Skate It Out! Winter 2017
We were so excited to welcome 17 guests to our January Skate It Out event. Together with league members and alumni skaters we had almost 50 people at practice!
Among those guest skaters were some returning Suburbia alumni, brand new skaters, skaters who haven’t strapped on wheels since grade school and, hopefully, some people who will be joining us in the future as league members!
Look at all those happy people on roller skates!
To give you an idea what Skate It Out is like, we checked in with two skaters from January. Jessica Haney hadn’t skated in 25 years (and she does not want you to do any math to figure out how old that makes her today), but her friends Scar Wilde and Wil Crusher from Suburbia convinced her to strap on some wheels and try it out. Scar and Crusher are part of our 2017 Fresh Meat Class, and it just so happens, they decided to try out for the team after coming to a Skate It Out in 2016!
We also spoke with a very special guest from Skate It Out. She calls herself Partygirl Accelerator’s Creator, but we all just called her “Mom” as she was making her way around the track. Jane Tune had joined her daughter PGA and granddaughter on skates about 4 years ago, but this was her first time derbying with the team. She only got knocked down once! Don’t worry–PGA was there to pick her up.
“It used to be me picking her up!” said Jane.
Jessica Haney (center) with her pals, and Suburbia skaters Wil Crusher and Scar Wilde.
Skate It Out focuses mainly on basic skills. It’s a great way for our members to brush up on the skills we need to use every time we strap on our skates, as well as a great way for new skaters to get a feel for what roller derby-style skating is like. A lot of us skated around rinks as kids (PGA’s mom took her almost every weekend!), but derby skating is a little more complicated than just rolling around in circles to music!
Jessica says the hardest skill she learned was T-stops (a way to stop where you pull your skates together in a T-formation), but added that it was “cool to be part of a team sport again … The vibe was friendly and inclusive.” Jane must have roller derby in her blood because the trickiest part for her was putting her wrist guards on! Although she thought she was a little rusty, once she got out on the track she felt just like part of the team!
New skaters, fresh meat and Suburbia vets all line up to try a new skill.
All of us who were at Skate It Out in January had a great time. It’s so fun for the League to meet new people and share the Derby Love! We hope you’ll join us this month (or next month … or any time, really!). If you do decide to join us, Jessica and Jane have some advice for you. Jessica says: “No one should be put off by the possibility of falling or not being skilled enough. We all fell at some point. And, get there early if you want that red glitter helmet. But seriously, if you’ve got skates or other gear bring ’em; it’ll get you out on the track faster!” And from PGA’s Creator: “Do it. Come to it. Be brave. Love it. Love yourself!”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! RSVP on Facebook (Do it!)
Damn!