Banked Track Watchin'

I'm selling T-shirts and such, and I am pleasantly surprised to learn the merch area is within view of the track! I can watch the bout. This is the first bout I've been to in years. It smells exactly how I remember a bout smelling. As promised, the ladies skate fast and turn left. They skate really fast. Really super fast. It's wonderful to be back.

The fun is more than just the game itself. It's the crowd. Roller Derby is a grass roots sport. Everybody involved in Derby are here because we love it. The same is true of the fans. Everyone here either loves the sport, lives the sport, or loves someone who lives the sport. Some women here don full roller girl gear complete with fishnet stockings and unusual hair color. Some families populate the stands, children sitting on parents' shoulders. Some fans bear signs or shirts supporting their favorite players. Other people are here for the first time, asking questions about the rules of the game. There is even one giggling bachelorette party here. They have to bring in more bleachers to accommodate all the spectators.

The energy is electric.

The air of camaraderie and support is amplified by the presence of the banked track. Banked track leagues are more expensive and complicated to maintain than flat track leagues. There are a lot fewer of us around. In fact there are only a handful of banked leagues in the country. Everyone understands that support for any team is support for banked track as a whole, so even though we are rivals on the track, sisterhood shines through off the track. Most of the people coming to talk to us and buy merchandise are fans of and players from the other team. I'm enjoying meeting all these women.

Then Harmony gets hurt.

I don't see it, but I hear the screams.

She had been on the inside (lower part) of the track and there was a dogpile. Her foot turned around backwards and her ankle snapped. Most of the screams were from the teammates who saw it happen. Play stops for a while as the paramedics work on her.

Harmony is a rock star.

She is awake and talking to people as she is carried to the ambulance. She doesn't want anyone to worry. Steph goes with her to the hospital, and play resumes. Everyone is a bit shaken.

Later at the after party we learn she is going in for surgery so they can put all kinds of screws and pins in her leg. Both bones are broken through. Steph reports that Harmony is still a rock star. The only tears she sheds are when the doctors tell her how long it will be before she can skate again.

Wow.

Would I be that dedicated? If I were to sustain a major injury like that, would I be aching to return to the track? As it is, Harmony's injury has given me pause. She could've lost the use of her foot permanently. I knew, of course, that this is a full contact sport with possibility of injury, but seeing something like this in person is rather terrifying. I take care of two kids. Can I risk my health for this?

Proving he always knows me best, my husband asks me if the day's events were making me think of quitting. He doesn't say much, but let's me talk it out. I think on it. I sleep on it. I come to a conclusion.

I got a chipped tooth and a concussion in a car wreck. My mother in law broke both elbows riding a bicycle. My husband had a shoulder reconstructed due to football. My mom got frostbite waiting for the school bus. Anything you do has risk of injury.

Meanwhile, my blood pressure is up, I'm obese, and I am flirting with diabetes. I am facing serious health risks due to a sedentary lifestyle. I have found an activity that I love. I can't afford to let this go.

I'm in.