photo by Thia Penta

My name is Loraza Bam and I am a Haymarket Rioter on the Windy City Rollers. I’m writing this blog to give others an idea of what it’s like to be a Haymarket Rioter – how hard we work, the challenges we overcome, and how totally kick ass it all is! You may not see us on the track on bout day, but we are busting our butts to make that a reality one day.

And now, a  little intro into how I got into this crazy beautiful roller derby world!

I first heard about the Windy City Rollers a few summers ago. Fliers and stickers in my neighborhood made me curious, several visits to the website made me excited, and my first bout experience at Cicero had me sold. I remember sitting in that packed stadium not totally sure what was happening, but knowing I definitely wanted to be a part of whatever was going on down there.

I kept my decision to tryout mostly private, as I tend to do when I pursue something I really want. My skating background was minimal. I enjoyed roller skating parties at the Orbit as a kid, I rollerbladed around the block to The Downward Spiral as an angsty teenager, that sort of thing. I never considered myself super athletic – I did cross country, fencing, and badminton in high school – but now, the most exercise I got was when my perpetually late ass had to make a mad dash for a bus.

When I heard about the November 2009 tryout in late August, something in me got really, really motivated. I started getting serious about going to the gym. I trekked back to the Orbit and purchased skates and gear. I went to speed skating classes. Arguably most importantly, I began to get to know the people of the WCR. They provided me with oodles of excellent skating tips, workout advice, and general gems of derby wisdom. I was pleasantly surprised how helpful and downright welcoming these people were. In addition to meeting people already on WCR, I met other recruits in the same eight-wheeled boat as myself. Instead of seeing each other as competition, we were more like companions, helping each other achieve the same rocking goal.

And clearly, as I write this now in an apartment filled with skate tools, knee gaskets, wheels wheels wheels, and t-shirts with my name on them in glittery letters, I have achieved that goal. But what was it like? Well my friends, you’ll just have to be patient and wait until my next blog where I talk about the tortuous trials of tryouts. Alliteration!

<3Bam

Talk Derby with your Friends!

•