We’ve had a couple of messages in the past week asking us what we expect out of our New Skaters. Here’s a brief rundown on the life of a New Recruit with LADD. Other leagues may do things a little differently, so before you go to a try out or orientation in your hometown, contact their Memberships or New Skater committee with questions.
Step 1: Sign up. We need our New Skaters to send us an email, give us a phone call or come to orientation and sign a few pieces of paper. This isn’t a contract. We just need your name and phone number, an emergency contact and a few other insurance related forms. Nothing scary, we promise.
Step 2: Attend orientation. We are having our New Skater open house/orientation on September 22nd. The public is invited to come out, watch a small version of practice, ask questions about the various positions available and, if you want, we have loaner gear you can try on. This gear is first come, first served, so get to the Rink early and find your size.
Step 3: Join the league. Our New Skaters will need to join the league to secure their place in this session. This means paying 25$ in dues and setting up a gear purchase. More about this in our next post “What do I Need”
Step 4: Come to Newbie practices. Once a week. That’s it. If you want to come more, that’s great. If you’ve never skater before or haven’t skated in a long time, it’s important to come as often as your schedule allows. When you graduate onto a team, attendance requirements will also go up a little, so it’s good to be in the habit of coming at least twice a week from the get go.
Step 5: Have fun! Skater Sessions are designed to train a group of women to be team ready by spring. There will be ups and downs, smiles and frowns and bumps and bruises along the way. Have fun with it! You have gone outside your comfort zone and tried something different. Be proud of your accomplishments along the way and get to know your fellow team mates.
That’s it. Roller Derby may seem intimidating from the outside, but very few of us knew how to skate or were athletes coming into it. We all went down the same road you’re going down now and we’ve all been “the New Girl”. Our league strives to be as inclusive as we can and no one will judge your abilities or questions. We want every woman who joins to have a positive experience and get the most out of their experience. Perhaps a better question wouldn’t be “What will be expected of me?” when you join our league, but rather “What do I expect from Roller Derby?”
Los Alamos Derby Dames 