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Hey y'all,

I joined my league's Skater Tot program in September and it ended in November (im posting this in May of the next year). Since then, all of my friends have moved on past minimum skills and into contact except me. I practice three days a week and have been doing my best to cross train. Often I end up having to practice by myself, or with the new group of Skater tots that just ended their program. I know that everyone learns at their own pace, and that I just need to keep working at it, but it has really begun to wear on me. How do I keep my head up when I feel more like a burden than a league mate? I feel like I'm never going to pass (I have failed three assessments and two new skater programs) and that I'm just marking time. I could use some advice on keeping the faith and staying positive. Thanks :]

I started derby in January. I love it, and my team is amazing. I'm struggling with game play so much.

When we do drills, footwork, one v one, I get it, and I can do it. But as soon as I get in a scrimmage situation, it's like my brain explodes and in the chaos, even thing I've been learning just leaves my head. Most of my teammates are really good about direction but I feel like I'm just in the way and not doing anything right.

I'm trying not to be too hard on myself because it's still so new, but it's hard. The struggle is real.

Any suggestions or encouragement would be appreciated.

ETA: Thank you, kind internet strangers! I actually have been learning how to NSO, as a penalty box timer. I would like to learn ref positions as well.

Hey all! I've been scrimmage/bout eligible for a year now and my skill level is plateauing. I know this is normal, but I can't help feel like shit. Before I was growing at such a rapid rate, but now I feel like my jamming is sort of stuck at a certain level. And I can feel myself enjoying derby less because of it!

I've been watching videos of different skills, I'm attending clinics and scrimmages when I can, but it's just hard to accept myself for the level I'm at.

Any words of wisdom or encouragement?

Hi! I'm hoping wonder people could give advice on Antik sizing for any boot, especially AR1's. I bought a pair of size 4 Antik Skyhawks online that are too short. Unfortunately, the closet skate shop is 4 hours drive away and the size guides vary.

I wear a size 5.5US all star, size 3.5/4 Bont hybrid and 4/4.5 Riedell R3. My foot measures 229mm x 90mm. I'd be so grateful for any help!!

So I managed to get a good deal on a pair of riedell 495s brand new and I'm wanting to get them mounted, only I have no idea what kind of plates to get.

I've heard good things about pilot falcons but they're at the very top end of what I could afford. I'm still fairly new to derby, bene skating less than 2 years, like to pivot and do offense but otherwise will have a go at everything. I've also heard good things about rolline blaster plates which are more within my comfortable price range.

I have been using Jupiter toe stops for some months now, after switching from the small ones the come with Riedell R3s because I could basically not do turn around toe stops at all on them and needed more stability. The Jupiter toe stops are great, but I find it difficult to get any glide on them when needed. As well, when I turn around top stop on the edge of the track, I find it difficult just to stop and need to keep going on the toe stops because of the momentum. Are there any fixes for this? Do I need to wear them out more, or just try a different toe stop?

Hey all! I'm new to this amazing community/sport. I'm preparing to buy my equipment so I can practice a ton before the beginner camp in the fall.

Below is some of the equipment I'm thinking of buying. Does anyone have any recommendations, things to consider, or warnings that I should stay away from, etc.? My biggest concern is getting the correct skates. If it makes a difference, I am plus sized (generally 2xl).

Thank you so much for your help welcoming a new (hopefully) teammate. ♥️

Skates: https://a.co/d/azEQ5mk

Helmet: https://shop.s1helmets.com/s1-lifer-helmet-maroon-matte/

Pads: https://a.co/d/deMXYaD

Extra butt pads: https://a.co/d/hkxsoDv

Mouth guard: Haven't chosen yet

okay so, i started derby around 4 weeks ago via a 6 week skate course. I’ve never been on skates and i’m a bigger girl so when i fall i FALL. first 2 weeks i wasn’t too afraid, i felt like i was “allowed” to be bad but as time went on i got a LOT of anxiety and my progress regressed crazily.

i bought myself skates to try and get better outside of practice (was using rentals) but it was like learning to skate again and i was so scared!! my mum was kind of dogging on me, saying “wow i didn’t think you were this bad” so i snapped and said I’d like to see her try.

guys she put on my skates and skates CIRCLES AROUND ME. SHE’S 60. she is a 60 year old woman who hasn’t skated in 40 years and she absolutely COOKED me. she made me realise all that’s holding me back is fear and anxiety and to just GO for it. who cares if i fall? ive got 100 bucks worth of padding on. and since then im actually having fun again skating (even though im using a suitcase as a crutch haha)

im sharing this to hold myself accountable. if my 60 year old mother can skate around me then i sure as fuck can swallow my fear!!!!

