A big part of roller derby is the set of minimum skills that every skater needs to be able to do in order to be game ready. These skills range from being able to stand on one leg in skates for 30 seconds, all the way up to taking and giving a big ol’ full body check safely.
Passing minimum skills is a rite of passage for every skater – and it isn’t easy, and it definitely isn’t always quick! In this series, some of our skaters share their minimum skills journeys and their top tips for persevering when it seems like 27 in 5 or reverse crossovers are constantly out of reach.
Speedy Gunz Alice
How long have you been skating?
1.5 years ish
What level are you skating at now?
Crucibelles (B Team)
How long did it take you to pass your minimum skills in full?
10 months (it felt like forever???)
How did you feel while you were working towards passing?
Terrified; stressed; I put loads of pressure on myself to pass and I felt like it’d never happen
What was the final skill you passed?
Hip-, shoulder- and full-body checks.
How did you feel after you passed?
Amazed and relieved but then terrified at the thought of having to skate with the big scary post mins.
What advice would you give to yourself back then?
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
What advice would you give to people who are worried about passing min skills now?
- Try and turn up as much as you can: I was fortunate to not miss many sessions as a pre-min so that helped loads.
- Don’t put pressure on yourself to pass before you’re ready, it keeps you safe when you do pass.
- Work as hard as you can, give it your all and listen to feedback.
- If it all gets too much, try to remember that we do this for fun and it’s ok to hit pause for a bit and then try again.
- DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. They may have been a figure skater or a swan or a penguin or a Shetland unicorn in a past life YOU NEVER KNOW!
Anything else you’d like to say?
Get low 😉 Also please be excellent to each other; we’re all different and we all have our own challenges to overcome both on and off track.
Also in this series: