Thanks to Granting the Future I was given the amazing opportunity to attend RollerCon for the first time, and because of GTF I was able to experience a whole new side of roller derby. At RollerCon not only was I able to take a blocking class with top level skaters Beans and Tenacity but I was also coached during scrimmages by Optimus Grime and Miracle Whips. These two amazing skaters have been players I have looked up to for years and being given the opportunity to learn from them was an experience I will always be grateful for. Through these coaches I learned many ways to improve myself as a skater not only as a blocker but also as a jammer. I received tips on how to improve my footwork that I will continue to practice going forward in my derby career and new ways to assist my jammers during game play. Through my experience at RollerCon I not only learned new skills that I will personally use but I also learned a blocking maneuver that I have used during practice that I have taught to some of my teammates, as well as other skills. Overall, the biggest impact RollerCon has had on me as a skater was being able to be around and personally taught by high-level skaters, that I have looked up to for most of my derby career, and being able to reconnect and play with some amazing players during scrimmages. 

My experience at RollerCon was amazing. Being this was my first time going to RollerCon, I was not sure what to expect. I fortunately got the wonderful opportunity to play in their BIPOC versus Black Diaspora full length game. This was the first time I have ever played without my teammates and in front of a crowd that large. It truly was scary at first, but as the game got going it was really fun. As a player, RollerCon helped me broaden my derby language. I was able to learn new techniques from other teams, for example the way they start and their different plays. During my time at RollerCon I was able to see the fun in derby again. Playing in the games there, the stress of winning wasn’t there. We weren’t playing to win in any of the games, we were playing to have fun. Now, I try to bring more of the fun side of derby into my game play with my team. What impacted me the most as a skater from being at RollerCon, was that there is more derby out there than just my team. This also means there is more to learn. I feel in this sport if you want to get better and grow, then you have to experience other aspects. RollerCon was my first steps in experiencing something different with roller derby, I want to keep that going. Thank you GTF