Whip It Good

I am 32 years old.  I am staring a dream right smack dab in the face.  And now that I have the opportunity to make this dream come true...I'm pretty sure I'm going to chicken out.

Since being introduced to roller derby I have been fascinated by it.  Who of us hasn't been?  Fearless women flaunting both their femininity and their fierce strength shamelessly.  Granted, the roller derby I was exposed to had all the integrity of WWF wrestling.   But still, something about it seemed raw and exciting.

Then "Whip It" hit the theaters (a movie about a young woman who joins a roller derby team).  I heard an interview with some of the actors on NPR and just had to go see it.  I dragged Brian.  I laughed, I cried, I was enchanted.  I wanted to be a roller derby queen.  I started telling everyone I knew how awesome it would be.  I quized them on what my roller derby name should be.

Then, a month ago one of my knitting friends forwards me an email.  Warsaw is trying to start a roller derby team!  WHAT!?!?!?  She had not known of my secret dream.  One of her friends is the captain.  She gives me the scoop.  She invites me to an informational meeting.  I decide, what the heck, why not at least check it out.

So last Wednesday I attended an informational meeting of the Lake City Derby Dolls.  I thoroughly believed that attending that meeting would be the end of my roller derby run, that I wouldn't actually consider carrying it any further.  But, I left that meeting PUMPED.  The first things the captain said were, "The women's flat track roller derby league is a non-profit organization, any proceeds go to designated charities, many of them for women.  And, when I first heard about this I thought, I'm not really athletic, I'm kind of a wuss, and I haven't been on skates for ages.  But I discovered I can do it.  And basically this is a really fun way of getting great exercise, helping out some great causes, and meeting a lot of great women."  AWESOME!  She basically addressed everyone of my misgivings. 

Saturday night I attended a bout (roller derby game) in Fort Wayne to see what it's all about.  It wasn't violent.  No elbows were being thrown.  There seemed to be good cameraderie between the women on opposing teams.  It looked so much less intimidating then I had imagined.  To be sure, I was swimming in a sea of fish net stockings.  And the names!  The names were fantastic.  Turbo Trixi, Chyna Syndrome, Dolly Pardon My Knocks, Bang Bang Ladesh, Alotta Attitude...and a couple that maybe weren't so appropriate.

So now, I'm faced with the decision to try it out or not.  Did I just talk a good game?  When opportunity came knocking on my door did I turn out the lights and pretend I wasn't home?  I am kind of a wuss.  BUT, I love a good bruise.  One could say I'm proud of them in fact.  And let's face it - I'm 32 years old.  I'm not getting any younger.  Will this be one of those moments that when I'm 73 I'll look back and think, "Why didn't I just try it?"  Will I look back with regret at those chances in life that I let fear keep me from taking?  So, I think I'll go to a practice.  Even if I never play in a bout, I can say I went for it.

And now, two questions remain:
1. Where do I get fishnets?
2. What should my roller derby name be? 

I feel like I'd like to give a nod to my anabaptist roots.  Perhaps, Menno Militia or Patty Pass-a-fist...I'm open to suggestions.