Retired from Derby After 9 Years

I don't know if anyone is even reading this blog anymore. Given how rarely I post to it, I wouldn't blame anyone for unfollowing it.

In September 2017 I sprained the fuck out of my left ankle -- an ankle that has been giving me trouble since I was 9. This was the worst I've ever injured it, and that includes a time when I actually fractured it.

Now, in April 2018, it still hurts. I don't think I can skate, to be honest. And to be 100% honest, I was getting a little tired of the way that derby takes over your life. It was fine at first -- a new, exciting thing. I couldn't imagine why anyone would ever want to do anything else.

It's hard to sustain that kind of enthusiasm for 9 years, and I ... did not. Three practices per week, plus meetings and volunteer hours -- it's a lot.  I would not advise anyone against doing derby, but I would probably warn them of the huge time commitment.

Derby also took up a lot of my mental bandwidth. It was the source of a lot of my stress (some of that was my own fault, but not all). I would guess I spent probably at least 50% of my waking time thinking about derby. "Obsession" would be a fair term to use.

So, to answer a few questions:

- No, I don't really miss it. But bear in mind, I did it for a loooooong time. I saw many people with derby careers way shorter than mine.
- If you knew me from roller derby and were used to calling me "Dixie," please continue to. I think it would be super weird if my derby friends all of a sudden started calling me "Miranda."

I'm thankful to Sick Town and to roller derby for many things. I learned a lot, and not just skating skills.  Ten years ago, I would have thought a woman wearing booty shorts and fishnets looked like a hooker. Now, I feel like women should wear whatever the hell they want. :-) And thanks in particular to one good friend, I would now never call someone a slut. It's just a bullshit word used to shame women. No one is a slut.

I made some great friends, people I hope will be in my life until the end. I'm not going to name names because I'd forget someone. Y'all know who you are. :-)

Overall, I'm happy I did derby, and I'm fine with being finished with it now.  I don't want to let another hobby take over my life that way, but I got a lot out of it. Sick Town is a great group of women, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.