My great Roller Derby
adventure By Joe Blenkle/Editor
When I first
arrived the Roller Derby track was still being put together by the work
crew. Photo by Joe Blenkle
It was Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006.
I hadn't skated in 30 years, but after training for
the past two months, it was finally my day on the banked track. They
were holding an open session before the Bombers vs. Pioneers game at
Alameda High School.
I got there just before 4 p.m. (when the
session was supposed to start), but they were still assembling the
track. The track had been in storage and parts of it didn't look like
it was in very good shape. Some of the boards seemed a little warped
and it looked like they were even cutting new strips of masonite to put
on the track in some places. Jim Fitzpatrick, who was doing the
training session, said a three-hour track assembly job was taking about
eight hours to get done.
They finally got the track assembled. There were
probably a dozen or so rookie skaters there getting skate time in
before the game that was scheduled for 8 p.m. - some were skating
around the workers as they screwed the boards down. This isn't
something I wanted to try so I just sat in the stands watching until
the workers were
completely done. By then all the skaters were on the track and they
were going really fast in a tight pack. I sat in the stands some
more!!! There was no way I was even going to try to get on the track
until they slowed down or stopped, but they weren't showing any
indication of doing that. Plus there was a local TV station shooting
some video there. I didn't want to be the "slow rail-guy" that was
caught
in the video while everyone else was skating full speed around the
track.
That's me on the
track! Photo by Sharlene
Blenkle
Jim Fitzpatrick was on the infield and saw me
still sitting in the stands, so he came over to the rail and provided
me some protection while I got on the track. Once I was upright on my
skates, each time the group of
skaters went by me, I went a little farther toward the corner of the
track. One of the more veteran skaters had told me it would be best to
stand on the corners because the skaters would cut down to the lower
part of the track as they headed into the corner. Jim had told me to
stay up by the rail regardless and they would go around me, but the
other skater said I should be on the lower part of the track for the
straightaways and the upper part on the corners. They were both
somewhat right. On the straightaways, everyone pretty much covered the
whole width of the track. I would have been in the way either place.
And I wasn't that trusting that the skaters would manuever around me!!!
I almost fell shortly after I got on the
track - not
because of anything I did, but there was a huge bump in the track
against the rail (as I said, the boards under the masonite looked
warped) and I wasn't expecting it. I finally made it safely to the
first turn and stood there awhile - these skaters were just going too
fast! I kind of rolled around the upper part of the turns a
little farther each time the pack went by. I didn't dare actually jump
out there and skate. And I doubted I'd make it down the straightaway
before the pack came around again.
Finally when I got to the far corner, I stood
there
for awhile watching the pack. Even though I wasn't moving, I was
learning by watching what the other skaters were doing. I was also
trying to judge if I could make it
down the straightaway before they came by again and ran me over. It
took awhile, but they finally slowed a little, and I rolled off the
high
bank and down the straightaway. Wheeeeeee! I told Jim later that I
didn't do a
five-stride -- it was more like a roll and a one-stride so I could get
back up the high bank on the next corner. I did this for two or three
laps before my legs and back were killing me from standing too much on
the high end of the bank. It felt the same way as when I stand too long
on a steep ski slope on my skis.
I didn't have any problems with the
banked track though and think I could have skated on it fairly well if
I hadn't been so intimidated by the fast-moving pack of skaters. I
really don't like getting run over!!! And for once, I didn't think
about the leg I had broken four years earlier. It's still weak and I'm
always been fearful it will go out from under me. But once I got on
that track, the thought never even entered my mind.
That was my banked track adventure. Despite only
being out there for a little while it was well worth it and I hope I
get to try it again (under less crowded conditions).
