Needing A New Crowd & Exercise Routine

Never having been a fan of hitting the gym and all that is implied with fitness facilities, I have always found myself as a hiker or swimmer. Unfortunately, as a student with a full course load and other extra curricular activities, I rarely find myself hitting the trails or the ocean for that matter. When on a phone call with my Aunt Mary, who lives in Maui, i was reminded of my favorite childhood sport; Roller Hockey and street blading. I remember skating around my dad's work with another girl who also played hockey and developing a strong bond with her. Sadly, after a few years, we lost touch and that tie was broken. I had stopped skating without realizing that it may have had to do with associating that activity with the friendship.

Columbia, Missouri has been my home for the past three years, Stephens College in particular. Stephens is a women's college that has a strong emphasis on liberal arts. As a student of Creative Writing and Music, I tend to spend my free hours locked in practice rooms and on my MacBook writing poems and essays. Three years of this, has led me to find friends, activity, and exercise outside my tight knit community, and become more extroverted.

One tipsy dance party at a venue downtown, and starting conversation with some of the Como Derby Dames in the bathroom line, was all it took to convince me that I simply had to play a brutal women's contact sport. You would have agreed too, if you had drank a couple Long Islands, and was feeling lonely. Two days later, I drove myself to practice to watch the veteran skaters at their endurance practice (which I now know is no slice of cake!) and stayed for four hours and learned falls, running toe starts, and how important McDavid's padded shorts can be for a skater with a backward falling tendency.

I FOUND MY NEW LOVE...ROLLER DERBY AND THE COMO DERBY DAMES!