The birth of The Sox Pistols
15th May 2014
As a youth, I had a standard pair of roller skates that strap to your shoes and adjust as your feet grow, but my feet grew a little too much… so I graduated to a beautiful pair of burgundy roller boots with yellow wheels and colourful go-faster stripes and I skated and skated and skated until one of my wheels fell off and I got a BMX instead. Well, it was the eighties. Fast forward to last summer and imagine my excitement when I discovered that a brand new roller derby team was about to be launched in Loughborough and were looking for new recruits. A full contact sport, predominantly played by women, roller derby is a fantastic way to exercise, socialise, learn new skills, challenge yourself, whizz around on eight wheels and indiscriminately knock people down – what could possibly be better? I signed up immediately!
There were a lot of nervous faces that first night at the leisure centre, as we were all busy signing waivers, pulling on armour, trying on helmets, picking the right size skates and putting off the inevitability of having to stand up with wheels on our feet…it seemed a long way from my childhood experience of stoney paths, steep hills and an open air roller rink on the seafront. When the moment of truth finally arrived, I initially felt like a new born giraffe – the ungainly, legs splayed in every direction sort – but gently, slowly, gradually, joyfully, my legs came back under control, my body remembered what it needed to do and I skated backwards and forwards grinning like a buffoon and LOVING every wavering moment. Looking around me, I saw various stages of enlightenment and eureka moments, as well as some inevitable heavy falls, but grinning was definitely the common denominator as I witnessed the birth of Loughborough’s inaugural roller derby team – The Sox Pistols – our team name being a nod in the direction of Loughborough’s hosiery heritage.
We’ve come a long way since those first, faltering, steps and it’s been an exhilaratingly sweaty journey so far – learning how to fall and turn and hit and jump and skate backwards and weave and block and jam and whip and work as a pack, trying really hard to overcome our innate politeness and not apologise when we deliberately knock each other down. I have far surpassed the skill levels of my youthful skating and my enthusiasm is still much greater than my expertise, but it was only when I enthusiastically broke three ribs that I realised how some things (like bouncing) just don’t improve with age. So, I am trying to rein in my exuberance a little and concentrate on my all-round stability and skills by skating outdoors, just like a kid again…except I now get to have a beer en route!
