An Experience in Derby Retirement by Beth Row

Photo by Joshua Craig

Beth Row has been my teammate for six years, and I have missed her ever day this season since she retired from derby. She was my lifeline to sanity, and I miss her calm feistiness on the track. Even though I have missed her, I know that she's very happy in her derby retirement, so I'm very glad she offered to update me on her six month mark of derby retirement.

Hurticanes vs. Bootleggers 2010

As it nears the halfway point in the season for most roller derby leagues, people begin to think about retirement. With the big push to get into tournament shape, the doubts start to creep in. Can I do this for another year? Is this my time to retire? When is too much of a good thing, just too much? What if I get hurt?

How many times have you said that you were going to retire and then decided you couldn't possibly give up this sport that you love? How many times have you told yourself, next year, next game, next practice; just one more.

This time last year, I began my countdown to retirement.

I'm one of those people that is an all or nothing kind of person. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to give it every thing I have. During the 2014 season, I felt I had nothing left to give derby. I couldn't be one of those people that shows up to practice the minimum number of times and plays in a game. That's not my style, that's not who I am. 

I realized it was time for me to retire, when we took our regular Summer break from derby and I didn't miss it. Not once. I didn't miss anything about it - not the skating, not my teammates (sorry!), not the practice, not the demands on my schedule. I knew right then, it was time to leave. I told my team I'd finish out the derby season and I did. It was time for me to go.

Photo by Badjon

If you’re considering retirement, I thought I'd share a few things that you will encounter on your journey to finish the season:

Teammate after teammate said to me: "Aww, you're not leaving. You'll change your mind." or "You can't leave us."
My response: You're not going to guilt me into coming back. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. That's why I didn't retire last year – in 2013. Please don't make me feel guilty about my decision.
Don’t let people make you feel guilty for this decision. This is your life, not theirs and you have to live with yourself after this decision. If you make it on your terms, you’re more likely to not regret it.

Everyone on the planet: "You know you're going to miss it."
My response: Sure. I'll miss the sport, the competitiveness, the “us vs. them” feel on game day (After the bout has started and the nervousness has gone away because I've had the crap knocked out of me the first few jams, of course.) But I won't miss the drama, the women cutting each other down because they are insecure themselves, the lack of respect, the lack of effort, and the lack of responsibility for actions.
So yes, you might miss it. But derby should be part of your life, not your whole life.

She doesn't like talking about the time she reffed.

Anyone who knew that I went to every practice and every invitational ever: "But what will you DO???"
My response: Um, live? Like everyone else who has never heard of derby? I developed what I call an “after derby bucket list.” I have wanted to start a food blog, and have never been able to because I didn't have any free time. And what little "free time" I did have while playing derby, I wanted to spend sitting on the couch watching some horribly brain-sucking show because I didn't want to do jack POOP! I want to get over my fear of swimming. I want to learn how to ride a bike. I want to go to a gym and take classes like normal people. I want to skate for fun. (For fun? What's that?) I want to grow my own veggies and get a dog. I want to be able to go to the beach when I want to get away and not have to plan around 4 back-to-back derby weekends.

Make a list of things you’ve always wanted to but couldn’t because the rigors of derby life wouldn’t allow. Make a plan to complete those goals and it will keep you from getting the post derby blues.

Newbie X, who has just found this newfangled thing: "Oooo. You should totally switch your plates/pads/helmet/toe stops/wheels."
My response: I have THREE months left. I'm not paying a shit-ton of money to use it less than 3 months! If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Even if it is broke, I'm putting duct tape on that shit, so shh...I don't care about your newfangled thing.

Only spend money if YOU want to. And this goes for more than just the newest gear/bearings/skates. This is a life lesson.

The thing no one who is already retired tells you about: It's hard to stay motivated. I didn't want to learn a new position. I didn't want to try my hand at jamming. And to be honest, learning the new skill isn’t going to help the team. I could do that, but then the team be in the same boat in three months! So why not train up someone who will be around? I wasn’t closed-off to new strategies. If it helped the team win, I was in it to win it. But I certainly wasn’t into switching up my training for personal gain at this point.

And now? After I actually retired?

During those 8 years of derby, I was a fearful girl at tryouts, a timid newbie, a frustrated freshmeat, a skater, an injured skater, a rostered skater, a captain, a jammer, a blocker, a pivot. I was a friend, a teammate, a coach, a BOD member (twice!), someone you didn't want to mess with (more than a few times) and a trainer. I was a Debutante Brawler, a Trauma Queen, a Tai-Chi-tah, a Raleigh Ruckus, a Carolina Hurticane, a Palmetto borrowed skater, a Bootlegger, and finally a CRG All-Star.

