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So You’re Saying There’s a Barrier?

What do lacrosse, hockey, fencing, and roller derby have in common? Stumped? Well, if you guessed that they are predominately white sports in America then you are spot on. Why are so many sports including our beloved roller derby dominated by white faces?

One reason, boils down to barrier to entry. What do I mean? I’ll lay it out for you. These sports require lots of equipment, and at the youth level generally expect kids to own their own gear. By the time youth in lacrosse, hockey, and fencing make it to high school the majority of these athletes own their own gear (aka mommy and daddy bought them the gear). I’m not knocking parents giving their kids resources to participate in sports. I’m asking for an open perspective on why these sports are predominately white, so we can understand ONE aspect of the whiteness in roller derby.

Notice the name and country printed on the gear. More on this in a sec.

I picked up fencing during my junior year of high school. The best fencers tend to have their names printed on their gear similar to Olympic fencers. These fencers often took private lessons and had national rankings from competing on their own outside of school events. It was also a symbol of status within the fencing community, and they were usually the top ranked fencers at school tournaments. I did not have my name on my gear. I wore hand me downs and it was obvious. My school thankfully provided gear for the fencers who needed it, and by the time my senior year rolled around I was winning medals at tournaments while still wearing borrowed gear.

Basic low level, starter foil fencing set: $400. High school me was not about to beg for fencing gear.

Roller derby is no different. We all know how much it costs to join this sport. We all know that to even try this sport out, you have to fork over a decent amount of cash to make it happen. From WFTDA insurance, to monthly dues, to purchasing gear. It all requires money. If it weren’t for the borrow bag I would have never tried fencing. Heck, if it weren’t for the borrow bag I would have never tried roller derby.

My first practice was in roller rink skates and missed matched gear, but I felt like I wasn’t official just like I did in fencing. At fencing tournaments I was referred to as “No Name.” Kind of made me feel like I was less than other fencers. We need to get rid of the stigma associated with borrowed gear if we are going to draw more diversity into this sport. Not thinking about the money involved is how we place barriers to entry. It is also how we keep POC skaters from making it to the higher levels in derby. Think on that for a sec.

-Jukes

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This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine…

Please note, that my opinions, within this blog post and all future blog posts, are just that, my opinions. If you disagree with anything I say, please feel free to engage in respectful dialogue in the comment section below. I can also be reached at jukes@derbylisting.com. Thanks for joining me on my blog-venture!!

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One Big Community

What’s up derby pals, how’s life without derby? Kind of weird not having practice, eh?

How will individual’s experience quarantine? Some are chomping at the bit to get back to practice. For some, it will be the first time in a long while that they haven’t had a jam packed, derby filled schedule. Some might even enjoy this extended break. A handful are finding some way to be on wheels as often as they can. While others haven’t put on their skates since March. There’s no right way to quarantine. It’s a completely personal choice based on each individuals personal situation. The big thing is the entire roller derby community is experiencing this together around the world.

Wild right? Every derby player and volunteer around the world is going to remember that time that roller derby was cancelled. Kind of like a weird badge of honor for current members. Instead of, “I played roller derby back when there were two whistle starts.” It will be “Yea, I totally played roller derby when it was internationally cancelled, I’m old school.”

Thinking about the community in its entirety I can’t help but wonder, what will roller derby look like after covid? I’m sure most teams will pick up where they off. However, what about those teams who are less stable? What about practice venues that shut down due to finances? The teams in lower income communities are going to feel the effects of post-quarantine life the hardest.

So let’s ban together as a community! I’m looking to share derby related fundraisers. Do you know of any?

-Jukes

This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine…

Please note, that my opinions, within this blog post and all future blog posts, are just that, my opinions. If you disagree with anything I say, please feel free to engage in respectful dialogue in the comment section below. I can also be reached at jukes@derbylisting.com. Thanks for joining me on my blog-venture!!

