Being a transfer skater to another league can be somewhat stressful with getting to know everyone, how they play and how things are run. I recently got a chance to get to know my fellow teammates a little bit better in my first away game to Grand Rapids, MI.
On our 6½ hour adventure through Indiana and Michigan, my husband and I got a late start. Dropping the kids off on the way with my parents, we got on the road around 7 p.m. on Friday night, arriving at 2 a.m. at the hotel. Luckily, my new teammates kept me entertained via Facebook. We updated our locations on the road, complained about how much we had to use the bathroom (you really have to hydrate before a game), talked about being bored and even shared lyrics to songs that we were listening to. I was bonding already.
Saturday morning came too soon. I get a text from Buckhead Betty that some of the team was eating breakfast and that I should come down. We ended up eating at Perkins restaurant that was pretty much next door to the hotel. After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and to get ready for the game. When we finally arrived at the venue around 4 p.m. on Saturday, I finally got a chance to see the floor that we were skating on. Horrible tales from past games were floating around the league weeks prior to Saturday. It was a cheese-grater type of sport court, really slow, painful to fall on and causing your feet vibrate to the point of numbness. We warmed up for just a few minutes on the exhausting floor and then grabbed a trackside seat to watch the first game between the Silent Lambs and the G-Rap Attack, the leagues’ JV teams.
After watching the Lambs annihilate the Attack, it was time for the Sheep to roll. This was my first ever game on the all-star team, and only my third with the Cincinnati Rollergirls. I’m still getting to know how each skater skates and how things are done. I have to admit I was a little star-struck during introductions. Looking at my pack, I saw skaters that I’ve looked up to for a long time. And now I’m on their team. All of the commuting 400 miles a week back and forth from Louisville, late night practices, killer workouts and trips to the gym were paying off. I had goosebumps under my wrist guards and elbow pads!
During the game, I could definitely see the differences in where I had played before. The game was much faster at this level, chaotic in the pack and more intense on the bench. But it is what I’ve wanted since I started skating in 2006. And it was awesome. I am more inspired than ever to step up my training on and off skates even more. I’ve had a taste of the good stuff, and I want more.
The after-party was the best one I’ve ever been to. My team not only won the game, but the after-party as well. Getting to talk to the coach and hang out with my teammates was wonderful. Living so far away from Cincinnati makes it tough to socialize and get to know everyone off of the track. Even doing Mad Libs in the car on the way to the venue or listening to text messages coming in from an animated player makes you fall in love with the people that you skate with. Watching your announcer make up a rap and getting hosed down with silly string by the veterans makes me love this team even more.
I was sad that it was over on the drive home. It was another 6½ hour drive, and this time in the rain. My husband was quite a trooper, doing most of the driving while his wife was passed out from exhaustion. Not only did I get to play with the Black Sheep, but I got to know my teammates even more, OFF the track. They are crazy, talented, funny and love this wonderful sport just as much as I do. Sign me up, I wanna do it again!
– Celia Graves