and so it begins...

Hello and welcome! My name is Jo, and I'm a newbie skater in the wonderful world of roller derby. I've started this blog for a few reasons: 1)I want to keep track of my progress over the coming weeks and months, 2) I want a place I can talk about derby, and express my thoughts and views and 3)I want some day for a newbie to look at this and find it a useful resource, whether it be ideas for training drills or to take comfort in the fact that we all started out looking like Bambi on ice!

So first, what is Derby? And why, as a nurse working on a busy trauma ward have I decided to join a sport that means I will probably end up spending time in work as a patient?!
Wikipedia (ah, the font of all knowledge) describes roller derby as 'an Amerian-invented contact sport—and historically, a form of sports entertainment—based on formation roller skating around an oval track, with points scored as certain players lap members of an opposing team.' On the face of it, yes, that's about it. But look closely, for modern derby is a lot more complex than the derby of the 50's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2W2b1WBmm4 gives you a better idea of what the game is, and saves you from having to read my waffling for the better part of a page.

So, on to my next point: why do I want to do this? Well, the long and short of it is that it looks like a hell of a lot of fun! For a nation that loves our contact sports, we've been suprisingly slow on the uptake. This is possibly because roller skating is not quite as popular here as in America - most towns over the pond have public skating rinks, whereas finding a place in Cardiff that will let you train is a bit more tricky as most sports halls worry about the damage to the floor from the skates. And frankly, it's also going to be a good way to get rid of pent-up aggression, make new friends and seriously kick some ass.