Skate or Die.

I’ve started packing in preparation for my move later this week. Another year, another move in Iowa City it seems to have become… Oh yeah. Did I mention I was staying in Iowa City this fall?

I graduated in May and originally intended on moving back to Des Moines, but the more and more I thought about it, it just didn’t make sense. I had no real plan and no career waiting for me, so why not just stick around IC, relax and figure things out?

Ok, ok. I really stayed for roller derby.

It’s a love affair I can’t deny. Yes, if I moved I would still play. Yes, there are teams in other cities, and two in Des Moines in fact, but it would not be the same. If there’s anything sure about my life right now, it is roller derby, and with the Old Capitol City Roller Girls. I’m going on a year and half with a nearly two year-old team, so I’ve had a hand in shaping it through its infancy. We have all put our blood, sweat and tears into this team and it’s not something you can just drop. I’ve grown attached to each of these girls and boys whether I want to punch them in the face some days, or smother them with derby love other days. They’re my family.

The minute you put skates on and get your feet wet with derby, it is there to stay. It doesn’t stay just as a hobby or a weekend activity either, because you could not fathom a life without it anymore. It has shaped me into who I am now. It was the force that finally got me to stop smoking. Skating with burning lungs was terrifying and I just never picked up another one, for over a year now. (I quit cold-derby, you see.) It’s boosted my self esteem, (and maybe inflates my ego a little too much sometimes), helped me make friends in a city I was new to, and given me something to strive for. I bleed derby. I sweat derby. I live everyday for derby.

If I’m going out for a beer, it’s probably with someone from derby. If I’m working on a project, it’s probably something for derby. If I’m going shopping, it is probably for another boutfit for derby. This week I’m moving in with different roommates, Animal Mother and Zdork, a skater and ref from derby. Welcome to the derby house.

I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with an art degree, but I know that I am going to keep playing derby. 

-L4D

PS. This post is dedicated in the deepest of derby love for Toxic Sugar. She had a bad fall on her knee at practice last week, and is having pre-scheduled leg surgery later this week. Send her good vibes so she recovers quickly! Love you Sugar!!!!