So let me start off this note by saying a big thank you to Tara (aka Hustle Lynn) for driving the 10+hrs yesterday to the Ruff Rollers vs. Suffer Jets game.
Now, spending about 12 hrs in a car with someone and you think you’d be driven crazy, but in derby (in my experience anyway) that’s so not the case. Yesterday I am excited to say I spent about 12 hrs+ in the company of HustleLynn (Tara), Boo T. Bot (Tianna) and StalkHer Nitely (Tasha.) And it was an experience I wouldn’t trade in for anything (ok that’s a lie, if you’ve got a million dollars, I’ve got a car ride you’ll never forget.)
We left the rink around 11am, got lost at the mall and finally started on 95 around 11:45. I should have known once an argument ensued over music, I’d be in for a treat. We spent the entire ride up (5+ hours) laughing seriously the whole time. And can I mention a weird phoenomina? Did you know that when you spend that long in a car with chicks, your poop and pee cycles tend to match up? And also, Tara can’t poop if you make fun of it for it. and you can bet we made fun of her for it.
So we get to Ithaca and everyone gets ready. I’m taking shots and Red’s cheesing it up for the camera like she always does, and then that amazing thing happens-the air tenses just a bit, and you know its almost bout time. The girls skate around the floor, trying to get used to skating on polished concrete instead of hard wood, and many find it a bit off to do so, and for once, say how much they miss our floor back home. (Even that one spot where the floor buckles a little ladies?)
The game starts at 7:30 and I’m in awe at the difference. This is my first away game, and I sorta feel left out. I’m used to the red and black t-shirts with our logo everywhere, and instead, it’s only Cheyanne and I sporting the threads (though her’s is so much cooler because it says ‘Bama’s B*tch’ on the back, *sighs* I want one!) The Wilmington cheer leaders consist of Cheyanna, Angel (Jodi’s bud) and I, and I feel like we’re David against Golithe here. But we cheer and we clap for our girls because we honestly care about them. I even feel sorta like a rock star’s biggest fan when a girl skates over to me at my photog spot to talk (even if its just to ask to go get Violet’s b-12, or where the bathroom’s located.) Selfish as I am, I only assume that the other fans behind me are in awe that these ruff rollers talk to me, yeah, I basked in the attention, so what?
So the bout starts and I’m shooting away. I can only say how extremely proud I am of OUR girls. They really stepped it up here! The pack was amazing. Our walls were unbreakable. And our jammers seemed to glide across the floor and slip through the opposing pack like water through your fingers. (Even when Eva slide into the crowd about 3 or 4 times, it was graceful, or when Leslie slide into the announcer’s booth too, PS that shit was funny girl.) It was amazing to watch. I cheered and screamed, and people who sat near me the first half, didn’t the second half because I was so loud. But it makes me feel good to shout at the girls, a ‘Good job Lolli!’ or ‘Kick her ass Tianna!’ or ‘Eff her up Violet!’ I think is always acceptable (but I guess not when small kids are around :/ )
The Suffer Jets put up a hard fight, but in the end our girls won 146 to 106.
I wanna thank the Suffer Jets for being a great challenge and for their hospitality.
As the girls gathered around in celebration I noticed something weird. Red was wiping tears out of her eyes, breaking the first golden rull of derby: There’s no crying in roller derby! I looked over at Tianna as Lolli wrapped her arms around Red, and I’m pretty sure Lolli was tearing up as well.
‘What’s wrong?’ I mouth? Thoughts of an old injury being re-lived inside of Red, or some other bad drama racing through my mind.
‘Its her last bout, probably.’ Tianna tells me, ’she’s going for her clinicals.’
Our little hot nurse Red will be leaving derby while she finishes up her clinicals for school. I immediately frown. I like Red. She always makes me laugh and I love calling her a camera whore. And before we leave the bout, I make sure that Red will still be showing her face around games, and she will.
And I’m pretty sure I’m half exhibitionist by being near these girls, because I changed in a parking lot and in the back of a car and just didn’t care.
On the way home, we stop at a Wegman’s for a contact case, hummus, mozzerella balls, brownies and sushi, and I’m pretty sure it was the oddest combination of food I’ve ever eaten. We all sat outside in those patio furniture kits you can buy, and we bullshit. We bullshit about the game, we bullshit about the crazy ass reffing that took place, we bullshit about sex, and we just laugh. And I’m pretty sure, at that moment, that this is what a real group of friends is supposed to feel like.
On the way home, we blare bad 80’s music to stay awake. We get a text from Violet at around 3am and she’s frantic. She’s texting everyone who drove home becuase there’s a seriously bad accident near Scranton, like flames, burning smoke and ambulance bad. We all text and call everyone who drove, holding our breathes until we hear back from Eva and Lolli. Everyone was safe, thank God. Poor Violet and Vulva sat at that accident until at least 5am when I was in bed and heard back from them. Watching as we all text and call around, I can’t help but feel the care. We all look at each other as sisters, best friends, anything that means the world to us. And I’m happy to now be a part of this. This sisterhood of booty blocks and elbows to the faces.
And can I mention that only Violet could say something about a cloud of smoke smelling like people burning alive and no one looks at her twice?
The final highlight of our night would have to be Allentown. Tasha and I had passed out in the back seat for a good half hour, 45 minutes, only to have Tianna and Tara wake us up at a service station to pee and refuel the energy. 3am is a bad time when you’re going on sleep deprivation. At 3am you can still walk straight, and the words don’t slur so bad, but you’re mind’s gone crazy. You giggle at everything. You giggle at peeing next to the same person you’ve spent the day with. You giggle over salt shakers on tables. You giggle at random texts messages.
All I can say to everyone on MY team is thank you. Thank you for caring. And thank you for accepting me.
And for a laugh for those in my car, our quotes from that trip:
“SOOOOOOOKIE!”
“I’m pretty sure its the yeah, yeah, yeah’s.”
“Scissoring.”
“I think we have to go in through the Sunoco side.”
“Pooping hi”
PPS: I love you all