Helen Degenerate #333 is one of our newest Ravens, she transferred to us from Austrailia no less (although she is a Welsh Girl by birth!)
Here is how she has found the transistion between Roller Derby from OZ to the UK...
I joined RCR in Feb 2015. But I started playing roller derby in Australia back in 2012. I joined a new
league in Sydney’s Inner West that had been started six months earlier by a group of women who
were passionate about roller skating and wanted to strike out alone and create a new local roller
derby team. Sound familiar? I think that’s why I feel so at home as one of RCR’s newest Ravens.
There’s something very special about playing with a smaller, newer team with lots of enthusiasm,
lots to learn and lots to prove. My old team in Oz has gone from strength to strength over the last 3
years and I think the Ravens have started something pretty special here in Newport too.
I’m still adjusting to the way roller derby is played at RCR and in general in the UK. For starters,
remembering to pronounce “derby” the British way and learn all the British derby lingo (eg you
catch a goat in the UK vs a bunny in Australia). I read a derby article the other day that said in the
UK skaters don’t wear fishnets because it’s just not the way the sport is played here. The serious
sport vs show argument is an ongoing discussion in the derby world and I am on the fence of
wanting the sport to be taken seriously but still wanting to play in sparkly hotpants. But hearing a
“no fishnets we’re British!” attitude did make me pine to see a bit more of the diversity and fun
elements that are still common in the Australian scene. Maybe I need to get to a few more bouts
here to see a bit more.
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| Helen on track with RCR at our British Champs game vs Bath Roller Derby |
When it comes to actually playing the game I have found at RCR that how blockers work as a team
together has evolved way beyond the standard flat four wall. I have come to appreciate and rely on
the “fat controller” and other formations we use, it’s dynamic, strong and works really well for a
team of mostly smaller players. While we were beginning to see a lot more of that in Australia it
seems to be standard gameplay here and it’s been great learning and developing new skills.
I recently played my first bout as a Raven in RCR’s second bout of the 2015 British Championships
and we played Bath Roller Derby Girls. Bath are a well-established and experienced team and it
showed with a big win for them. I was so impressed by how well the Ravens handled being basically
hammered for 60+ minutes by a superior team. At half time our coach and benches gave us a great
pep talk about focussing on what we personally wanted to take away from the second half and
making it happen for our own development. And reminding us that the whole reason we played the
sport was to get out there and enjoy playing, whatever the scoreboard said. It was the best thing we
could have heard and we turned the bout into a great learning experience. We had a blast and had a
few great moments; Laura Face Palmer’s amazing power jam was a highlight. Nothing like adversity
to bring out the best in a team with the right words to motivate you.
Since that game we have been training hard in preparation for our next British Champs Round 3
game, which will be hosted by RCR. This will be our first official home bout. The Raven’s coaching
team has a strong vision for how we need to play and are pushing us hard. I think we have so much
potential going into this bout as a strong, focussed team who are learning more about playing
together every drill, training session and scrimmage we do. Look out Wiltshire we’re coming for
you!
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| Helen with her Oz team mates - note the fishnet tights! |
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