Are there any MRDA teams in oregon? preferably near portland

Im a trans man and am currently apart of a league thats considered womens rollerderby, though there are many trans men on the juniors teams, and im currently 16 and am wondering what id do when I age out, I have no idea if there are any mens rollerderby leagues in my area currently:(

I'm starting up a YouTube channel to steam and edit bouts, as well as doing analysis/coaching. This post is focused on that second half as I'd love to get some real world requests for analysis. If you're interested in helping me out as I embark on this new hobby and get some feedback, I'm accepting footage submissions at Roller Derby Gameplay Analysis Submission.

About me: I've involved in the roller derby community for nearly a decade. I've skated on multiple MRDA teams over the years. I've worked in officiating as well, both on skates and off. My goal is to meet people where they are; to give advice/pointers that are actionable to their skill level.

Tldr; ref gave me 2 penalties for insubordination (one for correcting the box) and told me I was lucky to still be in the game. AIITW?

I'm honestly just a depressed mess and I need someone to tell me if I would be in the wrong to just quit derby over all this but I'll try keep it short.

I have 5 years of derby experience, 2 of those being covid years. Pronouns are she/her.

We had a house team game recently and I was already quite frustrated with myself because I love jamming but was failing miserably in this bout so my captain took me off jamming.

I got a Failure to Reform penalty. I didn't hear what the penalty was for and I asked the ref why once I was off the track. He gave me another penalty for Insubordination. At the moment I was royally peeved but I understand now that refs are considered untouchable gods in this game and even if they are wrong, talking to them out of turn can be awarded with a penalty.

I asked the penalty box what I did wrong, they didn't know. The person tracking my penalty called me by number 43 instead of 23, telling me I was released. I didn't leave the box because 43 is not my number and I said "my number is 23", they corrected themselves and I joined my pack.

After the jam, the ref came up to our team and told me that I was to go back to the box for another insubordination penalty. I was confused and tried to ask why but the ref got extremely angry and told me I was very lucky to still be in the game at all and that I was to sit down and take the penalty or leave the building. So I took the penalty. I made such a fool of myself crying and having a panic attack the rest of the game. Idk why I just could not stop crying no matter how hard I tried. It just seemed like an absolute bullshit call.

Later I learned that correcting the penalty box earned me an insubordination penalty.

I don't know if it's an overreaction, but all this just makes me want to quit derby. I don't mesh well with my team and our board head told me that I honestly just made the league look bad and that maybe derby isn't something I can handle.

What do I do? Advice?

I'm having a dilemma, any advice would be nice.

I've been playing Roller Derby since I was a nine-year-old girl. I joined a Junior Roller Derby team that allowed gender age 9-17 and I've loved skating and playing Roller Derby so much in the seven years since, but I've gotten older. I'm almost eighteen and that means I'll need to move on from my junior team. I know I don't want to stop playing, this sport has been so important to me for so long. I've made so many friends through it and my team and their inclusiveness helped me to understand and accept my identity as a transgender man, but I know that most WFTDA teams aren't open to every gender like the junior team I'm in. They're open to "skaters who identify as women or gender expansive" which I've heard used to say they're open to trans men, but I don't feel like my gender is that expansive, I'm a man, just as man as a cis guy.

There's a MRDA team in my city, but I don't know much information on it and it's pretty far away. Besides, everyone I know is from/going to the WFTDA teams and if I go to a whole new league without everyone I know, I'll be so alone and I don't know how that will feel like when I've built up such a community on my team. I just don't know what I'll do. It feels like joining a team that doesn't allow cis men would be like saying I'm not as much of a man as they are, and I feel like the people on the team would think like that too.

I'm just so sad over all of this. Who would have thought the sport that gave me the confidence and community to understand my identity as a man now doesn't feel like a place I can stay because of that identity.

So yeah. Like I said, any advice on what to do is appreciated.

(Also, I very recently started on testosterone and I do plan on fully medically transitioning, if that is important context)

One of the main things I’ve been wanting to learn in skating in general is turning forward to backward while moving, and I finally learned last night! I’m finding it waaaay easier to go from backwards to forwards, but going forwards to backwards is not intuitive 😅 Any tips are appreciated!

https://mshealthandfit.com/2024/alexis-odrosky I'm stepping way out of my comfort zone with this, and asking y'all to vote for to be on the cover of Ms. Health & Fitness. I think it'd be really cool to have roller derby be on the cover of a fitness magazine!

As someone who is too much in her head about knee injuries, tell me your stories of times you sprained your knees but didn’t actually tear anything.

I have torn and repaired my meniscus and ACL on both knees in my life, so I know how those feel. I also am not looking for medical advice. I did something to my knee yesterday during practice hitting a jammer to the out and it’s quite annoyed at me while being perfectly functional otherwise. My brain goes immediately to worst case scenarios (I’m never gonna play again, I’ll need surgery again, I fucked something up permanently) - so I want to hear times where y’all strained or sprained your knee without needing surgery to repair.

