IT'S BEEN A YEAR!

"Damn it if I'm not a dangerous player in a year from starting!" - me 13th September 2012.


Shorty H was born a year ago when I attended PRDs practice only to try out what couple of my really close and dear friends were doing in the evenings. I remember how hard it was to try not to fall with the skates and my skating really sucked. I could do some ½ hour and my feet were killing me. I thought it to be a mission impossible to become even somewhat airy skater and sometimes I still feel it. After the first practice I loaned my friends skates during her long walk in Spain for a month and then decided to become one of those awesome girls attending the practice week after week with such enthusiasm that made me feel there was something about those people. It's only now I realize what that was: a team, my team. The best freaking girls Porvoo has to offer! Not only the skaters becoming players but our coaches and refs too.

Here's the first derby related picture of me in our Open Skate in April 2012.



Everything started rolling and we did some serious groundwork with basic skills. I had never skated in any way, I had no balance and all in all no idea how those quad skates worked or how my body was to work on them. At times I felt I wasn't going anywhere but I kept on showing up to the practices even if I sometimes felt I was left behind. I wasn't a fast learner - actually it took me a good while to learn even crossovers and you know why? Because of FEAR. Fear of falling, fear of failing, fear of anything I could think of. I got a little something attending an international boot camp in Helsinki after only 9 times on skates. The international coaches pushed me to cross those lines and it stuck with me. Of course it wasn't like an immediate turn to a a brave person givin' it all but it was a push towards it. The next big push came in September at the USA boot camp when I started this blog. I'm not that afraid to try new styles and tricks as I used to be.

Here's an example. Outdoor skating in May 2012 even if I didn't even know how to stop. That didn't stop us! :D



So as I said I should be a dangerous player after a year. I've got some serious work to do still but the results after one year of practicing are showing something. I've got balance. I can skate. I can learn more.
I CAN PLAY!

Loads of love to all of you who made me start this!