I am a little sad and nostalgic for the times I've had, but I know there are more adventures waiting for me. I may not have become a Scald Eagle or a Sexy Slaydie; but I gave it my all and I am proud of where I ended up.

He is super cute.

And no, I won't be back. I won't pull a Brett Farve. But I won't forget what being a Carolina Rollergirl allowed me to become - a strong, less fearful, powerful version of myself, ready to take on more of life's challenges.

As for an update on the bucket list, I still haven’t found time to get my food blog up and running, but I do cook A LOT more! I have taken swim lessons, but it’s a fear-based thing, not an ability thing. So, I’m working on it. I can kinda ride a bike. I do go to a gym and I LOVE their barbell strength classes. I’m currently training for a half marathon, after having done the Krispy Kreme Challenge in February. I do skate for fun, occasionally. I am growing tomatoes and jalapenos; though the peppers are wildly more successful than the tomatoes. And I have a 6 month-old puppy, named Tucker, who is the cutest thing EVER.

See? Don’t believe those horrible depressing articles you see on the internet. ;) There IS life after derby!

What's in a name?

Welp. It happened. Facebook decided that my derby name constituted a breach in their policy and gave me the choice to be either locked out of my account or change my name to something akin to the email I signed up with. Unfortunately, I signed up with an email that is attributed to my government name, so either I changed my name to some form of Renee McHugh, or I would be locked out of my account for at least five days. Wow. Ugh and fuck.

Now, I wasn't completely surprised this had happened. Facebook has been going after "fake names" for the last couple of months and I knew my account might be either reported or discovered. I had already seen Bonnie Thunders and Demanda Riot and Low Maim post about their struggles with Facebook and derby names. Some of my league mates discussed what we would do if our accounts were targeted,and most of decided that we'd burn that bridge after we crossed it. Unfortunately for me, I was the first one to have to hold the match.

My derby name is important to me; it's my brand, so to speak. I write my blog under my name, Elektra Q-Tion, write a monthly column for Derby Central, and I host a radio show on WDRBY.com. I don't hide behind my derby name and attack people. I used my derby name to make sure people in the derby community could find me and I could make connections with them. Of course, none of that really mattered to Facebook. To be fair, Facebook did give me a chance to send in proof that I was Elektra Q-Tion, but it would take five days and Facebook is one of the few ways I can keep in contact with the people in my derby circles. Seriously, nobody knows who Renee Q. McHugh is. Heck, I barely recognize my own self on Facebook anymore.

Facebook has conflated anonymity with a pseudonym, and seems to be hell bent on doing this over and over again. According to the Facebook help center, we are not allowed to use anything but our "authentic names". The direct quote is what makes me laugh, because people on Facebook and in real life call me Q; I'm rarely called Renee in social settings anymore. According to Facebook, "The name you use should be your authentic identity; as your friends call you in real life and as our acceptable identification forms would show." Facebook claims that they're just trying to keep us all safe. "Facebook is a community where people use their authentic identities. We require people to provide the name they use in real life; that way, you always know who you're connecting with. This helps keep our community safe." I assume that people would know who they were connecting with because they were involved in the derby community. Non derby people rarely seek me out.

At this point I'm probably going to keep my government name on Facebook. Many people that have jumped through Facebook's hoops have had to defend their names several times, getting locked out of their accounts for up to five days each time. It's annoying. In my case, my derby name being taken away is unfortunate, but it isn't life threatening. I am not a survivor of an abusive relationship, or transgendered person in transition, or someone with an unusual name who happens to get reported out of the blue. I can suck it up and be Renee on Facebook, but I know other people who have serious issues with being "their authentic name" on Facebook, and if they're locked out of their account, they're locked out of several support groups and communities. It's a serious shame that Facebook can't follow Twitter and Instagrams' lead when it comes to pseudonyms. Even Google+ caved and allowed people to use nicknames and such.

