THIS GIRL!!
Happy Birthday Bettie Shocker, We here at Sk8intheface love you for all that you do! Not just for the the league but for being a driving force in turning Turn 2’s hatred of the Pin-Ups, to being a another team we have come to love! Also, I never hit you up with a sk8intheface shirt that I owe you from some time back, so email me your shirt size and I will make it happen!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETTIE SHOCKER!!
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By Bettie Shocker
What a question to ask! Roller Derby means something different to each person involved. For me, it meant proving to myself that I could do something that looked scary and fun and hard all at the same time.
I was finished with graduate school, my two daughters were finishing school and heading to college, and my husband was no longer racing [bicycles]. So, the focus was on something for me to do—for me. Brian brought home a flier for the BRRG, we watched a bout, and I was hooked. I talked to Stir-Fry, signed on as a referee, and from there it is history.
I instantly became involved in every way that I could. I found the women fascinating and friendly and wonderful. I joined the best fresh meat class ever. I made some really great friends; there was thumb wrestling over who was going to be my derby wife—Sin-A-Bomb beat Check Republic so now I am a widow. I was named “President of the Fresh Meat” and this meant a great deal to me. The draft party was scary and nerve wrecking because I wondered and hoped for weeks that I would be wearing polka dots…. I do.
Notice how I have not yet mentioned skating, because roller derby is so much more than a pair of skates! Sure, you have to practice…and practice…and practice, but it is often the times away from the rink that make derby special. That is, until you have your first victory over the Steamers after the most fun you have ever had on the rink. Skating and hitting and blocking some of your new friends is the most fun I could ever have. Afterwards, you drink a beer and laugh with each other about the hits and the falls.
Then you move on to the next season, say goodbye to old friends and make new ones. You learn to work with new people, take on new roles, and grow as a person and a skater. The game becomes more important; the rules, the nuances, the strategies, the competitiveness all become more of your life. You dream of beating the Hellbombers, knowing you can do it but is slips from your grasp. You keep striving towards the goals you have set for yourself and your team. Life gets in the way, you get sick, you lose some of your focus, but you keep on keeping on, hoping that your team can continue being the great team that it has evolved into over the past three years…with the best fans ever!
Roller Derby has meant that I could do something for myself that looked scary and fun and hard all at the same time and guess what? It is and I am doing it!
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THIS GIRL!!
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