Roller Derby - new gear!

My adventure in Roller Derby continues and I am delighted to now have my own gear.  It's so much nicer just being in your own sweat...rather than that of people who have previously worn the borrowed gear lol.  Eeugh that sounds gross doesn't it, but it's true, roller derby is a serious workout!!!!

 

Check these babies out!!!!  I bought these via facebook sales page over in Key West for $10.  I spotted them (from my couch in Ireland!) when they were posted, and quickly messaged the seller, and then Enid who kindly hopped on her bike and picked them up for me.  They are far from the best Derby skates (they are really more plain roller skates) but they will do me for the moment until I really get into the sport.  New proper roller derby skates will cost me about €150 which is fine and I don't mind spending this - but only if I am serious about sticking with it!

 

I bought all my protection gear from a girl in my team who is taking some time off because of an injury. This gear (plus the helmet) would normally cost about €100 and I got it second hand for €30.  Again much happier paying for secondhand until I know I am serious about the sport - which by the way I think I am, I had an absolute ball/a mega session yesterday evening!

 

My gear is pictured above on a chair because it is currently drying out after a soaking in Dettol - which was advised to me by some derby veterans - you see I told you it's a work out and a half!!!

Here is a pic of me in my new skates, laughing hysterically because I nearly fell over just a split second before the photo was taken.

Roller Derby

A couple of months ago after seeing some Roller Derby on tv I said to Enid we should do it if we could find somewhere in Dublin. She thought that was a super idea! So I started investigating on facebook and found a club who were due to start their "fresh meat" course soon.  As it happened that has not been scheduled as of yet but I found another club who were holding an open evening yesterday.

 

Boomtown Rollers are based in Spin Roller Skating on the Long Mile Road

We were able to hire all the gear for €5.  Hello what can you get for a fiver these days??!!!!! Plus how cute are these white skates I got to use!

Here we are all ready for action!

Can I just explain this outfit and say it was not planned...I should have got my gear out the night before but instead just grabbed it that morning.  And I couldn't find any of my cut offs/3/4 length leggings.  These are shorts I normally wear for bikram yoga and I hadn't realised how short they were for roller skating!  Everyone else was wearing leggings like Enid, which is what I shall be wearing next week!

More important than what I was wearing, was how good it was. 

AMAZING!!!! 

We loved it. 

 

I was so happy I could actually still skate.  The last time I was on a pair of roller skates was over a quarter of a century ago when I was ten years of age!  The Boomtown Rollers were all so nice and were great at giving instruction.  We had an absolute ball skating around (derby direction!) and practicing stopping (falling is a valid stop apparently!) and other skills. 

 

At the end of the session we were given a demo of Roller Derby.  Whoa it is brutal!  I cannot wait to have enough skill on the skates take part in it proper!

 

So, dear reader, any suggestion for my roller derby name?!!!!  Answers on a postcard please!