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COVIDerby Blues

I’m feeling the void these days. Here I am in my “home” state feeling gosh darn lonely. I put home in parenthesis because I don’t really have a home state. I did my last two years of high school in New Jersey and left for college soon after graduation. I come to NJ simply to visit family but it has never felt like home. So of course, just like with every state I’ve moved to, I joined the nearest roller derby league. They let me be on the charter and we were prepping for our March 29th bout together. I was learning names, meeting new people and starting to feel pretty good about my new temporary home. Then Covid-19 happened… 

Poof! Just like that, practices for the rest of March are cancelled along with the tournament. I feel like a lot of us are in the same boat. No matter what country you call home, roller derby enthusiasts everywhere have suddenly lost their “happy place.” However, just because we should stay 2 meters away from each other or in some cases can’t leave our homes (shout out to the Italians!), it doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected and have some fun. Technology plus social media can be a beautiful thing!! So here’s a list of ideas to stay entertained while #survivingrollerderbyshutdown

  • Do derby drills in your house and post the vids to social media
  • Host an online workout with your derby friends (zoom is a nifty conference app)
  • Draw something derby related and share with your social peeps
  • Go on an outdoor skate together (keep your distance and wash your hands after)
  • Start a workout challenge (countdown to next practice) and let others know when you’ve completed your daily workout
  • Submit video clips and make a league compilation video for your league social page

These are just a few ideas, but I’m excited to see what everyone comes up with. Share your social content using the hashtags #survivingrollerderbyshutdown and #coviderby so others around the world can follow along! 

– Jukes

This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine…

Please note, that my opinions, within this blog post and all future blog posts, are just that, my opinions. If you disagree with anything I say, please feel free to engage in respectful dialogue in the comment section below. I can also be reached at jukes@derbylisting.com. Thanks for joining me on my blog-venture!!

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Let’s Talk Communication

Being a teammate can be hard sometimes

Communication doesn’t need to just happen on the track. Roller derby leagues are organizations. They need to function efficiently, put on events and raise money. However, when you put a group of folk together on a regular basis, tensions can flare. It can be frustrating at times, but that is a simple fact of combining people of differing interpersonal skills (and lets face it…tact). 

The not so secret ingredient for keeping tensions low within a league is respectful communication. With emphasis on “respectful”. I’ve seen many a conversation explode due to  one disrespectful or inflammatory comment added after hurt feelings. Communication is hard, but important. 

There are a lot more leagues choosing to handle the majority of league communication on a forum or private Facebook page. This is fine, but there’s something about written communication behind a computer screen. It somehow makes people forget that they are talking to another human with feelings. We’ve all seen it. If you scroll through social media you’re bound to find at least one post that is a dumpster fire of emotions riddled with popcorn eating memes. It’s become the norm on social media today. However, it shouldn’t become the norm within our leagues and derby community. 

So what defines effective communication? 

The first tidbit for effective communication is listening. I mean truly listening. You ever hear an inflammatory 5 second sound bite on the news and then hear the rest of the story and realize it was blown way out of proportion or miss represented the person who made the comment? Now think of a moment when someone has said something that struck a nerve with you. In that very moment you might have started formulating a sharp response to that comment. However, while you’re conjuring up the response the person is still talking and you’re missing all of the other points that they are making. Perhaps they are giving you insight into why they think a certain way. Give the person a chance to finish their statement, truly listen to each and every word then respond with empathy. 

Yes, empathy is tidbit number two. Let’s be real, we don’t know everything there is to know about all of our teammates (nor do we probably want to). We don’t know their upbringing, their current state of affairs, their fears, or their desires. All of these things and more play a role in why they say the things they do. Set aside your emotions and preconceived notions about the person and communicate with an open and understanding mind.

Perception rains supreme 

Keep in mind, that we ALL want what is best for our leagues. However, what’s best for the league can differ from person to person because we all see things through a different lens. We have different life experiences that shape our leadership and decision making styles. It’s okay and very normal to disagree. Just remember that perception is everything; doesn’t matter what you “meant” by your words or actions. What matters is how those words and actions are “perceived” by others. 

How does your league handle interpersonal issues? 

– Jukes

This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine…

Please note, that my opinions, within this blog post and all future blog posts, are just that, my opinions. If you disagree with anything I say, please feel free to engage in respectful dialogue in the comment section below. I can also be reached at jukes@derbylisting.com. Thanks for joining me on my blog-venture!!

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How NOT to Start a Road Trip

Have you heard? I’m going on a road trip. My goal is to visit all 50 states in the US, skate with one derby team in each state, and update The List of teams while I’m at it. Did you also hear that I’m converting a school bus into an RV? I sure am, and I plan to use my newly made house on wheels during my road trip. Did you hear that my bus broke down on my last day in the Army and the day before I was supposed to start my trip home? Isn’t life a dick sometimes? (no offense to those who own dicks) 

The start of this adventure has been a series of unfortunate yet comedic events. It started out with my bus breaking down. That was a memorable moment. My bus is tiny. A wee little 15 passenger vehicle. Now imagine me in my tiny bus entering onto the highway at 65mph then immediately losing speed. I have a semi truck barreling towards me at 70mph and my bus has decided that 35mph is the fastest it will go and it’s quickly losing more speed. I turn on my hazard lights and pull over to the side of the road and the semi truck zooms past me shaking my whole vehicle. So here I am stranded. That was unfortunate event number 1. I survived, thanks to the help of friends. 

