I moved home to Manchester from London at the beginning of summer last year, planning to move to Swansea at the start of September to start my degree. Being a student in London had kicked a lot of things out of me, and I felt pretty rubbish about myself at the time, all I wanted to do was go home.  So when I chose the university to do my degree at, I decided I wanted to live near the sea, but being impulsive and not really caring about where I lived, as long as it was away from London, I picked Swansea at random amongst 4 other cities, and almost dared myself to move there. Over the summer I threw myself into everything I could, determined to get my spirit back and find something I could really put my heart and soul into. I went back to work in the body jewellery shop I had worked at since I was 15, started pole dancing and towards the end of the summer, decided to give roller derby a go. At the time, I was pole dancing three times a week, and didn’t instantly hit it off with roller derby at all. There’s two teams in Manchester, Manchester Roller Derby and Rainy City Roller Girls, I trained with the latter and even though I could ice skate beforehand, I just didn’t get the huge buzz everyone talked about when they started playing, and after two sessions, I let it fall by the wayside. I suppose I don’t have much patience, and if something doesn’t grab my attention, I can easily walk away, which is what happened in this case, and I didn’t think about it again for a while.

When I moved to Swansea, I was so paranoid of finding myself on my own again, 300 miles away from home, I decided to give roller derby another go in an attempt to make friends. I borrowed some skates and got a cheap skateboarding pad-set off eBay, and went along to the Swansea City Slayers Wednesday night session. I don’t remember a lot about the session, other than my legs hurt, A LOT, but I went back, and I went to watch the Slayers play their first open bout against the Tiger Bay Brawlers B Team a couple of months later. Despite not having a full understanding of the game, and not knowing many of the girl’s names, I remember screaming bloody murder at Pixy of Pain as she scored the winning three points in the final jam, I remember the team crying and I remember just feeling part of something. That game inspired me to put everything into roller derby, I wanted to be as good as the girls I’d seen that day, and a few months later, I played in my first bout against Oxford Roller Derby, and saw how amazingly far the team have come in the space of a few months. Roller derby hooks you, it gets to your soul and it brings out athletes in people that never thought they had it in them. I used to swim competitively, almost by accident, as my mum was so determined I’d learn to swim cause she didn’t learn until her 30s, it just carried on until I found myself training 6 mornings and nights a week, and eventually quit because I realised my heart and soul never was and never would be in it. Roller derby’s different. It takes people from all walks of life and brings them together, it gives people strength they never thought they had and the girls that play it have such an unbelievable dedication to their sport that it creates families out of people that are often misfits. Typically, people imagine roller derby (of course if they don’t go “Roller derby? What’s that?”) as a bunch of solid, tattooed women with coloured mohawks and spikes sticking out everywhere, which is only partly true  One of the amazing things about the sport is how it doesn’t discriminate, girls of any size, colour, past, whatever can play, and are actively encouraged to.

When I started skating, I didn’t realise what impact it would have on my life. It’s made me tougher in my everyday life, not just in my derby life, and it’s allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I’ve dragged countless people along to sessions, some of them have stuck, some of them haven’t, but I guarantee that you ask anyone else on the team, and they’ll say exactly the same as I have

Cerys Smashews, #91 x

Over the last three years, I’ve avoided pubs as much as possible.  When I have gone out with friends, I usually cry off early, citing a headache.  And I never go without my partner.  I’ve tried a few exercises, joined a gym (went three times) and even managed to attend a club meeting once.  I used to be part of an amateur dramatics society but, around three years ago, pulled away from it as being around people I didn’t know well became more and more difficult.  I have post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety is, for me, one of its key features.  So the fact that I have now been skating with the Swansea City Slayers roller derby team for five months is, as far as I’m concerned, something of an achievement.

In December last year, I was actively looking for Something I Could Do.  My counsellor, and the articles and books I had read on mental well-being all said that exercise was an excellent way to help combat mental illness.  It releases endorphins, burns off excess adrenaline thereby easing anxiety and, inevitably, puts you into contact with people you would otherwise avoid.  In all honesty when I went along to my first attempt at skating, I expected to go once, find an excuse for why I didn’t like it, and go back to hiding in my house.  Obviously, that’s not what happened.

Once I had my borrowed (and slightly stinky) skates on, the lovely Kandi Korpsegrinder came over to help me onto my feet.  And did I ever need the help!  The phrase ‘Bambi on ice’ is over-used in fresh meat circles, but it’s certainly accurate in my case.  But Kandi held tight to my hand as she taught me to sticky skate, firm as a rock and holding me up every time I wobbled and threatened to go over.  “You’re so solid!” I remember exclaiming a bit shrilly, as my body threatened to spill over backwards.