If you do lose your derby name, you will have to make the same decision I did. Will you fight for your name or will you give in. If you choose to fight, you have to submit one of the following:

Birth certificate
Driver’s license
Passport
Marriage certificate
Official name change paperwork
Personal or vehicle insurance card
Non-driver's government ID (ex: disability, SNAP card, national ID card)
Green card, residence permit or immigration papers
Tribal identification or status card

If you don't have your derby name on any of those, you can submit TWO forms of ID with your derby name:

Bank statement
Bus card
Check
Credit card
Employment verification
Library card
Mail
Magazine subscription stub
Medical record
Membership ID (ex: pension card, union membership, work ID, professional ID)
Paycheck stub
Permit
School card
School record
Social Security card
Utility bill
Yearbook photo (actual scan or photograph of the page in your yearbook)Voter ID card

"If you don’t have an ID that shows your authentic name as well as your photo or date of birth, you can provide two forms of ID from Option 2 above, and then provide a government ID that includes a date of birth or photo that matches the information on your profile. We won't add the name or other information from the government ID to your account."

If you are worried about using your derby name on Facebook, you can do one thing to avoid getting picked up in a sweep, so to speak. My derby name was yanked almost an hour after I downloaded the FB pages manager on my phone. I was having issues with answering messages on our page from my phone, and I have a sneaky suspicion it was that download that put me on their radar. I was Elektra Q-Tion on Facebook for six plus years before it was yanked. Maybe I'll be Elektra Q-Tion again if Facebook figures out that pseudonyms aren't making the community unsafe.

League Leadership is Hard by Cinderellen

You can read her original blog post here

If you've ever held a position on your league's board, the following words are probably going to hit home hard. People don't always understand how leadership will impact your life, but I think Cinderellen hits the nail on the head with her blog entry


League Leadership is Hard by Cinderellen, President of the Jacksonville RollerGirls

In my league, at about mid-season, we invite those interested in running for next year’s Board of Directors to get more actively involved with the current BOD’s activities so that they can make an informed decision about their interest in serving before submitting their election platforms.  The benefit of shadowing is that you have the chance to ask questions and see things first-hand.  If you are considering a run for your league’s BOD, the best way you can prepare is by getting as involved as possible and asking every question that comes to mind.

Usually, this blog is a very personal account of my own derby journey but I have some wisdom to share – that I genuinely feel obligated to share – because I wish I had this insight myself when I ran for president. It wouldn’t have changed my mind about running but I would have felt more prepared.

I love my league. That’s the reason I stepped up into leading it. We were in a critical place where changes needed to be made to accommodate our growth and ensure our success. We changed so many things: the structure of our home teams, added a c-level travel team, added skater fundraising accounts and changed how we made that money, we had a new process for tryouts. Some of these changes were very successful and others still need some work but we asked our league to trust us and support us and they did.

This list is a collection of things that surprised me, that challenged me, or that I believe were key to our success. Anything that could be perceived as negative in this post is not a reflection on my teammates. Most of it is about the caveats of leadership in general and the rest is just human nature.

    •    Your work is never done. When I started my first term, I wasn’t surprised by the questions or complaints we received but I was floored by the volume. We receive so many emails and facebook messages and texts and forum messages from skaters, other league leadership and staff, business partners like sponsors and vendors, sales people, and customers. At any given time, we may be managing tryouts, elections, policy decisions, budgeting, or committee activities. We receive multiple questions to answer, problems to solve, complaints to address, and exceptions to weigh on a daily basis making it difficult to run a business. Board members need to determine and agree on your league’s priorities, you need to delegate, and you need to get people to help themselves. Accept that you cannot get to all of it (this is really hard for me) because you really might kill yourself trying.  If a league member contacts you with something that should it go to a coach, a captain, a committee leader, a teammate or if the answer has been published in official communication avenues, send them there. I suck at this, too, but your league will benefit if your board can focus on running the business.


    •    Leadership is very isolating. When I started, I felt like one of the things that made me a good candidate was that I didn’t have a ton of close friends in the league.  Even so – or possibly even because of this – I was not prepared for how differently people would treat me immediately. Casual conversations stopped. The only people who talked to me for a long time were my closest friends and my fellow board members. It stole a lot of the fun, social aspect of derby from me and was very upsetting.  When people only talk to you when they need something or have a complaint, you only see the negative.  I didn’t handle this well. I became cynical and angry and made the situation worse for awhile. Possibly because we’ve had a successful year and possibly because I stopped being so sensitive about it, things are better now. The wisdom here, as a new board member, is to expect that people won’t know what to expect from you and may treat you differently as a result. Don’t take it personally. Know also that you will field complaints that will make you sad. It’s important not to let either of these things damage your love for your league or the sport. You can’t let a few bad apples spoil the bunch – and not just because it’s a bad idea – but because people are depending on you not to.


