage therapist again last week when I treated myself to a leg massage (I thought I'd asked a lot of them over the last year and they were probably overdue for a little TLC). She was blown away by the difference in me, she even said I had the legs of an athlete.....oh yes she did!!
366 days ago I had never been called Buzz, had no idea how hard 25 in 5 would be to crack, didn't know what a low block was, had never known the joy of a league meeting.....
366 days ago I had no idea that I would feel so proud pulling on my own printed Allstars uniform last night for the first time. Or that I would be so determined to work hard enough to deserve it and keep wearing it.
But the thing that blows me away the most is that 366 days ago I had never even met Daroll, Hammer, Legs, Unit, Knox, Warbow, Terror, Shiner, Tease, Crash, Karnage, Dizzy, Aggro, Str8e, Bone, Slaughter, Spunky, Munter, Meanie, Fury, Tia, Hoff, Gigawatts, Burger, Slam and Baddy - my derby family that just keeps growing. Each one of you have inspired me, in words and example and I can't imagine not having you all as a part of my life now.
So Thank You - you have all made my life richer.
And let's have another Awesome Derby Year!!!
Well done Buzz - ya made me cry!!!! (Don't tell anyone - cause it might ruin my tough image)
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Baddy
Happy Anniversary! What a great year you've had! Derby definitely is a wonderful, positive, Awesome sport!
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Akka x
I just read back over all your blogs for the previous year. I am going to reccomend our new freshmeat intake reads them. It's so easy as a Freshie to not reconise the work the All Star skaters have put in to get to where they are. So it is good to have a record of it from someone who has been there!
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