Razor's inspiration for her derby little sisters...

I started derby 8 weeks after I had my daughter in 2007 (Knuckles and I started on the same night), I hadn't skated since I was a kid and I pretty much sucked. I went to every practice and felt super guilty when I missed one. Because SVRG didn't have any kind of training program at the time I even attended BADG's training camp to supplement my SVRG practices. I learned a lot, but those coaches are tough, not sympathetic at all because they deal with so many skaters.

I didn't expect to excel right away and I wasn't too hard on myself about it. Although I did make the roster for SVRG's very first game against Santa Cruz, I could tell that I wasn't at the level of my teammates and I didn't get to play. I spent the next 6 months as an alternate on our one team and reminded myself that at least I got to play at practice. Don't forget that! I know everyone dreams of being picked for a roster and playing in public, but you ARE playing roller derby at practice.

Razor's first formal scrimmage against Santa Cruz Rollergirls, February 2008. I sucked.





















Then, after I had been skating for a year we had a game at Sac City where so many of our regular skaters were injured that it was more of a B team who got to play (we still only had one "A" team). That's the first time I pivoted, the first time I played a lot in a game and I kicked butt! We won that game 145-39. What Panda had been yelling at me for the last 6 months had finally sunk in. "Look behind you!" "Match the speed of the jammer!" I was just a slow learner and it really took me that long to really "get" the game, to be effective and to get play time. I was probably a pretty passive skater for a long time and when I started really pushing myself to do things I couldn't before, knowing instantly what needed to be done on the track, the coaches noticed it.

Razor booty blocking the Sac City jammer, November 2008. See how I'm finally looking behind me?
















Really try not to compare yourself to other skaters, everyone learns at a different level. Some girls are naturally athletic, learn super fast and are bouting 4 months after they strap on skates. Some girls take over a year to be ready. I always trusted my coaches' decisions, never complained or asked for special treatment- instead I asked what I needed to improve on so I could make the next roster.

So last year I ended up as Co-Captain of the brand new KillaBytes and I continued to play a lot. I even played the majority of the Dot.Kamikaze games last season. I had knee surgery in December and I'm still recovering, it sucks watching the Dots and Killas play games without me- especially since they're going to 3 tournaments while I'm still injured. This February at my second practice back, I was trying to skate cautiously but I tripped over a cone and gave myself a concussion. How's that for a recovery?

Killas at Santa Cruz, Aug 2009. I'm holding back their jammer as Smack assists our jammer.
















Good luck in derby! Don't give up, go to practice, keep your mouth shut at practice, be diplomatic when dealing with other skaters, play with all your heart, listen to your coaches and veteran skaters who give you advice, ask for feedback, push yourself farther than you think you can and skate outside all the time. Don't drop out of pace lines!! And don't give up. Derby is the first thing I've done that was really hard and that I've fallen in love with so much that I've stuck with it. I hope you do too.

Steffin' Razor