When the jammer breaks through the pack of blockers, and skates a free lap, she then gains a point for every opposing blocker she passes the next time through. At a whistle blow, teams of five, one of which is the point-scoring jammer, race around the oval and jockey for position. The full-contact game is played in two 30-minute periods, broken up into two-minute jams. Practices would lead to bouts at UIC Pavilion. Three times per week I would meet up at the practice space in Chicago to work on skills and build my strength, stamina, and speed. Skaters come from all walks of life - women in my league were nurses, police officers, teachers, bar tenders, salon owners, lawyers, photographers, and yes, even mothers. Modern roller derby, one of the fastest growing female sports in the world, has a stalwart DIY ethos - women have a hand in organizing and leading all aspects of the sport, from the practices to the bouts (games) to the marketing. Patrick’s Day parade on a cold Chicago morning, I found the thing that would ignite a passion: roller derby. I longed for a space of my own.Īfter five years of being in a “mom bubble” of sorts, and right after nursing my last baby, I started to search for a community of women, separate from my moms’ groups where everyone only talks about their kids during playdates. I was thankful that I could be with my children during all their important milestones, but I needed something more. Even though I was buried in laundry and dishes, I was grateful for the choice I had to be a stay-at-home mom, knowing that many mothers don’t get to choose due to finances or circumstances. Women don’t talk enough about how difficult it is to make the shift from being in the work force and building a career to becoming a full-time caregiver, often without any outside help or support. While I loved being a stay-at-home mom, playing and snuggling with my littles all day, raising three boys in diapers, with a husband who traveled every week, was often an insular and lonely experience.
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