Dear Potential Skater,
Life is full of choices. Perhaps too many choices. Some are filled with the potential to be life changing, while others are small and perhaps mundane. For me, Roller Derby was a significant life choice. Before my first practice, I sat in my car for a half hour outside the venue, until I finally convinced myself to walk in and introduce myself. I’m so happy I did. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it sent me on a life path that I didn’t know was possible. And now, I am here to encourage anyone, who is on the fence about joining the sport, to go for it.
It hurts my heart when I hear someone express interest in Roller Derby, then sell themselves short. Common responses are:
- I’m too old
- I’m too small
- I’ll break something
- I can’t skate
- I’m not coordinated enough
- I’m too busy
- I’m not cool enough
It’s easy to validate any excuse in our heads. However, if we can convince ourselves we aren’t meant to play Roller Derby, what else in life have we convinced ourselves that we can’t do? We have so much potential as humans. We are walking meat bags waiting to accomplish something great. We just need to allow ourselves the chance to succeed. If we don’t try things, we get to avoid failure, but it also means we don’t get to experience success.
I tend to make my choices with the mantra, “no regrets” in mind. I even have it tattooed on my wrist (spelled correctly of course) as a constant reminder to make the choices that I find to be most fulfilling. Sometimes those choices are ridiculously scary; however, it is usually the scariest choices, that are the most rewarding. Let us not shy away from the things we want to do, simply because we fear we aren’t capable. Let us not allow fear to make us regret the things we did not do. And let us always remember, we are all wonderful walking meat bags full of potential.
Stay derby weird,
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!!