Today, we introduce a seemingly meek skater; but don’t be fooled by Attackie Kennedy!

“Roller derby is terrifying. Aversion to the bruises, beat-downs, and broken bones that come with throwing yourself on a track with nine other raucous skaters is more than reasonable. After attending a scrimmage, however, I surprised myself by seeking out the necessary waiver and paperwork and signing them. With some trepidation, I began to attend practices. It was exhilarating to participate in something so out of my comfort zone.

Time passed, and weekly practices with the team prompted improvements. Some of these improvements are more obvious: FullSizeRenderbetter strength and flexibility, increased threshold for pain, an eagerness to learn more complicated skating moves. The less obvious improvements seem more internal: an acknowledgement of my strengths and weaknesses. If I can take away any lesson from derby, it is this: I am stronger than I think I am.

It recently occurred to me that my affiliation with Firestorm was not because I wanted to play roller derby. Wanting to skate got me on the team, but it wasn’t the reason I remained; my membership provided me with a second family. They invest in my skating abilities on the track and care about my life off the track. Though to their chagrin, and apparently some clandestine derby code, my usage of the word “sorry” is too frequent. We may not agree on the recurrent use of “sorry,” but most ordinary, functioning families tend to have to disagreements.”

<3 Rok