Where it all started.. (the first year)

My derby journey started in Medicine Hat with the girls of Gas City. Derby started as a 6am facebook post. I posted about how much fun it was to go skating at 6am in Kin Coulee park. Mr Fister posted asking if it was roller blades or quad skates. I told him roller blades and that I couldn't even stand on quad skates.. He sent me the link to their fresh meat page. A week later I was at my first FM practice.

There was a total of three people there that day. Sunday afternoon, middle of summer heat and a warehouse type place with no ac. First lesson. Don't wear tripp pants when it's hot out and you are going to be doing a lot of skating. The entire practice was nothing but knee drops. Not so bad.

Fast forward about a month later when I started skating with some of the other skaters. One of the first new people I had met was Strawberry Shortskate. (I say "new" as there were a few others in the league that I had known prior to derby. Mr Fister, Kid Kickurass and Hooten Annie)

That girl could Skate! She was one of their top jammers and I remember watching her do her crossovers and think. Wow, how do you make it look so easy? She would get bashed around and get back up. When on the track she was determined and never gave up. When off the track she was the cutest giggling girl next door I had ever met.

She quickly became one of the many people I wanted to be just like. My first couple months of derby were filled with learning the basics of skating and lots of NSOing. I was lucky enough to go to Regina's summer smackdown and got my first taste of being an official before I had even learned how to stand up right. (Also note.. when still in bambi on ice stage. Not wearing knee pads is not recommended. )

Myself and Shortskate at Regina's Free skate

Still very new to derby and met a lot of awesome people while out there. I got to see the great Tye Die in action for the very first time and was even more amazed at all these fantastic skaters.

My very first rookie game. I got to skate with some of the people I know now.

Myself and Hell's Jezebel Jamming

Managed to get a whole 7 points and lead status my very first time jamming. (I still say however that a jammer is only as good as their blockers and I had some pretty damn good blockers)

Such as......

Razor! (& the guidance of Mortu Mary on our bench)

I was also lucky enough to have Fiver (from rdrda) on my team. However, the red team had Stitch and that girl clobbered me the second time jamming. (and the first now that I think about it. :p)

A whole month later was my first game as a Gas City Roller where we went up against the B52 Bellas from Calgary.

Roxy and Dev making sweet music together. :p

Through the b52 girls I saw once again amazing skaters. Fast forward a couple years later and I'm soon to be able to skate along side Roxy (on the same team even!) and I can't wait.. :)