    •    You are the face of No. Your board will need to make decisions. Your main factors in weighing them are your bylaws and your budget but you may also have to consider other things like your venue, your league’s reputation, your schedule, and precedent. Nothing sucks more than to say no to a good idea or one coming from someone with lots of enthusiasm and good intentions. Similarly, you are the bearer of bad news. A fun event or practice was canceled? Someone hastily retired? There have been thefts out of skate bags? Need to remind everyone you can’t drink at practice? You have to disappoint a good coach with election results? Someone is being disciplined? You have to tell everyone.


    •    The BOD needs to act as a single body. This means three big things to me. First, supporting a consensus you didn’t vote for or agree with. Sometimes there will be a vote and you will be outvoted.  That’s actually the way it’s supposed to work because it means you are representing the diverse perspectives within your league. Regardless, you must support and enforce the BODs decision. I don’t necessarily agree with the school of thought that you are sworn to secrecy about your true opinion but the group decision is the only thing that actually matters.  Next, the BOD members should have equal say. I don’t get two votes because I’m president. There is no rank, only differences in responsibility. Finally, even though designated responsibilities are important, the BOD should work smarter and not harder.  I have a passion for writing and communications so I generally make BOD announcements and whatnot because I write them – yes, even when I didn’t agree with a decision, because that’s what I bring to the table and it’s a team effort. Find and utilize everyone’s strengths, even if it falls outside of their typical responsibilities.


    •    Exceptions are unfair by their very nature. They can set a dangerous precedent so it is important that they are granted very sparingly and for only the best reasons. When an exception is granted, the BOD should be clear about the justification so that they may apply the exception to others as it makes sense to do so or explain to those who were denied a similar exception. Every exception makes a mockery of your bylaws and they are cumulative. The more exceptions you make, the less meaning your rules have.


    •    “For the skaters” means something.  You don’t have any power on the board of directors. You are simply charged with keeping the peace, enforcing the rules, managing the money, and making decisions. That’s it. Unfortunately, the perception of power – either on the part of a board member or on the part of the membership – can cause a lot issues.  Everyone on the Board probably rose to leadership out of their love for the league and a combination of obligation, gratitude, and responsibility. Even if you have to make a disappointing decision about a league member – it’s never actually about the person. It’s about the protecting the business and keeping the peace.


    •    Don’t lose yourself. Keep your family and work commitments. Keep up with your fitness and skating goals. Don’t let the fear of what people might think own you. This job will take over your life if you let it. Make it your most important mission not to. Resentment is where bad decisions take on a life of their own.

If these suggestions or your intuition fail you, rely on these two principles:

    •    You will never please everyone. Haters really are gonna hate – but, you know what? Likers are gonna like, too. For every one extremely loud hater who makes his or her voice heard, you have several silent supporters. It really is true but it can be hard to see the support past the spectacle that the those who are dissatisfied make of themselves. Misery loves company and they will campaign for it.
    •    Always assume the best about people. If you have evidence to the contrary, try to empathize and be fair. No one is perfect.

There you have it. My recipe for successfully running a roller derby league that I believe in so firmly, I’m serving my second term with the same amazing women who served with me last year. If you are up for the challenge, nothing quite beats the pride when you’ve done something amazing for the league and for the sport you love.

How People Deal with Derby Break: It isn't always pretty

Enjoy, share, but please tag me or give me credit. Thanks!

Uniforms don't have to be uniform

One of these things is not like the other....

Every year I see leagues struggling with the horrible task of obtaining new uniforms that won't piss

everyone off. Good luck, ladies, it's a virtually impossible. I've been through this tedious process twice, and it's been nothing but hurt feelings, grumpy players and nobody is happy with the final results. PERFECT! Isn't that what we were looking for? Ugh. Even the word "jersey" used to make me want to run away from the committee. Why can't roller derby be like figure skating, where everyone wears sequins? Or fringe? Or lame onesies which look horrible on every human ever? I'd be ok if everyone looked equally terrible, but that's not going to happen either.

