Plateauing and Feeling Invisible

Okay, so this is a really tough subject to talk about but if you have ever felt this way I want you to know you are not alone. If you are reading this blog looking for an easy solution or a reason to justify bitching, just stop reading because you won't find and you will be just wasting your time. The things below may not work for everybody but it works for me and may help others

So when you join roller derby, its all new, exciting and considering where you started from you progress is exponentially, and you can see it every time you put on your skates.

After a while a couple things may happen
-you become the best skater on you league
-you become a pretty good skater for your league and begin to think your leagues training is holding you back from progressing, making you slightly cocky
-you don't feel like your getting any better

If any or all of the above have ever happened to you, you can take try and take a leadership position with training in your league, or move to a bigger, more competitive league. I moved to a city with some of the best leagues in the world and "tried my hand" in the big leagues. After skating with my league (with 70 or so bouting skaters and currently 5 hometeams), I have realized the grass is not always easier on the other side, but it makes me realized how hard I have to work to progress to even keep up with my teammates and how much my heart loves the sport of roller derby. I often feel overshadowed and invisible on the track when I remember all that is important, ITS NOT ABOUT ME as an individual, its about what i can do for my team with a group. MANNNN what a tough pill to swallow sometimes. Its about not the glory of the win,but the mental and physical journey to success that makes you a better person and better teammate. I have been coming up with ways to help me get better as a skater and make me feel better as well.

Prioritizing- as much as i want to be awesome at roller derby, it will not pay my bills. The girls on my league that are "over night successes" work their asses off 4-7 nights a week and sacrifice a ton of stuff, I am not willing to do that. My current priorities are my relationships with my loved ones(including family,boyfriend and dogs), my financial health (paying off my credit card debts, and having grown up insurance by working two jobs), and then my roller derby career. Unless I want to sacrifice any of the first two, I am just going to have to be happy where I am and work as hard as a I can when I am able to be on the track.

Making meaningful relationships on the track-I may not be the best skater on my league but I am one of the biggest and am really nice. If I am having a rough time, I have no problem asking one of the more skilled players for tips and help. I also mimic effective skaters with my similar body shape, they are doing something right to be effective.

Know You Weakness(es) and find fun ways to work on them- mine are currently agility, footwork, control and lack of explosiveness. And honestly I am not terrible but I am always wanting to get better. Our league had a fun jam(DANCE not Derby) skate practice last Friday, man talk about control!!! Because your not rolling, its all core and control. So know when I have a moment I am working on that stuff because after one focused session of that I feel more skilled and aware when I am rolling.

Take and Give Compliments, and be open about taking criticism- If you notice one of your teammates giving you "the business" more than usual: don't get mad, be glad she is ultimately on your team and tell her. Something easy and funny like " holy smokes, don't be so awesome Im having a hard time getting around you", or "Don't be so good". This not only helps build your teammate up but also gives credit where credit is due. Some unclear compliments in roller derby are when the opposing teams assign one of their uber skilled players to "man on man" you, I know it makes your job tougher but you are getting better every time you play against her and they see you as a threat. With taking criticism about your game, consider the source and then take it from there, I have some really awesome teammates and if they mention to me something that I am doing that may not be legal, I pay attention and take notice.

Have Fun- I know this sounds crazy but sometimes but remember roller derby is fun, I would rather scrimmage with my friends then go have a girls night with cocktails, and I am not always going to have the best days on the track but then I just get silly with my teammates or start dancing.


In closing, remember you are not alone and everyone reaches a plateau, you just have to find a way to work harder and make sacrifices, or be happy with you place in the sun. Ultimately, you may not be a star player but if you leave roller derby a better person than when you started, then the sport and the communtity is doing its job.  If you need a a little encouragement feel free to email me RandiMaehym@SkateCourt.com

Peace Love and Roller Derby
Randi Maehym
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