Looking for a Derby Name? Have some great names that you want to donate? This is the place for you! Every week we welcome skaters to discuss all things related to derby names, get advice on what name to pick for yourself, and talk about how outdated 2Evils is.

Have fun!

What policies does your league have regarding whether skaters' kids are allowed to attend practices and/or games? And specifically, do you allow children to be present during pre-game setup?

Hi, veteran skater here and I would like some exercise ideas for cross training to stop injuring myself at roller derby.

Context. Approaching age 36. I have 6 seasons of skating between 2012-2019. Then a long "retirement" from 2020-2023 where I barely roller skates at all, no derby, and minimal exercise as a mother.

Now I'm back to game play and I'm getting hurt left and right. Nothing major that I'm aware of like torn or broken... But enough aches and pains from playing that Im either heading back to retired or I need to step up and make some changes.

Exercises that are not too time consuming, can help me build core and lose weight, and can be done while caring for a 5 yr old are extremely helpful. Also I have no space indoors {live in 300 sq ft with 2 humans and 2 dogs} so much will be done outside in sweltering NC humidity 😅 I DO have access to a swimming pool. Have enough floor space inside for low impact pushups, squats, planks, etc.

Credit: Charles Paxton Photography

Hey! I’m a skater who recently fractured my ankle and will not be able to skate the rest of my leagues usual season. While I’m not able to skate or get around much I still want to stay connected with derby and want to work on learning more about reffing and NSOing. My league has in person opportunities to learn during practice but I can’t drive myself and am unsure how much I’ll be able to make it out over the next few months. I’ve NSOed for a few games in the past, doing penalty box timing and jam timing, but am wanting to keep learning!

Are there any online resources I could use to learn while I’m homebound? Don’t know how much of a difference it makes but I play in a WFTDA league.

Thanks!

Hi, I'm 5'4 and 258lb.

I've been skating less than a year and was 275lb when I started. I've made a TON of progress, but I'm still struggling with performing a lot of the required skills like plows, T-stops, weaving, parking lot laterals, etc. Some of the vets decided to change out my wheels at our outdoor practice just to see what would happen and I was amazed at the difference. I felt so much more comfortable and I was able to actually complete those skills. This was the first time I've heard of heavier skaters doing better on harder wheels.

I've been on the 95A Radar Cayman wheels that come stock with my R3s pretty much since I started skating and they put me in a pair of 101A wheels with an aluminum core. We were on an outdoor concrete track that has seen better days, but we also practice on a polished rink floor and I was using the same wheels for both. At my height, I'm one of the heaviest skaters on the team. I'm ready to invest in a new pair of wheels so I can have more effective practices (and maybe pass my assessments!) and wanted to get insight from this community on which ones to look at. I'd love to hear from other heavyweights, but look forward to learning from everyone. You guys know way more than I do.

Hey Hey Hey Hot Boxers!

This week we sit down with Aunty Matter aka Elizabeth Holden from Madison Roller Derby! We talk about the YA Novel Aunty wrote "Mighty Millie Novak" that will be coming out August 2024!

Aunty's website: elizabeth-holden.com Mighty Millie Novak : elizabeth-holden.com/millie links to purchase the book at various retailers, and a link to the pre-order swag form to get the trading cards--trading cards available until May 16.

@elizabethh_wi

@madisonrollerderby

Aunty's email: elizabeth.holden.author@gmail.com

X-Files podcast: wewanttobelievepod.com and @wewanttobelievepod

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4WqIvsMpz8mplP2xUw71XH?si=jhXhfs8wSqClP883dmb7fw

Hey guys! I bought this helmet last week and have been warned that I may get a uniform reprimand for looking like a pivot. I was just wondering what your thoughts were? I absolutely love it but now am super anxious and don’t want to ask the people in the league in case I embarrass myself

Hi. I’m a complete newbie to the roller derby world. So much so that I am still learning how to skate and have no idea what the rules of the game are.

Anyway, anytime I watch YouTube videos of bouts or anything derby related from 8+ years ago to now there’s always a handful of comments saying “this is boring” “this game has been watered down” “why is everyone standing” “older derby was better” and so on.

Why are these people complaining? Can someone explain?

Thanks y’all!

Looking for advice on team names for our up coming scrimmage haha

Our bout is called Spring it On! So I'm hoping to have like spring theme team names.

Like "(Black) Daliahs" or something.

I can't think of anything 😆

Does anyone have any recommendations for very supportive wrist guards? Or maybe what I can wear under my current ones for extra wrist support?

I've tried 187 Killer wrap-arounds and Triple 8's slide-on glove style, but I don't seem to get enough support. They're either so tight on my palms that my fingers lose circulation or they're too lose and slide around. I have a habit of trying to catch myself on my palms whenever I fall, and my wrists take a lot of strain but idk what's the best fix.

My day job involves a lot of typing and I really can't afford to hurt my wrists 😅