The problem with uniforms is that there is no one style that flatters everyone. Bridesmaid dress designers have been trying for YEARS to design a dress that fits tall, short, thin or wide ladies, and they fail miserably. Jerseys have the same fatal flaw. I'm six feet tall, with no boobs, and wide shoulders. What flatters me isn't going to flatter my teammate who is five foot nothing with a huge rack. It shouldn't fit us the same! Only a crazy person would make a claim that it would flatter us both. (And yet I constantly read reviews of uniforms "flattering every figure in the league." Liarpants) When a league makes a decision about new jerseys, they tend to take the all or nothing approach. Either you all agree to wear this one style, or you don't get new uniforms. Generally what happens is that the majority wins and you all get to deal with your new look. Ugh.

I really wasn't digging the style of our newest jerseys. They were tight and clingy, which I hate, and they were fairly low cut. The strangest thing was that the white ones seem to be even more low cut than our black ones. I'm certain that wasn't the case, but somehow when I wore the white one, I felt way more exposed. Of course I was seriously disappointed in the new jerseys because our old ones weren't the greatest either, and I had high hopes for the new ones. Sigh. That's what I get for being an optimist! Kidding! I started to really look at what other teams did for uniforms, and I remembered when we played Killamazoo, some of their uniforms had a different cut than the rest of them. In fact, one of my favorite players, Javelin, had sleeves on her jersey, and nobody else did. Aha! There was a way to possibly make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

With permission from my league, I decided to look for different options. My search led me to Derbyology and the storm style jersey. It wasn't as low cut and it definitely wasn't as clingy; the best part was the price was almost exactly what I would pay if I stayed with what the league ordered. I have a preexisting relationship with Cub and Bear who run Derbyology, but I have to say that even if I didn't, I would have ordered from them anyway. They had no minimum number of jerseys I had to order, and their turn around time was great. I've worn my new jerseys all season, and they don't pull from velcro and the printing has held up great!

All photos by Johua R. Craig

 So, I was able to get something I felt comfortable with, and it fits in nicely with what my league ordered. In fact, many people don't even notice I'm wearing a different style jersey. Win win! After this experience, I really think leagues should try to be a little flexible with the styles you choose. I know that one of the reasons leagues want to order from the same place, is that they might get a better deal with large numbers ordering, but letting people have a choice probably won't upset the final number too much. Most people in my league are happy with their jersey choice for the most part; I think I've been approached by one other teammate who was serious about getting info for ordering a different style. I'm sure there's a control freak aspect of jersey ordering, and that's ok too. Maybe leagues should look at ordering from places that offer a variety of different styles, and that way the "look" of the uniform won't be that radically different.  Relax people, as long as they look pretty close, nobody is going to get bent out of shape and say you don't look like a cohesive team.

But, I still think all teams should seriously reconsider rocking some fringe.

Just sayin'.

Losing Your Emotional Crap in Derby

We're all human, and that means that sometimes we have to deal with emotions, even where we don't want to be doing anything other than concentrating on derby. Derby is an extremely physical game, but there is definitely a mental and emotional component that can't be avoided.  Sometimes our emotions overwhelm us when we least expect them to, but dealing with emotions in derby can be so important if you want to improve your game.

Fury counts as anger too. Go see Mad Max.

To discuss emotions in derby, I'm taking a page from Yoda, so stay on target and hold on tight to your light sabres, we're going in.You need to identify your emotions if you're going to be honest with yourself and learn to control them.

Anger is a buffer emotion. When we're angry, it's because it's the easiest emotion to manifest, especially if we feel hurt or sad or scared. Anger is the acceptable way to express that we're unhappy. When you're "angry" you don't seem weak; when you're feelings are hurt, or you're sad, you are vulnerable, so many people opt to express the anger instead of dealing with the hurt."I'm pissed that I didn't make this roster!" Are you mad, or are you hurt? I'd be hurt that I didn't make a roster, especially if I had an expectation that I was going to make it. When we feel anger, our bodies release adrenaline, which jacks up our blood pressure and gets us ready for a fight; it makes us feel stronger, but it also shuts down the reasoning part of your brain. It's hard to control your decision making skills when you're pissed off, and people end up making giant mistakes out on the track. Of course, making mistakes might be what made you angry in the first place, so now you're caught in a vicious cycle.

Instead of getting pissed off and sabotaging yourself, try and channel that anger into focusing on your game and your teammates. I know it's easy to get pissed because you feel like you've been back blocked around the track by a hard hitting jammer, or tripped by opponents, but if you take that anger that's growing in your gut and turn that energy into a positive. Don't focus on the opponents or the refs; turn to your teammates to help you remain calm. Focus on them. Communicate with them, and them only. I know it's tempting to grouse at the opponent who just put her elbow in your solar plexus, but let it go and talk to your teammates. We usually can get out of angry mode if we distract ourselves with something else. Distract yourself with positive attention to your teammates.

