Well, since Roller Derby has now become such a big part of my life, it makes sense that it now take over its own niche blog. For those who know me as Erica Ortiz, the drag racer, you may not know that during the off-season and while the crappy economy has me sidelined, I've picked up another high speed, adrenaline rushing sport.... ROLLER DERBY.
I always loved skating, but after middle school, felt like a tool going to the rink without borrowing someone's tween or kiddie to "chaperone". So, I hadn't put on a pair of skates in probably upwards of 15 years when I heard about the Dixie Derby Girls here in Huntsville, AL.
Instantly, I fell in love. Hard hits, fast speed, fun personas, and cute ass attire..... I'm hooked. I started attending practice in December 2008, and in April I skated my first bout as eRacerX #X9. My goal is to become a badass jammer, but you know... adjusting to a track with corners and curves... yea, that takes some time. I'm used to my speed in a straight line and balls to the wall!I picked my derby name eRacer X as a play on Speed Racer's mysterious brother Racer X. Originally the first racecar driver in the family, Rex Racer went to the dark side of mysterious by faking death and coming back as Racer X, a vigilante determined to put a stop to corruption on the track. Known as the Harbinger of BOOM-- fast and dangerous, erasing the competition just comes easily... Since Racer X drove Car #9, I adopted my number as X9.
So this blog will probably be a commentary on my life as a Dixie Derby Girl...and trust me, what happens at the afterparty WILL be the talk on the internets for days!
Thanks for your wonderful and insightful comment on my blog! It was great to get the perspective of a derby girl and almost convinced me to get back out there. I generally don't like quitting things, so it was a hard decision to make. But I had to honour my body, and there were some other factors (time, money, etc). I still love derby, and you've inspired me to get involved in some other non-skating capacity!
ReplyDeleteSo cool that you're a drag racer! And that there's derby in Alabama (that's what AL stands for, right? my US geography is a little spotty). Also very excited about having a new derby blog to follow. I love your writing and passion for the sport.
Rock on!