Jammer Boot Camp

So, you think you know a lot about roller derby until you’re taught by some of the World’s Best Jammers and Blockers! This weekend, I went down to Brooklyn with 4 of my teammates and we took a 5 hour jammer boot camp with the Gotham Girls Roller Derby. We got to meet two of the best jammers in the world Suzy Hotrod and Bonnie Thunders and an amazing blocker Ginger Snap. Every 5 or 10 minutes of the 5 hour camp, we would learn something new. We learned so many new techniques to get though the pack and to improve our own individual ways of skating as a jammer. (My head almost exploded)

The coolest part about this camp was our teachers. Suzy, Bonnie, Ginger, and the rest of the staff were just fun and laid-back people. I felt as though that was one of the biggest enjoyments from the camp. They helped us to learn all of these new techniques in way that they weren’t scary or intimidating. They are the type of skaters that realize, “Hey, i was at that level at one point” and from there they were able to relate to our different styles and help us build on them. It shows a true teacher that can see what people are doing wrong and helping them to fix it.

From this camp, my teammates and I will be bringing loads of information back to our team in hopes of a major jump in improvement for all of us. We are blessed to have our own coach who takes the time to make up new strategies and fundamentals for us to become better skaters. Roller derby isn’t a sport that has an on and off season. We practice all year round because the rules and strategies to be learned are endless. Suzy and the rest of the Gotham League practices 4 to 5 days a week (Crazy). For right now I think two to three practices a week is just fine! As for the future, anything is possible.