I have to start by saying how proud I am of my fellow newbies! We endured a night of quick-paced athletics that I don't think is normally on our daily rosters... Followed by practicing falls, which is a constant up and down on unsure legs and toe stops. It wasn't easy, and I am proud to stand/fall/skate with all of you!
One of the more experienced girls said, "The hardest part of derby isn't skating." Humbling thought to keep in mind....
So, as for me... The exercising session on sneakers made me want to die. Running forwards and backwards, jumping jacks, planks, mountain climbers... I was nearly wheezing when it was over.. Couldn't catch my breath and to me it felt like I was the only one having so much trouble. I was too busy trying to breathe to notice if anyone else actually was as bad off as me...
I did enjoy how much time we Fresh Meat got to spend working just by ourselves this time. Thank you to Vicious and Dee for patience and helpful tips! (And for laughing with me when I completely forgot what I was doing and fell randomly into a heap a few times.. haha!)
On my first attempt at getting up from a one-knee fall, I, for some reason, used my weak left leg... I felt a weird sensation and then pain. I'm pretty sure I pulled something in my upper leg. I'm having issues with my right skate rubbing on a bone in my foot too, and thanks to some of the girls for suggesting I change my lacing. It still hurt but wasn't as bad! I did okay for the remainder of the time. I did, at least, remember to boil and mold my mouthguard beforehand, so I could actually concentrate on skating and not my mouth!
At one point I looked over at the experienced women skating in their huge mega-endurance drills. Then I looked back at the raw chickens in our little corrall, fumbling and working on toe-stops. I started to fill with despair, thinking that I couldn't possibly reach the other side... I could never do what they are doing...
I had to force myself to look away, and get back to what was the reality of the moment. I did not look over at the other girls again. I cheered for my fellow Fresh Meat, and did my best. I had to stop comparing myself to the more experienced people, be they oldies or newbies, and focus on myself. If someone did better than me, instead of hating my inabilities, I concentrated on watching their movements so I could learn from their successes.
I can only do my best, and push myself to do better. It's only been two practices... I can't expect to go from couch to athlete in two days! Athleticism doesn't come naturally to me, but I promise... I'm not giving up.... no matter what!
Oh yeah, and then we learned about penalty tracking, score keeping, and position tracking.... (Thanks for the tutorial Helen! It was actually really interesting!) ;)
I completely agree with whomever said it. Skating isn't the hardest part. For me the mental stuff continues to be my biggest challenge. But I'll tell you what ... you're FM class is really doing great. You guys did NOT look like last night was only your second night of practice. Don't compare yourself to anyone else (I have to keep reminding myself of this as well). We all have our own past experiences (or not) with skating. We all have different bodies, different fitness levels, different abilities and even different things that drive us. This is your journey and yours alone, so enjoy every single step.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vinnie. Everything you said is true! Its hard not to compare yourself to others, but I think its the only way to get through this (and life in general!)... something I'm working at every day....
ReplyDeleteSee you at practice, and thanks again for the nice words :)
I thought the exact same thing when I started in January and I was out there with those big scary experienced skaters that night! It takes time and don't let the experience levels of everyone else psych you out :)
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