Fear. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Or something like that. "She's in her head" is a phrase that gets bantered about in derby; I truly feel that derby gives you plenty of opportunities to face fear. People fear jamming, they fear screwing up, they fear getting injured and they fear rejection and failure. Some people really fear looking foolish too, which I don't understand since we all look foolish at some point in our derby careers; isn't that half the fun of putting on skates?

Sometimes we just have to own our fear and talk ourselves through it. Remind yourself what you do well. "I'm a strong jammer" "I'm a great anchor in my wall" "My plow stop is super effective" "I recycle well." Say something positive to yourself about yourself. Remind yourself you're not out there by yourself, and your teammates could probably use some reassurances too. I feel a million times more confident when I'm close to my teammates and we're making eye contact on the track. Communication helps calm us all down, and when we're calm, fear can't find as great of a foothold.

Are there times you're going to be angry? Sure. It's how you deal with your anger which makes it controllable. Are you going to be afraid? Absolutely! Fear can be managed with your teammates though. The most important thing you can learn by playing derby is that you are a part of a bigger group, and that can take some of the pressure off of your emotional well being.

Game on!

Let's Talk About Concussions in Derby

Photo by A Boy Named Tsunami

I was minding my own business this morning, just reading through Facebook, when I saw a post about worrying about directional hits in derby. The link is here. If anyone knows me, my entire career in roller derby, since 2009, has been with a WFTDA league. I support the WFTDA, but that doesn’t mean I don’t question things we do, such as rule changes. I am an active member in my league, and I am allowed to critically think about what my organization does; if that weren’t true, we wouldn’t vote on rule changes, representation or policy. That’s what makes up a healthy organization; if you can’t discuss your opinions about the organization itself, it’s not worth belonging to. If you don’t feel passionate about your sport, then maybe it’s not the sport for you. I don’t love the polarization over rule sets in our sport. WFTDA, USARs MADE, whatever, they’re derby. If you don’t like one version, don’t play it, but you don’t have to attack the others. That particular article has a bias against the WFTDA rule set, but it did start a discussion about game safety, so I’m glad I read it, and OF COURSE I have an opinion.

Ever since 2011, when people started changing the direction of the game, I wondered if we were setting ourselves up for more traumatic brain injuries. As derby has progressed since then, it seems like officials have gotten less strict about calling clockwise or directional skating. Part of that might be an interpretation of the rules, but part of it might be because the derby community has accepted the idea that clockwise will happen and it’s normal. I’m neutral about skating the opposite direction on the track, but I do worry that we're upping our chances for concussive injuries. Just as a personal anecdote, I’ve experienced many high blocks in the last couple of years due to people turning around or walls completely stopped. I find this interesting only because I’m a six foot tall skater, and before 2012 I could count the number of high blocks I experienced on one hand. Is this a combination of me getting lower and the rules changing? Probably. I can’t say for sure if it’s one or the other, but I do know I’m not the only one who has experienced this change. I'm lucky. I haven't experienced a concussion as of yet, but I do think that this game comes with the danger of getting one. Is it just inherent in contact sports? Maybe, but we should all be familiar with the dangers of a concussion.

It’s important to understand what a concussion can do to your body; many of you are aware of my

I only see Percy in Time Hop now.

friend, Percy Q-­Tion, who died due to complications from a concussion he received. Percy fell in the shower, but anyone can get a concussion, and when you play a contact sport, you’re definitely upping your odds of getting one. I seriously doubt that derby is ever going to be a perfectly safe sport; no contact sport is, but there are things you should know about concussions before you continue to play. Percy died two years ago, but hopefully we can prevent others from dying from brain trauma in our sport by learning about his injury.

1. Concussion is a less scary word for brain trauma. It’s the same thing. If you have a concussion, it’s brain trauma, pure and simple. You’ve damaged your brain, and that’s not a good thing at all. I know that so many of us have watched movies where the hero gets knocked out, wakes up, and goes about his or her business like nothing is wrong. Well, that’s the difference between Hollywood and reality. You just don’t shake off brain trauma; it has to heal, and it can take a long damned time to do so. It can impact your vision, your balance, and your mood, not to mention if it was severe enough, it can kill you. Concussions aren’t cute and dismissible. You should be taking them very seriously. I know several skaters who cannot play derby anymore due to concussions, and that’s really the least thing you should worry about if you get a traumatic brain injury.

2. Anyone can get a concussion. After reading someone’s comment which basically stated that weak people are the ones who should worry about concussions, my eye twitched. This is magical thinking, folks. That kind of attitude floors me, even though I understand where it comes from. We WANT there to be a reason. People who get hurt "deserve" it because they were doing something dumb, or they weren’t training hard enough, or they didn’t lift weights, right? Wrong. Nobody, no matter how talented they are is above the laws of physics. Concussions happen because your brain keeps moving after your head stops, so if you whip your head around due to a high block, your brain keeps moving and slams into your skull. It’s physics and biology. Yes, you can do neck exercises to help stabilize your head, but that can only help a little. I’d really love for people who think only the weak get concussions say that to an NFL athlete; I seriously doubt that any of them think of themselves as weak. Can I be there when you ask, though? I’ll bring the popcorn.

3. When you play a contact sport, you increase your chances of getting a concussion. Most studies show that 1 in 5 athletes who play a contact sport will get a concussion. Those odds aren't great, and the really terrible bit of information is that once you get one concussion, you are more vulnerable to get more. Thanks, brain!

4. Concussions are the gift that keeps on giving, even though nobody wants this gift. Basically, concussions are the fruitcake of injuries. According to recent brain trauma and sports studies, athletes who suffer a concussion are more likely to injure themselves as they recover from their brain trauma. Ugh. Not only do you have to deal with a concussion, but you also have to be more diligent about other injuries. Unfortunately for my friend Percy, this was extremely true. His balance was impacted after his traumatic brain injury and he fell again, causing another concussion. That last one was the one that killed him.

5. Even if you are aware on the track, you could get a concussion. This is more magical thinking. "If I'm aware, nobody will ever hit me by surprise, and I'll be safe!" Well, brain trauma can happen to anyone, even the most aware player on the track. You can give yourself a concussion by going in to hit someone; if your head whips around or snaps back, you're opening yourself up to brain trauma.  Weird accidents happen in roller derby all of the time, and nobody is ever going to be perfectly safe, no matter how amazingly talented you think you are.
 
6. Brain traumas are different for everyone. Depending on the severity and where the injury is in the brain, the side effects can be varied. Most people recognize obvious symptoms, such as unconsciousness, or incoherency, but there are a slew of symptoms that are associated with concussions. 

OBVIOUS SYMPTOMS 

• Unconsciousness 
• Inability to remember the cause of the injury or events that occurred immediately before or up to 24 hours after
• Confusion and disorientation
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Trouble speaking coherently

SUBTLE SYMPTOMS 

• Difficulty remembering new information 
• Blurry vision
• Ringing in the ears
• Changes in emotions or sleep patterns

 I've talked to a lot of skaters who have suffered from concussions, and the symptoms vary; some report extreme moodiness, while others have balance issues and can't concentrate on daily tasks. Each concussions progresses differently, and because of that, it can be hard to pin down whether or not you're suffering from one. That brings us to #7....

7. People who are concussed aren't the best judge of the state of their health. If your teammate is concussed, he or she may not know it. I remember the first time a teammate was suffering a traumatic brain injury at practice; she had no clue what had happened. I'm not even sure she knew she was at derby practice! Thank goodness she went and got medical help, but after that, we made sure to nail down a concussion policy. It's in your league's best interest to have a concussion policy in place. You should have people trained in the basic recognition of concussions and brain trauma. The policy should be in place to help keep your teammates safe, and it should be applied equally to all suspected head trauma incidents. Your league should be talking about head injuries, so you're all vigilant.

8. Helmets will not prevent all concussions. It sucks, but it's true. I wish wish wish we could have amazing helmets that guaranteed to keep our brains perfectly safe from concussion, but alas, it's not meant to be. Of course helmets can protect your skulls from a direct hit, which is incredibly awesome, but your brain can still slam against your skull and get damaged. Just because we wear great helmets, doesn't mean we can't get concussions, but it also doesn't mean it's time to strap a colander to your head and call it good enough. Get yourself a decent helmet and at least attempt to protect your head.

In derby, just like in any sport, an athlete has to figure out what is too much risk. I hope that this post will get you thinking about brain safety and maybe open a dialogue up with you and your teammates.