After much serious consideration and discussion with loved ones, you’ve made the biggest decision of your life: you’ve decided to play roller derby. Not ONLY have you made the decision to be a part of the most progressive women’s sport of all- time, you’ve gone one step further- you want to be strong, smart and amazing. You want to be CRG! So, congrats on realizing your potential awesomeness.
Tryouts (if you haven’t been counting down the days anxiously on your calender) are being held at the Skate Ranch of Raleigh on Sunday, July 8th.
By now you might have broken in your gear by attending a bootcamp or two or maybe you’ve been fine tuning your skills at derby classes on Friday nights at 5:45 at Jelly Beans in Cary, with our very own Ballista Blockheart. No matter what you’ve been doing to prepare for your big day, nothing can replace good ole fashioned advice from those who were in your skates once. We’ve compiled a few words of wisdom to help our hopefuls get ready for a long- lasting and rewarding roller derby career with us:
“Skate skate skate. Skate as much as you can… get comfortable on your skates. Squat. Skate forward, backward..squat. Squat one legged, squat two legged. Squat when you’re brushing your teeth.. when you’re folding your laundry… have a good attitude.. be willing to take feedback and use it…trainability is a must. Then go skate. Derby is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also incredibly rewarding…and worth it.” – Daisy Rage, #66
“Comparing yourself to others will only distract you from seeing your own potential and worth. Every skater is different.” –Roxy Rockett, #77
“Give 150%… and when you think you are completely crapped out, push harder. You can always do more than you think you can and you’ll be surprised and happy (and exhausted) when you do!” – Jesse King, #110
Fantastic advice aside, realizing that roller derby is more than a fun sport is key to starting your career off on the right foot. There’s no question- it’s a serious time commitment, but it can be the most rewarding experience you’ll ever have. The training and time you give to your league will give you confidence and pride one can only experience in roller derby!
For more tryout information please visit our website: http://www.carolinarollergirls.com/about/join-us/
Contributed by Lillian Axe
