We knew it was going to be tough. We knew we were going to lose. But we really didn’t care. Really. And that’s what I love most about roller derby. Roller derby gives me heart.
Hard Corps is San Diego’s flat track B team, and one of the teams I am on this year. So far a majority of our season has been spent traveling around California to play other flat track teams at their home venues. We have traveled to Silicon Valley, Fresno, Ventura, Paseo Robles and just an hour north to Dana Point.
For many of the Hard Corps members, including myself, this is our first year playing on a team. While traveling around CA and playing roller derby has been really awesome, we have been dying for a chance to play at home in front of our family, friends and SD fans. When we were asked to play in the banked track tournament alongside our SD All-Stars, we jumped at the chance.
Then, the seeding and tournament bracket came out. Our first game was against the LA Ri-ettes! The LA Ri-ettes: LA’s banked track all-star team. The LA-Riettes: who took second place in the Battle on the Bank last year, losing by just two points to San Diego. The LA-Riettes: a team our own all-stars have all kinds of trouble with. The LA-Riettes: expected again to take first or second place in the tournament this year.
I spent about two minutes going over these facts in my head. And then I told myself: that’s it, I’m done thinking those thoughts. Sure, they kept popping up in my head in the days as game day approached, but I quickly pushed them out. The game was going to happen, and that was it. I had to stay positive if I was going to survive a beating like the one LA was going to hand us.
One thing I can tell you I know FOR SURE about roller derby is that the only way to get better at the game is to play the game. This was a huge opportunity for me and my teammates. A long, long time ago, the first time the SD All-Stars played LA on the banked track, SD lost by a huge margin. It wasn’t long, though, before SD began to beat LA at their own game. Eventually they took away LA’s national championship at last year’s Battle on the Bank II in Dallas.
As we sat on the bench before the game started, we all agreed if we could touch the scoreboard at all, that would be pretty awesome. We could handle a beating, but not a total blowout. Especially playing in front of our family, friends and fans for the first time at home!
Well, we accomplished that goal with a final score of 164-12, LA. No, we didn’t win, but we didn’t lose either. And I know for sure that every single one of us is a better player for going up against LA.
We are bruised, battered and sore…but we survived and are ready for more.
1..2…3…4…we…are…Hard…Corps!
Craig Elsten -
Chainsaw -
