Finding Your 'Derby Voice'

'Speak your mind even if your voice shakes...'

The roller derby track is a confusing place to be. There are positions to be maintained, plays to be understood and executed and jammers to be seen and trapped all within a fraction of a second. Effective communication is, therefore key, both on and off the track.

In every team there are players for whom this seems to come easily. They talk to their walls, organise the troops and notice everything. They are trusted and are rarely questioned or blamed even when their decisions might not have a positive outcome. The weird thing is that these players might not always be considered to be the best players on the team or the most experienced, but without them, the wall falls apart.

It is easy to become over reliant on these players, but what happens if you are not lined up with one of them? When for some strange reason all eyes turn to you and you are expected to 'step up' and fill the communication void. In that moment you doubt your ability to do this successfully and you ask yourself a series of self-deprecating questions:

'What if they think that I am too bossy?'

'What if I get it wrong?'

'Why would they listen to me?'

'Surely there's someone better than me who can do the talking?'

In our non-derby life we are all experienced talkers. We might be paid to be leaders at work, we might be in charge of the safety and development of our children. We might suggest nights out with friends, arrange holidays, tell our hairdressers and partners what we want and don't want and we might make calls to get jobs done. However, put us on track and we are suddenly rendered mute. We, therefore, cannot assume that our life experiences mean that we should be 'natural' on-track communicators.

Derby communication is a skill which needs to be practised deliberately. Remembering to communicate and 'shout what you see' is a little bit difficult when your number one focus is often sheer survival or managing two minutes on track without another little trip to the penalty box! There are so many rules to consider and big hits to avoid. It's hard enough to look up most of the time let alone to look around you and communicate the best next move.

In our game we need to practise communication at all times and not just when the whistle goes. On the bench it is helpful to know what jammers want from their blockers and who to ask to do that for you. Being able to change the plan is another important skill to master. What if there are suddenly two blockers in the bin when you go to line up to do that amazing bit of offence off the line that you were planning a minute earlier?

Remembering to listen to instructions from the bench during the jam is also key. This isn't always easy, there is crowd noise to ignore and the shouts of the other excited players to filter out.

After a jam, feedback from the other players and coaches should be direct and timely. Individuals should not be blamed for the failure of any one move and the bigger picture of the match should be considered. Equally as individuals we need to learn to receive feedback and to ask questions with a thick skin. Any perceived criticism can be turned into targets for improvement if the problem is fully understood.

As with everything in this sport, sometimes you just have to rise to the challenge and have a go. Take a risk and see what happens. We will never be ready if we just keep waiting to be. Even if you don't really have a clue, if you shout your command with enough conviction, people will do it anyway. If it fails, will anyone really remember that it was your idea?

Photography Credit:- Questionmark Photography

These girls can!

'Empowered women empower women'

International Women's Day: reflections from the Ravens

Last night, like every other Wednesday night the Riot City Ravens trained together. We chatted, coached, laughed, watched, observed, guided, demonstrated, listened and advised. We hit each other, pushed each other, bruised, criticised and congratulated each other and it struck me that we are so very lucky to have this place where we belong.

Our team accepts women (and men) from a range of backgrounds, ages, fitness levels and experiences without judgement. We are all encouraged to develop our skills and to become fully fledged Ravens. There is no hiding place and from the very beginning new girls are introduced to the contact side of the game. Being a derby girl requires self discipline and a level of mental and physical toughness that might be considered unnatural for women. To know this you only need to watch the faces of people who have never heard of the sport as you describe what we actually do.

Society might decide that we are an unusual breed of tough, strong women who fear nothing and who are busy developing an army of like minded women who are strong enough to stand up against men.

The truth is that equality isn't about making women stronger than men. We are already strong, but it's about changing the way that society perceives our strength and how we bring that out in each other. Our sport proudly showcases female strength and resilience, but what might not be so obvious is the teamwork that has led us to feel confident enough to demonstrate it. We know that our Raven teammates are right behind us. If we get it wrong, they will cover it and this empowers us to risk failure.

So often being a strong woman is defined by women as being in opposition to a man. We are 'just as tough as men', 'faster than men' and some of us can 'hit harder than men.' These attitudes mean that we are constantly trying to live up to the expectations of others. In roller derby, this does not need to happen unless you choose to take part in co-ed games and it gives us a unique freedom to develop our sporting strength away from the male comparison. Our role models are usually females and being a woman does not hold us back.

In our real lives some of us are haunted by self doubt and a feeling that we don't really deserve to be in leadership positions or in charge of something important. This has recently been named as 'imposter syndrome' where we fear being exposed as a fraud. There has been a rise in young women reporting this feeling in their personal and professional lives. In our derby lives we are all acutely aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses and after a while this honesty liberates us.

The Ravens that I have spoken to do not feel that derby has changed their female identity, but they all agree that it has empowered them to find their inner strength and confidence. All described the influence that their teammates have had on them to stand tall, to be strong and to learn fast. We all hope that other women will find a safe place where they are free to belong, to express themselves and to learn to be proud of their strength.