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Everything you need to know about me can be summed up by the sentence 鈥淚 play roller derby.鈥�

When I first came to Naz, this took most by surprise due to my 5鈥�4鈥� frame and self-diagnosed introverted personality. I found speaking up almost painful, and as a result I largely kept to myself. I sipped my medium-roast coffee with two sugars and two creams in the back of the class, hoping I wouldn鈥檛 get called on.

Now, I鈥檓 a completely different person鈥攚ell, except for the height. I鈥檓 more outspoken and outgoing than before coming to Naz. I sit in the front row of my classes and only pause my participation to take a sip of my dark-roast coffee, taken black.

How did I manage to do a complete 180 in a year and a half? I slipped on a pair of skates, shared a track with women twice my size, and learned how to hit.

At first, roller derby takes a lot out of you. This stuff doesn鈥檛 come easily: unless you lived in one of the few cities with a junior league, derby is completely new and the challenges are never-ending. When I first started practicing with the B-Sides (the team I鈥檓 on now, similar to a JV level), I was the youngest on the team; some girls had been skating for more than eight years, most had played together for several seasons, and all were bigger, better, faster, and stronger than I was. I was incredibly intimidated and stuck to my normal tendency of staying quiet.

However, in my league, giving in to hesitation isn鈥檛 an option. I had to completely disregard my comfort zone and try things that felt completely unnatural; basically every movement in derby, from crossovers to hockey stops, uses muscles that you otherwise wouldn鈥檛. On top of learning these awkward moves, my coaches had me start scrimmaging when they felt I was fit for it, not when I felt 鈥渞eady.鈥� Before I even felt stable in my skates (or had managed to coordinate a 鈥渂outfit鈥� to wear), I was out on the track jamming and juking against our varsity level team.

I can certainly say I鈥檝e found my niche within the community. Derby is a sport founded on attitude and individuality. Its culture celebrates inclusion and idiosyncrasies, and it encourages women to unleash their nerdy, creative, or tough side. Names, numbers, and outfits are all unique to the skater, and there鈥檚 no shortage of personalities. Tracks transform into hubs where women of all backgrounds, sizes, shapes, and lifestyles come together to wreak havoc on skates. Derby emphasizes that there鈥檚 no such thing as a perfect body, and that everyone鈥攜es, even little ol鈥� me鈥攈as a lot to offer.

As a result, I鈥檝e gotten much more than fundamental sports lessons out of this experience. Sure, I get my weekly dose of teamwork and leadership skills, but I鈥檓 more proud of the progress I鈥檝e made mentally. I鈥檝e learned to believe in my abilities, push any negative thoughts aside, and just go for it.

So, who am I today? I鈥檓 a confident, bold, and strong personality. I鈥檓 not afraid to speak my mind, and you can bet that if I have an opinion on something, you鈥檙e going to hear it. I鈥檓 open to everything, I can take on anything, and I鈥檓 afraid of nothing鈥攁nd it鈥檚 all because I play roller derby.