Hi! I’m Tazer Swift (aka Meta) and I did HCR’s new skater camp in 2023. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
Before new skater camp, I probably hadn’t been on roller skates since someone’s birthday party in 4th grade. I am uncoordinated on flat ground, so strapping wheels to my feet on a weekly basis was a crazy choice – but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, try something new, and get some exercise. New skater camp was set up so that even a clumsy 35 year old with no skating experience was successful. Each week we learned something new or built on a skill we had been practicing. The experienced skaters who taught us were amazing! They were so nice and helpful and crammed a lot of learning into those few months! They were very safety-focused which I appreciated. And even though I didn’t pass the assessment on my first try, everyone was encouraging and helped me practice the skills until I was able to pass. Now I play in bouts and know rules and important things like that.
Okay now for the sappy stuff. I started roller derby at a really difficult time in my life (like a lot of people do). When things were hard, I knew that at least I had two and a half hours a week to disconnect from that part of my life and focus on something else (at the beginning it was just staying upright and moving forward). I have learned so much about myself and resilience and hard work. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime. I still have two and a half hours a week to quiet my brain and focus on skating with my friends. And really, that’s what roller derby is: skating with your friends!
I hope that anyone who is curious about roller derby comes to HCR’s new skater camp! Even if you think you’re too old, too uncoordinated, not athletic enough, or too shy (I thought all of those things). Everyone belongs in roller derby!