X Con Vick

My husband (the Enforcer) told me about Roller Derby...he used to ref for the Atlanta Roller Girls in 2005.It sounded amazing and thought it might be something I’d be interested in, but didn’t do anything other than listen...suppose that’s because I’ve never been a “sporty person” (always a sub, never a player!!).

In April 09 we went to Edinburgh for the weekend and the sky channel we were watching was showing some roller derby...actually seeing it was like “wow, oh my god that looks ace I have to try it”. As soon as we got home I was on the internet looking for leagues close to home...I found the Leeds Roller Dolls website, their training venue and times and decided I was going to their next session...this happened to be the day after the bout against BBDD. I went for the last hour, see what was what...within minutes I had skates on and I’ve never looked back.

I love everything about Roller Derby, yes even the hours of training!!! The training is intense and demanding and yet I feel great afterwards...Roller Derby isn’t just about a bunch of girls bashing each other, it’s a tactical and physically demanding sport.

I’ve dabbled in skating on and off since I was wee nipper, but joining Leeds Roller Dolls has made me LOVE skating, I love pushing myself to achieve more...I feel good at something, I have some crazy sporty skills. I love the whole ethos of Roller Derby “for the skaters by the skaters”, it’s amazing what can be achieved with limited resources...The people I’ve met since I’ve joined, I hope will be friends for life – maybe, when we’re 70ish we’ll still meet up on an afternoon, for a skate instead of afternoon tea! :-)