Rebellion Roller Derby

It was overcast. It was cold. It was the same weekend as many other derby events. But the crowds braved the now Autumnal weather to come and see Derbyland at Bletchley, hosted by RRD.

Saturday 29th September saw an epic double header : The Bearded Ladies vs Snake Charmers and the Rebellion Rollergirls take on the mighty Seaside Sirens Coastbusters.

The day started on a tense note when a couple of referees, including the Head Ref, were unable to attend due to an accident on the M25. The track was incomplete due to some trampolines still being out and the doors opened before the hall was fully ready. But after some quick work from everyone we were ready to have fun and forget the trampoline rage we were suffering.

The first match saw the Bearded Ladies take on the Snake Charmers. Both teams were composed of skaters from local teams and the Bearded Ladies were complimented on their long flowing beards. The match was very close with the lead changing hands a few times before the Bearded Ladies were victorious. Bearded Ladies 126 – 89 Snake Charmers.

Special mention to Terra Ferna, who suffered a double leg break on the day but showed a lot of courage and spirit as she was wheeled off for treatment. We all wish her a speedy recovery.

The scene was then set for the main event : Rebellion Rollergirls vs Seaside Sirens.

From the off the Seaside Sirens had tight teamwork and some big hitters. Bexorcist and Hula Gunn put in strong work in the pivot position, with Force 10 Gail and Bexorcist racking up the points as Jammers. Rebellion worked hard with strong walls and some strong jamming from Pushy Galore, Inky Minx, Faerie Knottie and Lulu Bloodlust especially. The Seaside Sirens experience showed and the win was deserved.

The final score was Seaside Sirens Coastbusters 210 – 91 Rebellion Rollergirls.

At the end of an emotional day the girls would like to thank the following people who made this bout possible:

• The NSO and Ref crews – especially Abigail Still from SSRG who stepped in to ref for us – We really, really love you guys. Thanks for helping us make this event happen.
• Bearded Ladies and Snake Charmers – you girls were awesome.
• Seaside Sirens – We love you – we want a rematch! And soon!
• And last but not least : To my lovely husband and Head Ref of Rebellion – Smakk Wylde– who stepped in to Head Ref on the day and head reffed his first match with timing constraints, trampoline rage, broken bones and missing refs to deal with. Can I repay you in hugs?

We have learned so much in our first bouting season (yes, we really have only been bouting as a team since November 2011). We continue to grow as a league and nurture new skaters. We may have lost this one and nursed some bruises on our bodies and spirit, but we will come back stronger and better – Roll on the next season!

It’s kind of funny when I think back to why I got into roller derby. I  didn’t want to be a ‘sheep’. I wanted to do something that allowed me to be myself, not be tied down to a particular clique, not join a group that took up all my free time.

I didn’t realise that when I got hooked on it, I was doing exactly that.

I have a particular aversion to the ‘sheep’ in life, probably because for a lot of mine they have been the bane of it. I was never popular at school. I was fat, studious and liked to eat. Basically I had a lot in common with Roland from Grange Hill (for those of my derby friends who are under 30, Google a picture, you’ll get the idea). I was bullied, beaten up and generally made to feel worthless. This carried on into college and so I left. I got a full time job and worked my way up until I got into call centre customer service, met my husband and moved to another town.

We lived on the outskirts of north London and Yorkshire for just over 10 years, then I moved back to my home town of lovely (eh) Luton. In doing so I lost contact with nearly all of my adult friends and went back to being solitary, miserable me. I was kind of broken in spirit.

Until that fateful New Year when I googled ‘roller derby bedfordshire’ and found the Rebels.

Now, I’m not going to pretty this up. As I could already skate, my first session I was thrown in the deep end and ended up in the pack with everyone else. But I came away loving the vibe of this group of girls who didn’t give a monkeys what anyone else thought of them.

I finally found somewhere I fitted in.

That was nearly 3 years ago now and I eventually became more involved in the league, becoming a Director in October 2010. Since then I’ve bouted, coached, bench managed, been published in ‘Inside Line’ magazine and done 2 roller marathons. All stuff I could not have done without the Rebels

So, back to sheep.

You start off in derby because you like the look of it. You stay in derby because you love the people in it. And although I never wanted to be a sheep I am now a green and black, sometimes single striped, derby sheep.

We like being derby sheep as there is strength in numbers. We stand out in our pack of green and black, hollering and whooping as we take the track. We look out for each other, even when we are in teams against each other, shouting ‘you ok?’ as our team mates fall over or take a huge hit. We love each other even though we never say sorry, and understand instinctively when someone join the herd that we need to help them feel comfortable with loads of strange women touching their bums without apologising.

And all of our Rebel sheep understand that derby really isn’t a ‘hobby’, more of a life choice because by being involved in it you are effectively putting a lot of that work-family-balance stuff aside. Derby always ends up first on bout and training days. Family understand that most weekends you are ‘busy’ and get used to you turning up to family get-togethers covered in bruises, faded arm numbers and face paint. I have an understanding husband – I recruited him and the rest of the girls stuck him on skates and did the rest. I’m lucky that my husband is just as involved as me, and understands that look I give him when he asks when dinner will be ready and I’ve got my nose in Facebook.

So, really, being a sheep was what made me whole.

Baaaaaa!