When I’d mastered the art of skating very shakily around the edge of the sports hall with one hand on the wall, I was taken into the centre where I was told Reb, one of the team’s refs, would teach me how to fall.  Despite being pretty sure I could fall perfectly competently on my own, I wobbled on the spot looking a bit scared, waiting to be instructed.  “The key,” I was told, and now tell plenty of fresh meat myself, “Is falling forwards.  Once you’ve taught your body to do that, you’ll be fine.”  What I don’t tell them is that this is easier said than done.

I took three very painful falls backwards that night.  By the third one, there seemed to be a chorus of, “FALL FORWARDS!!!” every time I started to flail.  My tail bone was a bit sore, as were my feet from the borrowed skates, and when I woke up in the morning the next day I actually thought I was going to die from stiffness.

But none of this seemed to matter, because I’d had fun with strange people for the first time in years.  Everyone had been friendly, had taken pains to make sure I enjoyed, and encouraged me to come back again despite my obvious lack of talent.  Not only that, but I had successfully done some exercise – and I’m not your natural athlete.  But I think the most important thing was that, for some reason, I felt completely safe.  It’s something I’ve heard other teammates say since.  There is an atmosphere among the Slayers of acceptance.  Part of this is because we come from all walks of life.  There are students, there are parents, there are skinny, short, tall and fat girls.  There are those with mental health problems, and there are fabulously strong and smart women (And men, I should add – the refs always train with us).  It is these people that keep me coming back.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the sport, and upgrading my kit, and geeking about rules with the refs.  But, now that you’ve read this far, I must confess: even after four months, I am still not a very good skater.  While I love derby and the team, training isn’t always easy.  There are mental and physical blocks that slow my progress.  But my team mates cheer me on regardless, and I try very hard to deserve their encouragement.  I’ve also discovered that you don’t have to be the fastest skater on the track to contribute.  I was recently made the team’s Head Non-Skating Official, or Spreadsheet-Geek as I prefer to be called.  Then there’s the route of going into being a referee, when I’m a bit more sure on my wheels, or joining the Slayers’ B team and utilising my formidable bootie on the track.

It can be very intimidating, as fresh meat, to go to your first Derby session and watch the advanced girls whizz around the track, throwing hits and horsing around.  But they are always quick to remind you, “We all had a first time, too.” 

Not personally progressing quickly can be frustrating.  Falls still leave me sore in the morning.  And at the end of a long day, when I’m knackered from work and just want my bed, I wonder why on earth I’m struggling round a track on a set of eight wheels.  But I keep following the most valuable piece of advice I was given at that first session: it doesn’t matter if you fall over (although do try to fall forwards), as long as you get back up again.  I wouldn’t give up skating with the Slayers for anything.  They’ve helped me get back up, in more ways than one.

Final Score from yesterday’s bout

Swansea City Slayers 234 Derby Dragons 131

The Derby Dragons were specially formed for this bout as a one off team. They consisted of skaters from Cardiff Roller Collective, Valley Roller Dolls, Mid Wales Roller Derby and North Wales Roller Derby.

Congratulations to all the skaters and a massive thank you to everyone who came and helped out, reffed, NSO’d and of course the lovely fans who came to watch. 

                            Marilyn Monroe roller skating, 1952.

Make like Marilyn and come join the Slayers!

Freshie training is every Wednesday in Ty Coch Gower College 8-10pm

Please get in touch if you would like to come along or if you need to borrow kit. 

Remember ladies, first skate is free!

Ok ladies, and gents don’t think we’ve forgotten about you! Here are our training times and venues
Monday 8:15-10:15pm Cwrt Herbert Neath - All skating abilities welcome

Wednesday 8:00-10:00pm Ty Coch Gower College - Freshie geared session, complete beginners this is for you!

Sunday 9-11am Ty Coch Gower College - minimum skills passed only 

Please get in touch if you want to come along or need any spare kit. We’d love to see you! 

No unfortunately you were number 93 :( 
Thank you ever so much for the follow though!  

THE RACE IS ON

 Only 8 followers to go until the magic 100! Who will be the very lucky dude or dudette to win our tote bag?! 

Until we reach our goal of 100 and are able to giveaway our fabulous tote bag! 

Remember guys, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Our 100th follower will be contacted as soon as we know who they are so we can send out this bag

Get your tickets to our bout in Neath on the 28th of this month. 
It’s definitely one not to be missed.  

We are only 9, that’s right 9, followers away from 600 on twitter, if you’re our 600th follower you will win this fantastic slayers top

 

And we’re only 18 followers away from 100 on here! Be in with a chance of winning this quite frankly kick ass Slayers’ tote bag, and give us a follow, as simple as that!

So to recap be our 600th follower on twitter to win a tee-shirt and our 100th follower on here to win a tote bag!  

Competitions have never been so easy!