You might be thinking well that was unfortunate, but I’m not seeing the comedy. Ah well let me regale you with unfortunate event number 2. It takes 3 weeks for my bus to be fixed. Considering I needed a complete install of a new engine and it broke down right before Christmas it could have taken longer. At the end of the 3 weeks I go and pick up my vehicle. It turns on and sounds like a dream. I’m happy. Like really really happy. I drive away and I kid you not, maybe five minutes later my check engine light turns on and my oil gauge dramatically drops into the red. The engine starts sounding rough and the smell of smoke starts filling my nostrils. I’ve got to pull over quick before I destroy this brand new engine (but good news my new engine came with a 3 year warranty, hurray!). I pull into a parking lot. Turn off the engine and pop the hood. It smells crispy inside and there’s oil EVERYWHERE. I look at the ground and it’s an environmentalists nightmare. Oil is spewing out of my vehicle. I call the mechanic that I just left and he says he’s on his way. As soon as I hang up the phone fire trucks surround me. I’m looking at them extremely confused as they start walking towards me. The fire chief says to me “Are you the vehicle that was on fire?” I look at him perplexed. I look at my dripping but not on fire bus then back at him. I say “I don’t think so.” He replies, “Well, we got a call that a little school bus was on fire and turned onto this road.” I laugh and look around the empty parking lot and say “I’m the only little school bus here so I guess I was on fire…how lovely.” The firemen check out my bus and we all determine that I am truly not on fire. They drop kitty litter under my bus to soak up all of the spilled oil, wish me luck and drive away. 3 weeks of waiting for my bus to be repaired only to break down again five minutes later. Such is life sometimes. 

Me staring at my bus with extreme disappointment

The mechanic fixes the bus within the hour and refills the engine with new oil. Apparently, I was missing a hose clamp. Yes, absurd. Unfortunate event number 3 is still in the works. The mechanic gave the bus a test drive after being refilled with oil and then he drove away to go on with his day. As soon as he was out of sight I notice an impressive leak from under my driver side door. This leak is orange. My coolant is orange. In this moment I nearly rage quit my life. I now have a coolant leak. I search and search but can’t find the source. It doesn’t help that my engine compartment is covered in oil. But here’s where things take a turn towards comedic levels. The next morning I check the coolant levels, and as expected they are lower than the previous day. I take my bottle of coolant out that I had stored behind the drivers seat and notice I’m spilling coolant everywhere. My bottle was punctured when the mechanic moved the seat back for a test drive. The leaking coolant under my door was coolant straight from the bottle. Now this doesn’t explain why my coolant levels were still low this fine Thursday morning, so I’m still getting my vehicle checked out…by a different mechanic. One who hopefully does not forget to attach pins. That mechanic walks up to me and says, “you’re coolant system is fine, but we have another problem…” I look at him poised to laugh. I think to myself, what else could honestly be wrong with my bus?? He continues, “I was driving the bus out of the garage when your transmission line came loose and transmission fluid poured all over the floor. So now we have to fix that and add more fluid.” Guess what caused the line to come loose my friends. Yes. Another dang hose clamp.

Here are my take aways from the last three weeks. Is my life kind of a mess right now? Yes. Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I slightly poorer than I was a month ago. Yes. But am I exactly where I should be, experiencing exactly what I should be experiencing? Yes. I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. They may not make sense in the moment and living through those experiences may be uncomfortable but you are meant to experience them. I don’t understand fully what I’m gaining from this experience, but I’m sure in due time it will click. What I do know is my schedule is completely thrown off. I was planning on starting my trip at the end of the month. At this rate that’s not going to happen. With that in mind, every amazing human being I meet from here on out is in part because of my delay. All the amazing experiences I have this year will also be related to this delay. Everything has been shifted because of this moment, but so much good can come from it. My final takeaway is, CHOOSE YOUR MECHANICS WISELY.

– Jukes

This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine…

Please note, that my opinions, within this blog post and all future blog posts, are just that, my opinions. If you disagree with anything I say, please feel free to engage in respectful dialogue in the comment section below. I can also be reached at jukes@derbylisting.com. Thanks for joining me on my blog-venture!!