In March I had the opportunity to play with the Santas in their inaugural home bout. That was the most fun I’d ever had on the derby track, so there was no hesitation when the Santas coach Racky Balboa offered me a slot on the roster against Duke City, even though I knew I was already rostered for the 2nd bout as a Sucia.
As a Sucia rookie this year I’ve depended on the leadership skills of my more experienced teammates–I usually just follow orders. As one of the more experienced skaters on the Santas I found myself in a complete role reversal—the newer girls were looking to me for direction. I had to trust my ability to make the right decisions and relay them to my teammates quickly enough for them to react.
The skaters from Duke City are an intimidating group. They’re big, solid, outstanding skaters, and you know it when they hit you. Both bouts were very physical, with big hits being thrown by both leagues (which the crowd fully appreciated). In the end Duke City swept both bouts but CCD fought hard the entire time. Even with the losses both of our teams demonstrated an increase in skill level—we held our walls, blocked offensively, and skated with more aggression and urgency than in previous bouts. Ultimately we gained invaluable experience and had fun doing it. Not a bad way to end our season.
As a newly accepted WFTDA apprentice league we appreciated the opportunity to bout against Duke City (a WFTDA member league and our sponsor league), and look forward to working with them in the future as we work toward our goal of full WFTDA status.
-Nikki Six-Shooter #colt 45