Last night, Lorien and I went to the Rose City Rollers Season 7 championship bout. I had completely washed my hands of derby since retiring in 2009, and hadn't even thought about attending any derby-related events since my final championship. Recently, some of my newer friends and coworkers had expressed interest in attending a bout with me so I could explain the rules and act as a guide to the sport. The plan was to take them to last night's championship, with not one but two retired roller girls in the row. However, all of those folks backed out and it was down to me, Lorien, Eric, and Xander. The Rose City Rollers now play their big games at the Coliseum, so that was a new experience. Lorien and I deftly avoided anybody we (well, I) didn't want to talk to, and found seats in the largely-empty Icebox. I can't say I miss it, but being on this side of the track was bizarre.
The Heathers were up first, battling the Guns n Rollers for third and fourth place. Back when I played, we were always in the top two, but no matter. I'll admit to having heart pangs once our former team took the floor. This sport was my life for so long. It defined my entire life in Portland for four years, gave me wonderful friends, provided the opportunity to publish my writing in several graphic novels, and even helped me get my previous job. At the same time, it seemed like there was no end to the anguish of being a skater. When I finally had enough and quit, I never looked back. What can I say, I'm a bridge burner.
Still, Lorien and I had a great time watching the bout. We morphed back into Apoc and Rhoda, screaming "TWENTY FEET!" and "HELP YOUR JAMMER! HELP! YOUR! JAMMER!" at the track for hours. Here we are in a brief moment of calm:
As Auntie Apoc, I explained the game to Xander, who kept removing his protective headphones every time they were placed on his head.
That kid was a trooper for being out two hours past his bedtime. He only cried when the Heathers lost. And lose they did. Here's the scoreboard going into halftime. It says GNR 130, Heathers 16.
The Heathers did manage to score 100 points in the second half, but GNR trounced them with 230. That is what we call a blowout.
The High Rollers vs. Betties half was much more interesting. The game was a nailbiter to the very end, with the teams tied going into the final jam. The High Rollers, for whom we were rooting, ended up losing by five, but they put up a very fine fight. There's no way I'd want to return to the league, but in those moments of cheering and screaming last night, I couldn't help remembering how much I loved it from the moment I became Fresh Meat in 2005:
To my first bout in 2006:
To my first time as a jammer:
To my parents being present for my best game:
To my final season:
Sure, I'd never go back, but I'd never take the experience back either.
There'll always be a bit of Apoc in your life and for the better, I'd say. A proud Mamapoc.
ReplyDeleteApoc has a tendency to show up when I am getting knocked around at a concert or need to get through a crowd quickly.
DeleteI tried to use Apoc's method when overwhelmed by crowds on our recent trip. It worked just fine. Thanks.
ReplyDelete