Duchess of PAINbridge

At age 25 I found myself lost. I had recently gotten out of a relationship that I had started when I was in high school. After that relationship had ended, I didn’t know who I was as a person or even what I liked to do for fun. One day, while scrolling through my facebook feed, I saw an AD for Rockstar Roller Derby’s New Skater Intake. I thought to myself, “Screw it! Try something new!”.  After much begging, I convinced my sister and my friend to come with me. I wanted some friends to go with so I wouldn’t feel out of place. None of us had ever skated before and boy could you tell during practice! We could barely move our feet and we fell quite a few times but, I had never had more fun in my life. I almost made it through the whole practice before throwing up. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have had a milkshake & a quesadilla before practicing in 90 degree weather. Even with being out of shape, falling all over the place, and throwing up I still wanted to come back and learn more. The team gives you an instant feeling of acceptance and every single person is ready to help you. I knew after my first practice that derby was something I could see myself doing. All I could think about was going back to practice. I went to the next practice, even when my friends decided it wasn’t for them. I had no worries of going alone because even at the new skater intake I felt like I was already a part of the team. Now, new skate intake nights are my favorite, I love watching the team come together to welcome & help new people. I have been on the team for a year and half and I am starting to work on more advanced skills. The progress I have made between my first night and now still amazes me. Everyone learns and moves up at their own pace and that is what is great about our league. Regardless if you are freshmeat or a bouting skater everyone started from the same spot and everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow. I played in my first match in October. If you would have told me that first night that I would actually get to play in a real game, I wouldn’t have believed you. I have fallen in love with this sport and the team. I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

-Duchess